You are Cordially Invited to attend our class liturgies!

Room 102: 9/19 and 11/7

Room 104: 9/24 and 11/12

3/3/20 - End of Quarter

The end of the quarter is quickly approaching, so please check FACTS for any missing assignments.

I went ahead and marked as "missing" the homework from yesterday. Technically students may turn it in to me by tomorrow (Wednesday) before it is late, but I marked it as missing now so that you won't miss it when checking FACTS.

It's a student's responsibility to get any missing assignments to me by the end of the day on Thursday. Assignments that are not turned in will earn a 0.

1/21 - Students going on the March for Life this weekend may write a brief summary and tell their classmates about their experience to their classmates in lieu of all homework and makeup work for religion the Thursday and Friday that they will be gone. Students should see me to discuss the exact terms of this option.

1/13 - I just became aware that the website is requiring that you ask for permission before viewing the study guide. Maybe this link will work better. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kttm_fbal1llvHt5fXAQGZnhDYc4DDL0/view?usp=sharing

1/13 - The test has been moved from Tuesday, Jan. 14 to Wednesday, Jan. 15 to allow a little more study time.

1/10 - Students have received a study guide for next Tuesday's test. We will go over it in class on Monday, but students are welcome to look at it now and see if they have any questions. The study guide is below. The test will be like an easier version of the study guide - for example, there will be more multiple choice and there will be a word bank.

A note on grades - be aware that since FACTS bases its letter grades on the overall percentage of all points earned out of all points possible, that at the very beginning of the quarter, one missing assignment or a few lost points can have a much stronger impact on a student's average than they will later when more assignments have been graded. You will want to take this into account when viewing grades.

Welcome back!

We will have a test on Tuesday, Jan. 14. We'll spend time reviewing in class before then, so don't worry!

12/12 - Missing Work Notice

Please check FACTS to see if your child has any missing work! Missing work decreases in value each day, and any work that is still missing at the conclusion of the quarter next Friday will receive a score of zero.

12/10 - See post below for homework assignment for this week. The entire assignment is due on Friday, so students may work on it whenever they want as long as it is completed by then.

Please check FACTS for missing work and ask your child to complete and turn in. Work decreases in value each day that it is late. A number of students are missing a number of assignments from the past two weeks. Please check with your child and make sure that all "M"s are resolved as soon as possible to maximize your child's 2nd quarter grade.

Homework for week of 12/10: Textbook pages 317, 320-323. Due Friday 12/13.

All homework for the week was assigned today so that students may work on it whenever they are free. Page 317 was already mostly completed last week in class. We will do other work in class which may potentially need to be finished as homework if class time runs out.

11/27 - Advent

After the beautiful grand finale to our liturgical year, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, we are ready to head into the beautiful season of Advent. This year our whole school will be using Jesse Trees to remember the story of Salvation History, a story that began at the dawn of time and whose most exciting chapter began at the manger in Bethlehem. Each classroom has its own Jesse tree and ornaments. If you would like to do your own Jesse tree at home, all you need is an empty Christmas tree or a stick standing upright in a vase or cup. 4th graders will have Jesse Tree ornaments sent home with them weekly.

11/27 - Chapter Review Grading Info

As mentioned in an earlier post, I typically grade chapter reviews partially for accuracy (multiple choice and fill in the blank items) and partially for effort and completion (an answer earning full credit utilizes at least half of the space provided and attempts to answer the question asked in a complete sentence). I do this to have a way of measuring the children's learning while minimizing the amount of time spent studying for and stressing about tests. The children can have as much time as they need to complete a chapter review. We begin the chapter review in class so that students may ask questions, and those who run out of time to finish are asked to finish for homework and turn it in the following day. Students are allowed and encouraged to use their book and their Bible as resources to help them if they are not sure of something. Because students have as much time as they need and access to all these resources, I consider it reasonable to grade for accuracy because all the information the students need to complete a chapter review is within the chapter.

Students who score below a certain percentage on a chapter review are sometimes given an opportunity to redo, and are always welcome to ask for this opportunity. If the student declines the opportunity, the window of opportunity will close and then students will no longer be able to re-do. A redone chapter review can typically earn back most of the points lost, perhaps all but one or two, but only if the redone review has a higher score than the original review.

11/22 - If you could please remind your 4th grader of the importance of reading all directions and answering questions thoroughly, that would be great! Lately several students have lost points for giving a couple of words in response to a question that requires a more thoughtful response. By now the students should know my rule: to get full credit, they should use at least half of the space provided for their answer.

