8/20/2015 Mrs. Fitzgerald Mrs. Huber Mrs. Peterson

Comprehension Vocabulary “Digging” into the text

 AZCCR Standards –  dig deep (explain, evaluate, defend, analyze, …)  look at writer’s technique  focus on various genres with an emphasis on non-fiction text  Develop strong readers with a solid skill base to understand, analyze, and synthesize literature  Text to self, text to text, text to world

Materials – Reading Street Book – Homework Folder – Independent Reading Book Reading Logs – 20 minutes per night for total of 400 minutes per month

 Philosophy for math…go for a deeper understanding of the concepts rather than teaching numerous standards with little depth

Place Value Multiples and Factors Multiplication and Division Fractions Angle Measurement Measurement Conversions Decimals

 Curriculum this year is a more common core oriented program called Engage New York.  The daily classroom lessons will be reinforced with nightly homework.

Using the AZCCR Standards

Opinion: To support a point of view with reasons and information Informative/Explanatory Writing: To examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly Narrative: To develop real or imagined experiences, using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences

 Prewriting - Using strategies to generate, plan, and organize ideas for specific purposes.  Drafting - The use of prewriting activities to create a first draft containing necessary elements for a specific purpose.  Revising - Evaluating and refining the rough draft for clarity and effectiveness. “Ask: Does this draft say what you want it to say?”  Editing - Proofreading and correcting the draft for conventions.  Publishing - Formatting and presenting a final product for the intended audience.

 Writing program used by the district  Helps writers with the pre-writing step in the writing process.  Use of Thinking Maps to organize ideas before starting a piece.  A skill-based program.

 Deer Valley has adopted this program of word study to replace the spelling program from last year.  Students will work in differentiated groups at their level of knowledge to acquire new spelling patterns.  Students may be tested on words that follow their pattern weekly or every other week.  Spelling is part of the 4 th grade writing program.

 This class uses FOSS (Full Option Science System) as the basis for study. FOSS is aligned with Arizona State Standards and was developed through rich collaboration of scientists, educational researchers, curriculum developers, assessment specialists, teachers, administrators, community members, and parents. Students learn by doing science. FOSS engages students to construct an understanding through investigations and analyses, using lab equipment, readings, and interactive technology.

 Landforms  Environments  Magnetism and Electricity  Water and Weather

 Facts about Arizona  Arizona’s Location and Regions  Surrounding Areas  Ancient People and Tribes of Arizona  Spanish Explorers and Missionaries  And more…

 Next week, look for a letter about sending in a $5 donation to cover the cost of this newspaper. It is a valuable resource all about Arizona.

 Building a strong digital community  Being responsible and respectful in an online community  Protecting privacy online  Dealing with cyberbullies

 Website  Snack  Homework