WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE Mrs. Kazdan

SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS! Service Squad Buddies Speech Contest Historical American Biography Project Field Trips Henry Ford – If I Had a Hammer Lansing R.I.F. (?) Last Day Picnic – Spencer Park

READING WORKSHOP! Genre Study Fiction: Realistic and Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Poetry, Myths/Legends, Adventure Non-Fiction: Autobiography, Biography, Almanac, Newspaper Read Alouds Making Meaning Program Reading Groups/Book Clubs Storyworks and Scholastic News Reading Log (To, With, and By!) Book Reports

READING WORKSHOP! Reader’s Notebook: Make Connections Ask Questions Make Predictions Visualize Summarize Draw conclusions Determine Main Idea Recognize Text Structure Infer Repair Comprehension (Does it make sense?) Retelling (character, setting, problem, solution, main idea, theme)

READING! Intensive amounts of reading and writing are the soul of learning. Learning of the most complex kind is acquired through old-fashioned, simple activities like meaningful reading and writing. Once students begin to read, they learn to read better by reading – just reading. (Mike Schmoker: Focus)

READING! Adolescents entering the adult world of the 21st century will read and write more than at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens, and conduct their personal lives. Richard Vacca

SPELLING AND GRAMMAR! Words their Way Program Words assigned every Monday Test every Friday Grammar, usage and mechanics

WRITING WORKSHOP! Genres: Narrative Expository Persuasive Creative Writing Poetry Advertisements Recipes Fun, fun, fun! Writing Process Pre-Write - Brainstorm Rough Draft - Write Conference - Talk Revise – Look and Change Edit – Check Publish – Final Copy!

! WRITING WORKSHOP! Six (Plus One) Traits! Sentence Fluency Ideas Organization ! Conventions Voice Word Choice

MATH! Number Sense and Operations: Place value to 1,000,000 Addition/Subtraction to 4-5 digits Multiplication/Division of 2-digit numbers Addition/Subtraction of fractions Patterns, Relationships, and Algebra Geometry Measurement Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability By the end of Fourth Grade, students should be able to do: 100 Multiplication Facts in 5 minutes and 100 Division Facts in 5 minutes

PROBLEM SOLVING STEPS! Circle the question Underline important information Choose a strategy Check your work Write a complete answer ADD sheets due daily

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGIES! Draw a diagram or a picture Make a model Make an organized list Make a table/graph Find a pattern Predict and test Guess and check Work backward Solve a simpler problem Write a number sentence Logical reasoning Process of elimination

MATH! Please help your child to study math facts EVERY NIGHT! It is our school goal that all students will have the basic facts memorized!

SCIENCE! Scientific Process Question, hypothesis, experiment, data collection, and conclusion Hands on Experiences Science Units Sun, Earth, and Moon Magnets and Electricity Ecosystems

SOCIAL STUDIES! Concepts will be taught through: Geography History Government Economy Core Democratic Values U.S. Regions Maps, charts, timelines, tables Current Events Historical Americans biographies

COMPUTERS! Word Processing Graphs Graphic Organizers Internet Searches Skill and Concept Practice

MISCELLANEOUS MEAP Testing Grades + ,  , - and A, B, C, D, E Healthy breakfast, good night’s sleep, positive attitude! Grades + ,  , - and A, B, C, D, E High Five/Bucket Fillers Be responsible, kind, respectful, safe, and cooperative Homework/Planner Please continue signing the planner and reading log every night.

School Improvement Goals Writing: All students will increase their proficiency in written expression. Reading: All students will increase reading comprehension. Math: All students will increase their ability to compute math facts. Students will use their three ring binders to track the progress of these goals.

I look forward to a wonderful year working with you and your child! The best way to contact me is through e-mail! kazdana@royaloakschools.com