Magical Morning of Math, Learning Targets, and Helpful Hints For At Home

Magical Morning of Math

Thank you so much to all of the parents who were able to make it to Magical Morning of Math today.  It is always so nice to see parents working with their children, and to see their child's eyes light up when they see you walk through the door.  As promised, I have attached the PowerPoint on Multiplication and Division strategies.  I have also included the magic squares in case you wanted to print them out for practice at home.  Enjoy and please let me know if you have any other questions about common core math.

Magical Morning of Math Poster

Magical Morning of Math Partial Quotients

Magical Morning of Math Power Point

Magic Squares

Magic Squares Answers

This Weeks Learning Targets

Reading - Close Reading and Accountable Talks

Writing - Informative Writing/How do we use rubrics

Math - Addition and Subtraction using the standard algorithm

Science - Weather (On Friday)

Helpful Hints for at Home

Here is a great article that will guide you in the fourth grade curriculum.  There is a section for each of the core instructional areas.  In Cobb County, we use the common core standards for reading,writing and math.  This article gives pointers to parents on how to best help your child meet the 4th grade, common core standards.

The Guide to 4th Grade

Reading:

  

While at home, have a conversation with your child AFTER they have read. Make sure you use open-ended prompts and allow them time to fully answer.Ask, and get your children to answer THICK questions:

Ask, and get your students to ask each other THICK questions

• What if…?

• How did…?

• Why did…?

• What would happen if…?

• What caused…?

• What might…?

• How would you feel…?

• What character traits describe…?

• Why do you think…?

• Why is…?

Open Ended Book Discussion Points 

• Write what you know about this topic ~ the setting, the situations in pictures. . . .

• Make a prediction. What clues helped you? Read the first page. Do you need to revise your prediction?

• Write questions you have about this text.

• Read the first page. Does the author make you want to keep reading?  Why or why not?

• Do you think this story COULD happen in real life? Why or why not?

• Where does the story take place? What makes you think so?

• Do you have any connections ~ is the author, illustrator, or subject matter familiar to you?

• What questions do you have so far? Were previous questions answered?

• Describe in detail what you think the main character or setting looks like. (Visualizing) What adjectives and adverbs in the story helped you visualize?

• Which words are you stuck on? Did you figure out their meanings? What are the meanings?

• If a character is telling the story, who is it? Describe this character.

• Does the main character remind you of yourself? Compare and/or contrast.

• What are some clues of how the main character is feeling?

• What are some reasons that the main character does what he/she is doing?

• How does the story make you feel and why?

• What problem does the main character have? How do you predict will he/she will solve it?

• Is the story what you thought it would be about? If not, what surprised you?

• Summarize what has happened so far. Use detail.

• If you could talk to the main character, what would you say?

• What obstacles does the setting provide that the main character must overcome? Would this story work in another setting?

• Is there an antagonist (someone who provides an obstacle) to the main character? What details lead you to say this? 

• CHARACTER TRAITS: In a word, describe the main character. Support this one word using specific actions of the character from the story.

• Was the author trying to teach a lesson? If so, what was the lesson?

• Would you recommend this book to others and if so to who?

• What unanswered questions do you have?

• Tell what the problem was, and how the character solved his problem.

• If the story happened to you, how would you feel?

• Were you surprised at any parts? Which parts?

• What advice would you have given the main character?

• Which character did you like most and why?

• Which character was most like you? How?

• Describe how the character changed from beginning to end of the story.

• What was the climax of the story?

• Summarize the ending.

• What 5 questions would you ask the author? Pick one, and write how you think the author might answer it.

• What was the author’s message?

• How would the characters’ actions change if there was a different setting or time period?

• Did the characters change during the story (round) or stay the same (flat)?

• Describe 2 events that portray the character’s personality.

• What scene would make a good trailer for a movie? Would this book work well as a movie?

• If you eliminated one of the characters, how would the story change? Why?

• If you were the main character, would you have done things differently? What? How? Why?

AVOID LITERAL QUESTIONS.  WE CALL THESE “THIN” QUESTIONS.  

These do not require much thought.