Closed and Open Syllables

Grade: 4

*This is a syllabication lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

1. Write each letter of a word on a colored counter.

2. Divide the word into syllables and split the chips to mark the syllables.

3. Discuss open syllables – the vowel sound in the beginning syllable is not completely surrounded by consonants, therefore it’s considered open. It has a long walk to the next consonant, and therefore the vowel makes the long sound. Long vowels say their own name.

4. Discuss closed syllables – the vowel sound in the beginning syllable is completely surrounded by consonants (it’s closed in), therefore it’s considered closed. It has a short walk to the next consonant, and therefore the vowel makes the short sound.

Homophones

Grade: 4

*This is a Language Arts lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

Start by teaching what homophones are – two words that sound the same but have different meanings and are often spelt differently.

Encourage students to think of homophones that they know, discuss their responses.

Guide the students through completing the first few problems on the ‘Homophoning’ worksheet. Then have the students complete the rest of the worksheet independently.

To review different homophones (as well as practice spelling words, since their spelling words this week were homophones), give each student a white board and dry erase marker. Give the students a set of homophones, and a short definition of each. Have them write each homophone on their white board. Have the students hold their white boards in the air, and check their responses.

Contraction Attraction

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by reviewing and teaching about contractions – how they are formed between two words.

Next, give each student a heart or arrow. Have the students circulate the room looking for their ‘Contraction Attraction.’ When each students has found their attraction, they sit by that person. Then, each couple will share with the class their contraction and two words that make that contraction.

Pourquoi Tales

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Discuss what a Pourquoi Tale is. Then read and discuss several Pourquoi Tales. I found that my students particularly enjoyed animal ones, such as “How the Tiger Got His Stripes.”

Have the students write their own Pourquoi Tale. Start by having them make an outline of the details of their story. Then have them write a rough draft. Assist the students in revising their tales, writing a final copy, then illustrating their tale (integrating art).

Adaptation: Allow below-level learners the chance to write at their ability; encouraging them to build their writing and vocabulary skills.

Pronouns

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Use the provided language book, or other worksheets to teach about the uses of pronouns.

Display this story on the overhead, or give each student a copy. Tell the students that you wrote this fabulous story that you want to read to them. Read it to them, having them correct the story as you go.

Name Poetry

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

Have the student write the letters of their name down the left side of a sheet of paper. Then have them write a phrase or group of adjectives about themselves that starts with each letter of their name.

Have student proofread and revise, then make the final copy on a colored sheet of paper, using somewhat fancy lettering of the students’ choice for their name.

Adaptation: allow below-level writers to write shorter description of themselves and/or assist them in identifying adjectives that describe themselves.

Roller Coaster Rounding

Grade:4

*This is a lesson I taught on rounding. I noticed that the students were struggling with using a number line, so I developed this so that students can actually visualize the gravity pulling the roller coaster towards a rounded number.

1. Put the roller coaster ramp on the overhead. Look at your number that needs rounded and decide what you are rounding by (tens, hundreds, etc).

2. At the start of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round down to. Then at the end of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round up to. For example, if the number is 129, and it’s instructed to round to the nearest hundred, one would write 100 at the start, and 200 at the end.

3. Now write the middle number at the peak of the roller coaster ramp.

4. Now find where your number that your rounding is located on the roller coaster ramp – just as if it were a number line.

5. Put your roller coaster rider at that spot on the roller coaster ramp. Now the students can easily look at the roller coaster and easily visualize which way the roller coaster will fall, hence knowing which number to round to. 

 

6. This roller coaster rounding concept can be adapted for all sort of numbers and rounding situations.

Cube Nets

Grade: 4

*This is a math lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

1. Give each group of student various nets (some that will fold into a cube and some that will not).

2. Have the students discover on their own which nets will fold into cubes.

3. Have each group present to the class which nets worked and which nets did not fold into a cube.

3 Digit x 1 Digit Multiplication

Grade: 4

*This is a math lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

1. Start by having the student write the expanded notation of the 3 digit number across the top of the base ten block sheet (123 = 100+20+3). Then have them write the one digit number on the side of the base ten block sheet.

2. Have the students work across the base ten block sheet completing each individual multiplication problem (100x6, 20x6, 3x6).

3. Next, have the students regroup ten units cubes into a tens rod. Repeat if necessary.

4. Then have the students regroup ten tens rods into a hundreds flat. Repeat as necessary.

5. The students should now have their correct answer.

What’s the Missing Number?

Grade: 4

*This is a beginning algebra lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by showing the class a card. Ask the students to figure out the missing number… what number is under the question mark?

 

Life the question mark flap to reveal the missing number. Student can check their answers this way.

Make sure to guide the students into completing inverse operation to find the answers. For example,
6 + ? = 9,  the students can find the ? by completing the operation 9 – 6 = 3.

