It's is important for students to have a growth mindset, so they can take on challenges and learn from them, therefore increasing their abilities and achievement. Understanding that mistakes and failures are critical parts of the learning process When students understand they can get smarter they put forth more effort in their studies.
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Welcome 4th Graders! I look forward to meeting you on Monday, August 16th!
Reading
Reading instruction will focus on the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts: Reading: Literature, Informational, Foundational Skill. In reading both literature and informational text, students will strengthen their knowledge of reading and thinking strategies, including schema (using background knowledge and making connections), questioning, determining importance, inferring, creating visual images, monitoring meaning, and synthesizing information. These strategies help students to comprehend and students will respond to their reading daily, as well as discuss and analyze texts.
Along with the reading, students will write responses to their reading daily, as well as discuss and analyze their text with the teacher and/or their classmates.
Reading resources may include teacher selected novels and short stories, student chosen texts, Scholastic News, Storyworks and the district adopted Units of Study for Teaching Reading.
Writing
Writing instruction will focus on the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts: Writing and Language Convention. Students focus on the following aspects of the writing process: the creation of clear, coherent paragraphs developed around a central idea and with a specific purpose and audience in mind, developing a composition through the stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing), freewriting, and note-taking.
Students in 4th grade develop the following writing genres: Narratives, Informational/Explanatory Texts, and Opinion pieces. In order to strengthen their reading comprehension, students will also write summaries focusing on main ideas with supporting details, and literary essays.
The following language skills will be developed: identifying and utilizing parts of speech, using correct punctuation and capitalization, mechanics and word usage, figurative language, and sentence structures.
Writing resources may include teacher-selected resources, such as Step Up to Writing, 6 Traits of Writing, and the district adopted Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing.
Speaking and Listening
Students will do oral presentations this year to develop their oral language skills; however, our goal will be to speak on a daily basis, as well as build our listening skills. The emphasis, whether being assessed formally or informally, will be speaking in a manner that guides the listener and supports proper volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and gestures that enhance meaning. When listening, students will learn to identify the speaker’s main idea(s) and key points, ask appropriate questions, and build on the speaker’s ideas, more importantly, show that the student understands the instruction(s) given by following along. Students will be focusing on the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts: Speaking & Listening.
Mathematics
Math instruction focuses on the Common Core State Standards: Mathematics. Topics include Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base 10, Number and Operations with Fractions, Measurement and Data, and Geometry.
There will also be a large focus on the following Mathematical Practice Standards:
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Students will use teacher selected materials, Eureka Math, as well as the district adopted Houghton Mifflin Go Math Curriculum.
Science
All students participate in a variety of activities included in the FOSS (Full Option Science System) program adopted by the district. Most of the assignments are worked on in class, with the exception of the reading and Review Questions. All of our science units are hands-on and allow the students an opportunity to write a scientific plan, make a hypothesis, carry out an experiment, and make conclusions. Students also develop nonfiction reading and note-taking skills through the study of science.
Fourth-grade science units are Electricity and Magnetism, Solid Earth, and Environments. Our instruction focuses on the Science Content Standards for California Public Schools.
Social Studies
Fourth graders study the history of California through the following topics: geography of California, Native Californians, Spanish explorers and settlers, Missions, Ranchos, the Gold Rush, the Transcontinental Railroad, immigration to California, California in the 20th Century, and modern California.
Our instruction focuses on the California Standards for History-Social Studies. The students use teacher selected materials, TCI’s Social Studies Alive! California’s Promise and the district adopted texts by Pearson Scott Foresman and teacher selected activities to study history.
Physical Education
Our class will participate in Physical Education with the district P.E. coach, Josh Schelhorse, and assistant Duke Sagapolutele, in two 45-minute sessions each week. Physical fitness, skill development, and sportsmanship will be emphasized. Students are required to wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing. It is also highly recommended that students bring water bottles on P.E. days. Instructions focus on the California Standards for Physical Education
Technology
Students will have access to iPads to explore a variety of programs, including Google Docs, Forms, Slides, and more, as well as different Apps to support learning. Students will also be keeping a digital portfolio of their own work over the course of the school year. The goal is for students to become increasingly more comfortable and confident in the use of technology, especially as it pertains to the effective use of presentation of ideas, more importantly, how to be a good digital citizen. Student’s signed Student Acceptable Use of Technology Policy must be on file with the teacher before students can use any computers, iPads, or other technology.
Music
Our district music teacher, Marcus Cooper, will instruct students on Mondays for 45-minutes. The music instruction will involve rhythm, dance, and instruments. There will be a music performance sometime in Spring for students to showcase their learning for parents. The music content will focus on the 4th grade Social Studies themes, as well as the California Standards for Music.
Art
Students will have the opportunity to participate in CSMA’s (Community School of Music and Arts) award-winning quality art education, in-school visual arts program, Art4Schools. Students will receive an hour of art lessons every other week as part of their regular school day. The program consists of in-depth, skill-building and sequential art lessons that meet the California State Visual and Performing Arts Standards for Art. Classes and content are appropriate for each grade level. Art lessons and projects focus on drawing and painting with an introduction to ceramics, sculpture and basic three-dimensional concepts. Students develop basic technical skills, as well as learn concepts such as line, shape, value, form, and color. Lessons are often inspired by a master artist or a cultural/historical context that encourages students to explore topics from other perspectives.
Videos that shows what success looks like by the end of the year for fourth grade.
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/grades/4th-grade/
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