Students also need to be careful they aren't skipping questions or even entire sections. Sometimes when a page is assigned, students see that there is reading at the top and just assume that there is nothing for them to write, rather than reading the assigned reading and then doing the activity printed after the reading.

Consulting the gradebook, students who scored excessively low in the last two chapters due to skipping questions or who scored excessively low on the chapter review may redo for an increase in points if they turn in the redone work before Thanksgiving break. Students needing to redo a page that they skipped may complete it in their workbook and give it to me, while those wishing to redo a chapter review must be responsible for asking for a redo sheet if they need one/lost theirs and for turning it in when it is complete.

A student must score higher on the redone paper than on the original paper in order to gain back lost points. I am always happy to help students with any questions on homework or redone papers, especially if they come up to see me during afternoon homeroom time. Again, students redoing work may turn it in at any time before Thanksgiving break, but the student must be responsible for turning it in.

11/20 - Just for fun, ask your 4th grader to show you how to make the Sign of the Cross or say "Let us pray" in Latin!

11/18 - Test grades are (and have been) on FACTS. Most of us did very well!

We're beginning an in-depth discussion about the Ten Commandments. We also spent some time learning about St. Rose Philippine Duchesne on her feast day today (November 18) and about the mission works sponsored by the organizations that we donate to during Mission Month.

11/6 - We will have a test on Wednesday, November 13. If you study the concepts below, you will be well prepared for the test!

(Parents, the test scores are not weighted to be heavier than other assignments, so our many other grades will still have as much of an impact on grades.)

• The Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is three Persons in one God (not one person in three gods).
• The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist are the two parts of Mass, and the Last Supper was the first Mass.
• The Bible is the Word of God, written by humans who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
• Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the names of the four Gospels, which are the four books of the New Testament that tell about the life of Jesus.
• Genesis means "beginning" and is the first book of the Bible. Revelation is the last book of the Bible.
• The word "Eucharist" means "thanksgiving," the word "inspired" means "breathed into," and the priest acts "in persona Christi" which means "in the person of Christ" when he celebrates sacraments, which means that he acts with Christ's power and authority. (We talked about how this is like when Moses parted the Red Sea by holding up his staff - Moses' actions caused the sea to part, but God was the one who gave Moses the power to part the sea by his actions.)
• There will be at least one extra credit question

Some of us had a hard time with our most recent chapter review. To reduce the amount of time spent studying for tests and increase the amount of time spent reflecting on religion content, I typically grade the reviews for accuracy (since students can look back through the book and access their notes to remind them of the answers, plus students who don't finish in class can take it home to finish, everyone should be able to get a high score). This time students who scored below 15 were given the opportunity to raise their score to 15 with a redo. This Thursday is the last day that I will accept redone papers. Students who were not here when the redo papers were distributed or have lost theirs must be responsible for asking me for another one on Wednesday and for turning it in on Wednesday or Thursday.

You can help your child at home to review the parts of the Mass (Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist) and to identify what part of the Mass a given element belongs to. You can also help your student by practicing identifying the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

We learned a lot last week about All Hallows' Eve (the original name for Halloween), All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, including participating in a Saint Scavenger Hunt. In our textbook we've been talking about the parts of the Mass, including the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

10/7 - Where has the first quarter gone? Please check for any missing work in FACTS. If end-of-quarter grades are to reflect your child's real academic work, all missing work needs to be in before the quarter closes on Friday.

9/17 - 4th grade will be attending the Safe Touch presentation this week. Safe Touch is a curriculum provided to archdiocesan schools to remind us all how to stay safe. Watch for a parent email with a handout explaining more about safety. The children will also be bringing home a list of important safety rules that you can discuss together. As classes do not switch between grade levels during testing week, this is the only time I will see 4th grade during ITBS week. A few students are missing work from last week and should use this opportunity to get caught up.

9/11 - Students learned the Prayer Before a Crucifix as we talked about the history of the Cross of Christ in preparation for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross which is next Saturday. They have a paper to keep in their religion folders that includes both the traditional Prayer Before a Crucifix and a rhymed paraphrase. They are asked to find a crucifix at home (if no crucifix is available, a cross or a picture of a crucifix will do) and to spend a few minutes reflecting before it, writing down their own brief prayer or reflection as they think about the wounds of Christ. Your participation in this activity may be the factor that transforms it from just another homework assignment to a prayerful experience!

4th grade homework on 9/9: New Testament word scramble. They should have a list of books of the New Testament to help.