Dear Parents:

Happy New Year! I hope everyone has enjoyed the winter break.

As many of you know, we begin preparation for the CRCT in January and they test April 14^th – 20^th.

In an effort to provide a way to see exactly what skills your child is weak in, I start with the first full week back and send home test packets that cover the five areas of testing. There will be an answer sheet similar to those used on the CRCT so they can get use to filling in the bubbles dark and not erasing clean if they change their answers.

I will be sending them home in the Monday folders and they are then due back the following Monday. This gives them a weekend in case we are having a lot of homework or tests during the school week.

Based on their scores, we can pinpoint areas that need additional review. I will grade them and return them to you in the following Monday’s folder. However, there may be times when I do not get all of them done and if that is the case, I will send them home as soon as I get them graded.

I would encourage you to allow them to try the tests alone so that we get a valid and realistic idea of their skill mastery.

Then, once I return them, you can focus on helping them understand why they may have missed a question or provide more practice in how to handle that particular type of question.

Although we will also be preparing some in class and talking about test strategies, we are also covering the required curriculum for the year so our review time is limited.

These are not meant to take the place of their practicing on-line with those CRCT practice tests. It has just proven true that the more exposure to the question vocabulary and different ways to ask a question the child has, the higher their test scores.

I will also be scheduling review sessions in Math on Wednesdays, from 2:30 – 3:30 P.M. I need to a written permission slip for them to stay. One week we will review for the CRCT and the next we will review what we are covering in class. I would like to keep the groups small so that I can provide individual attention as well as group instruction. If you want your child to participate, please email me so I can get an idea of how many will be attending. I plan to begin on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 and teach through March 31, 2010.

I really have appreciated the support and instructional assistance you have given your children this year. As you will see from their report cards it has really paid off. The report cards will be given out at your conference in January,

We will be doing several projects in Science and Social Studies and are asking for toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and small cardboard boxes like individual cereal boxes. Feel free to send them in anytime.

I want to thank my Room Representatives who did such an amazing job on our Holiday Party. In addition, to all the parents that made it extra special for your child by attending. Please know you are always welcome to join us!

Because we will be keeping a log or journal this nine weeks, I am asking that they get a spiral notebook to use so all their work stays in place. I would appreciate them having these by Monday, January 11^th, 2010.

As you can imagine, hand sanitizer and wipes are used non-stop to help prevent the spread of colds and flu in the classroom. I want to say thank you to those who sent in Kleenex before the break. If anyone else would be willing to send some hand sanitizer and wipes, we would greatly appreciate them.

I know some of you took pictures during our Holiday Party and I would love it if you could share them with us.

Have a wonderful afternoon and I will look forward to seeing your children tomorrow morning!

Mary Lipscomb

4th Grade

3rd Nine Weeks

Reading

Informational Reading

• Structure

·         Text features

·         Graphic Features

·         Organizational Structures

• Strategies

·         Locates Facts

·         Cause & Effect

·         Main Idea/Details

·         Connections

·         Fact from Opinion

• Vocabulary

·         Word Meanings from Context

·         Dictionary

Writing

Informational Writing (Spans end of 2nd 9 weeks into beginning of 4th 9 weeks)

• Organizational Structure

·         Central Question

·         Organizational Structure

·         Appropriate Facts & Details

·         Extraneous Details

·         Sense of Closure

• Writer’s Craft

·         Engages Reader

·         Sense of Closure

·         Appropriate Strategies

• Research

·         Multiple Sources

·         Acknowledges Sources

• Speaking, Listening, Viewing

·         responding to questions and comments

·         offers and supports opinions

·         verbal cues and eye contact

·         projects individuality and personality

·         ask relevant questions

·         turn taking behavior

Math

Decimal Fractions and Fractions

• Understand the meaning of rounding a decimal fraction to the nearest whole number
• Understand decimal fractions are a part of the base ten system
• Understand the relative size of numbers and order two-digit decimal fractions
• Add and subtract both one and two digit decimal fractions
• Understand representations of simple equivalent fractions
• Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with common denominators (denominators should not exceed twelve)
• Convert and use mixed numbers and improper fractions interchangeably
• Apply patterns and rules to describe relationships and solve problems
• Represent unknowns using symbols such as ¨ and ∆
• Write and evaluate mathematical expressions using symbols and different values.

