I am so excited to have your child in my class this year! I will be sending these weekly digital newsletters to help you stay on top of what is going on in the classroom. I try my best to keep them brief and to the point because I know you are busy, but please do your best to read each newsletter so you don’t miss out on important class communication.
Here's what's coming up in the days/weeks ahead:
Aug. 25- First Day of School
Aug. 29- No School
Sept. 1- No School
Sept. 4- Kickstart Deposit Day
Sept. 24- 2-hour Early Release
Oct. 9- Picture Day
M- P.E.
T- Music
W- Art & Library
Th- P.E.
F- Art
None
I am so excited to be hosting a Teacher Intern from GVSU this semester, Miss Mallorie Cheves (pronounced Ch-ee-vs). This is Mallorie's final semester before graduating and becoming a teacher in her own classroom. This semester, we will share teaching responsibilities. We'll begin the year with me taking the lead for teaching responsibilities and Miss Cheves supporting. Throughout the semester, Miss Cheves will take the lead on more of the teaching with me moving to a supporting role, helping her develop her skills as an independent teacher. This is a great opportunity for your child to get the help of 2 teachers this semester.
Click here to learn more about Miss Cheves!
Your 4th grader will have a weekly homework packet. This will typically be sent home on Friday and due the following Friday. However, with the shortened weeks to begin the school year, the first homework packet will be sent Thursday 8/28 and due Friday 9/5.
The homework packet will consist of the following:
Reading Calendar- students are required to read for 20 minutes per day, but I allow for 1 "day off" per week for a total of 120 minutes per week.
Please note: I know individual schedules vary for each child. There may be days your child is unable to read at all, and that is ok! Please write "0 minutes" on the calendar for these nights. However, your child should then make-up these minutes by reading extra another night. However they reach the total minute goal per week is up to you and your child.
Math Skill of the Day Spiral Review- This double sided worksheet has a box for each day of the week, Monday-Friday, along with 3 additional boxes for practice in fact fluency, multi-step word problems, and number sense.
My recommendation is NOT to try to do this all in one sitting. Children learn better through short, consistent practice. I'd recommend doing the boxes labeled Monday-Friday on the corresponding days. Then, your child can fit in the 3 additional boxes on days they have extra time.
List of Spelling Words and Language Arts Skills of the Week- this page is for your reference. There will be a weekly spelling test, so you can use this list of words to help your child practice at home if you choose. We will also practice the words in school.
A final note about homework: I strongly believe in the benefits of reading at home daily and practicing math skills at home to review what has been taught in class. However, I never want homework to become overwhelming for your child. I do not expect your child to spend more than 30 minutes per day on homework (which would amount to 20 minutes of reading + 10 minutes of math practice). I plan to check in with each family during fall conferences to see how homework is going. If your child is unable to complete their work in 30 minutes per day, we can make modifications to these requirements to meet them at their level.
This section of each newsletter will include a review of what we were learning in each subject that week as well as a look at what's ahead. I'll include pictures from our lessons as much as possible. For this first newsletter, I provided a brief overview of what your child will be learning in each subject throughout the entire year.
We use the Big Ideas Math curriculum in grades K-5 at TK. Here's an overview of our math units for this year:
Chapter 1: Place Value Concepts
Chapter 2: Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Numbers
Chapter 3: Multiply by One-Digit Numbers
Chapter 4: Multiply by Two-Digit Numbers
Chapter 5: Divide Multi-Digit Numbers
Chapter 6: Factors, Multiples, and Patterns
Chapter 7: Understand Fraction Equivalence and Comparison
Chapter 8: Add and Subtract Fractions
Chapter 9: Multiply Fractions and Whole Numbers
Chapter 10: Relate Fractions and Decimals
Chapter 11: Understand Measurement Equivalence and Conversion
Chapter 12: Use Perimeter and Area Formulas
Chapter 13: Identify & Draw Lines and Angles
Chapter 14: Identify Symmetry & 2-D Figures
This is our 2nd year using a Language Arts curriculum called Wonders. Wonders is a comprehensive program that includes reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and oral language instruction. Each unit is split into 2-week cycles during which students will explore an Essential Question through a variety of reading passages aligned to the reading skills and strategies of the week.
We will have a bi-weekly Reading Test on Fridays for students to demonstrate their understanding of the reading skills and strategies we practice over the past 2-weeks. There is no need to study at home for this test as it covers material taught and reviewed in class and shows students' development toward meeting the standards.
Each week your child will have a page in their homework packet that lists the skills being taught in Language Arts, and I will link them in the News & Notes as well.
TK uses the Mystery Science curriculum aligned with the new Next Generation Science Standards. Each unit begins with a scientific "mystery" that students try to solve by conducting scientific experiments. We will study 4 units this year:
The Birth of Rocks (Earth Science)
Waves of Sound
Energizing Everything
Human Machine (Life Science)
We use Social Studies Alive as our curriculum. 4th grade social studies focuses on the United States, and students will explore each of our countries regions from the perspective of its geography, history, civics, and economics. We will spend a unit learning about U.S. Government. We'll end the year using the Junior Achievement program to learn about economics in our region, country, and around the globe.