Fourth Grade Math

We completed our unit on long division. The girls embraced the challenge of annexing zeros. Be sure to ask your daughter how to annex zeros when a division problem has a remainder! The girls also focused on interpreting remainders in word problems. They learned that they had to read and understand exactly what was being asked. From here they had to decide whether or not to use the exact quotient as the answer;  round up to the next whole number;  use the remainder as their answer; or round down to the nearest whole number. Lots of thinking goes into answering these word problems.

From the Library

Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader

by Dean Schneider and Robin Smith
originally printed in the March/April 2001 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

1. NEVER READ where your children can see you.

2. PUT A TV or COMPUTER in every room. Don't neglect the bedrooms and kitchen.

3. CORRECT YOUR CHILD every time she mispronounces a word.

4. SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES every day after school so your child will never be bored.

5. Once your child can read independently, THROW OUT the PICTURE BOOKS. They're for babies.

6. DON'T PLAY board games together. Too Dull.

7. Give little REWARDS for reading. STICKERS and plastic toys are nice. MONEY is even better.

8. Don't expect your children to enjoy reading. Kids' books are for TEACHING vocabulary, proper study habits, and good morals.

9. Buy only 40-watt bulbs for your lamps.

10. Under NO circumstances read your child the same book OVER and OVER. She heard it once, she should remember it.

11. Never allow your child to listen to BOOKS ON TAPE; that's cheating.

12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging". EASY books are a complete WASTE OF TIME. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.

13. Absolutely, positively NO READING IN BED.

French: La Suisse

What do milk chocolate, Roger Federer, and the novel Heidi all have in common? They come from the French-speaking country, Switzerland (la Suisse). After learning all about Switzerland's geography and culture, the girls worked in groups to create a Swiss trivia game using the app Tiny Tap. Their projects are colorful, creative, and, most importantly...tricky! They were able to stump more than a few of their classmates. The girls had a good time playing the games and an even better time creating them.

Putting our heads together:

Enjoying the final products:

Code Talk

The fourth grade students have been working very hard in Scratch.

 They have created an All About Me project and learned a variety of skills like making a sprite glide, change color, dance, follow the mouse, say something, move to a beat, move with key moves, and whirl.  We will continue our work in coding by participating in the Hour of Code in December.

Fourth Grade Social Studies

In Social Studies, fourth grade students are being introduced to the countries that make up the continent of South America. They are also studying the area’s major landforms and bodies of water, respectively the Andes Mountains and the Amazon River.  They will use maps to find locations of the Amazon Rain Forest and the varying elevations. Be sure to ask your daughter to describe South America to you. She has been learning many tidbits of information through our reading of Journey to the River Sea and our map studies.

Division Begins....

After successfully completing a unit on multiplication, fourth-graders started working on division. Learning how to divide 2-, 3-, and 4-digit numbers by a single-digit divisor and moving on to long division will occupy the next few weeks.  Be sure to take a look at your daughter's homework to see how she is faring with this important skill.

Science: The Big Maglev (magnetically levitated) Train Race

The 4th grade students have been busily making magnetically levitated train cars in science. Balancing the magnets on a styrofoam block so that train car will levitate on a magnetic track is not easy. It was important to make their maglev train cars glide smoothly down the track. The challenge then was to make the car travel as far as possible from the end of the track.

The girls carefully taped magnets to the bottom of the styrofoam block.

They checked to see that their maglev train car balanced on the track.

What made the train car travel farther? The girls added pennies, sails, and/ or more magnets. Are you curious? Ask your 4th grade engineer what worked!

The big race!

Language Arts

The fourth grade is paddling further down the Negro River in Brazil where they have found the   Carter's house. Maia is realizing the beauty and the wonderment of the rain forest. Unfortunately, the twins are most unkind and uninviting, but Maia and Miss Minton, her governess, have found a way to circumvent their naughty behavior.

Our fourth graders are comparing how Maia, Miss Minton, and the Carters reacts to the jungle. Several of the girls have drawn a conclusion that the book seems a lot like a Cinderella story; the plot has a fairy-tale air to it.

In writing, we are concentrating on the parts of a sentence using the idea of "framing our thoughts." In other words, a picture frame is like a sentence because both have a subject and both usually have some kind of action, although "still" in a photograph. Once they have the idea of what the subject is we can use descriptive words, adjectives, to describe the subject, making it much more interesting.

Math

In math we are learning how to multiply 1-digit whole numbers by 3- and 4-digit numbers. Before we began the traditional multiplication using regrouping we used place value and partial products to find the products of multiplication problems. This lends itself to understanding the steps in doing a multi-step multiplication problem.

Moving On to South America

After several weeks visiting rural villages in Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia, the fourth-graders are traveling to South America. Did you know that there was a difference in the number of continents depending on one's point-of-view? Some people in Europe see the Americas as one land mass or one continent, while we count North and South America as separate locations. 

