July 27th, 2016
Mr. Nance () ext. 6370
Welcome to Mr. Nance’s 4th grade class! I am very excited about the school year and look forward to working with my new students. This will be my ninth year of teaching 4th grade at Hickory Elementary. I previously taught 4th grade in Decatur Township. I was a graduate of the University of Indianapolis where I studied Elementary Education and played soccer. This will also be my 7th season as the varsity soccer coach for the girl’s team at Avon High School. I look forward to working with my students this year and helping them grow academically.
Mr. Nance’s Classroom Schedule
8:50-9:05- Morning Workand Morning Procedures
9:05-9:30 – Math Block 1
9:35-10:25 - Specials- Monday- Music, Tuesday- Art, Wednesday-Library/Computers, Thursday-PE, Friday- Fab Friday
10:35-12:15- Language Arts (Spelling, Reading, Language, or writing)
12:15-12:40-Lunch
12:40-12:55- Recess
1:00-1:35- Math Block 2
1:35-2:30- Social Sciences
2:30-3:00- Student Success
3:05-3:30- Writing/Brain Breaks/Finish up activities
3:30-3:40- Pass out HW and papers to go home, clean room, lineup for dismissal
Mr. Nance’s Classroom Highlights and procedures
-Students will sit with their teams each week and will be given opportunities to earn team points. They can earn points by showing good behavior, working quietly, following directions carefully, and doing an overall great job. They can also lose points if not following the rules as a team. Points will be added up throughout the week and the winning team will be allowed to choose classroom jobs for the next week. The classroom jobs hold the students accountable and give them a sense of responsibility. Students will also have chances to earn the opportunity to be our classroom Super Kids or class Good Citizens.
Behavior Management-We will use numbered sticks and cups for behavior management. Each student will have their classroom number on a stick and it will start in the green cup each day. If a student is not following classroom rules or showing bad behavior then they will be asked to move their stick into the yellow cup. This means that the student will have to miss 5 minutes of recess. If a student has to move a stick again then they will put it in the blue cup. Students will have to miss 10 minutes of recess and a behavior notice will be sent home. If a student has to move their stick for a third time before recess to the red cup then they will not have recess and we will call home to discuss the behavior with parents. If it goes past red then that could lead to suspension or detention.
Good Behavior Tickets- A student can receive a ticket by going a week keeping their sticks in the green cup. They can exchange this ticket for a prize from the treat box. Students can also earn tickets for having good behavior throughout the day. We will have an auction and raffle 4 times throughout the school year. Students need to keep their tickets in a safe place.
-Weekly Friday Emails- I will be sending an email each Friday that includes important information on each subject and reminders/updates for the upcoming week.Please sign up to receive weekly emails.Feel free to call or email me with any questions you may have.
-Each student will be required to keep a Take-Home Binder. The binder will be used to help keep the students organized. It will contain a daily assignment notebook. They will need to come in each day and write the date and homework along with important reminders or notes from the teacher. Students will receive a stamp each day that they correctly fill out their planner in the morning. Students will need to keep track of how many stamps they have collected because increments of twenty will allow the student to receive a free homeworkpass. The planners do NOT need to be signed each night but it would be a good idea to check your child’s planner each night to make sure they are staying on top of things. The assignment notebooks are also a great source of communication between parents and the teacher because each page has a spot for notes or questions. Inside the take-home binder, students will also have a gold folder for homework and important notes. Students will need to include 4 folders inside of their binder- morning work, math, language arts, and social sciences. They do not need to be a specific color but will need to labeled.
-Specials Schedule: Monday- Music, Tuesday- Art, Wednesday-Media, Thursday-PE, Friday- Fab Friday.
-The students will work in Literacy work stations throughout the school year. Some examples of topics for the stations will be word work, writing, fluency practice, spelling, and leveled reading. Students may be asked to work independently, with partners, or with groups. We will also be reading novels throughout the school year as well as leveled readers. The literacy stations work will not only help students improve literacy concepts but it will help them learn teamwork.
-Students will practice a specific spelling pattern each week. We will create words that follow the pattern on Monday. The students will have a pretest on Tuesday. This will help with groupings for spelling practice at stations throughout the week. The spelling posttest will be on Friday.
-Language Arts/Reading comprehension tests will usually be on Friday’s but may be used as take-home tests some weeks. We will use our MH reading series and each student has a reading/writing workshop book as well as a literature anthology book. I will put our key vocabulary words on the weekly newsletter. Students can practice the words at home. The tests will cover vocabulary, reading skills, and comprehension.
- The students will be completing two book reports throughout the school year. The first book report we will have will be assigned mid August and the students will choose a fiction chapter book. More details to come soon.
-We will have many hands-on Social Science activities throughout the school year. We will be using our science kits each week. The kits involve lessons over electricity and magnetism, the earth’s surface, animal and plant structures, and motion and design. Hands on activities are a great way to learn through real-life experiences.We will be using science journals to record and write about what we learned.
- Writing will be a big focus for us this year. We will be keeping a writing binder and the students will keep their work in it throughout the school year. We will have a specific writing workshop time each day.
- Homework will be assigned each night to the students except for on weekends. They will usually have one or two assignments that they will need to complete at home along with studying and preparation for tests and quizzes.
Language Arts Objective Board- The objectives for the week such as skills and strategies that we will be working on will be posted on the board at the front of the room. I will also post the spelling pattern and the vocabulary words for study. We may even post students work. This will give the students a chance to see what our focus will be each day.
Math- We will be using the new Bridges series this year during our math lessons. We will also be working daily in differentiated math stations. Students will have a routine and will get plenty of support.
Social Studies- Focus in 4th grade is Indiana history. Students will learn about our state through fun activities and possible field trips to the Indiana State Museum, Indiana Statehouse, and the OLC for Pioneer Day. We will also have a Famous Hoosier Wax Museum Project at the end of the school year. Students will research a famous Hoosier and then dress up as this person and have an informative presentation.
Hickory Resources- Students can go to Hickory Resources on our school website to access links to math, reading, and keyboarding practice websites.
-Power Parent- This will be used to give parents access to grades, attendance, and information. Information will be secure. Directions for getting started are on the page attached.
Reminders to Turn in
*Volunteer Background Check documents
*Student Transportation Form
*Green card info sheets
*PTO Helping Hands Form