What’s Happening Now?

By Mr. Onativia’s Class and Mrs. Wagner’s Class

If you’re walking down the fourth grade wing and happen to see a ray of light coming from rooms 306 and 307, don’t panic! It’s just us, as nonfiction writers, lighting up the room with creative ideas for our informational articles.

Our young authors are working towards publishing their first non fiction article. While working in this unit, we have learned how to read as a writer. This is a different type of reading. We learned how writers engage and hook all their readers. Good writers use catchy leads, interesting facts, conversational voice to keep all readers entertained, metaphors and similes, wise words, and ending paragraphs that make you still think about the topic. Wow, that’s a lot. Many of our writers have experimented with these techniques and they are on the path to success. Students will be publishing their article using Microsoft Publisher. You are going to be WOWED by their articles. The articles will hot off the press by the end of April! Be prepared to learn something new.

Our marvelous mathematicians are mastering many mathematical concepts. We continue working very hard on learning our multiplication facts and we are almost there. Since the beginning of 2009, we have been studying and reviewing multiplying two digits by two digits. The students have been making great progress and especially enthusiastic about learning new concepts. We continue to investigate real life situations by using our everyday problem solving strategies and look forward to studying fractions in our next unit! Get ready for a lot of action with fractions!

Recently, we went on a journey and learned a lot of information about European explorers. We brought the European explorers back to Cottage Lane. Just kidding! Mr. Onativia’s class wrote free verse poems where as Mrs. Wagner’s class wrote rhyming poems about the European Explorers that visited New York.

Here ye! Here ye! We look forward to a Sunny Spring. We can’t wait to feel the tension in the air as a debate brews between room 306 and room 307. Stay tuned for a town meeting between the Patriots and the Loyalists. Which side will you choose?