Embedded Files
Friday Quiz - Spiral Review 5/8
Friday Quiz - Spiral Review 5/8
Digital Learning Lessons
Digital Learning Lessons
Google Classroom Code LA & SS
Ms. Mac's Class: lil5ngm
Mr. Mercen's Class: 4yck25q
Mr. Swiger's Class: 2ix4wvs
jennifer.mcphailhastings@student.dodea.edu
Digital Learning Websites
Digital Learning Websites
Think Central Access
Think Central Access
Click on this picture to get to Think Central
Make it just like the picture...
1) Choose Country: United States
2) Choose State: DoDEA
3) Choose District: Europe East
4) Choose School: Landstuhl
5) Click "Remember my school"
6) From the second page of your agenda enter your user name and password.
7) Use the first 5 letters of your name to create your new password.
8) Then, click on "Things to Do"
​Dear Parents,
As Veterans Day approaches, we have an additional homework project for the students called "Hall of Heroes". Each child in the 4th grade will make a single Power Point or Google slide about someone who has served our country in the military. This project is due November 6th.
"Hall of Heroes" Homework Requirements:
1) Choose anyone who has ever served in the miltiary. It could be a family member, a neighbor, or even someone from history.
2) Interview or research that person. Find out where they have served, when they served, what they did, who they met, what they saw, etc. Get the details. Ask for a good story.
3) Create a single PowerPoint or Google slide. Include pictures, maps, timelines, and any other information that helps explain the military experience.
4) E-mail your single PowerPoint slide to your teacher. He or she will print it out in color and hang it in the 4th grade hallway.
​To the right are a couple of good examples.
​So, have your child start thinking about who he or she might like to focus on for this project. Remember, it is just a single slide. No stress. It is simple!
We will explain this to the students. Let us know if you have questions.
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Examples
These students included photos, maps, and text. Perfect!
Monday, October 14, 2019 - Math Videos Overview
Monday, October 14, 2019 - Math Videos Overview
Hi Parents,
As you know, we have videos for both math and language, but maybe you don't know why. Here are five good reasons:
- You are going on vacation or your child is sick and misses several days. The videos provide the minimum knowledge covered.
- Your child has testing anxiety and worries about what will be on the quiz. The videos show you exactly what to expect.
- Your child learns from seeing the same thing over and over. He or she needs the repetition in order to understand. The videos allow this.
- You want to help your child, but math was not taught like this when you were in 4th grade. You can learn from the videos too!
- Your child gets something wrong on the quiz, but doesn't understand why. He or she can review the videos to see how it should have been done.
We teach a lot more than this in class, but we also cover the exact same problems in class that are on the videos, and the Friday Quiz. We want everybody to hit the target every week and we want to make that achievable for everyone.
--Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Click the image above to go to the videos!
Monday, October 7, 2019 - R.A.C.E Overview
Monday, October 7, 2019 - R.A.C.E Overview
Hi Parents,
R.A.C.E. is a tool we use to help the students with written constructed responses. We are trying to get the children to answer questions fully. We want their answers to be on target and we want them to explain their answers well.
On the Friday Quiz the math questions are worth five points each. The Language Review questions are also worth five points. The R.A.C.E. writing section, however, is worth 16 points. Let's look at that.
To the left is a scoring rubric used to determine your child's grade on R.A.C.E. On each of the four elements, there are four levels of proficiency. The best would be to end up in the purple column for each section. That is what we are looking for.
It takes practice, and the students will learn to do this better as the year continues. We use this technique in all subject areas, so you will begin to see it more and more.
Watch how well your child begins to write!
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Monday, September 30, 2019 - Reading Fluency
Monday, September 30, 2019 - Reading Fluency
Hi Parents,
The kids have been working like crazy to become better readers. One big element of this is oral reading fluency.
Reading fluency is a skill that will help your child be a better reader and writer. Struggling with reading fluency makes it difficult to understand what is read. When children spend too much time focused on what the word says, not what it means, it hinders their comprehension.
Here are a few activities that you can do with your child to make sure your child is reading fluently and with understanding.
- Read Aloud to Your Child
- Create a Reading Area
- Build Sight Word Vocabulary
- Take turns reading a sentence
- Echo Reading- You read & your child repeats
- Play audio-books in the car
Keep in touch with us. Watch your child's Lexile grow!
Remember: 40 Reading Counts points due by 10/31.
To the right is a science "Project Based Learning" activity we will be doing about food-chains.
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Monday, September 23, 2019 - Differentiation
Monday, September 23, 2019 - Differentiation
Hi Parents,
Everyone in the 4th Grade must do the 4th Grade math curriculum. It is required. But, what if your child is above or below this level?