Weight

• Use standard and metric units to measure the weight of objects
• Know units used to measure weight (gram, kilogram, ounces, pounds, and tons)
• Compare one unit to another within a single system of measurement

Data

• Represent data in bar, line, and pictographs
• Investigate the features and tendencies of graphs
• Compare different graphical representations for a given set of data
• Identify missing information and duplications in data

Social Studies

The New Nation

• The student will analyze the challenges faced by the new nation.
• Identify the weaknesses of the government established by the Articles of Confederation.
• Identify the major leaders of the Constitutional Convention (James Madison and Benjamin Franklin) and describe the major issues they debated, including the rights of states, the Great Compromise, and slavery.
• Identify the three branches of the U.S. government as outlined by the Constitution, describe what they do, how they relate to each other (checks and balances and separation of power), and how they relate to the states.
• Identify and explain the rights in the Bill of Rights, describe how the Bill of Rights places limits on the power of government, and explain the reasons for its inclusion in the Constitution in 1791.
• Describe the causes of the War of 1812; include burning of the Capitol and the White House.
• The student will describe the meaning of our founding documents and federal system of government.
• Describe the meaning of natural rights as found in the Declaration of Independence (the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.)
• Describe "We the people" from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution as a reflection of consent of the governed or popular sovereignty.
• Describe the meaning of the federal system of government in the U.S.
• The student will explain the importance of freedom of expression as written in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Westward Expansion

• The student will explain westward expansion of America between 1801 and 1861.
• Describe territorial expansion with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the acquisitions of Texas (the Alamo and independence), Oregon (Oregon Trail), and California (Gold Rush and the development of mining towns.)
• Describe the impact of the steamboat, the steam locomotive, and the telegraph on life in America.

Science

Stars, Star Patterns, and Planets

• Star Characteristics

·         Understand that galaxies are made up of stars.

·         Recognizes that constellations are patterns of stars.

·         Understand that stars come in various sizes and colors

• Planet Characteristics and Relation to Stars

·         Identify stars as burning spheres of gas.

·         Understand that a planet is a large object that moves around a star (sun).

·         Identify and label different constellations (Big Dipper, Orion, and Little Dipper) and their positions in the solar system.

·         Understand that the sun is the largest object in the solar system (star).

·         Compare and contrast the differences and similarities between planets and stars using appearance, position, and number in the night sky.

• Movements and Motion of Stars and Planets

·         Describe, reenact, or explain the difference between revolution and rotation.

·         Analyze why stars remain constant in the night sky and why people see them at specific times of the year.

·         Summarize why planets can be seen in different locations in the solar system at different times.

• Technology in Space

·         Identify how technology is used to observe distant objects in the sky.

Earth, Moon and Solar System

• Day and Night

·         Demonstrate  using a model of the earth, the day and night cycle

·         Illustrate and identify the day and night cycles based on the earth’s rotation

• Phases of the Moon

·         Demonstrate the phases of the moon using a model

·         Illustrate the sequential phases of the moon over a 28 day period

·         Summarize why we see different phases of the moon.

• Earth’s Tilt and Axis

·         Identify how long it takes for one complete revolution around the sun.

·         Differentiate the cause of seasonal change

·         Compare and contrast the result of the earth’s tilt, relative to seasons.

• Planet Order

·         Identify that the sun is the central star in our solar system

·         Sequence and list the EIGHT planets in the solar system in order (Pluto is no longer considered a true planet.)

·         Construct a model of the planets in our solar system, in order from the sun.