Elements of Art & Reading

During student-led conferences on Monday, you had the opportunity to visit a gallery of elementary art in the Multi-purpose Room - thanks to Ms. Diane! Since our current unit, How We Express Ourselves, focuses on art, we took the opportunity to hunt at the gallery for examples of artwork that features each element of art. We did not come away disappointed.

Color! 

Space!

Line!

Texture!

Value!

Shape!

& Reading...

Both fourth grade classes are engaged in reading groups. Fourth graders in 4A are finishing up their books today. During the first week back after break, they will be busy responding to what they read with more discussion, more writing, and projects. Their books should be filled with sticky notes that show their thinking. Here are examples of the kinds of thinking that will push them to develop a deeper understanding of the story or text: 

Questioning - We write questions that show curiosity.

Monitoring Meaning - We write questions when confused.

Determining Importance - We keep track of what's important.

Using Schema - We make important connections.

Applying Fix-Ups - We do something about it when we're confused.

Synthesizing - We reflect on our thoughts and make statements about the big picture, explaining what we think overall.

Visualizing while we read, using all the senses - sights, sounds, feeling, smells, textures, tastes - helps us understand the text too.

Drawing Inferences - Making predictions and guesses about what we read also helps us dig deeper into the overall meaning of the text.