Welcome to the Fourth Grade Parent Night Sept. 20, 2010

Agenda Math Reading Writing Science Social Studies HHH (Howling Half Hour) Switching Classes Behavior and Reward Time Q & A Plus/Delta

Math Math adoption for all elementary schools in the district is: enVision by Scott/Foresman Web-based resources as well as print materials Teachers will supplement math series with Accelerated Math, The Problem Solver, and Study Island. Essential Curriculum for the first semester is on each teacher’s webpage

Math Math facts: students need to know their basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts in order to be ready for long division All classes have covered place value, are working on addition and subtraction, and will be moving on to multiplication Help us with math by: Stressing neatness and accuracy with homework Help drill math facts (driving to practice or waiting in line are great times) Use websites that make practice fun (ex. www.multiplication.com)

Reading Basal reader is by Scott Foresman and includes spelling and grammar Reading series also includes leveled readers for differentiation in reading levels All teachers also teach novels to provide an exposure to different genres Book reports will be assigned monthly to allow students to choose their reading material

Reading Accelerated Reader Students are tested in the STAR program to determine their reading level Students receive a point level goal to meet Reward events are scheduled to encourage students to meet their goals Students can retest if they do not achieve 80% on the AR test

Reading RUNNERS and STEPS to Success strategies are used to help with comprehension Help us by: Making sure your student continues to read at home Remind your student to bring their AR book to school so they can read the same one at home and at school

Writing We write for many reasons Compare and contrast Persuade Inform Entertain Express an opinion Students write several times a week in journals

Writing Department of Public Instruction requires an assessment four times per year Two assessments are on-demand Imaginary story Personal narrative Two assessments are content-specific Research paper about a specific, assigned topic Research will be done at school Each assessment is scored by two teachers using a rubric

Science Four major areas of instruction Nutrition Animals and Adaptations Magnets and Electricity Rocks and Minerals Science & Social Studies are each taught throughout the quarter

Social Studies North Carolina history and how it relates to the five themes of geography Location Place Environment Movement Region History will include the settlement of NC and the native peoples

Howling Half Hour Intervention/enrichment time for 30 minutes per day 2 days per week of math, 3 days of reading Intervention is focused on targeted objectives Based on gaps identified by CFA’s and PA’s Small groups of no more than 8 students working with the teacher Groups change based on need

Howling Half Hour Enrichment for other students Still focused on targeted objectives but at a higher level of thinking Enrichment may be in small groups or individual work

Inclusion I-SS has adopted an inclusion model for EC students Mrs. Nancy Lee is our inclusion teacher and co-teaches with Mrs. Connelly and Mrs. Yerger In order to meet the needs of all students, some students are switching classes Teachers plan together and continually monitor student progress to ensure students are learning and meeting goals

Reward Time Once a month to say “Good Job” for reading and getting AR points Must also have good behavior and do homework to attend Can have 3 strikes in the month, when they receive the 4th one, they miss the event Each event has a theme Next one goes with fall/book character day Will do Electronics Day, Beach Day, etc. Help us with this by: Encouraging reading Helping your student with comprehension Take your student to the public library to get books

Q & A If you have general questions, please feel free to ask them now If you have specific questions for your child’s teacher about your student, please see your teacher to schedule a conference Please take a moment to tell us what you thought of the evening. We value your input!