The Cooper School Daily
February 7, 2020
Mystery Books!
Estimating Angle Measures
It is important for 4th Graders to correctly identify angles as acute, right or obtuse in order for them to relate their knowledge to estimating and measuring angles. This week, mathematicians were busy using materials to replicate the angles and applying key terms to their work. Students used eco friendly straws to create rotations and angle measures, such as quarter-turns, full turns, half-turns and three-quarter turns. Students worked in their math journals to demonstrate their understanding of the activity. Please ask your child to identify specific angles at home.
The Falling-Cup Investigation
In Science, 4th Grade scientists transitioned from exploring muscles in the human body to experimenting with coordination activities. Our class learned that movements are directed by the central nervous system. 4th Graders paired up with their lab partners and assembled a falling-cup device to trigger the stimulus/response reaction. Each scientist took turns holding the device while the other partner placed their hand at the base of the dowel. The goal was to observe their response to the stimulus of the falling cup by moving their hand away before the cup hit the flat surface. Students experimented with both hands and feet and recorded the results. Scientists also shared observations about response time and concentrating harder to achieve better results from the experiment. Please ask your child about this investigation.
4th Graders Love Mystery Books!
We are in our second thrilling week of our Mystery Unit book clubs! Each book club picked their books from a special selection of mystery books and decided as a group the amount of pages to read each night. Readers have been focusing on key elements in their stories, such as identifying who the sidekick is, main character traits and establishing the relationships between the characters in the books that are directly related to the mystery. Please ask your child about their experience with their Mystery Unit book club.
Important Dates:
Saturday, 2/8 Family Fun Night
Thursday, 2/13 Valentine’s Day Bake Sale (2:15)
Friday, 2/14 Valentine’s Day Concert (3rd-5th Grade) 1:30-2:15pm
Monday, 2/17 February Break-No School
Wednesday, 2/19 St. Andrew’s Gym Trip 8:30-9:15am
Thursday, 2/20 4th Grade Social 3:00-4:00pm