In It to Win It

As I sit here with the Browns playing in the background, I cannot help but see this game mirror our fourth-grade year ahead. We are running strong out of the gate, and our class is so fun for me to watch. We have a strong group of kids. Even if we get sacked occasionally, I can tell it will be an exciting season for Cleveland and our Bath Team Heroes!

During this past week, we ramped up our pace and set our routine. Those children that stay with me for math have already launched into our second topic. We are now working on strategies to add and subtract accurately and with an increased pace. We explored the first chapter of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing in language arts and learned how we will track our progress in a Pages reading journal. Social Studies was a fun start as we began learning about the continents and oceans. And in science, we began to understand the scientific method by drafting our own experiment using paper airplanes. Please make sure to check out the photos on Twitter (@mrsjodihetman).

This coming week we will continue to read our Judy Blume book together. In addition, we will finish our science experiment and learn more about the globe, hemispheres, and the compass rose in Geography. The students who stay with me for math will be challenged to do some EdPuzzles to prepare for our "Flipped" classroom approach, which will begin in October. This model allows me to work with children on topics they need support with while pushing those who understand it to go on for higher-level thinking work. The class seemed excited to know they had some control over their own pace.

We are going to start using our I/E (intervention/enrichment) block for some personal passion projects. The class is really excited to begin. Make sure you ask your fourth grader what topic they have chosen. These projects are a fantastic way to work on math, reading, science, and social studies in a real-world setting the children want to learn about. I cannot wait to see what these superstars accomplish!

Last but not least, we will be using our grammar spiral notebooks this week. If you have not already, please send the notebook and glue in with your child tomorrow. Thank you!
Upcoming Dates to Know:
September 16 - STEM starts for our class
September 20 - Kindness Week begins
   Monday - Hey Day!
   Tuesday - Random Acts of Kindness
   Wednesday - Wear green
   Thursday - Social Switch-up
   Friday - Note Day
September 24 - Wear your Bath Team Hero shirts