Monday, March 14, 2016
Newsletter # 24
Dear Fourth Grade Families!
Here are some reminders as well as an overview of academic areas of focus for the Month of March.
REMINDERS:
Edgartown Food Drive: March 7-March 21 – Please send in canned goods with your child.
Parent Teacher Conference Sign Ups for April: Pick a time will open for parents on 3/25 at noon. Conferences will be on April 7, 11, and 13.
March 31: 3rd-8th grade math night (6:00-7:30)
I hope you will consider signing you and your child up for a Parent-Child Math Club for Grades 3 and 4 at the Edgartown School: Mondays - March 28 and April 4
Come with your fourth grader to engage in problem solving activities facilitated by Kate McCormick
Participation is open to fifteen students (plus parent) in 3rd and 4th grade. A parent MUST accompany his/her child.
Location: Room 216 (Kate McCormick's Fourth Grade Classroom)
Time: 5-7pm
5:00-5:30 Potluck Dinner and Math Warm Up / Introduction of Math Activity
5:30-6:30 Engagement in Math Activity
6:30-7:00 Share and debrief
• Come to this workshop to gain insight into how your child is learning math in school. The objectives and goals of the workshop are:
• To advance students' mathematical learning and confidence
• To coach parents to support their children at home
• To increase both students' and parents' understanding of the Common Core State Standards content and K-12 practice standards
If interested, please fill out the form that was sent home and return to school with your child by Monday, March 14. A confirmation email will be sent to you. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
These workshops were made possible by the Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank Charitable Fund
HOMEWORK:
20 minutes of math using daily worksheets OR zearn.org
20 minutes of independent reading
Homework Log: Students will be writing down their assignments in school on their homework logs. This will help prepare them for that responsibility when they are in 5th grade.
Please help to sign these each night. As homework increases over the years, parents need to be involved in making sure that assignments are completed. I have decided to reward students with a homework pass if they can have their homework log signed for 8 consecutive days. The pass can be used for one part of homework. Please remember to sign your child's homework log. Homework each night is 20 minutes for math and 20 minutes for ELA.
Here are some happenings in 4Mc this month:
Writing: For the next few weeks, we will focus on connecting our reading to written responses to a range of prompts that ask students to use evidence and details from readings to support their writing. For example, students will need to identify and explain character traits (through actions and words), story elements (setting, plot, problem, conflict, and theme) in writing. We have been practicing this whole class since the beginning of the year but now students will be asked to demonstrate their comprehension of reading selections more formally through writing. We will use Brain Frames and other graphic organizers to plan our writing. We will use the Chrome books to practice typing our responses on demand. These fourth grade standards are followed:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9.A
Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions].").
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.9.B
Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text").
Science:
In addition to The Common Core, our state is adopting science standards that are based on The Next Generation Science Standards. We will use videos, explorations, and, hopefully, field trips around the island to meet the benchmarks. Last week we started some experiments with electricity. Students are exploring the following questions in these investigations:
What is electricity?
What is needed to light a bulb?
What is needed to make a current flow in a circuit?
Reading: We are using a variety of materials (PARCC tests examples, readworks.org, science text book) to practice reading actively and closely, making meaning of fiction and non-fiction text sources. We are demonstrating comprehension through multiple choice, short answer, and open response writing. This is integrated with our writing units (see above). This week we will also read A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman. This biography of Harriet Tubman traces her life as a slave, her escape from slavery, and her exploits as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Our comprehension focus is that students will make inferences to understand relationships in a narrative nonfiction story.
Spelling/Vocabulary: Vocabulary work reaches all areas of curriculum (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies). We will look at vocabulary in context by reading short selections and doing activities that explore definitions, synonyms, and cloze (fill in the blank). We are looking at science vocabulary words (i.e. battery, circuit, d-cell, current, filament) as well as math vocabulary words (dividend, divisor, quotient, factor, multiple, product). This week we will look at the following vocabulary words connected with a read aloud about Harriet Tubman: mistreat, apprehensive, refuge, valiant, and revere.
Math: We will complete Module 3 in Engage New York, which focuses on Muti-Digit Multiplication and Division. Students will demonstrate their understanding on an assessment early in the week and then we will begin our work with fractions (Module 4).
All homework this week supports our current lessons in math. Either students will be assigned a worksheet or Zearn practice for 20 minutes each night. Zearn correlates with our Engage NY math program. I can customize where students practice in the program so that previous topics are continually practiced and reviewed and/or reinforcement is provided for newer topics. I suggest that you take some time to look over your child's shoulder as he/she uses zearn to see how math is now being presented and explored in school, which is very different than the way that we learned.
In math we focus on whole group instruction, small group instruction, and partner work to help students master concepts. After each lesson's problem set is complete, I give students an exit slip which helps me to determine his/her level of understanding so that groups can be customized to support student needs. Homework is sent home each week to give students an opportunity to practice these skills at home. Students have been using www.zearn.org as a supplement to Engage NY as well as Dreambox and www.xtramath.org.
Questions? Please feel free to contact me.
All my best,
:) Kate McCormick