Dear 4A Families,
I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend in honor of Dr. King. The weather was very nice! Warmest day on record for January 15th in Seattle! We have a very exciting week ahead as we delve into the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) project…
This week the 4th grade students will immerse themselves in a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) module on the brain. In a PLTW classroom, students engage in carefully crafted learning activities designed to empower them to develop knowledge and skills related to the world beyond the classroom. Students will use an activity-, project-, problem-based (APB) approach in the classroom. This will involve teams of students working together to solve a complex problem and accomplish a common goal. As students work together throughout the activities, they will make critical decisions related to a project.
In this module students are introduced to the analogy of the brain as a computer. They will explore the various inputs and outputs of the human body. Students will discover how signals passing from cell to cell allow us to receive stimuli from the outside world, get this information to the brain for processing, and then send out a signal to generate a response. Students will investigate how we take in information through the senses and where the information is processed in the brain. Additionally, students will explore how the brain and body react to stimuli. Students will work as part of a team to design, plan, and create a video or podcast to raise awareness about concussions and educate children as to how concussions can either be identified early or prevented all together.
This project will involve the bulk of our classroom time this week. The projects and lesson within the module will involve all subject areas. Mrs. Helling will be doing some activities in art that will enhance understanding of the brain. Be sure to ask your children about their daily projects and activities!
We will begin our second round of MAP testing this week and finish up next week. We will take the reading portion of the MAP test this Wednesday.
Homework Reminders for the Week:
Spelling: New words for Lesson 8 were sent home last Friday. The students will also need to name and correctly spell the SLE’s as part of the Friday test.
Religion: The Liturgical Year test will take place next Tuesday the 23rd. Extra study sheets can be found here.
Social Studies: The students should be preparing for he 50 state test that will be taking place on Thursday, January 25th. All students received a packet last Friday to help them review. There are several online review sites in the links on the right side (or bottom depending if you are looking on a mobile device). Look for the sites linked under Complete 50 State Practice. There are two sites where the students can practice abbreviations as well.
There might be some math homework if tasks are not completed in class. Students should continue to visit Xtramath regularly.
Just a reminder that students should bring a jacket to school each day, preferably a rain jacket with a hood. The weather changes quickly, better to be prepared. Thank you! Have a wonderful week everyone.
