Wonderscape Academy4th grade

September · Week 1 · Day 2 · School day 2

Day 2: Energy Everywhere

Week 1 planDay 3 →

Play with your child: Syllable Splitter

Today’s goals

  • Word study: Open syllables: ro-bot, ti-ger RF.4.3a
  • Reading: Choosing a just-right book RL.4.10
  • Math: Read and write numbers to 1,000,000 4.NBT.2
  • Science: What is energy? 4-PS3-2

Materials

  • Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (or similar)
  • A flashlight
  • A small ball
  • A bell [or a spoon and a pot]
  • Place value chart
  • Clipboard or notebook for the energy hunt

Swaps in [brackets] are fine. Use what you have at home or in the classroom.

The day, step by step

  1. 10–15 min Morning meeting SL.4.1

    1. Date in standard and word form.
    2. Question of the day: Where do you see energy in our room right now?
    3. Fluency warm-up: read these numbers aloud: 4,206; 38,915; 702,040.
  2. 15–20 min Word study RF.4.3a

    1. Write robot and split it ro-bot. Ask: Does the first syllable end with a vowel or a consonant? (a vowel)
    2. Teach: a syllable that ends with a vowel is open, and the vowel usually says its name: ro, ti, mu.
    3. When one consonant sits between vowels, try splitting before it first: ti-ger, mu-sic, si-lent, o-pen.
    4. If that does not make a real word, split after the consonant and use a short vowel: cab-in, lem-on. Practice: cabin, robot, tiger, lemon.

    Flex rule to post: try open (long vowel) first, then closed (short vowel), and keep the one that makes a real word.

  3. 25–30 min Reading workshop RL.4.10

    Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (or similar)

    1. Teach the five-finger test: open to a middle page and read it, raising a finger for each word you can't read or don't understand. 0 to 1 is easy, 2 to 3 is just right, 4 to 5 is too hard for now.
    2. Kids test two books from the class library.
    3. Read chapter 3 aloud. Ask: How does Opal feel about Winn-Dixie? Which words show it?
    4. Independent reading for 14 minutes with a just-right book.
  4. 35–45 min Math 4.NBT.2

    1. Warm-up: Which number has 4 hundred thousands, 0 ten thousands, 2 thousands, 6 hundreds, 1 ten and 5 ones? (402,615)
    2. Teach: read the thousands group, say thousand, then read the ones group. 507,030 is five hundred seven thousand, thirty.
    3. Write 999,999 and add 1 to show 1,000,000, one million.
    4. Practice: write 63,408 and 900,150 in words; write eighty thousand, nine (80,009) and four hundred twelve thousand, six hundred (412,600) in digits.

    Math center: number dictation. One partner says a 6-digit number and the other writes it.

  5. 25–30 min Science 4-PS3-2

    1. Ask: What is energy? Collect ideas, then define it: energy is what makes things move, change, light up, warm up or make sound.
    2. Show it: roll a ball (motion), ring a bell (sound), turn on a flashlight (light), rub hands together fast (heat).
    3. Energy hunt: kids walk the room for 5 minutes and list 6 places where they see energy, such as a ceiling light or a fan.
    4. Start a class chart with five forms: motion, sound, light, heat and electric. Add the hunt findings.
  6. 25–30 min Writing W.4.3

    1. Model zooming in on one small moment, like the minute you jumped into a cold pool, instead of the whole vacation.
    2. Kids choose one moment and sketch it in three boxes: beginning, middle and end.
    3. Write the moment in 6 to 8 sentences.
    4. Partner share: read aloud, and the partner names one detail they liked.
  7. 20–30 min Centers and independent practice

    1. Syllable sort: sort 12 words into closed-first and open-first piles.
    2. Five-finger test: test three more books and write down one just-right title.
    3. Number dictation with a partner.
    4. Energy list: name 3 places at home to look for energy tonight.

    Device time (15 min): play Syllable Splitter.

    Today’s game: Syllable Splitter

  8. 5–10 min Closing circle SL.4.1

    1. Name one form of energy you found today.
    2. What is your just-right book?
    3. Read the biggest number you wrote today.
Support: Give your child 6 words already split into syllables to read before splitting new ones.
Stretch: Split a three-syllable word with an open first syllable, such as ba-na-na or mu-se-um.
Look for: Your child names at least four forms of energy and reads open syllables with a long vowel.

Short day? Keep the open syllable lesson, the energy demonstration and independent reading.