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Mrs. Collins’ Class Welcome to 4 th Grade!. The Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation.
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The Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation The Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation provides an ongoing and dependable funding source for critical academic “extras” (i.e. technology, teacher training and development, and library enhancement). These extras benefit every grade level and every academic subject area.
Foundation Gifts 1995-2013 $4,757,450 Where has the money gone? Professional Development $2,246,014 Technology $2,325,916 Library Enhancement $ 165,520 Superintendent’s Discretionary Fund $ 20,000 $4,757,450 Professional Development: 130,000 Hours of teacher training Staff Development Specialists (Reading and Math) Technology: Computer Workstations Classroom Response Systems Laptop Computer Labs at each school Listening Centers GPS Software Mini Laptops Portable Video Conferencing Systems Data Projectors Video Broadcasting Equipment Document Cameras Classroom Sound Enhancement Systems Science Lab Equipment Tablet PC’s 21st Century Classroom Project iPad carts Personal Device Pilot Library Enhancement: Library Books, software supplies, magazines
One of our goals as a school and district iscustomized learning for every one of our students. What will this look like in the classroom?
Customized Learning means you will see…. Students Teachers Conferring with students Guiding students to set personal goals Demonstrating leadership skills Using ongoing and varied assessments to differentiate instruction Collaborating with peers and students • Reading “just right books” • Setting personal goals • Demonstrating leadership skills • Taking more ownership of their learning • Collaborating with peers and teachers
Morning Meeting (7:50-8:10) • Purpose-
Specials • Monday- LMC • Tuesday- Music • Wednesday- Art • Thursday- Spanish • Friday- Computer Lab
Reading • Students will engage in a true reading workshop where they will actively choose the text they read (most of the time). • Skills and strategies will be taught during planned units through a mini-lesson and then students will apply them during their independent, partner, or small group reading time. • These skills and strategies will also be reemphasized during our class read aloud. We use a variety of resources: Lucy Calkins Units of Study, Harcourt anthology, National Geographic Explorer, Comprehension Toolkit (nonfiction text), novels, Storyworks, Time for Kids, etc.
Reading continued… • Read nightly for 30 minutes and record in Reading Log. Please sign your child’s log each night. These will be checked periodically and will count toward the reading grade. • Have a book at school at ALL times! • Students are encouraged to read a variety of genres. • Students will learn how to make “just right” book choices. We want to foster a love for reading!!
Word Study • For Word Study we will be using the program Words Their Way, which teaches children to look closely at words to discover the spelling patterns, syllable structures, and spelling-meaning connections that are need for reading and writing. • Through this program, students receive individualized instruction according to their spelling stage. • Students will be assessed weekly to bi-weekly depending on the length of time it takes to master the spelling patterns. • Additionally, there will no longer be a separate spelling grade on the report card. Instead, it will be combined with the English grade.
Writing • The students will write narrative, expository, and opinion pieces throughout the year. • Resources for teaching skills and strategies: Lucy Calkins book series, Write Traits series (traits of writing), etc. • My main goal is to improve the writer not the writing. We want to develop lifelong writers. • The class will participate in whole or small group mini-lessons determined by the common core standards and by the needs of the class.
Grammar • Within each unit of writing, we will focus on correlating grammar standards. A short quiz will be given periodically that will assess your child’s knowledge and application of these skills. We will keep a grammar “Skills Notebook” where the students will write rules and examples for these skills. • Our goal is to teach the skills using authentic literature and hands-on activities so the students will be able to apply the rules in their writing.
Intervention • I will meet with individuals or small groups based on specific needs. • Students will finish their Writing Workshop task. • Menu Time! (Students may complete enriching activities in math or writing to enhance what they are currently learning.)
Finally, it’s lunch time!! You are welcome to bring a birthday treat on your child’s birthday to enjoy during lunch time.
Math • Number Talks- This is a time when students will be able to strengthen their mental math strategies. • D.O.M. (Daily Oral Math)- Students will practice computation problems, word problems, and problems from “just taught” Investigations units during the week. A quiz will be given each week on Wednesdays.
Math • We use the Investigations hands-on program by Pearson Education, Inc. and other supplemental materials to teach the common core standards. • Each Wednesday the students will take a D.O.M. quiz which will cover computation problems, word problems, and problems from our previously taught Investigations units. • Mastery of multiplication facts is critical to success in 4th grade math. Please continue to work on these at home with your child.
Now it’s time for P.E.!
Science • Students will complete projects and assignments from the following hands-on modules: Electric Circuits, Solar System, Structures of Life, Landforms, and Sound. Students progress will be evaluated throughout the study of each module. • We are currently planning field trips and guest speakers related to our units of study.
Alabama History • Our Alabama History textbook is Alabama, published by Scott Foresman. • Students will read and study the material in the textbook as well as from other sources. • Students will be assessed through small group and partner projects and chapter tests which may consist of essay, multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions. • Topics of study: Early people & explorers, statehood, branches of government, the Civil War, Early 20th Century, and the Civil Rights Movement. • We will visit Montgomery in the Fall, which will spark much interest in our state’s past and present.
It’s time to pack up!Agenda Books • Each day, students will record all homework assignments in his/her agenda book. Please review assignments to see that they are completed. • If there is a frequent problem with incomplete homework, the student must have a parent sign the agenda book each night.
Daily Folder & Signed Papers Folder • Each day, students will bring home their Daily Folder. On Mondays, it will contain important school-wide information. Any homework will also be kept in this folder. Additionally, students will keep their behavior log and reading log in this folder. • In an effort to inform you of your child’s progress, graded work and other work samples will be sent home every Tuesday in the Signed Papers Folder. It is important that you review these papers with your child and monitor corrections. Sign the weekly signature sheet and return the folder with the graded papers by Thursday.
Class Web pages • Please check your child’s class web page for updates, class news, etc. • In an effort to “go green,” we will post the weekly test schedule and other class information on our web pages.
Reporting Progress in INOW Report Card Grades 4 - 6 Standards Report Card Kindergarten K–3 Grade 3
