Welcome to 4 th Grade Curriculum Night

1. Welcome to 4th GradeCurriculum Night Stetson Hills 2011-2012 A+ School of Excellence

2. "You are free to do anything that will contribute to your learning or the learning of others." Student Expectations:*Treat all people with kindness and respect*Respect all property*Come to class on time prepared to learn*Listen and follow directions*Work in a way that doesn't distract others from learning*Always try your hardest to do your bestIt is my goal to encourage your child in a positive, supportive, nurturing environment.  Consequences:Occasionally students have difficulty adhering to classroom expectations.  I will give students cues and reminders to get back on task.  If the child continues with the behavior the following may occur:*move student to another place in classroom*move student to another classroom*call parent / e-mail parent Severe cases may be referred to the office.

3. Character Counts • Trustworthiness • Respect • Responsibility • Fairness • Caring • Citizenship

4. Our Daily Schedule 8:45-10:15 Math10:15-11:45                                  Reading11:50-12:30                                  Lunch12:30-1:15                                 Special 1:15-2:15                        Writing2:15-3:00                                     Science/Social Studies3-3:30                                       Spelling 

5. Special Areas • Art • PE • Band • Technology

6. Curriculum • The fourth grade team uses materials that Deer Valley Unified Schools has adopted that support the Arizona state standards. • Reading • Mathematics • Social Studies/Arizona History • Science • Writing

7. Writing • Students will use the writing process to publish a variety of genre-related pieces. • Expressive • Personal narratives, stories, poetry • Expository • Nonfiction writing that describes • Functional • Directions, recipes, letters, thank-you notes, invitations • Persuasive • Advertisements, paragraphs • Literary Response • Journal entry, book review • Research • Informational report

8. Reading • Stetson Hills uses the Harcourt reading program. • http://harcourtschool.com • Center activities that support curriculum • Weekly tests

9. Mathematics • Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley enVision • http://pearsonsuccessnet.com

10. Science *Standards supported with FOSS curriculum. *Inquiry process embedded in each theme: *Landforms *Environments *Electricity/magnetism *Water/weather *Other standards supported with supplemental materials.

11. Social Studies/Arizona History • Harcourt Social Studies/ Arizona textbook. • Focus on geography, history and government from early civilizations to present.

12. Standards-Based Practices • Deer Valley Unified School District supports the use of standards-based practices. • What are standards-based practices? • The purpose of Standards-Based Practices (SBP) are to measure a student’s performance and product against defined grade level expectations. Inusing SBP, grades reflect what a student knows and can do, as outlined in the Arizona State Standards. Teachers in Grades K–8 will base report card grades on academic achievement only.

13. Stetson Hills Three Areas of Focus Regarding Grading Practices • Avoid Recording Zeros • Zeros skew the grade to a point where accuracy is distorted.  Avoiding zeros helps students take responsibility for their learning and be held accountable for missing work. • Allow Multiple Attempts at Mastery • Students learn at different rates.  Allowing multiple attempts (up to two) to show mastery encourages students to do their best and represent their actual level of mastery.  • Avoid Non-Academic Factors • Grades communicate student achievement in relationship learning standards; students' grades will not be reduced or inflated due to student behaviors outside of the standards. 

14. What do grades mean? • Grades are a way to communicate with students and parents how a student is doing in relation to the Arizona state academic standards • A+ through A / Primary grade of E (Excellent) • Student is showing a high level of mastery, exceeding the standards.  • B+ through C / Primary grade of S (Satisfactory) • Student is showing a good level of mastery, approaching to meeting mastery, in the state standards. • C- through F / Primary grades of N (Needs  Improvement) & U (Unsatisfactory) • Student is falling far below or approaching mastery of standards.   • Continued missing or late assignments may result in a parent/teacher/student conference to develop a plan for success in meeting the standards

15. Powerschools *On-line grade book for parents to access. *Need a username and password to log-in. *Your child’s code is the same as last year. *If you have misplaced your information, you can stop by the front office to get another copy. (You will need i.d.) *Every attempt will be made to update grades weekly.

16. Fourth Grade Field Trips • Field trips support the Arizona standards. • Montezuma Castle National Monument • Arizona State Capitol Building Museum/Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza • Movie – environmental movie – Disney Harkins theatre

17. Scholastic Book Orders • Your child will have an opportunity to order books and software at a reduced rate through Scholastic Book Company. • Monthly selections. • Easy on-line ordering available or order through your child’s teacher. • http://www.scholastic.com/bookclubs

18. Thank you for visiting!