Riding the poetry bus & working away in May!

We've been "riding the poetry bus" this week!  Check out our latest updates below!

It's been a busy May so far in Room 20!  We are nearing the end of our math team competition as we review for our math MCAS next Tuesday and Wednesday.  Our teams (the Minecraft Miners, the Narwhals, the $100 bills, the Outstanding Orange Octopi, the Blue Whales, and the Purple Minions) are all working hard to earn points by working cooperatively, doing neat and careful work, and showing / explaining their mathematical thinking clearly!  So far, we have reviewed 4 out of the 5 math "strands" (or topics) and we have one topic left!  We can't wait to show all we know on our MCAS next week because we've worked really hard all year on math.  Stay tuned!

In writing, we have had a special treat this week!  Ms. Elizabeth McKim (Ms. Liz) has visited us twice this week.  She is a published poet who has a lot to teach us!  Already, she has roused our poetry brains and we're writing poems we never thought we could!  We've learned acrostics, free verse, and haiku and are learning to use the 5 senses and to be specific (rhymes with Pacific!) when we write poetry.  We're getting very excited about sharing our poems with you soon - stay tuned!  Check out our pictures reading our poems today!

In reading, we've been working on identifying point of view (first or third person) and trying to figure out why the author made the choice to tell the story with a first or third person point of view.  We also have been on the hunt for figurative language in our reading!  In our class read aloud, The Lightning Thief, we've noticed a lot of figurative language that Rick Riordan chose to include - like metaphors, similes, and hyperbole!  In our independent books, we've noticed that authors have different styles and purposes which help them make their choices as authors.  Some of us have also participated in book clubs and have given book talks!  Special thanks to Maggie & Caroline who gave a book talk on Skinny Bones, Justin & Jared who gave a book talk on The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Natalia & Chase who gave a book talk on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Kileigh & Corrin who gave a book talk on Junie B. Jones!  We are looking forward to more book talks soon.

In social studies, we started our study of Mexico!  This is such an interesting country and we're finding that it has a lot of differences when you compare it to Canada.  For example, Mexico's independence took a look and bitter war to obtain and Canada gained independence peacefully from Great Britain.  We started learning about some of Mexico's geography today and talked about how the climate affects the economy!  (Ask us about some jobs we might have in Cozumel)

Next week we have math MCAS!  Mrs. Adams says NOT to worry because we are ready!  We just need to remember to rest, eat a good breakfast, take our time, and show all we know!  Be on the lookout for a math MCAS pep talk sheet on Monday night.

As we charge through May, we are trying to take some time to stop and smell the roses so our 4th grade year doesn't finish up too quickly!  We're savoring each day together as we learn and have fun at the same time!