Let the students know that in most algebra, the ? is actually represented by a variable, such as x or n. The students can now dig into further algebra lessons.

Temperature

Grade:4

*I taught this lesson on temperature during my student teaching internship.

1. Use the big thermometer to review and teach how to read temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Make sure to discuss common temperatures such as room temperature, boiling point of water, and freezing point of water. Compare and contrast between the two readings.

2. Give each student a copy of the worksheet and guide them through completing the first couple together, measuring the temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Have the students complete the rest of the problems on their own.

Mini Metric System Unit

Grade: 4

*This is a mini introductory unit about the metric system that I taught over a week span to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by introducing and discussing the prefix milli-, centi-, deci-, and kilo-. For each of the activities below, keep figuring the conversions of how many of each unit is in another unit.

Second, introduce the meter and units of the meter. Give the students a toothpick, small ring, short straw, ribbon, and meter measuring device. Have the students measure the items, finding the item that is closest to a millimeter (width of end of toothpick), centimeter (width of ring), decimeter (length of straw), and meter (ribbon).

Third, introduce the gram and units of the gram. Pass around the jar of beans (kilogram) and the paper clip (gram) let the students feel the difference in weight.

Lastly, introduce the liter and units of the liter. Put a drop of water next to the liter water bottle so that students can visually compare the liter to milliliter.

As a challenge, discuss cubic measurements in the metric system. Give the students base ten blocks, and let them measure the cubic area of the units piece (it’s one cubic centimeter). Then let them measure and experiment with finding out how many cubic centimeters is in a cubic decimeter (the thousand cube).

Solid, Liquid, or Gas?

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson on matter that I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

 

Use the ‘How Do Things Shape Up?’ worksheet to read and discuss the properties of solids, liquids, and gasses.

Divide the students into small groups and give each group different items that are solids, liquids, and gasses. I used air (in the balloon), corn syrup, water, rock, pom pom, pencil, cardboard tube, and a tongue depressor. Have the students take turns placing each item in an empty cup to determine whether or not the items take the shape of the container. This helps the students determine if the item has a definite shape and/or a definite volume.  They can also determine if the matter can be seen. The students can use these properties to determine whether the item is a solid, liquid, or gas.

Enhancement: to challenge above-level students, give them silly putty and have the observe the properties to determine if it’s a solid, liquid, or gas.

As a reinforcement, have the student complete the ‘What’s the Matter?’ worksheet.

Changes in Matter

Grade: 4

*This is a science lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Read, discuss, and complete the ‘A Heated Discussion’ worksheet, which talks about changes in matter such a condensation, evaporation, freezing, and boiling.

Show the students a solution of water and Epsom salt. Ask the students to predict what will happen if they use the solution to paint on paper.

Have the students create a scene on dark blue construction paper using crayons. Then have the students paint on the picture using the Epsom salt solution (integrating art). As the solution dries, the water evaporates, leaving the Epsom Salt.

Air – It’s Everywhere

Grade: 4

*This is a science lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

1. Use two plastic cups. Cut a hole in one and put two ‘balls’ of paper in the bottom of each cup.

2. Explain to the students that we are going to turn each cup upside down and place them in the water. Have them predict what is going to happen to the paper.

3. Complete the experiment discussing why one ‘ball’ of paper remained dry (the air is in the cup without holes) while the other is wet (the cup with holes lost the air and water filled the cup).

4. Read and discuss about air and how it’s everywhere.

Snack Tectonics

Grade:4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

1. Use the power point to discuss the characteristics of the earth. Guide the students into discussing the theory of Plate Tectonics. (Also use this power point to guide through the following activity).

2. Give student a dollop of frosting (asthenosphere), half of a fruit roll up (oceanic crust), and half of a graham cracker (continental crust). They also need a utensil to spread the frosting and a glass of water.

3. Instruct the students to cut the fruit roll up into two pieces and place them (oceanic crust) on the frosting (asthenosphere). Then have them push the two plate apart from each other. This represent divergent plate boundaries.

4. Next, instruct the students to remove one of the fruit roll up pieces and place half of the graham cracker piece (continental crust) next to the fruit roll up (oceanic crust). Now, have them push the two plates towards each other until the fruit roll up subducts under the graham cracker. This represents a convergent plate boundary at a subduction zone.

5. Now have the students dip the edges of two graham crackers (continental crust) in water. Have them place the graham crackers on the frosting (asthenosphere) with the moist sides towards each other. Have them push the two plates towards each other, the soft spots of the graham cracker will push upwards. This represents a convergent plate boundary at a mountain range.

6. Next, have the students turn the graham crackers (continental crust) around so the dry parts are facing each other. Now have them slide the plates past one another. This represents a transform plate boundary.

7. As a final review or test, have the students complete this worksheet.