Welcome to Fourth Grade! On one of the index cards on your desk, write an encouraging note to your fourth grader. You can find a pencil in the basket in the middle of the table. When you are finished, place the note in the colored basket in the middle of your table. I will collect them and distribute them a little later for a special surprise this year!

Welcome to our Classroom! Curriculum Night Mrs. Gladden Bain Elementary School

So glad you’re here … Can’t wait for you to get a glimpse of our day!

Before we get started, there is one message I promised the fourth graders I would give you tonight …

Enough goofing off - Let’s get started! Literacy - Imagine It! Math - Investigations Science - MacMillan Social Studies - Harcourt Writing - Being a Writer

Literacy

Literacy In literacy we are studying several strategies to monitor our comprehension and become better readers. We will learn to follow our inner conversation while reading, activate and connect to prior knowledge, ask questions, infer meaning, determine importance, summarize and synthesize. We will mostly use non-fiction texts to practice these strategies and improve our reading comprehension.

Imagine It! In addition to all this, we will also read an Imagine It! story most weeks. We will read stories that connect to our social studies and science curriculum throughout the year. Reading instruction is organized around a central theme each week. Some units allow students to expand our perspectives on universal themes, such as taking risks and consequences, by relating what we read to our own experiences. Other units involve students in the research process, giving us the tools we need to discover and learn individually or as a part of a group.

Vocabulary Wordly Wise Imagine It! Nifty Fifty Root studies

Reading Independent Reading and Conferencing

Novel Studies We will also participate in literature circles all year long! Currently we are learning the procedures for conducting student-led literature circles. We are clarifying while reading and interacting with text. We will have participation cards where we can ask questions, make predictions, disagree with something that has been discussed, connect our reading to ourselves, other texts, and the world, and summarize what we are reading. We will complete jobs and different fun tasks to help us interact with the text and engage in higher level discussion and deeper comprehension.

Accelerated reader The purpose of AR is to improve comprehension skills while reading in many literary genres. We should always be reading books in our reading levels. We have point and comprehension goals, which we work hard to meet each quarter. Parents can monitor our progress as often as they like by logging in online to Renaissance Place. We receive time to read AR books in class during the week and we are allowed to take AR tests each day. I expect students to be reading chapter books at all times. Of course we are allowed to read picture books as well, as long as we are also reading a chapter book.

Writing

Writer’s Workshop We work to improve our writing through Writer’s Workshop. In writer’s workshop we write in our writing journals. We will also have units of study for writer’s workshop this year. Currently, we are learning how to generate ideas to inspire our writing. We will use real world texts to inspire our writing for each unit of study this year. We will also study prompt writing as a genre this year. This will help us prepare for various writing prompts we will produce over the course of the year. These will be scored using a rubric and will go in our personal writing portfolios. Our journals will be collected and graded each quarter. We are expected to be keeping up with our writing assignments each week. We will lose points if our journal is not current, our writing is not detailed, or if we are lacking capitalization, punctuation, or correct grammar. We’ll practice these skills together as well!

Math

Math Lessons are based on research to reach all learners Mathematical processes and thinking are the emphasis, over rote memorization of facts Skills follow a scope and sequence to build and expand knowledge Skills taught meet the Common Core Incorporates the use of manipulatives for hands-on learning Children learn math skills while enjoying the games and activities Provides opportunities for parents to play the games at home

Math Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division Factors and multiples Patterns Place value Multi-digit arithmetic Fraction equivalence and ordering, build fractions, decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions Measurement and conversion of measurements Represent and interpret data Draw and identify lines and angles, and classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles Geometric measurement (angles and measure angles)

Science Units of study involve learning about the natural world around us. All units integrate inquiry into each lesson through using the skills of: ◦ Observation ◦ Infer ◦ Predict and communicate ◦ Measure ◦ Put Things in Order ◦ Compare ◦ Classify ◦ Investigate ◦ Make Models and Draw Conclusions ◦ Read and Use Pictures ◦ Write ◦ Find Information ◦ Use Tools

Science Forces and motion (of an object) Properties of matter, change and interaction Energy Day and night Phases of the moon Fossils Changes in the surface of the earth Effects of environmental changes, adaptations and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats Food and the benefits of vitamins, minerals and exercise

Social Studies All units are designed around a central theme Each unit integrates learning across the curriculum through: ◦ Art ◦ Science ◦ Language Arts ◦ Technology ◦ Reading ◦ Math Units use the expanding approach by starting with topics that are close to the student and guides them through topics that are more abstract

Social Studies In Social Studies this year we will study North Carolina history. By the end of the year, we might know more about North Carolina than you do! ◦ Geography ◦ Government ◦ Ethnic groups ◦ History of colonization ◦ Social and political institutions ◦ Economy ◦ Cultural groups

Grades Grades are collected from a variety of sources Mid-term grades are slim in first quarter due to beginning of the school year teaching and preparation Letter grades are given based on a 7- point scale More grades for reading and math Less for writing, science and social studies Some grades will be weighted more than others

Old Salem We will travel to Old Salem on December 14 th to learn more about the history of North Carolina. The cost of the trip is $38 for students and $48 for chaperones. Please let me know ASAP if you are interested in chaperoning as space is limited. We will leave at 8:30 am, but transportation home will have to be provided because we will arrive after regular dismissal. More information will come home this week in the Tuesday folders.

Important Bain Staff John LeGrand, Principal Joyce Fullington, Assistant Principal Kelli Drye, Literacy Facilitator Twila Quattlebaum, Counselor Lynn Hohrmann, Psychologist Patricia Wasco, Speech Pathologist Yvonne Shoulders, Cafeteria Manager Wandalaine Burch, BSEP/ASEP Shawn Shaver, PTA President

Calling All Visitors We would like to invite a variety of parent and community guests to our classroom this year! On Thursdays, our “no special” days, I thought it might be fun to have a visitor to our classroom. Guests can bring a craft or activity, tell about their job or career, speak about their college, conduct a science experiment, share travel experiences, or simply read to the class. The block would be from 2:15 to 3:00. If you are interested in being a classroom guest, please contact me. We would LOVE to have you!

Volunteering Please make sure you have signed up on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools website if you plan to volunteer or chaperone field trips or special events. The process is very simple! Just visit …

Bricks for Bain Fundraiser 2010 ◦ Projectors for every classroom ◦ Document cameras for each grade level ◦ Speakers and accessories as needed 2011 Goals ◦ Document cameras for every classroom ◦ Accelerated math scanners ◦ Wireless keyboards and mice 2012 Goals ◦ More technology … Yeah!

Extra! Extra! Twitter ◦ Follow ◦ Don’t forget to check out our daily posts! Mrs. Gladden’s Wiki ◦ Schedule ◦ Helpful Websites ◦ Newsletters

Thank you so much for coming! Please place your question cards in the basket and I will contact you as soon as possible! Make sure your note to your favorite fourth grader is placed in the box on their table!