What is your opinion? You can ask your daughter and start an interesting discussion.  

Art: Personal Symbols

The girls are working of the collage pieces considering the macro design (their personal symbols) and the micro design (imagery from their "I am" poems). They are using different strategies to morph their imagery.  The results are powerful! 

Computer Programming

This month the girls began an introduction to computer programming by learning about Ada Lovelace.  In 1843, Ada Lovelace became known as the first computer programmer and predicted the future of technology.  During Ada Week, October 13-17th, we watched various short video clips and read articles about her life.  With a partner, the girls create a Google Presentation about Ada’s Life.  Now we are working in Scratch, a programming language created by MIT.  To learn more about this program visit http://scratch.mit.edu/parents/

You can view your child’s work online throughout the unit!

Fourth Grade Language Arts

The fourth grade is anxiously awaiting each additional page as we read the novel by Beverly Naidoo, Journey To Jo'Burg. Naledi, the main character, is very concerned about her sister Dineo's sickness which needs immediate medical attention, but there are obstacles in the way of getting her to a hospital. She talks her brother, Tiro, into accompanying her on this difficult 186 mile journey. They meet interesting people along the way who help them to finally connect with their mother, Mma
in Johannesburg. Naledi and Tiro are also introduced to apartheid South Africa. We cannot share the ending of the story without spoiling it for the girls. Be sure to have your daughter keep you informed of the characters' journey to Jo'Burg.

As we read this novel, the girls do writing projects which show their ability to think about their reading and make responses that demonstrate careful reading and recall of details.

How many countries are there in Africa?

Did you know that there are at least 54 countries in Africa? Your daughters are now geography experts, and each one can name at least 17 locations on this vast continent.  As we finish up our first quarter, students will study eating etiquette in three different African countries and will invite their classmates to share a meal in a a traditional fashion.  In the next few weeks, this might provide interesting dinner conversation.

Ask Your Daughter about Ada Lovelace

Do you know who Ada Lovelace was? Last week, fourth-graders investigated the life and work of Ada Lovelace, one of the first computer programmers.  This collaborative technology and math project--led by Ms. Maalouf--allowed girls to explore various media resources and create a Google Presentation on this interesting mathematician. You can view your daughter's work in her Google Drive.

French: Visitons l'Afrique Francophone!

In French class, the girls have been learning about French speaking African countries. They played country Bingo, created mini country reports, participated in a country fact survey, played "I Spy" with African flags, read an authentic folk tale, and learned about the climate, geography, and culture of French speaking Africa. To conclude our unit, we had a very fun class where, first, the girls listened and danced to music from a band from Cameroon. You can see from the very blurry images below that they certainly enjoyed dancing!

Next, they teamed up and played Mancala (also known as the African Stone Game). 

It has been an interesting and busy few weeks visiting Africa! 

Science: Magnets, the attraction is obvious!

This fall, the 4th grade girls did experiments to learn the properties of magnets.

They tested various materials to see which are attracted to magnets and through which ones magnetic force can travel. They discovered that two magnets joined together have more force than one by itself and they had fun levitating magnets.

They put this knowledge to use as they planned and created original games which utilized magnet attraction or repulsion. Needless to say, the girls demonstrated their creativity and a good time was had by all!

Art: I AM POEMS

The girls are creating a design piece with symbolic imagery that represents who they are as individuals, who they are as members of various groups, and who they are as citizens of the world.  They are writing "I Am Poem" to help conjure their personal images using the link: http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/iampoem.htm

Art: Meaning

In fourth grade the art theme is Meaning.  The girls work with symbolism, literal and figurative meaning, universal connections, and cultural meaning.  They look at art from around the world and use analytical strategies and research to understand art from another place and people.  The girls also venture into abstraction discovering the power of the art elements to express and evoke personal and universal feelings and ideas.  

Technology: We have an app for that!

The girls have been very busy learning a variety of new apps in the classroom, during art, french, technology and more. Here is a list of the apps they have been using:

iBooks
Pic collage
Art set
Beautiful planet
                                                    Edmodo
                                                   Socrative 
                                                   Fotobabble
                                                   Google Drive

From the Library

Fourth graders have just finished a sleuthing project involving the organization of non-fiction books in our collection. Not all libraries use the Dewey Decimal System, but most do, and it's good to know that there is a system using numbers from 000-999. Girls found the lowest numbered and highest numbered books in a range and then together we hypothesized about the category. The Story of  the Three Wise Kings (220) and The Three Muslim Festivals (297.4) helped us easily figure out that 200s were books about religion.  A Short Walk Around the Pyramids & Through the World of Art (700) and Iditarod Dream ( (798.8) made us think that 700s might be about travel. We were stumped when we added Sailing is for Me (797.1) and Songs of the Wild West (781.7). What else besides travel? The 700s cover a wide range of titles about arts and recreation, including sports.
We have also had some fun with thesaurus work. Ask your daughter for some exciting synonyms for BAD and for BREAK.

