Our AgendaWhat is Common Core?- WallerReading Curriculum and Best Practices-

WallerWriting Curriculum and Assessment-WallerMath Curriculum-MizeS.S. Curriculum-MizeScience Curriculum-McNeillOnline Grading/Parent Conferences -McNeill

What is Common Core? Common Core Curriculum is being introduced

this year. It is a national curriculum that builds on past skills, making it imperative that students acquire connectivity and application concepts. Each year ‘s learning is vital to another year. If you can picture a pebble being dropped into a pond and growing ever-widening circles, perhaps that will help you visualize the growing and overlapping circles representing the acquisition of applicable knowledge. Using what you know to create something else is the highest use of these skills.

Reading

Comprehension Skills (taught in all subject areas)

Main Idea and Supporting DetailsMaking InferencesMaking GeneralizationsStory ElementsSummarizingAuthor’s PurposeAuthor’s Point of ViewCompare and ContrastCause and Effect

What is the overall goal?Children will use features of effective writing to communicate ideas and opinions in a multi-paragraph paper, letter, journal entry, explanation, etc. Writing will be integrated across the curriculum (other subject areas). A portfolio will be kept throughout the year. Four exemplar papers will be kept as examples of each student’s writing progress.

How many writing exemplar papers are there?

Four.

Should include: Personal and Imaginative narrativesResearch based paperContent area writing assignments

Content Area WritingWe truly enjoy teaching content area

writing. Children practice “real life” types of writing, such as a letter, short report, or article, and are given time in class over several days to work on their papers with teacher support. Student research is embedded.

How are they graded?A rubric is used for features and conventions.

The students are graded on features (focus, organization, support and elaboration, and style. A 4 is considered outstanding (achieved by very few students), a 3 indicates that most feature goals were met, a 2 indicates that some features were met, and a 1 indicates that very few features were met. Students are expected to achieve a level 3 by the end of fourth grade.

The conventions score addresses sentence structure, mechanics of writing (grammar and punctuation), and spelling.

A level 2 exhibits reasonable control (not perfect!) of grammatical and spelling conventions.

A level 1 indicates a minimal control of conventions.

A level 0 indicates a lack of control (no complete sentences or mechanics).

Students will receive a word study rule and assignment every two weeks with activities to be completed at home. Students are expected to understand and apply the rule in new situations.

In January, we plan to change from phonics-based word study to vocabulary based word study.

Check the planners to know what to do at home.

Fourth Grade Math

How is Math taught?• The goal of our math instruction is for

students to gain mathematical proficiency – to learn mathematics successfully. The Common Core Curriculum guides our instruction. We will incorporate these standards into our math lessons each day using Math Expressions materials and a pacing guide developed by our Central Office.

• Math instruction is broken into the following five domains:

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

Students will:Use the four operations with whole

numbers to solve problems.Gain familiarity with factors and

multiples. Generate and analyze patterns.

Number and Operations in Base Ten

Students will:Generalize place value understanding for

multi-digit whole numbers. Use place value understanding and

properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.

Number and Operations in Fractions

Students will:Extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering.Build fractions from unit fractions by applying and extending previous understandings of operations on whole numbers. Understand decimal notation for fractions, and compare decimal fractions.

Measurement and Data Students will:Solve problems involving measurement and

conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.

Represent and interpret data. Geometric measurement: understand

concepts of angle and measure angles.

GeometryStudents will:Draw and identify lines and angles.Classify shapes by properties of their

lines and angles.

How do we teach Math? Lots of ways!

• Having more than one way to solve a problem allows students to discuss the concept behind each one and the advantages and disadvantages of each one – this allows students to find, use, understand, and explain methods that work for them

• Continual focus on sense making, helping (from the teacher and peers), and explaining increases mathematical language development, competence, and confidence.

What if I don’t know how to help my child with homework? Go to the Math Expressions website and click

on the appropriate text and grade level. There are also helpful links on teacher websites, as well as the one listed below with lots of background information.

http://www.eduplace.com/math/mthexp/g4/mathbkg/

Social Studies: North CarolinaStudents learn about North Carolina’s landforms,

resources, and people. Big Ideas: colonization/immigration movement of people through time regional differences through time government

Fourth grade introduces the first formal study of North Carolina, its ethnic diversity, its rich culture, the economic energy of its people and its geographical regions. Students learn about North Carolina’s physical features and regions and then move on to early exploration and colonization and the events leading up to the American Revolution. Students discover that North Carolina’s changing history is closely related to the physical geography of its three major regions.

How is Social Studies taught?Students learn the curriculum goals in a

variety of ways in class.Whole group and small group collaboration

are common strategies in studying Social Studies

Social Studies content will be integrated into reading instruction

Projects (typically one per nine weeks)

The science curriculum is based on the national Science Essential Standards for 4th grade. Students learn through a variety of hands-on activities, interactive lessons, and technology-based teaching using video resources from Discovery Education.

Science ContentEarth ScienceEarth, moon, and sunChanges in the earth’s surface as seen in fossils

and changes over timePhysical ScienceProperties of matter, including rocks and mineralsForces and motion, including magnetismEnergy and lightLife ScienceEcosystemsFood, vitamins, and minerals

Science Assessment There will be a Science benchmark test for fourth

grade this year (several throughout the year). This is new, and we don’t know what to expect, so please do not worry over this. We are all learning.

Students are quizzed during the unit and tested at the end for understanding of the concepts.

Students are assessed on their participation in group work (labs, activities, research)

Their science journals are assessed for completeness and neatness.

•You can use your username and password to access your child’s grades online.•We will make every effort to enter grades weekly.

•Patience as this is all new to us as well. •Continued support as we work hard to help each child learn. •Extra “parent” teaching time at home when your child needs help.