4th Grade Spanish Immersion with Maestra Damsteegt

  What We Learned this Week: Bible:  This week, we talked about David's stay in Philistia as he hid from King Saul. We held a nice discussion about how God was at work in David's life while he lived amongst his enemies. Another question we discussed during class might be a nice topic amongst the family this weekend: "When have you seen God offering up His protection in your own life?" Math:  The students took their knowledge of long division and applied it to learning how to perform long division with a two-digit divisor. They are becoming quite the experts at long division. I am impressed. Reading:  This week, we have been focusing on and taking note on the ways that informational text has its information organized- in a descriptive manner, in a chronological manner, and in a comparing manner.  Writing:  The students have completed their persuasive essays! We celebrated this wonderful occasion by meeting up with the other 4th grade students. They broke off...

What We Learned this Week: Bible : This week, we studied the story of Abigail, Nabal, and David. We used Proverbs 15:1 to help guide our learning as we navigated the story. Good conversation starters at the dinner table can be held using this verse:  - Why must we be careful with the words we say? - How are gentle answers and harsh words different? - Why is it easier to speak harshly rather than gently?  - How can a person cultivate a happy heart? Math : The students are applying their excellent reading comprehension skills to break down math word problems and taking the time to really think about what the problem is asking them to do. Even though we are currently studying division, it doesn't necessarily mean that all the word problems we solve require strictly division!  Writing : The students are working hard on their persuasive essays! We plan on finishing up with the final draft by Friday, January 27. We will be joining the other 4th grade sections for a fun celebrat...

What We Learned this Week Bible:  This week, the students reflected on what a good friend is and what it looks like. They based their reflections on the friendship between Jonathan and David. They created a poster that artistically reflected their own interpretation of what a good friend is. We also talked about how we need to allow God to guide us in our life- luck and chance has nothing to do with it.  Math:  The students extended their knowledge of long division to the solving of word problems. It is important to CAREFULLY read the word problem to identify what the problem is asking of us. I encourage the students to keep on practicing their long division at home (single digit divisor and up to 4 digits in the dividend).   Writing:  The students are progressing nicely on their persuasive essay planning. They created surveys and interview questions to ask people, and the information they gathered from the surveys and interviews can be used in their persua...

What We Learned this Week Bible:  This week, we talked about Saul's jealousy of David. The Spirit of God had left King Saul, and he retaliated against young David. However, God's protective hand was over David as he faced a giant, the Philistine army, and King Saul's spear. Math:  The students are becoming quite the experts at long division! I encourage the students to continue practicing their basic multiplication and division facts at home so that they can continue becoming long division experts.  Writing:  This week, the students continued their research of articles to back up their reasons they have come up with for their persuasive essays.  Social Studies:  We talked about different types of region maps this week. The United States is massive and can be broken up into different types of regions to make study easier. The students tried their hand at coming up with their own regions and very unique names for them. Wow! The students are very creative!...