Happy Friday 401 Families,
First of all, I want to thank you all for the incredible warmth you've shared with me throughout Teacher Appreciation Week. I loved all of the individual cards, e-mails, and videos that were sent! You have taken up the role of co-teacher in these last couple of months, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate each and everyone of you as well. Thank you for all you do for me and for these fabulous 4th graders!
There is a very exciting update this week! *drum roll please* The DoE has reinstated the use of Zoom! And, by general consensus today at Morning Meeting, the students of 401 would like to return to this platform for live interactions.
The DoE and Zoom have coordinated to make sure the platform is secure for classroom use, and there is now a separate log-in for NYC DoE students. Check it out this weekend and sign your child in using their ps333.org accounts: https://nycdoe.zoom.us/
We'll transition back to Zoom slowly starting with Morning Meeting and Office Hours for next week. Small Groups will still be hosted through the Google Meet Link until further notice. Look out for invitations and Zoom meeting links soon!
Reading
In reading this week we will wrap up our class read aloud of "Number the Stars" and be celebrating with a Virtual Field Trip to Copenhagen and a special guest speaker at Morning Meeting on Friday, May 15.
Mini-lessons this week will be about paying close attention to minor-characters and using our skills as informational researchers to better understand our historical fiction texts. Students will also be asked to write a final reflection on "Number the Stars" (will be assigned on May 14 and is due on May 18). This should aim to be a longer, more detailed version of a reading response that focuses on the story's characters, setting and symbolism, as well as theme(s).
Writing
We will continue drafting our historical ficiton short stories by working to add historically accurate problems, stretching out our scenes to add tension, and writing beginnings that set the stage for our readers. If your child is typing up their draft, please have them continue adding to the same document each day. A digital writer's notebook is very similar to a physical writer's notebook or a drafting packet in that a writer adds to it each day! There is no need to turn in drafts to me daily.
Math
This week we'll use all we've learned about decimals to add and subtract. Students will review adding mixed numbers and return to the skills they learned in September of using a place value chart for multi-digit addition and subtraction.
Social Studies
We will have our 50 States Quiz on Friday, May 22nd. Make sure your child is studying using the resources provided in Google Classroom!
Thank you again for all well-wishes this week and for continuing to be the best co-teachers a gal could ask for! Have a wonderful weekend and please continue to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have!
Best,
Kati