What Your Child Will
Study This Year The Basics
In fourth grade children take on new
types of work and social experiences,
and for some, these can be tough. Fourth
graders may struggle to follow the many
directions and long-range planning that
their school assignments require. They
have to collaborate with their peers on
group projects, which can be stressful
in the charged social dynamics that
emerge in fourth grade. Students will
probably have a textbook for each
subject, as well as multiple folders,
all of which can present organizational
challenges (plus heavy backpacks). The
work gets harder and they need to manage
it more independently — that includes
homework assignments in multiple
subjects, as well as keeping track of
those assignments and tasks. Language &
Literacy
Books, books, and more books fill the
curriculum as fourth graders become
sophisticated readers. They can use root
words (words that are the basis for
other words, such as “act” in “action”),
context clues (looking for clues in the
surrounding text and images in the
story), and word endings to figure out
new words. They’ll spend long periods of
time reading and writing on their own.
Teachers introduce genres such as myths
and legends, fantasy and adventure.
Fourth graders relate characters and
other story elements to their own lives,
and empathize with the characters most
like them.
Fourth graders begin to use research
tools, such as a dictionary,
encyclopedia, library and the Internet,
to gather information independently on a
topic. Most importantly, they start to
learn to organize this information into
paragraphs, essays, projects, and
presentations that help students
synthesize their learning — although
their work is appropriately far from
“perfect.” They develop a writing style
where their personality comes through as
well as skills to help them edit their
work. Math
Fourth graders read, write, compare,
add, subtract, multiply, and divide with
very large whole numbers. They do more
equations with fractions and decimals
and learn about prime numbers (numbers
that can only be divided by themselves
and 1). They solve problems about
factors (one of two or more numbers that
can be multiplied) and multiples (a
number that can be divided exactly by a
smaller number) and explore geometry
formulas for determining perimeter and
area, and for measuring angles. Fourth
graders figure out conversion problems,
such as determining the number of
minutes in an hour, or ounces in a
pound. They not only read graphs,
tables, and charts but should be able to
create them from data they’ve collected. Science
Fourth graders begin to compare complex
systems in a complex manner. This can
mean looking at changes in the Earth
over long periods of time, observing the
water cycle, or understanding the
interactions between organisms and their
environment. Students work on projects
that ask them to build hypotheses and
make predictions. Science topics may
include matter and its different states,
forms of energy, and the solar system. Social Studies
Fourth grade social studies typically
moves from learning about the local
community to the history of the
students’ home state. Students will
learn about the first people to live in
the area, explore changes in state
populations over time, and how different
people and cultures have adapted to and
influenced the state. They’ll learn to
place major events in the state’s
history in chronological order. Local
and state government structure will be
introduced, and students will learn
about the government offices responsible
for making, enforcing, and interpreting
state laws.
I feel that homework and class work are very important
methods of practice for students. For this reason, I
take grading very seriously. I make every attempt to
grade papers and return them in a timely manner. Papers will
be returned each Friday. They will be put in the Wyan-Pine
Grove Elementary Folder that is provided to your child at
the beginning of the school year. I will also place
newsletters, flyers, and other pertinent forms and
information on top of the work that is complete on the left
side of the folder, meaning it can be "left" at home.
Work on the right side of the folder has earned less than a
70% average and I ask that it be done over. I feel
that it is very important to learn from mistakes. Papers
that are returned to school on Monday and have been done
over, will receive either 10 points or a 74% average for
their return. I expect a student's best effort at all
times, anything else is not acceptable. Below is a
copy of the school district's grading scale.
Grading Scale
Score
Meaning
4
Exceeds requirements for the assignment or grade
level. Goes far above and beyond in creativity
and effort. Few or no errors.
3
Meets the requirements for the assignment or
grade level. No missing parts and minimal
errors.
2
Does not meet the requirements for the
assignment or grade level. Several mistakes or
omissions, minimal effort demonstrated.
1
Far below the requirements for the assignment or
grade level. Many mistakes or omissions,
difficult to understand, little or no effort has
been demonstrated.
Midterm reports will be sent
home every 4 1/2 weeks and will show you how your child
is performing at the mid-point of the semester. Midterms
are a check-up of sorts, they can show strengths and
weaknesses. The grades on this report are not
final. A final report card will be sent home at
the end of the 9 weeks. The final report is a
report of the student's progress for the entire
semester. When the next semester starts, the slate
is wiped clean and students will have a chance to start
over with their grades. Students will be placed on
the Honor Roll for the semester if their grades are made
up of ONLY A's & B's. This includes special class
grades, like art and music. Students will be
placed on the Principal's List if they make ALL A's in
all subjects. The grades from all 4 nine weeks will be
averaged for a final average at the end of the year.
Awards will be give on Awards Day to students who remain
on the Honor Roll or Principal's Lists for the entire
year.
The easiest and best way to contact me is email. I check
my email several times a day and can give you a very quick
response about any questions that you may have. I usually
check my email at home each evening as well. I encourage
you to email me if possible. If it is impossible for you to
email, I understand that, and you can call me at school. I
will return your call during my planning time or after school.