French: L'Histoire de Gérard et Brigitte

The girls are hard at work in French class. They have received their Gérard et Ses Copains textbook and are learning to associate visual symbols with vocabulary words. This week, they each received a set of all the words we have learned so far. I told them a story (une histoire) and they had to construct each sentence on their desks as they listened. For example, the picture below reads: Elle joue au foot à l'école avec lui. I encourage you to ask your daughter to read this to you at home!

Upon the conclusion of our petite histoire, the girls created their own sentences using the symbols. They then took a picture in the app Fotobabble and recorded themselves reading what they had made.

Music: Improvisation

4th graders worked in partner groups to create words that fit our duple meter rhythmic building blocks.  We will use these words as the rhythmic basis for a melodic improvisation!

Art: We Are All Artists

Every student started the year by making a small 3x3 inch self-portrait. There are quite a few inherent challenges using small paper and black pen that help the girls get comfortable right way with the art quip: "Turn your uh-oh into an ah-ha."  The girls were encouraged to make a clear choice in their work and to be bold. The works are on display at the entrance of the art studio with the following questions to guide their observations: Which portraits show that the artist used line variation? Which portraits show that the artist made a discovery about herself, her art, or her materials? Which portraits show that the artist tried the blind contour technique to record her observations without looking? Which portraits show that the artist made a clear choice about line, shape texture, value, or space in her work? In art this year we will make art, look at art and talk about art! We are all artists! 

Technology in 4th Grade

We have been very busy during technology in 4th grade.  We began by discussing acceptable use policies.  Next, we joined our Edmodo groups and learned how to use our Google Drive.  In Google Drive we created our World Traveler Digital Passports.

Language Arts in Fourth Grade

Each girl designed a pic collage showing her required summer reading. They are very colorful and show the many different books the girls selected to read. Below is a photo of their finished products. We are getting off to a great start on our independent reading. All of the girls are reading novels set in different African countries. Have your daughter share with you a favorite part of her current selection.

Traveling the World with Fourth Grade

After exploring the continents and oceans of the world, fourth-graders started to investigate culture. Students shared information about what makes us alike and what makes us unique as individuals. Using the app, Edmodo, students listed different holidays, languages spoken at home, values, and how often they saw members of their extended families.  Last week, we discussed the differences between fact and opinion to  help them understand their observations about people and countries.  It was surprising to learn that some countries count the number of continents as six, instead of the seven that we teach here in school. Ask your daughter to tell you why. 

We will continue this conversation in class to lay the foundation for our global study.

State Box Connections

As the girls waited anxiously for Field Day to begin, they continued to demonstrate their love of learning!

 

Abby and Mia connected Oregon and Georgia both having a coastline, but not on the same ocean

 

Meredith, Ashy, and Lydia discovered each of their states border one of the five Great Lakes. 

 

Half of the New England States, in the north-east region are represented by Maddy, Ingrid, and Sadie.

 

Merriwether and Lexie connected their states to be second and third in size.  Also, California and Texas border the country of Mexico and are coastal states as well.  

 

 

 Grace, Lucia, Lizzie, and Meley represent the 47th, 48th, 49th, and 50th state to complete the USA!       .  

From the Library

Summer Reading has been posted. https://www.brynmawrschool.org/library-ls-summer-reading-landing. It is available through the Bryn Mawr School website. Go to Lower School, Peggy Bessent Library, Summer Reading. Third graders have been looking at many of the books on the list and already have some ideas about which books they might enjoy. We've also had fun reviewing many of the books we've read together this year, identifying quotes:  "It's the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose, because he is full of curiosity from nose to tail." (Rikki Tikki Tavi), and details: In which book does a sister tease her brother about taking his favorite stuffed animal to a sleepover? (Ira Sleeps Over)
Have fun reading this summer!

BMS Senior Returns to Third Grade

Bryn Mawr senior and lifer Alex Saiontz has joined the third grade.  During the last three weeks of the school year, Bryn Mawr seniors complete a Senior Project, in which they explore the working world, playing an active role in their community.  Some students work for community and public service organizations, and some complete independent projects.  Many, like Alex, work in professional environments.  Alex chose to return to the Lower School where she began her Bryn Mawr journey.  She has read books to the girls, helped them edit their papers and explore math problems.  She even taught Gym Drill dances during recess.  The girls also loved talking to Alex about their futures in the Upper School.  We all wish her well in college.

Stone Fox Projects

For the girls' final book report, they read Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner.  Each project was individually chosen from a variety of extended activities.  Thank you parents for all your support!