Mrs. Murzyn’s Fourth Grade Class Welcome, parents!

Welcome to Fourth Grade!

All About Me  My background  I grew up in Highland  I attended Purdue University.  My experience  I’ve been teaching for 6 years.  I have also taught first, second, and third grades.

My Goals  To give your child the academic and social skills you need to progress to fifth grade  To provide a supportive and fun classroom environment  To help your child make new friends and discover new interests

Class Subjects  The subjects we cover during fourth grade are:  Reading  English  Spelling  Math  Science  Social Studies

Reading  Each week there will be a story to read and a homework routine.

Reading Homework  Monday-vocabulary sentences  Later in the year your child will be responsible for writing the definitions Monday and the sentences Tuesday.  Thursday night your child will bring the story home to read please read and review it with them.

English/Writing  We will do several writing assignments this year  Most of the work will be done in the classroom

Spelling  Each week there we will have a new Spelling Unit  Monday-The words will be introduced and they will have page from the book due Wednesday  Tuesday- Worksheets will be given that are due Friday  Wednesday-They must write the words 3 times each in cursive due Thursday  Friday-Test

Math  We will take weekly to bi- weekly timed tests over multiplication  Please reiterate the importance of knowing these basic facts  Our Math series has a website that you can access at any time. There is a link to their website on my school website.

Science  I will provide a study guide a few days before each test.  If your child completes the study guide, they will be able to participate in a review session that goes over the answers.  It is very important that they do the study guides.

Social Studies~Indiana  I will provide a study guide a few days before each test  If your child completes the study guide, they will be able to participate in a review session that goes over the answers.  It is very important that they do the study guides.

Classroom Community  Our classroom is a community. In our community, we have rules to help us get along with each other.  Behavior Key  0 ChecksGreat day! Earn 2 Bucks  1 CheckWarning.  2 Checks Lose 5 minutes of recess. Owe 1 Buck  3 Checks Lose entire recess. Owe 2 Bucks  4 ChecksContact Parent. Owe 3 Bucks  5 ChecksSend to Mr. Trezak. Owe 5 Bucks

Accelerated Reading  Each quarter your child will take an online reading assessment  This will determine their reading level  I will use this information to set a goal for the quarter- I base this on them reading for 20 minutes per day  They have to read books in their reading level and then quizzes on them  This is how they achieve points and reach their goal  I will keep track of it by using the Dive into Learning board on the back wall

Book Reports  Each month I will assign a Book Report  A rubric (grading sheet) will be sent home so you know the specific requirements  Your child must choose a fiction book in their AR range  They will be due at the end of the month  NO LATE BOOK REPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Book-It  Starting in October your child will participate in Book-It  They must read 4 chapter books in their AR range  This will be a part of their reading grade and will be due at the end of the month  NO LATE BOOK-ITS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Field Trips  We have 2 fun field trips planned for this year~One per semester  We will only be allowed a few chaperones each time.  Please turn in the slip right away if you would like to be a chaperone.

Maternity Leave  I am currently expecting  I plan to work until my due date which is January 12 th.  I will work with the substitute teacher to have as smooth of a transition as possible.

Technological Information  School Town of Highland website School Town of Highland website  RDS Parent Access  My classroom website

Let’s Have a Great Year!