Bradford Woods Curriculum Night NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT Preparing all students for success in a changing world

Welcome 4 th Grade Curriculum Night

Fourth Grade Teachers Mrs. Twidwell– 4A Mr. Lundy – 4B Mrs. Marshalek – 4C

Math Curriculum

 Rigorous mathematical program  Aligned with Pennsylvania Common Core  Develops critical thinking skills  Addresses individual differences  Written communication component  Various assessment pieces  Technology integrated into the program  Good transition between the elementary and middle school programs Harcourt Publishing Mathematics Program

Rocket Math (Otter Creek) Mastering math facts through sequential daily practice

Math Placement Criteria  ITBS (Iowa) Test Scores  End of Book Test  Teacher Attribute  Basic Facts Both the total points and number of students determine the grouping. The difference between Academic I and II is the pace and/or depth of the curriculum.

Math Grouping (Grades 3,4,5) Academic 1 Students will study each concept in great depth, using a variety of enrichment activities. Pacing may be quicker, depending upon the needs of the students. (Mrs. Marshalek, Mr. Lundy - 4 th grade; Ms. Janardhanan – 5 th grade) Academic 2 Students will study each concept, using a variety of remediation and/or enrichment activities, based on the needs of the students. Pacing will also reflect the needs of the students. Test accommodations may occur. (Mrs. Twidwell, Mrs. McCurdy – 4 th grade) All students will receive the same curriculum per grade level.

ELA – English / Language Arts

Themes and Lessons The Storytown series is organized by Themes, Lessons, and Skills. Six Themes will be covered during the course of the school year. Each Theme is comprised of a series of Lessons. Each Lesson lasts for approximately one week and is further organized by a variety of stories, activities, and skill development focus points.

The Storytown series focuses on explicit, systematic instruction with a spiraled review of key skills. Student experience many opportunities for practice and the application of concepts. In addition, a series of leveled activities and resource materials exist to meet the varied needs of learners. Sample skills that are developed through these resources include:  Various types of literature (Main and Paired Selections)  Robust Vocabulary (weekly quiz)  Comprehension (Focus Skills and Focus Strategies)  Fluency, Accuracy, and Reading Rate  Grammar and Writing  Use of Dictionary and Reference Sources Harcourt Storytown

Writing Journal  Weekly Writing Prompt – due Wednesday  Grading Rubric / Expectations

Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) Require students to provide evidence from the text and to draw inferences based on what the text says in order to support an analysis.

Spelling  Harcourt Spelling will drive spelling instruction  Weekly Unit  Pretest on Monday, homework due on Thursday, and test on Friday  Cursive practice

Social Studies United States Regions Explores the five major regions of the United States, as well as the culture, economic system, and government of the nation.

Social Studies Content Unit 1: Exploring the United States Unit 2: United States Economy Unit 3: Northeast Unit 4: Southeast Unit 5: Midwest Unit 6: Southwest Unit 7: West

Student Achievement Reinforcement of Reading, Writing and Grammar skills Opportunity to explore additional Math concepts Encompasses PA Core expectations and skills

Science Four Science Units  Life Science  Earth Science  Physical Science  Space and Technology Content  Experiments  Quizzes and tests - Study guides; study skills; essay questions  Research projects (Power Point) Make-up Work  Pull-outs and absences

Pull-outs and Activities  Band/Orchestra Lessons  Band/Orchestra Rehearsals (no make-up work)  Chorus (no make-up work)  GOAL  Reading Support  ELA +  Speech  Other

Band, Chorus, & Orchestra Rehearsals ● Elective classes - not required ● Students who are not at a rehearsal will be… o participating in extension/remediation activities o working on special projects o will NOT be scheduled for study hall-like periods Band and Orchestra students need to bring their instrument and music every week. Chorus students need to bring their music every week. ● Band – Wednesday at 1:00 ● Chorus – Wednesday at 1:45 ● Orchestra – Wednesday at 1:00 ● Band and Orchestra Lessons – Monday through Friday Band Concert – Monday, Dec 21, 2015 (error on district calendar)

Band & Orchestra Lessons ● Schedules have been distributed by Mrs. Semanco & Mr. Klicker ● Students are to attend their lesson every week ● They are to bring their instrument and music every week ● They may leave for their lesson five minutes before scheduled lesson begins ● Band and orchestra students are required to make-up any work missed while attending their lesson

District Tests  ITBS - Iowa Test of Basic Skills January 11 – 15, 2016 CogAT - Cognitive Ability Test February 1 – 5, 2016  PSSA – Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (ELA, Mathematics, Science) April 11 – 29, 2016

Homework Procedure  Homework requests (per handbook)  Missed homework procedure – Signing of the homework binder  Communication with parents after three missed assignments ( , phone call or note home)  Points for completion of homework

Assignment Book Daily Assignment Board Assignments are posted on teacher web page.

Electronic Grade Book (Tyler) and Report Cards  Four grading periods (nine weeks)  On-line report cards with Tyler  Link to NA web page and click on the link 

Navigation of the North Allegheny and BWE web page Click on Bradford Woods Elementary and then Quick Links to find information on a variety of topics.

On-Line Textbooks Parents and students will have access to books and tutorial sites on-line. Our BWE web page provides links to the Harcourt and Scott Foresman products and applications. (Math and Social Studies) (Reading) For all Harcourt books (Reading, Social Studies, Math) students use their 6 digit number to login: userid: na###### password: ###### (Science) For Scott Foresman books they use their 6 digit number and Tigers1 for a password Userid: NA###### Password: Tigers1

Clearances Get Cleared – Volunteer

Classroom Behavior Management

Bradford Woods Annual Science Expo Friday, February 19, 2016

The Bradford Woods Science Expo is an opportunity for BWE parents and other community adults to share their knowledge and expertise in some area of science. Topics may include physics, earth and space, biology, technology, or any science related topic. Formal demonstrations or informal exhibits are welcome. Demonstrations will be for BWE students and their families. Students will rotate through areas of interest. Exhibits will be on display throughout the evening and may include slide shows, experiments, hand-on activities, lectures, visual displays, etc. Examples: o Astronomy o Motion – gravity, pushes, pulls, friction o Organisms – plant and animal survival, adaptations, classifications o Environmental changes – air, water, soil, vegetation, people, wildlife o Electronic technology – robotics, movie making, military, speech recognition, artificial intelligence o Geology – rocks, minerals, fossils, hazards o Medicine Interested parents: Expo Registration Forms will available on the BWE web site or from your teacher. Please mark your calendar!

Wellness  We adhere to the District Policy #3441 regarding wellness.  We strongly discourage edible birthday treats.  Teachers may not use food as a reward.  If food is planned for any class event, an ingredient list must be submitted to the nurse 48 hours in advance.

Communication   Written note  Message through office

 Our Power Point Presentation will be available on our web pages.  Feel free to visit your child’s classroom.