Four 4's

At Open House tonight I shared the Four 4's activity we have been working on! We will keep working on finding equations at school but you can also work with your child at home! We really stretched our brains working with factorials, square roots, parenthesis and order of operations! This is a great activity to support growth mindset!

Mrs. Finnerty

Family Resources to Help Your Child At Home

My number one recommendation to help your child is to read. The more you can encourage independent reading at their "just right" level, the better! Reading to them or alternating pages is a great way to engage them in a book! Asking questions while reading with them will help elevate their learning even more! 

Here are links to websites I shared at open house...

Table Talk Math

Estimation 180

Epic Reads

Bedtime Math

Mrs. Finnerty

Weekend Assignment

Weekend Assignment

1. Look for a rock. It needs to be oval and smooth (if only one side is smooth, that’s ok!). It should fit in the palm of an adult’s hand. Bring in your rock on Tuesday. You may bring in more than one rock if you would like to share with the class. No more than 3 rocks please :)

If you are unable to find a rock that fits this description, I will provide one for you!

2. Remind your family to complete the parent paper and information that was sent home on Wednesday if they have not already done so.

3. Remind your families to sign up for Remind!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Finnerty

Open House - Tuesday, September 12 (6:00 - 7:30). Time of 4th Grade Presentation is TBD.

Learning About Growth Mindset

Today we introduced the concept of Growth Mindset. After self-reflecting on our own growth mindset we read the book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain. Here is a read aloud you can watch at home! Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

Next we brainstormed all of our strengths and reflect on what we would like to get better at. 

Finally, we crumpled up a piece of paper and traced all of the wrinkles to show the neurons in our brain at work when we make a mistake. When we make a mistake our brain stretches and gets stronger! We learned that we need mistakes to become better learners! Check out some of our brains! 

Here are the big ideas we took away from the book! 

• The brain is an organ that controls what you think, do, feel and remember
• When you try hard to learn something new, connections grow from neurons and attach to other neurons
• Making mistakes really helps you learn because your brain keeps trying new things and STRETCHING until you figure out the answer to your problem
• You are shaping a more elastic brain when you learn new things that build on what you already know

We can't wait to show you this activity at Open House on Sept. 12th (6:00 - 7:30)

Mrs. Finnerty

Back To School Family Letter

I changed the settings so everyone should be able to view my Back to School Family Letter. I apologize if you were unable to access it last night!

Mrs. Finnerty

Welcome Back!

Welcome 4th Grade Superheroes!

I am anxiously awaiting your arrival this morning! I excited to get to know you and to learn with you! I love teaching 4th grade. You will learn and grow as a student and as a person over the course of the year. I hope to stretch your thinking, encourage you to take risks and teach you how you can learn from your mistakes. This year we will become a family that will support you through the incredible journey that 4th grade is! See you soon!

Love,
Mrs. Finnerty

Back to School Letter For Parents and Families

Happy Summer!

Here are some summer resources for you! Remember to check Google Classroom throughout the summer to stay connected. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your summer adventures!

CBRSD Summer Reading Challenge

4th Grade Summer Reading/Supply List

Free Fun Fridays at Massachusetts Museums 

4th graders Have Free Admission to Every National Park! 

Mrs. Finnerty