Hosted By:

Christie Winkelmann

Dino Katsiris

4th

Grade Team

Created by: Ashley Magee, www.firstgradebrain.com Graphics © ThistleGirlDesigns

Welcome to the

4th

Grade

Curriculum Night

Meet the Team

Sue Buckle, Kim Frampton, Beth Dibble, Nancy Hebert, and Sandi Klotz

• Starts Friday, August 24th and ends Monday, September 10th

No gift wrap, candy or other product sales The goal is to fundraise AND increase the love for reading in

students Great incentives and prizes for ALL students who

participate. There is no minimum amount required to participate 100% of all money collected goes directly to help Brisas This is the only planned fundraiser Information packets will be distributed Monday, August 20th

Fundraiser – 2012 Read-a-thon

Reading Anchor Standards

Students must read widely and deeply from among a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts.

• Key Ideas and Details - What did the author say?

• Craft and Structure of Text – How did the author say it?

• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas - How to evaluate, use, go beyond what the author said.

• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Reading Instruction

• Reading is the most important subject • Harcourt Trophies

– Research-based, comprehensive program with emphasis on building and using skills

• Non-fiction and Fiction selections • Integrates spelling, language skills, and writing • Increase student confidence and competence

in reading • Become better critical readers and thinkers • Literature Studies incorporated throughout

the year

Vocabulary

• Each week’s reading selection will emphasize

6 to 8 vocabulary words for students to master

• These words are repeated in various activities and mini books throughout the week

• Students are expected to learn their meanings and use them in context

• Will be tested weekly as part of the

reading response test

• Weekly lessons focus on a phonetic or structural pattern

• 20 words and 5 challenge words

• Spelling tests will be each Friday

• First year to participate in school Spelling Bee

Spelling

Writing Anchor Standards

• Use writing as a way of offering and supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and imagined experiences and events.

• Learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external audience and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular task and purpose.

• Develop the capacity to build knowledge on a subject through research projects and to respond analytically to literary and informational sources.

• Devote significant time and effort to writing, producing numerous pieces over short and extended time frames throughout the year.

Writing

• Increased rigor across the curriculum • Emphasis on reading/writing connection

and authentic writing experiences • Journal entries, personal reflections, literary

responses, and assigned types • Three Writing Strands

Writing Process Writing Elements Writing Applications

• Assessed with 6 Traits rubrics or content rubrics

Language Standards

• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics

• Use language to convey meaning effectively

• Apply knowledge of language (parts of speech)

to understand how language functions

• Determine the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered through listening, reading, and media use and build working vocabulary

Math Standards

4th Grade Common Core Parent Training September 25, 5:30 – 6:30

• Standards focus on strong computation, problem solving, mathematical thinking

• Prerequisite fluency in basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division

Instruction will focus on these critical areas:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking

• Number and Operations in Base Ten

• Number and Operations—Fractions

• Geometry & Measurement • Measurement and Data • Mathematical Practices (behaviors that lead to

fluency, application, and a deep understanding of the standards) – Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them – Reason abstractly and quantitatively – Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others – Model with mathematics – Use appropriate tools strategically

Instructional Resources – Investigations in Number, Data, and Space – Scott Foresman- Addison Wesley

Science

• Investigations will follow the Inquiry Model

• Units of Study

– Electricity and Magnetism

– Water and Weather

– Animal Classification and Adaptation

– Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Resources

Social Studies

• Major focus: ARIZONA

• Quarterly emphasis areas:

– Arizona’s Geography and People

– Settlement and Change

– Arizona’s Statehood

– Arizona’s Government and Economy

• Junior Achievement

• Arizona Weekly Studies Magazine

HEALTH

• Personal Health

• Food and Nutrition

• Guarding against Disease

• Medicines and Drugs

• Human Growth and Development and HIV/AIDS lessons will be taught in the spring.

Technology

Technology is used as a tool across the curriculum. Some of the programs students will use are:

– Word – PowerPoint – Excel – SmartBoard – Typing Agent – Pixie 2 – Share – Frames

Homework & Grading

• Check ParentVUE regularly to download homework and check weekly scores

http://sw.kyrene.org/site/default.aspx?PageID=1

• Report Cards – Behavior - progress indicators

– Academic areas - letter grades for major content areas and progress indicators for sub categories

Principal’s Honor Roll – all As

Gecko Honor Roll – all As and Bs

National Honor Society

Is a school-based program recognizing outstanding elementary students (4th & 5th grade only) and engaging them in meaningful development of leadership skills and service.

Students are identified after the first two quarters for possible selection in the Spring.

Qualifications include:

▪ Grades of all As or all As and only one B

▪ Demonstrated leadership/responsibility

in the classroom and community

Teacher: Mike Sissel

Focus on lifeskills,

leadership qualities,

character building

YELP

Youth Exemplifying Leadership Principles

School / Parent Partnership

We only get one chance to prepare

our students for a future that none

of us can possibly predict.

What are we going to do with that

one chance?

~Stephen Covey