Week of February 3-7

Hello Grade 4 Families!

It has been an exciting few weeks in Grade 4 and I appreciate how flexible and kind all of your children have been during this transition! Your children are all extremely kind, welcoming, and wonderful individuals. I have enjoyed getting to know all of them!
In English Language Arts, the students have been engaged in experimenting with words and figurative language as they write a variety of poems. First, we looked at similes and the students wrote poems about themselves. The students showed wonderful creativity in representing themselves with ideas such as: 
    I am as artistic as Vincent Van Gogh, letting my brush glide across the page.
    My legs are as long as the tallest tree trunk, still growing to this day.
    I am as emotional as stormy clouds, crying when someone is mad at me.
    My imagination is like a tornado, always spinning ideas.
Do you recognize your child in any of the similes?
Next, we learned about metaphors and wrote poems about our families, capturing the qualities of the people and animals we love. The students had a great time thinking about how they could best represent everyone with a variety of unique ideas such as:
    My family is a strong tree, with roots binding us together.
    My mom is a wooden spoon, mixing all kinds of foods to make delicious meals.
    My family is a colourful garden, helping each other grow.
    My mom is a butterfly, always fun and taking us on adventures.
Do you see yourself, your family or any of your family members in any of the metaphors?
Next week, we will be learning about personification and creating poems to represent a favourite or important place. The students will be putting their poems together to create a personal book of poetry, creating illustrations to represent their poems. 
Learning Outcomes:
I can investigate figurative language used in imaginative ways.
I can examine how a variety of poetic structures contribute to the creative expression of ideas.
I can experiment with creating verse and free verse.
I can vary my word choice to appeal to an audience. 

Questions to ask your child:
How are similes different from metaphors? Can you share an example?
What are some of the similes and metaphors you included in your poem?
What poem are you most proud of so far?

I have also attached some pictures from our week for you to enjoy!

Kara Gashinski (aka Mrs. G)





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