Curriculum Night 2013

Curriculum Night 2013 Mrs. Prisco Fourth Grade Daves Creek Elementary

Daily Schedule 7:50-8:25 - Morning Work (DOL, DOM, Cursive/Journal) 8:30-9:45 – Math Block 9:45-10:30 – Grammar/Vocabulary Block 10:35-11:20 – Specials 11:32–12:02 - Lunch 12:05–1:00 – Guided Reading Block 1:00 – 1:45 – Social Studies/Science/Health 1:45 – 2:10 – Recess Time! 2:15 – 2:50 – Writing Block 2:50 – 3:00 - Stack/Pack, Classroom Jobs and then Dismissal Procedures.

Classroom Management Class Rules: Be Ready! Be Respectful! Be Responsible! Be nice! Rewards: Extra Computer Time, Extra Bean Bag Time! Consequences: PAIR Behavior/Homework Slips (in Friday folders) Behavior Slip #1: 5 minutes off recess time Behavior Slip #2: 10 minutes off recess time Behavior Slip #3: 10 minutes off recess time, silent Lunch, and a phone call home No Homework: Complete missing homework during indoor Study Hall with a 4th grade teacher.

Classroom Management (continued) Let’s PAIR up for great behavior! P – Participation- Engage in activities and discussions! A – Assignment Completion – Complete all assignments on time and follow the directions. I – Interpersonal Skills- Work well with others! R- Responsibility – Stay on task, don’t disrupt learning, and follow class procedures! This includes completing your homework and bringing it back to school on time!

NOTES CONCERNING HOMEWORK: • Students are not allowed to come back into the classroom after dismissal to retrieve any books or technology. • It is the child’s responsibility to bring their homework on time. They will still get a PAIR slip if you bring the homework to school for them. Please help us teach your children responsibility before they start middle school.

Homework Expectations Organization is a large part of homework. It is the student’s responsibility to get it home! Do it well! Bring it back! Student Agendas - Students are responsible for writing down nightly homework assignments and tests from the board. Homework is checked together the next day. No Homework? A PAIR Sheet will go home and there will be a note on your child's red Friday folder if they forget their homework.

Homework (continued) How you can help? Create a routine! Assist your child with a quiet study location Help your child with organizing & cleaning out folders Make sure that work is returned to school on time & completed Acknowledge your child’s responsibility in understanding assignments & completing work on time 4th graders should spend about 40-50 minutes a night on homework! If your child finishes homework in less time, please work on math facts (at least 3x/week), read, or practice spelling words as needed. Is finding Reading time a challenge? As long as your child logs in 100 minutes each week, the requirement has been fulfilled!

Absences As taken directly from the Daves Creek Student Handbook: “It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher within two (2) days of returning to school to make up class work and test(s).” Again, it is the child’s responsibility to collect the work that should be made up. Students have five days to turn it in; however, this is only for assignments that were assigned the day they were gone. Their work will come home in an ABSENT FOLDER.

Friday Folders Most communication from school will be sent home with your child in the Friday Folder. Please read all items, review and sign graded work and return in the folder on Monday with your child’s signed weekly behavior log. Keep the papers that are in the “Keep at Home” side.

Lunches This year, as space is limited, we are asking parents to eat lunch with their child less often. The lunch tables are full. If you do visit your child during lunch, we are asking that you sit in the courtyard next to our Media Center or eat at the table by the window in the cafeteria. (The Parent Table) There simply will not be room for you to sit in the lunch room without other children losing their spot. Please remember that your child may not invite a buddy to eat with him or her.

Grading Formative Grades: 1, 2, 3, 4 (A four means that your child excels and extends the standard.) No retakes on formative grades; these are to check mastery of standards before summative tests Summative Grades: Number grades given for tests that are given county-wide 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 69 or below = F One retake is allowed for students not mastering the standard. The higher grade stands.

Grading (continued) Please make note that your child will be receiving grades based on the traditional A, B, C, and F policy in Social Studies and Science. A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 F = 69 and below The transition from a standards-based grading system to the traditional grading system can be difficult for students and parents. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

Report Card

Interactive Notebooks “What are Interactive Notebooks?” A student thinking tool An organizer for inquiry questions and reflection A way to access and process learning utilizing various modalities (writing, drawing, & discussion) A working portfolio A way for students to personalize and make meaning of the information presented in class A formative assessment tool for teachers

Interactive Note booking (continued) • “Why Use Interactive Notebooks?” • Improve organization skills • Improve critical thinking skills • Express understanding creatively

Math: 4th Grade Content • Whole Number & Decimal Place Value • Comparing & Ordering Numbers • Whole Number & Decimal Rounding, Estimating • Multiplication • Division • Geometry: Angles, Triangles & Rotations • Coordinate Grids • Graphing • Weight & Measurement • Algebra

Math Multiplication is a skill that is highly used in the fourth grade and is the building block for most math skills from here on out. It is important that students are fluent with their multiplication facts and are able to recall them quickly and correctly. Please have your student study his or her facts until mastery is reached.