At Open House we talked about the gap of abilities among the students. We have a large span, and we cover this through differentiation.
Differentiation is just giving opportunities to kids of differing abilities. We have two main methods for doing this in math.
First, we offer a program called Math Traveler, where children take a quiz on covered material and we sort them into Friday groups based on their needs.
The second way is that we have a huge selection of "Calculator Cards" spanning from second grade to eighth grade. Students may start at their own level and work their way up as quickly as they would like. To the right are examples of these types of problems.
Wherever your child is, we have something to meet his or her needs. We want everyone to feel challenged.
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Here is an example of a 4th Grade problem.
Here is a 5th Grade problem. Try it!
Monday, September 16, 2019 - Vocabulary Overview
Monday, September 16, 2019 - Vocabulary Overview
Hi Parents,
The #1 recommendation from the Department of Education for increasing student literacy is direct vocabulary instruction. Nothing will propel your child forward faster than to build a larger set of known words.
This year your child has been using a program called Quizlet to do this. He or she will learn over 700 new content area words in 4th grade.
Quizlet works like flashcards, but it has many other features. The best feature of it is that it keeps track of what you know, and what you don't know, and keeps working on what you don't know, until you know it!
The weekly "Friday Quiz" vocabulary tests we take in class are cumulative. The list of words the students need to know keeps growing with special attention given to those words they most need to know.
The same words found on Quizlet are the same words we use in class in our writing, in our reading, and in our class discussions. The better your child learns these words, the better he or she will understand the total 4th through 6th grade curriculum. It is time well spent!
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Kids can practice spelling and play games as they practice their words. Quizlet is great!
Choose Your Math Homework
Choose Your Math Homework
Hi Parents,
Most kids were able to log on to Think Central last week. That is great. Think Central gives your child immediate feedback along with step-by-step support. However, at times it can be confusing, and at times you may have connectivity issues.
If your child does not like Think Central, that is fine. Just help him or her practice the Friday Quiz for homework. The Friday Quiz is the target we are trying to hit for the week. If your child is doing well on theses quizzes, then he or she is right on track.
--Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
Monday, September 9, 2019 - Reading Counts
Monday, September 9, 2019 - Reading Counts
Hi Parents,
40 Reading Counts points are due by October 31st. ​Below are some FAQs regarding reading, let's take a look:
What is a Lexile? A Lexile is a number that represents a child's reading ability. Most children in the 4th grade have a Lexile between 600-900, with many students moving into the 1,000+ range by the end of the year.
How does a student get a Lexile score? Five times throughout the year students will take a "Reading Inventory" (RI) test on a computer. The test has students read passages and answer questions.
How is a Lexile used? All students get a Lexile, and most books in our library have a Lexile. Having a Lexile allows us to match the reader with the appropriate book.
What is a reading window? Students should be reading books in the window of +/-100 points of their Lexile score. A student with a 750 Lexile should choose books between Lexile 650-850, but going higher is okay. Anything lower than -100 we will not accept. We emphasize finding "Just right books".
What is Reading Counts? When a child finishes a book, he or she may come to school and take a computerized quiz on the book through Reading Counts. Your child must score at least a 80% on the quiz to earn the points for the book. Depending on the difficulty of the book, students may earn various points. Most fourth grade books are around ten points each. Your child needs 40 points for the first quarter.
When can my child take Reading Counts tests? Students can take tests most days, immediately after recess. These tests cannot be taken at home.
Can we check the level of a book from home? Yes. Go to the Scholastic Book Expert. Click the above image.
What about students with a really high Lexile, or Gifted students? When students get above Lexile 1,000 the content of some fiction books becomes questionable. Students should then begin to focus more on non-fiction, like science or history. Students may also read the classics. ​
What other forms of reading do you allow for Reading Counts?Students can earn points by listening to audio-books and books read to them by parents.
What is your best advice to get kids to read? Buy a light and put it next to your child's bed! Send him or her to bed early with a book! It works!
What should we do to help improve reading? The number one recommendation to improve adolescent literacy is to increase a child's vocabulary. Read with your child and talk about the meanings of words. You will be surprised what they don't know!
How will I know how many Reading Counts points my child has? Twice a quarter we will write the number of points your child has in his or her agenda. In the first quarter your child will need 40 points. One book is worth about ten points, so about four books are needed. We will also send home a printed report every few weeks.
Logging on to Think Central
Logging on to Think Central
Click on this picture to get to Think Central
Make it just like the picture...
