4th grade humanities
This will be our last week of rotation and humanities. Learners will wrap up their choice informational writing piece. We will close our time in humanities with a circle where learners can share highlights and challenges of the year, and what they are looking forward to next year.
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This week, learners will continue drafting their informational essay on the topic of their choice. Learners will engage in mini lessons on ways to begin and end each section/chapter of writing, transition words, the informational writing checklist.
Learners will also watch "The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin", the film adaptation of By The Great Horn Spoon. We will compare and contrast the characters and plot between the book and film. This week, we will wrap up our unit on the California Gold Rush. Inspired by our visit from author Kate Schatz, learners will read informational articles and explore the lives and contributions of three women (Bernarda Ruiz de Rodriguez, Charley Parkhurst, and Biddy Mason) who lived in California during the Gold Rush. We will also finish reading By The Great Horn Spoon this week.
Learners will transition back into informational writing for their next and final writing unit of the year. Learners will engage in writing an informational piece on a topic of their choice. First, learners will examine informational mentor texts to remind themselves what informational writers do. Next, they will engage in the brainstorming and planning process to choose a topic and map out main ideas and supporting ideas.. Then, learners will begin the drafting process by developing a strong introduction that hooks the reader's attention and highlights the main subtopics of their writing piece. This week will be a more social studies driven week, with lessons focusing on early California's transition into statehood. Learners will watch documentary clips and examine primary sources as they explore the growth of the early California economy, Chinese immigration to California, and the impact of the Gold Rush on the landscape and culture of California.
On Friday, Kate Schatz, author of Rad Women A to Z, will be visiting both fourth grade classes. Kate will read excerpts of her book, speak on her experience as a published author, and answer learners' questions. This week, learners will return to their California Gold Rush project. Learners will wrap up editing and revising their journals on Google Slides, using their project checklists to make sure to include realistic historical/social information and narrative writing elements. Learners will also engage in exploration of the societal structure of California during the Gold Rush, and reflect on the successes and failures of miners.
We will continue reading By The Great Horn Spoon as a mentor text. Fourth grade learners have completed all of their SBA testing. If your learner did not finish a test or was absent last week, they will complete their Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) testing this week. Due to Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA) testing this week, there will be no humanities instruction for fourth grade learners. It is extremely important your learner gets a good night sleep and eats breakfast during testing week. The school will be providing additional snacks but please pack your learner's snack as normal. This will help set them up for success during testing. In addition, learners may bring their own headphones if they'd like. Please label these with their last name. Thanks for all you do!
Welcome back! This week, learners will continue developing their Gold Rush journals. Learners will wrap up their journal drafts, and begin typing final drafts in Google Slides. Learners will engage in mini lessons on writing an engaging conclusion and revision and editing strategies. Learners will also explore the social/historical context of California becoming a state, and integrate real informational from this period of time into their narrative journal writing. We will continue reading By The Great Horn Spoon and using the novel as a mentor text.
Learners will also familiarize themselves with the Smarter Balanced Assessment through practice ELA tests. These practice assessments are not scored, and are used to help learners understand the testing format and tools that are available to them. This week, we will continue our unit on the California Gold Rush. Learners will watch documentary clips highlighting what everyday life was like for miners and examine primary source journal entries of miners from 1851. Learners will also research gold mining techniques. On Thursday and Friday, they will learn about the many diverse groups of people involved in the gold rush and the discrimination these groups faced.
Learners will integrate the new information they are learning about the gold rush into their journal entries as they narrate their character's journey to, and life in, California during this time period. Learners will also engage in Writers' Workshop mini lesson around adding dialogue to their journal entries. We will continue reading By The Great Horn Spoon and using the book as a mentor text for our California Gold Rush unit. This week, we will continue our unit on the California Gold Rush. Learners will watch documentary clips highlighting the discovery of gold, how Manifest Destiny and newspaper propaganda played a role in the gold rush, and what life was like in the gold mining camps. Additionally, learners will read and examine primary source documents on these same topics. Learners will integrate their background knowledge of life during the gold rush into their journal entries as they narrative their character's journey to, and life in, California during this time period. Learners will also engage in Writers' Workshop mini lessons on using sensory details to describe the setting(s) of their character's journey.
We will continue reading By The Great Horn Spoon and using the book as a mentor text for our California Gold Rush unit. This week we are beginnging our Gold Rush unit. Our driving question for this unit and the upcoming project is:What was life like for someone traveling to and living in California in the mid-1800s? Each learner will develop a realistic character who could have lived during the CA Gold Rush, and create a journal about their character’s journey to and life in CA during the Gold Rush.. The journal will describe the individual’s journey on their chosen route, including why they chose that route, who they went with, their reason for going and difficulties they encounter on the journey. Then they will detail their experiences after arriving in CA and living in CA during the Gold Rush. This week learners will specifically explore routes to California, character traits, and learn general information about this time in California history.
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May 2018
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