Math Journaling In my math class, we will be taking the first 10-20 minutes of class 4 days a week to work on & review the Math Journaling question of the day. Problem solving is an essential skill used for the rest of a student’s educational journey, as well as in real life. Friday is called “Reflection Friday” Students reflect on the content, what worked, what didn’t, celebrations, as well as challenges. This gives them an opportunity to monitor their progress, as well as communicate with me privately.

Reading/Language Arts/Writing Overview Along with our reading series, we use guided reading, novel sets, short stories, magazines, and individually selected books in an effort to expose your child to various genres of reading. It is key that your child reads at least 100 minutes each week (20 minutes, five nights per week). www.lexile.com is a great resource for finding books for your child. You will find his/her Lexile level on the CRCT report that you received in May.

Reading/Language Arts/Writing Overview Our class is using the Daily Five/ C.A.F.E. program The Daily Five includes: Word Work Write it Out Read to Self Read to Someone Meeting of the Minds C.A.F.E. Comprehension Accuracy Fluency Expand Vocabulary

Reading Vocabulary: using context clues and word parts to create meaning. Vocabulary Book – based on prefixes and suffixes Fluency (95% accuracy) Skills: Inferencing, summarizing, literary elements, main idea and details, locating information, cause & effect, interpreting figurative language, and connecting to text

Writing Through Writer’s Workshop, my goal is to provide students a risk-free environment in which to write. Our quarter will be filled with mini lessons that will foster the developing writer, but will also include the space and ability to simply write! Journals are an important part of our writing time. Students will continue to write in the following genres: (1) Narrative, (2) Informational, (3) Persuasive, (4) Response to Literature Did you know that research proves that students who read often, as well as a variety of genres, are more fluent writers?

Language Arts Grammar: Types of sentences (declarative, exclamatory, imperative, interrogative) Subject & predicate (complete and simple) Sentence structures (simple, compound, and complex) Parts of speech* (nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, Helping verbs or auxiliary verbs(such as will, shall, may, might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would) Conventions (punctuation and capitalization)

Spelling Spelling: Each child has a list of 500 frequently used words in his/her HW Folder. On Mondays, the words for the week will be highlighted and listed in his/her agenda. The tests are on Fridays and will cover any of the highlighted words! Spelling is a formative grade. Spelling in context of writing is also assessed as part of the spelling grade. If your child is a poor speller in writing, but has good spelling test grades, he or she will still have a “2” for this standard, as they are not consistently showing mastery.

Spelling Sitton Spelling: About the program: Our classroom uses the research based Sitton Spelling program. The Sitton Spelling philosophy is that words are really “mastered” until they are spelled correctly in everyday writing. Many students can memorize words for a “Friday test”, but if there is no transfer to student writing, what’s the point? Fourth graders are responsible to learn “core words” 336-500 from the list of 1200 words. Words are arranged on the list in order of frequency of use in everyday writing. In addition, words on the “No Excuse” (Priority Word List) are words that should have 100% mastery for fourth graders.

Spelling: (continued) How are students assessed? Starting with week 1, students are given the list of 500 words & are asked to highlight a set of words for the week. Throughout the week, students will be taught strategies & rules for spelling. On Friday, students are read a passage containing the week’s words. Students fill in the blanks, based on what they know “IN CONTEXT”. This is known as a cloze story test. If a student makes a “4” (ALL words spelled correctly), then they will take a pretest on Monday for the week 2 words. If they make a 4 on the pretest, this is their grade for the week…but they are given a challenge list… to stretch their minds!

Social Studies Study guides will be provided for most social studies tests several days in advance. This subject is vocabulary intensive! It is in your child’s best interest to take advantage of his or her study guide in addition to utilizing additional study resources provided. Our Land Native Americans Explorers Colonization Revolutionary War Early Government Westward Expansion

Social Studies We will be using Interactive Notebooks in Social Studies!!! This will help them to keep the information organized, expand their thinking, and create a portfolio of historical content that will help them to study throughout the year. This will serve as a study guide for upcoming assessments as well. Our Land Native Americans Explorers Colonization Revolutionary War Early Government Westward Expansion

Science Study guides will be provided for most social studies tests several days in advance. This subject is vocabulary intensive! It is in your child’s best interest to take advantage of his or her study guide in addition to utilizing additional study resources provided. Solar System/Space Weather, the Water Cycle, and States of Matter Ecosystems Sound and light Simple Machines

Science We will also be using Interactive Notebooks in Science Solar System/Space Weather, the Water Cycle, and States of Matter Ecosystems Sound and light Simple Machines

Interim Assessments Two times a year, students will take a county-wide interim assessment. These assessments are given in math, reading, and language arts and are given to measure students’ progress based upon specific standards. The purpose of these assessments is to drive MY instruction. For this reason, scores are not sent home to parents.

Thank you for attending Curriculum Night. I appreciate your continued support at home and look forward to another year of success! Please remember that I am here to partner with you in your child’s academic success. Do not hesitate to contact me at anytime with questions or concerns. Thank You ! 

Curriculum Night 2013