You can call or email to set up a conference if we need to have
a face-to-face meeting.
I truly believe that students should have good behavior in the
classroom in order to make the most of their academic learning time.
If a student has a discipline issue at school, then they will be
asked to fill out a discipline form, telling what the problem
behavior was, and what his/her plan is to make the situation better.
When they are complete, I will check them over, and then the forms
will be sent home to you for your review and signature. If student
behavior becomes a problem, then the student will be sent to the
office to meet with Mr. Durham, our principal. Please be advised
that students can be assigned to after-school detention if poor
behavior continues.
I welcome the chance to work
with classroom volunteers, and I can always use extra helpers on
field trip days. If you plan to volunteer in any way this
year, you need to complete a crime check form and confidentiality
training from the Laurel County School District. The crime
check and confidentiality training need to be completed every year,
they do not carry over from year to year. This is a district school
board policy. Click
here
and scroll to definition number 3.6 "Volunteers", for more
information. If you have any questions regarding volunteering,
please contact me!
We will go on 2 field trips during
the course of the school year. Students will bring home
permission slips prior to the trip that will need to be signed and
returned. If students do not return the permission slips, they will
not be permitted to go on the trip. I will do everything in my
power to ensure that this doesn't happen. I will also put the
permission slips on the web site so that you can print them at home.
You can also fax the permission slips to school at 862-5401, please
call or email and tell me that you intend to fax the slip, so that I
will know to look for it.
Students will be assigned a homework packet on Monday evening. The
packet will have 4 days worth of homework inside. The packet is not
due back at school until the last day of school week (usually
Friday). Students that turn in their homework Friday morning will
receive a reward. Students not turning in work on Friday will
receive a missing work notice on Friday requiring a signature.
Students will also receive a 10 point deduction for each school day
that the work is late. Whenever possible, I will post copies
of our homework on the Homework Calendar page of this website that
you can print at home, or students can print at home.
On the day of the student's absence, work will be collected in a
folder and assignments will be written on a "While You Were Out"
form. The work completed in class on the day of the absence
should be completed by the student. Students have the same number of
days as they were absent to hand in make-up work. {If Abby misses 2
days, then she has 2 days to turn her make-up work in once she
returns to school.}
The Cool Comet Award will be awarded to one student during each
month of the school year. I will choose the Cool Comet based
on the following factors:
* Work Ethic
* Citizenship
* Effort
* Attitude
* Behavior
* Listening
The Cool Comet of the Month will be recognized in the class
newsletter, on the classroom webpage and will receive a special
award packet in the classroom.
We have the Accelerated Reader program at our school. Students
will be STAR tested periodically to ascertain their current reading
level. They will then choose books at that level to read, and take
comprehension tests over the books in the classroom. We have 4
classroom computers that the students can use to take A.R. tests.
They can take A.R. tests at the following times: before the bell
rings each morning, during computer lab times {we have lab time
nearly every day}, during free periods of the day if all other work
is complete, and while they wait for buses in the afternoon. I
will set A.R. goals for each child in August based on the level that
they are reading on. Students that meet their A.R. goals will
be rewarded by myself, and when they earn certain point amounts,
they will also be rewarded by our librarian, Mrs. Sears. The
students also need to maintain at least an 85% average in order for
their points to count. I encourage students to use their
reading log time each night to read A.R. books to help with their
points. A list of available A.R. tests for our school is
located on the Wyan-Pine Grove STLP website. (To view quiz list,
click
here.) I will send home STAR
reports at the beginning of each semester, and A.R. point reports at
the end of each semester.
Students will be required to complete one reading project or book
report for each of the first 3 semesters. Students will be
given choices about what projects they would like to complete, and
they will have freedom about what book they use for these projects.
However, I expect that students will choose a book that is
appropriate for their reading level. Students will be given
adequate notice of the project at the beginning of each semester,
and will then have several weeks to complete the project. Some
sample projects could be: Book report, diorama, designing a book
jacket, 3 minute book talk, Important poems, posters, PowerPoint
presentations, brochures, book reviews, etc. If your child has
another idea for a project, I will allow them to do so, I just ask
that they approve the idea with me first. The students will
present their projects on the due date.
The projects will receive a grade based
on the following rubric:
30 points -- Choice of appropriate book
for reading level
20 points -- Good use of information,
comprehension of the book is shown in project
20 points -- neatness
10 points -- creativity
10 points -- presentation of the project
10 points -- project turned in on or
before due date
** Bonus points will be awarded if
project goes above and beyond
Students can purchase snacks each day from the cafeteria.
These snacks consist of: milk, water, juice, baked chips or snack
mixes, Rice Crispy treats, ice cream, etc. The selection may
vary according to the day or season. The most expensive item
is fifty cents. Students wishing to buy snacks will need to
bring money each day for the snack and they will be responsible for
keeping up with their money until snack time each day. At times, we
will also have an alternative snack in the classroom for students
who did not buy snack on that day, or for rewards. If you
would like to send in snacks for the class, they would be greatly
appreciated at any time. Please do not send in anything with any
type of nut in it, as some students in our school have severe nut
allergies. If you have any questions about snacks, please
contact me!
