One of the strategies I use to help students learn is using a variety of activities that appeal to various learning styles.  I also give frequent breaks and embed engaging and enjoyable "choices" as rewards for completing required work.  Sometimes we do art together but other times I allow students to go to ArtforKidsHub.com and choose their own art tutorial.  These kid-friendly videos walk them through the drawing progress.  They love it!

Having fun is an important part of learning in my classroom.  Playdoh was given out on the first day of school and is probably the most requested activity.  My students love creating with it though sometimes it ends up on the floor.  Back to School should mean Back to Fun!

Today we started our unit on fractions.  With PlayDoh, plates and plastic knives on our desks, we are building conceptual understanding by comparing medium and large "pizza" slices.  It will take time to understand what a fradtion really is but some students learn this easier because they are visual.  It's a nice change from the division algorithm.

​We hit a self-inflicted roadblock.  Some PlayDoh was old and dry.  I should have checked first.  We'll hit the concept again tomorrow but with better PlayDoh.

Mr. Rubio is so dedicated to supporting students.  He put together a dessert celebration for all students who had earned at last 10 Soaring tickets.  Students earn these tickets each week by completing all their homework, serving others, doing something extraordinary or just remembering to use the bathroom at recess or lunch.  I wasn't here but the word on the street was this - It was sweet!

I believe that children love to build and create.  Legos makes that easy and fun!

The first part of fourth grade I focus on getting my students excited about reading.  The two charts show our STAR reading assessments from the beginning of the year (August) and our most recent test in January.  We have made progress.  We moved from 49% proficient or advanced to 68% proficient or advanced.  More work still needs to be done but a little celebration is in order.

Today we used Legos to better understand the concept of division while practicing the algorithm to divide three digit numbers by one digit.

There was lots of excitement in the air when the Legos came out.  We put them in equal groups, took a break and worked through the algorithm.  We are making progress!

 ​My students worked so hard last week.  We have completed the state testing!

Now, we are completing the final iReady Math Diagnostic.  Our goal is at least 100% growth for the year.

With 30 students done, we are doing well.

I am so proud of my students.  They are tackling the CASSPP testing with determination and perseverance.  Despite some difficult problems, they are working hard and doing their best.  Language Arts is next week!

Using Mystery Science, we used marbles to study motion.

This is a great story of a boy, his Grandfather and a loyal dog.  The ending gets me every time.  We had to pass out some tissues for a few tears.  Great book!

We continue to learn about fractions.  Today we worked with partners using fraction strips.  Then we added some important notes to our math notebooks.

Here are some videos of the energy lesson we finished today. 

This week we are using Kahoot competitions to test our understanding of fractions.  It's a great way to make learning fun and engaging. Check out our Top Five!

Yesterday, we started the last science unit on motion and energy.  The students had a great time testing two different types of rubber bands.  They learned how energy is stored.

Progress is very slow.  Much more work to do.

All thirty-three students in my class met or exceeded their AR goal.  Lots of reading and lots of quizzes. Hard work pays off!

Making progress but far too many students are below grade level.  More work to do!

We are making progress but still too many students are below grade level.