April 25th

“There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words” – J. K. Rowling

Good evening,

Today the Grade 4 students and I began estimating division of larger numbers. The strategy that we focused on and practiced today is using multiples to help us. Using a multiple means that you can use a number that is easy to divide by, instead of having a remainder. Check out the example below:

When trying to solve the following (82 ÷ 9 = ), use your 9x tables to help you. You know that 9 x 9 = 81. Since 81 is close to 82, solve (81 ÷ 9 = ) instead. Since you know that 9 x 9 = 81, you also know that 81 ÷ 9 = 9. So, there will be 9 pieces of ribbon that are about 9m long. Take a look at the next example:

When trying to solve the following (20 ÷ 7 = ), use your 7x tables to help you. You know that 7 x 3 = 21. Since 21 is close to 20, solve (21 ÷ 7 = ) instead. Since you know that 7 x 3 = 21, you also know that 21 ÷ 7 = 3. So, she will spend about $3 on each gift. We will continue to practice estimation tomorrow.

In Language Arts today, we took a closer look at some of the attributes associated with each of the houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Students were then asked to decide which house they felt that they belonged in. Students wrote a persuasive paragraph listing at least 3 reasons (with backup) as to why they felt they belonged in their chosen house. This afternoon we were able to take these paragraphs to the Computer Lab and type and publish our week. I’ll have them posted on the Publishing Board later this week.

Students also worked in small groups to try and solve a riddle from “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J. K. Rowling. This riddle isn’t featured in the film, but we heard Hermione quickly solve it during our Read Aloud. Can you solve it at home? Remember! You don’t want to guess. Make sure you are know what each bottle contains!

Scholastic’s Harry Potter Reading Club – HPRC – Logic Puzzle

Some students also expressed an interest in visiting Pottermore to be properly sorted into their houses, get wands, explore other books in the series, etc. Make sure you ask your parents permission before you create any online account!

We watched about 30 minutes of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” during class today and about 20 minutes during lunch. We will be finishing the film throughout the week, it was just too much to watch in one school day. Thank you to everyone who brought in healthy snacks! It was greatly appreciated by all.

This afternoon we also completed the following DPA activity to get in some final Harry Potter fun, although, we may have a few more Harry Potter activities scheduled for later in the week. Stay tuned!