|
Mrs. Jennifer Ruby
Beckham Elementary
Fourth Grade
Thank you for visiting! I will be posting information about topics we are studying in class and projects we are involved in as well as links to our favorite Web sites. You will also be able to find important information about Fourth Grade . Check back periodically for new additions and changes.
Language Arts  
Reading
We are well into the 2nd semester and our reading community is well established. Our focuses this semester are making inferences, summarizing, reading and responding to poetry, and using text features to understand expository text.
We just finished reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a class read aloud. It was the first time I had read the book also and I don't know who enjoyed it more, the class or me. I invited the class to meet me at the theater so we could watch the movie version, Hugo. I can't wait to talk about it in class.
Our next read aloud will be.....Lafacadio, the Lion Who Shot Back by Shel Silverstein. We are very familiar with Mr. Silverstein's poetry but I'm not sure any of my students realize he has written other genres. This book is always a class favorite.
Writing
This semester we will be focusing on developing strong expository compositions. We have already been discussing and practicing developing our main ideas with examples, description, and explanations. We will also examine our introductions and conclusions, learn how to use transitions, and write compound sentences.
Math
We are finishing up our study of 2 dimensional geometry. The class has become experts on types of lines (parallel, perpendicular, intersecting), types of angles (acute, right, obtuse), and the attributes of polygons. We've also been working on our measurement skills including perimeter and area.
We continue to develop our computation fluency by practicing our multiplication facts to 12. We are working on strategies for division such as using multiplication or breaking apart the dividend. By developing a deep understanding of how the distributive property can be applied to division, 4th graders will be able to easily understand the algorighm of long division, when it is introduced.
Our Math Response Journals are still an important part of our problem solving curriculum. We combine solving multi-step problems, using representations and a variety of strategies with writing out our steps to cement our understandings.
Science
Unfortunately, our field trip to River Legacy Park was cancelled due to flooding from extensive rain storms. We are certainly happy to get the rain but we were so disappointed to not be able to visit the park as scheduled. We have rescheduled our field trip for May 24th, so please mark your calendars. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us.
Social Studies
Fourth grade focuses our entire year on Texas History. This six weeks we will learn about the earliest inhabitants of Texas, European explorers who colonized Texas and the conflicts that insued.
Beckham collects Box Tops for Educations. Click here to learn what products contain box tops.  Clip them and send them to school.
| 
