Welcome to 4 th Grade

1. Welcome to 4th Grade Mr. Sokol Room 23

2. What Every Parent Needs To Know • State Exams • Curriculum - Common Core • Class Schedule • Classroom Routines • Classroom Expectations • Special Classroom Activities • Grading System • Contact Information

3. Common Core Exams • Subjects tested – English Language Arts & Math • Additional NYS Science Exam • Rationale – To diagnose which students are not meeting state standards and to provide extra support for those in need of remediation • Extra support – AIS (Academic Intervention Services) • Test scored on a scale of 0 – 4 (4 being the best and 3 is meeting state standards) • Difficulty of new exams has dramatically increased

4. English Language Arts Exam • Test date – Spring • Skills that are evaluated - Reading Comprehension & Extended Response • Each session is lasts for at least 70 minutes • Students must be able to read for information and understanding, respond to literature, and use critical thinking skills to develop responses to questions

5. Math Exam • Test date – Spring • 3 Sessions – Multiple Choice, Short, and Extended Responses • Students need to have mastered their multiplication and division facts • Students also need to solve multi-step word problems and be able to provide thorough explanations

6. Science Exam • Test dates – End of May (experiments) Beginning of June (written) Dates TBD • 2 Sessions – Multiple Choice/Short answer and experiments • Comprehensive exam of everything students have learned in Science since kindergarten • Shhhh…..don’t tell the kids – they actually enjoy the experiments!

7. Curriculum - Reading • Reading – Reader’s Workshop • What is Reader’s Workshop? Guided Reading Groups, Shared Readings, Response Journals, Independent Books, Discussions, and more! • Students are given choices to encourage interest while instruction is designed to meet specific needs/levels

8. Math • Place Value, Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers and Money • Multiplication and Division – please study Math facts at home • Time, Data, and Graphs • Geometry and Measurement • Fraction Concepts and Customary Measurement • Decimals and Metric Measurement

9. Language Arts • Students should be able to write a well written paragraph with an introductory sentence, details and a conclusion • Students will be taught to write multi-paragraph essays using the 6 Traits of Writing • Types of writing – writing journals, formal writing assignments and benchmarks

10. Social Studies • Students will be switching classes with student from Mrs. Donovan’s room • Topics include: Native Americans, Explorers, Colonial Times, and The American Revolution • New York State is also studied with an emphasis on local history

11. Science 4 Units • Organizing Ourselves for Doing Science • Digestion, Nutrients, Food Chains and Webs • Simple Machines • Organization of the Earth

12. Classroom Routines • Snack – please send in a nutritious snack everyday • Book Orders – checks should be made out to Scholastic Book Club • Recess is daily – we only stay in if it’s raining or too cold/snowy………please send in appropriate clothing for the conditions • Absences – send in a note explaining the absence or you may also call the main office

13. Classroom Expectations • Students follow the rules of our Class Contract • Students always try their best • Show respect • Demonstrate responsibility • Complete nightly homework • Be an active participant in class

14. Grading System My grading system is very simple. It is made up of tests, quizzes, projects, writing assignments, and class participation. Other assessment strategies, such as rubrics and cooperative learning groups, will be used as well.

15. Contact Information Sheafe Road Elementary School (845) 298 – 5290 Mr. Sokol’s email jon.sokol@wcsdny.org

16. Every school year brings new challenges…… • Common Core • PBIS • District Assessments in Math and ELA • Birthday Celebrations - send in treat on that day for all months except May…..party date TBD