I am very proud of our classroom website and we will use it
extensively throughout the year. I would love to recognize students
either by name or picture. I will be sending home a permission slip
regarding this issue. My policy for this is to use only a picture,
with no captions or names associated to recognize students, or to
recognize them by first name only. This way I feel confident
that there could be no way for student information to be leaked to
the outside world by any means. If you have any questions or
concerns about this issue, please feel free to speak with me about
it. I will not recognize your child in any way on the internet if
you do not wish for me to do so.
I will send out several book orders and software orders throughout
the course of the year. These book orders help our school by earning
points for our classroom. I can then use the points to order books
for our classroom library (located in our room) for the students to
read at their leisure. I can also order educational games and
manipulatives that can help the students learn key information.
If you order with the paper flyer, fill out the order form and send
in a check or cash for the total amount ordered. I have also
enabled web access to our book orders, so that you can view the
flyers and order at home using a debit/credit card. Either
way, the books will come to school and be distributed. In most
cases the books are back within 1 week of the due date. I have
very rarely in 7 years had any trouble with a book order. The
information for online ordering is:
I expect students to complete a reading log each week. I expect for
students to read for 80 minutes each week. This can be broken
up in any way you deem appropriate and is feasible for the child.
Some suggestions may be to read for 20 minutes 4 nights a week, or
to read for 10 minutes each school night, and 30 minutes on one
weekend day. I do not expect for the reading log to be filled
in every single night, I just expect it to total 80 minutes by the
next Monday. I also expect that students fill out the summary
for their book, as well as the other information. I simply ask
that parents initial, or sign, saying that your child read for the
amount of time claimed on the form. There is more information about
our reading log on the Homework Policy page of this website, feel
free to look there if you have other questions.
Official Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held two times during
the school year. One conference will be held in the fall,
while the other is held in the spring. Information regarding
conferences and their dates and times will be sent out as soon as I
have the official dates. I will also send out a sign-up sheet
for conference times. I schedule conference times on a first-come,
first-serve basis, so if you have a particular time that you need to
meet with me on these days, please be sure to turn in the form as
soon as possible. If you need to meet with me on a different
day, please just email or call and we can set something up. If you
have an issue or concern with something, please do not wait until
Parent-Teacher conferences to bring it to my attention. Likewise, if
I see an issue arising at any time during the year, I will contact
you to speak about it before it becomes a major problem.
We will have 3 official classroom parties during the year.
These parties will be held for: Halloween, Christmas, and
Valentine's Day. We will have a Field Day toward the end of
the school year. On classroom party days, I request that all
children bring in party supplies like, soft drinks/juices, snacks,
candy, paper plates, napkins, or cups. Depending on the party
we may participate in holiday-themed activities. If you do not wish
for your child to participate, please let me know and other
arrangements will be made.
Students will earn classroom "compliments" for overall good
behavior, citizenship, work ethic, listening, or attitude. Students
may earn class compliments by being on their best behavior during
special classes, assemblies, field trips, programs, etc. They
also can earn compliments from our principal and other staff members
for being quiet in the hall and other non-classroom type behaviors.
We also can gain compliments for having everyone turn in homework,
everyone making a good grade on an assignment, or for other
activities that we participate in. Once students earn a
pre-determined number of "compliments", they will be given a reward
as a collective. Rewards can range from pencils and homework passes,
to popcorn and movie parties.
I do spelling a little differently than some teachers. I prefer to
pre-test students on spelling words on Wednesday. If students make
100% on the pre-test {all 25 words}, then they will not have to take
the spelling test, but WILL have to complete any spelling practice
assignments that go along with the words for the week.
Students will have their final spelling test on the next Wednesday,
thus giving them 7 days to study instead of the traditional 4 they
would get with a Friday spelling test. Word lists will be
placed online on the Spelling Lists page of this website. I also
frequently use the website: www.spellingcity.com to help
students study their words. This website will provide students
with games, word practice, and practice tests with their current
spelling words. There are also options for printing handwriting
sheets with the list words on the Spelling City website. I
encourage students to use this website to help study the words for
their test.
Students will have access to the classroom SmartBoard and Voter
Technology this year. The SmartBoard is like a huge computer
monitor that responds to touch. We can touch it to click on icons,
write on it with special markers, and view movies and websites from
the computer on it. A special feature that we will have this year is
the ability to use "voters". Voters are small devices that
look very much like a remote control. The voters will enable
students to take tests by clicking the correct answer on the screen.
We will be using this technology quite a bit this year. The
voters allow me to see very quickly {within seconds} how well
students know the content of a question. The speed with which
I can gather this information will allow me to reteach concepts that
students are having trouble with immediately. I will also be
using the voters to administer quizzes throughout the year. Each
student will be assigned a certain voter number. When we take
a test, my teacher computer will calculate each student's grade and
send it directly to my computer grade book. I will send
reports of these grades home frequently, so as to show you how
students are doing with the technology enabled quizzes. I am
very excited about our new technology. Hopefully it will be working
soon enough for me to do a small demonstration during Open House.
If you have any questions about the SmartBoard or voter technology,
please let me know!
