"Devise a Dollar" is a card game appropriate for fourth grade students learning decimals while applying addition and money-counting skills. Each player is dealt 10 cards from a deck of traditional playing cards. Each card is designated a specific decimal value, which you express in terms of money; for instance, a king may be worth $0.13 while a two is worth only $0.02. The goal of the activity is for students to have a hand with cards whose value totals $1.00. On each student turn, he will draw from the remaining cards or the discard pile and rid his hand of one card in the attempt to "Devise a Dollar."
Compose a list of voting questions related to various subjects, such as what class game the students would like to play at recess, their food choice for the party next Friday, and who will be the class line leader for the week. Ask the class for nominations. Have them vote by putting secret paper ballots into a hat, then drawing them out and counting them. Tally the votes on the chalkboard, and create a bar chart or pie chart of the vote breakdown. Use this activity to teach and discuss the importance of voting in democratic elections.
Encourage the students in your class to devise at least 10 interview questions for a specific teacher or staff person employed within the school. The students can conduct the interviews using their public speaking skills, record the answers given and compile the responses into an informal biography to be published in a classroom newsletter.
Most fourth grade students will study volcanoes. Use a K-W-L chart to track lesson progress. List in the "K" column what the students already "Know." Use the "W" column for what they "Would" like to know. The "L" column is for writing what they have "Learned" from the lesson. Allow students to touch and feel a sample of volcanic rock and compare it to rocks found in your local area. Reinforce the lesson by having students create volcanic replicas and report on them in classroom presentations.