Grade 4 Language and Arts

'Otherwise Known as Sheila The Great' written by Judy Blume. This book is a good example of realistic fiction because this is an imaginary story but chances are very high that the reader must have witnessed the similar situations sometime in life. The character of Sheila clearly represents the anxieties and feelings of a ten year old. We will do lots of fun activities in class while reading this book. I am short listing 3 expectations more would be covered in the class.

Ontario Curriculum Expectations:

Reading
3.1 Automatically read and understand high-frequency words, most regularly used words, and words of personal interest or significance in a variety of reading contexts. In order to find the word meanings, synonyms and antonyms visit this web site: http://dictionary.reference.com/


Writing
2.9 Proofread and correct their writing using guidelines developed with peers and the teacher. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/proofread/index.html.

3.5 Grammar Use parts of speech appropriately to communicate their meaning clearly, with a focus on the use of common and proper nouns; verbs in the simple present, past, and future tenses; adjectives and adverbs; subject/verb agreement; prepositions; and conjunctions. Visit this website for parts of speech: http://www.learningplanet.com/act/rats/ratslist3.asp

Grade 4 Science

The study of rocks and minerals introduces students to geology. By examining different types of rocks and minerals found in the earth crust, students will learn about their characteristics and properties. This activity engages students in exploring and learning information about different types of rocks. The topic can be introduced by encouraging students to collect different types of rocks from their neighbourhood. Those rocks would be studied individually and in groups. Students will write about a specific rock from their collection. They would sit in a group and would classify different rocks to make a chart. Teacher will then teach them about different types of rocks, their properties, uses and examples. Students would be encouraged to research more on topic. They would create a poster and would explain the facts on the poster. Students will write a test after creating and presenting the poster.

Expectations from Ontario Curriculum

Describe the difference between minerals (composed of the same substance throughout) and rocks (compose of two or more minerals); Visit these links for more information: http://www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight1/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerals#Minerals_and_rocks

Classify the rocks and minerals according to chosen criteria, relying on their observation (e.g., colour, texture, shape);
Find out more on this site: http://www.casdn.neu.edu/~geology/department/staff/colgan/iceland/rocks.htm

Recognize that there are three classes of rocks: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic; To read more information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocks

View slide show on rocks at:
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Slideshow/Slideindex.html

Photo Source: http://en.openphoto.net/search/index.html

MATHEMATICS GRADE 4

Grade 4: Number Sense and Numeration

Expectations:

Represent fractions using concrete materials, words, and standard fractional notation, and explain the meaning of the denominator as the number of the fractional parts of a whole or a set, and the numerator as the number of fractional parts being considered.

Visit this web site: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_103_g_2_t_1.html


Compare fractions to the benchmarks of 0, ½, and 1 (e.g., 1/8 is closer to 0 then to ½; 3/5 is more than ½).

Check this link for comparing and ordering fraction: http://www.321know.com/grade4.htm#topic97

Demonstrate and explain the relationship between equivalent fractions, using concrete materials (e.g., fraction circles, fraction strips, pattern blocks) and drawings (e.g., "I can that 3/6 of my cubes are white, or half of the cubes are white. This means that 3/6 and ½ are equal.”). Visit this link: http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/mmath/mmath_frac.html

Grade 4 Social Studies

Students discover the major features of daily life in medieval European societies. Students investigate the major events and influences of the era and determine how they shaped medieval society. Students apply their understandings to compare communities in medieval times with their own communities today.

Expectations from Ontario Curriculum:
- Describe the hierarchical structure of medieval society and the types of people in it(e.g. peasant, officials, nobles) and explain how different groups cooperated or came into conflict at different times.
- Describe the aspects of daily life for men, women and children in medieval societies (e.g. food, housing etc.)

The following links give us a better idea:

Hierarchy of medieval society
http://www.camelotintl.com/village/society.html

Who is who in the castle?
http://www.edu.pe.ca/vrcs/grassroots/2002/grade5/medieval/slides/amanda/index.htm

Life in middle ages
http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/mahome.htm

Read More About Feudal Life: http://www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/feudal.html

Dictionary of Feudal Terms: http://eserver.org/langs/feudal-dictionary.txt

Tired of studying, let us hear some music of medieval times
http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/instrumt.html

Topic of the week - Math Is Fun for Everyone

We had a great time doing math activities. I hope that you all enjoyed them as much as I did. I am listing here three web sites so that you can have more fun and adventure with mathematics

http://www.aplusmath.com/ This website helps you improve your mathematics skills in a fun filled way.

http://www.funbrain.com/ You can do tons of activities on this web site. Along with math, you can even read web comics on this site.

Want to play cool math games: http://www.coolmath.com/

Resources: You will definitely like to visit the following links:-

Searching for a word meaning, check it on Merriam-Webster http://www.m-w.com/ or http://dictionary.reference.com/

Need to know today's weather forecast
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/CAXX0043.html

Computer Playground
Yahoo Kids Home: http://kids.yahoo.com/games/index

Websites for all subjects: http://www.linktolearning.com/

Reading Sites:
Reading site for primary grades: http://www.amphi.com/~psteffen/prireading.html

It's fun to read: http://www.starfall.com/

Reading comprehension worksheets: http://www.rhlschool.com/

The Free Encyclopedia: http://www.wikipedia.com

WELCOME

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my blog. I hope that you find some useful information on this page. There are links to maths, science, language and social studies and lots of fun filled activities to explore. Enjoy!!!