Please take the time to write your child a note on the star paper and your Hopes and Dreams for your child in 4 th Grade. Welcome to 4H

Who I am? University of Massachusetts, Amherst B.S. in Psychology Simmons College M.A.T. in Elementary Education (grades 1-6) 2 children

Responsive Classroom Guiding Principles of the Responsive Classroom 1. The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. 2. How children learn is as important as what children learn. 3. The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction. 4. There is a specific set of social skills that children need to learn and practice in order to be successful academically and socially: CARES – cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. 5. Knowing the children we teach – individually, culturally, and developmentally – is as important as knowing the content that we teach. 6. Knowing the families of the children we teach is as important as knowing the children we teach. 7. How we, the adults at school, work together is as important as our individual competence.

Reading/Language Arts The MacMillan McGraw- Hill reading program is the core of the reading/language arts curriculum in fourth grade. Students will receive explicit instruction in phonics, decoding, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, study skills, and writing (including grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling). In addition to reading stories from the MacMillan McGraw- Hill anthology, students will also read novels, poetry, and expository texts that connect literacy learning to other areas of the curriculum, such as math, science, and social studies.

Writing and Spelling The Empowering Writers program is the core of the writing curriculum in grade four. Lessons focus on the steps of the writing process and the key characteristics of effective writing in the expository, opinion, persuasive, and narrative modes. In the area of spelling, students will take a pretest each week on Monday. There is a main list and a challenge list. Based on the results of his or her pretest, each student will be assigned to either the main list or the challenge list. There is spelling homework every night and the quiz is on Friday.

Mathematics (Everyday Mathematics) The following units will be covered in grade four: Unit One: Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures Unit Two: Using Number and Organizing Data Unit Three: Multiplication and Division; Number Sentences and Algebra Unit Four: Decimals and Their Uses Unit Five: Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation Unit Six: Division; Map Reference Frames; Measures of Angles Unit Seven: Fractions and Their Uses; Chance and Probability Unit Eight: Perimeter and Area Unit Nine: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents Unit Ten: Reflections and Symmetry Unit Eleven: 3-D Shapes, Weight, Volume, and Capacity Unit Twelve: Rates Students in fourth grade are expected to master their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and related division facts through 12 x 12. Daily fact practice at home will help students develop and maintain automaticity with their math facts.

Social Studies In fourth grade, students will: study North American geography, with a particular emphasis on the regions of the United States. develop a variety of map and globe skills study the 50 states and capitals learn about citizenship and immigration and explore the five themes of geography: location, place, human-environment interactions, movement, and regions study China Harcourt Brace Social Studies “States and Regions.”

Science Energy in the living and physical worlds is the theme of the fourth grade science curriculum. Through participation in hands-on, inquiry-based activities, students will explore the concept of energy and apply the steps of the scientific method. Units of study include: Plants Light and Sound Electricity

Allergies We are a peanut/tree-nut free classroom. Students need to bring in peanut/tree-nut free snacks for recess. Students lunch tables will be rotated monthly. If your child is assigned to the allergy table they will need to bring in a peanut/tree-nut free lunch or purchase lunch from the cafeteria. If your child is not assigned to the allergy table, they are allowed to bring peanut/tree-nut items for lunch.

How to Schedule a Parent-Teacher Conference Parent-Teacher conferences at Plymouth River School are scheduled online. It’s quick and easy. Simply go to: Please note that there is an underscore (_) before the 71. Select the teacher. You will need to enter your child’s name, your name and an address. Then you can select a conference time slot. After selecting a conference time, you will receive a confirmation with a link to change that appointment time, if needed. You will also receive an reminder of that appointment. November and December conferences will be made available beginning on October 1. If you do not have Internet access, you may call the school office ( ) to schedule a conference. Direct link to conference scheduler:

Contact Information Julie Harrington ext ool/Harrington/apt1.aspx ool/Harrington/apt1.aspx

Questions?