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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.
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Grading Scale |
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Score |
Meaning |
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4 |
Exceeds requirements for the assignment or grade level. Goes far above and beyond in creativity and effort. Few or no errors. |
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3 |
Meets the requirements for the assignment or grade level. No missing parts and minimal errors. |
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2 |
Does not meet the requirements for the assignment or grade level. Several mistakes or omissions, minimal effort demonstrated. |
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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.
Phone: 862-5400
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.
Book Reports & Reading Projects
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:
Website: http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp
Class Username: mrssmiths4thgrade
Password: frogs
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.
SmartBoards & Voter Technology
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!
