This week in LA we are learning about analogies. We will examine the different types of word relationships in analogies and practice them both as a group and independently. Analogies are GREAT for building new connections in our brains. In addition, students will be completing the expository on a special place. This time, most of the work was done without teacher input, as I'm moving the responsibility more and more to the students. ALL expositories will go home 2/12 for completion with a due date of 2/16. Most students should be at the step of writing their final copies by now.
We will continue to work on shorter writing pieces this week that combine writing, science, and Valentine's Day. The kids usually love this activity. In addition we will continue our reading stations practicing homophones, poetry, and independent reading.
In social studies, we are completing our unit on Spanish missions. Students are locating them on a map and creating birds-eye-view maps of a mission, given a list of criteria.
At this point in the year, fourth graders should really be taking on more independence with regard to their learning and assignments. While students will still receive explicit instructions, and sometimes task analysis for more in-depth activities, they should be accepting the responsibility.