1) Choose Country: United States
2) Choose State: DoDEA
3) Choose District: Europe East
4) Choose School: Landstuhl
5) Click "Remember my school"
6) From the second page of your agenda enter your user name and password.
7) Use the first 5 letters of your name to create your new password.
8) Then, click on "Things to Do"
September 2, 2019 - Priority #1 - Math Facts
September 2, 2019 - Priority #1 - Math Facts
Hi Parents,
Priority #1 right now is to make sure all students know their basic multiplication facts. Nothing is more important. This was a third-grade standard. Everything in 4th grade math revolves around having these facts memorized. Everything!
By far the most effective way to get your child to memorize these facts is with a multiplication app on a phone. This works like magic. Let your child pick the app. There are dozens on Google Play and I-Tunes. They all work the same. They focus on the facts your child does not know. Some cost a few dollars, and others are free. Once your child memorizes these facts, he or she will have them for life!
Please see the quiz below that every 4th grader must pass.
Due October 31st
Due October 31st
The test to the right is the 5 Minute Multiplication Fluency test. All 4th graders must pass this by Halloween.
Last week we gave this test to all students with no time limits. Many students need to practice more. Sometimes a parent will ask why we have a 5 minute limit. The answer is that when we give more time students resort to adding to find the answer rather than memorizing the facts.
We will give your child copies of this practice test. You can also print them out. Have your child fold the paper down the center when taking the test, and open it to check answers.
Your child can pass this! Almost every child does every year. Start practicing now. It makes all the difference.
We will hand out Freeze Pops to all students who pass. Everyone can get one!!
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
multiplication_fluency_key (1).pdfAugust 26, 2019 - The Friday Quiz Target
August 26, 2019 - The Friday Quiz Target
Corrected quizzes are sent home on Tuesdays. Each math and language problem is worth 5 points. The RACE writing section is worth 16 points. More on this later!
Hi Parents,
Each week your child will have a "Friday Quiz". This is the weekly target. The quiz can be found at the link above. The quiz has math, language, and then a paragraph to read. In class we review all of the material on the quiz. Children may also look at the quiz online at any time. There are help videos for the math and language portions of the quiz. These videos show how to get the answers. We make it real clear, so everyone can hit the target. This week we will do the quiz together. Everyone will get 100%! We will explain everything. It is easy!
-Mr. Swiger, Miss Mac, & Mr. Mercen
First Day Photo Gallery!
First Day Photo Gallery!
Hi Parents,
We had a superb first day. The kids were excited and polite. They were happy to see each other and get to work. Yes, it was hot, but we moved around a lot and got things done. Don't worry if your child is a bit confused about our schedule, it will all be clear by the end of the week.
We can tell that this is going to be a super year. These are the right kids! We are happy with what they have shown us so far. Let's keep them moving ahead!!
On a side note: Mr. Swiger briefed the kids on TBI and the symptoms of that condition.
August 19, 2019 - Welcome!
August 19, 2019 - Welcome!
Welcome to 4th Grade!
Welcome to 4th Grade!
Welcome to 4th Grade. We look forward to working with you and your family. There will be a lot of work this year, but you will also learn a tremendous amount. Our best advice? Keep in touch, as we will explain everything as we go. You are going to have your best year yet. Let's go!
Getting Started
Getting Started
Snack Policy
Snack Policy
Every day your child has snack between 9:00 and 10:00, depending on the day.
Snacks must be dry, quick and healthy. No peanuts because of allergies. No chocolate either.
Fruit, vegetables, crackers, and cheese are all examples of healthy snacks. Dessert items should be saved for lunch.
Homework Policy
Homework Policy
Good news! Homework is simple and flexible this year!
Homework is given Monday through Thursday. Students have a math assignment, a vocabulary activity, and 20 minutes of reading.
We will explain it all shortly!
Supplies Needed
Supplies Needed
Voluntary items:
More Kleenex!Paper platesLined paperPlastic cupsPlastic forksPlastic spoonsNapkinsWet wipesRequired items:
4 packs of wooden pencils 4 Erasers4 Folders with brads4 Composition NotebooksColored pencilsScissorsA zippered pencil bagA silent pencil sharpener2 Glue sticks & a liquid glue4 highlightersEar bud headphonesProgram Overview
Program Overview
In 4th grade we team teach. You have three teachers this year. Mr. Swiger teaches science and health. Ms. McPhail-Hastings teaches language arts and social studies. Mr. Mercen teaches math. You rotate between theses three classes. You will like it! A lot! Really!
We will explain more week by week. Keep checking back to this site. Bookmark it! We update it weekly.
Specials This Week 5/11!
Specials This Week 5/11!
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