Standards-Based Report Cards

Standards-Based Report Cards:

• Provide a clear message to parents about what their child knows, what they are able to do, and what they need to learn.
• Provide a reporting system that is aligned with standards-based curriculum and instruction.
• Are a tool that can be used to drive instruction.

Report cards come out in November, March, and June. Conferences are scheduled for November and are by teacher or parent request in March. June’s report card will be sent home with your child on the last day of school.

Homework

Homework is given Monday through Thursday each week. Homework should take between 20-40 minutes, according to School Board guidelines. If your child is spending more than 40 minutes and less than 20 minutes, please let me know and I will adjust the homework accordingly.

Each child has received an Assignment Book (Mega Plan). It is your child’s responsibility to copy the assignments in their Mega Plan each day. Mega Plan information includes assignments, up coming dates to remember, such as tests and dates projects are due, and reminders to take things home and bring things to school.

Your child needs to ask you to sign their Mega Plan each night. I ask that you sign it each night so that you receive necessary information and are aware of your child’s homework, any test dates and long term projects due dates. This is important for those students who have difficulty with organization and long term projects. The Mega Plan helps each student organize his/her academic responsibilities and is a great tool in preparing for middle school.

If your child does not understand an assignment or is unable to complete their homework without considerable help from you, please let me know in writing so that I can further assist your child. The primary purpose of homework is to teach accountability and study habits. To help your child at home please:

• Provide a structured time and place to study.
• Provide some assistance, but encourage your child to do the work on his/her own so that I can gage their true understanding of the material and provide your child with a greater sense of ownership toward finished work.
• Explore study strategies to help your child understand how he/she learns best.
• Encourage your child to review his/her work and independently check for spelling and grammatical or mathematical errors.
• Be positive and supportive of assignments.

Thursday Envelopes

An envelope containing corrected work and school correspondence will be sent home each Thursday.

Behavior Management

Class rules are discussed and posted on the first day of school. We review the rules when necessary. Listening, following directions, respecting each other, and always trying to do our best are very important. I make my expectations very clear at the beginning of the school year and remind students of expectations when appropriate.

I try to be consistent and fair. I try to create a classroom atmosphere of mutual respect, where students can celebrate their achievements and share their difficulties without the risk of failure in anyway.

Students will work in groups to work collaboratively and earn table points.

Fourth Grade Curriculum

Language Arts

• Houghton Mifflin literature anthology skills book. Traditions
• Core literature selection: Island of the Blue Dolphins By Scott O’Dell
• Core literature selection: By the Great Horn Spoon! By Sid Fleischman
• Rebecca Sitton Spelling
• Daily Oral Language (DOL) focusing on grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, etc.
• Young Author’s Faire
• Book Club
• Essay, Response to Literature, and Personal Narrative Writing

Math

• Everyday Mathematics - The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project
• Daily Math
• Problem of the Day
• Problem of the Week

Social Studies

• Harcourt Reflections
• Research skills-library and Internet
• Field Trips
• Daily Geography

Science

• MacMillan/McGraw-Hill California Science
• Inquiry investigations and scientific method (in class investigations)
• Science Fair
• Field Trips
• Lawrence Hall of Science

Reports

Report writing is a large part of 4th grade curriculum. Report writing includes a number of skills.

• California Native American Report: This report is done in small groups. Each child is responsible for some aspect of the final report on a particular tribe in California. For example, one student will study the daily life of their tribe while another will research the cultural traditions of the same tribe. The group will combine their research for the final report. Gathering of information is done in class and the word processing is done at home.
• Mission Report: Each student will choose a California Mission to study, excluding San Juan Bautista (class field trip). Students will write a report and create a visual project (video tape of Mission, photo journal/essay, model of mission, etc.)

Music

• Weekly lessons with music specialist, Margie Alejandro

Art

• Art Docent Lessons
• Class projects
• SEF Funded Art

Physical Education

• Two weekly lessons with physical education specialist, Laurah Wallace
• Emphasis on physical fitness, motor skills, movement, and sportsmanship

Computers

• Weekly computer lab time with me all year
• Weekly lessons with computer specialist, Doris Heller, starting in February
• Emphasis on new application programs, multimedia, keyboarding, and word processing