- WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE
- WHAT WILL MY CHILD DO THIS YEAR?
- WHAT DO I NEED?
- WHAT IS THE HOMEWORK POLICY?
- WHY DO WE HAVE HOMEWORK ANYWAY?
- HOW MUCH SHOULD I HELP WITH HOMEWORK?
- WHAT DOES A HOMEWORK PASS DO?
- WHAT ABOUT LUNCH TICKETS?
- WHAT ABOUT BOOK REPORTS?
- HOW MANY PROJECTS WILL I HAVE AND WHEN ARE THEY DUE?
- WHAT ABOUT WEDNESDAY FOLDERS?
- WHAT IS A PARENT CORNER?
- HOW DOES MY CHILD MAKE UP WORK WHEN HE/SHE IS ABSENT?
- WHAT ARE THE CLASS RULES AND EXPECTATIONS?
- WHAT IS THE DISCIPLINE POLICY ?
- WHAT IS THE MASTERY CLUB?
- WHAT IS DISCOVERY QUEST?
- WHAT DOES MY CHILD WEAR FOR PE?
- WHAT IF I DO NOT ALLOW MY CHILD TO USE THE INTERNET?
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WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE
The Learners Creed
I believe in myself and my ability to do my best at all times.
Just for today:
I will listen
I will see
I will speak
I will feel
I will think
I will reason
I will write
I will do all these things with one purpose in mind
to do my very best and not waste this day
for this day will not come again.
~Ernestine Mitchell
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WHAT WILL MY CHILD DO THIS YEAR?
WHAT WILL WE BE DOING IN FOURTH GRADE?
We will have a very busy year in fourth grade this year.
We will be learning 2-3 Bible verses each week that teach Godly character
(see the Bible page of this site). We will also be learning about Creation,
the Exodus and Moses, Joseph, Esther, and the miracles of Jesus! We will
learn Bible principles that will help us get along with our fellow
classmates, too!
In math we will be reinforcing our addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division facts, learning long division with 2-3 numbers, geometry, and much
more!
In language we will be learning the parts of speech and how to identify them
in sentences. We will be using our grammar skills to write and write and
WRITE! We will be working with words: how to spell them, their definitions
and how to use them correctly in sentences.
In history we will be learning about our great nation from the beginning to
the present. We will learn to recite some important documents, the names of
the presidents and we will learn the location of all fifty states. We will
learn about other states besides South Carolina by doing a state project.
In science we will learn about insects, plants, animals, our human bodies,
oceanography, astronomy, and other scientific concepts. We will do a leaf
project and a marine life project.
In reading we will be reading and reading and READING! We will be working at
developing our fluency skills, comprehension skills, listening skills and
our study skills. We will do six book report projects.
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WHAT DO I NEED?
SEE THE SUPPLIES PAGE FOR THE LIST
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WHAT IS THE HOMEWORK POLICY?
"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."
Lady Bird Johnson
Homework will be posted on the homework page every night, and will also be
posted on INFODIRECT.
Homework policy: SEe the homework page for the homework policy.
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WHY DO WE HAVE HOMEWORK ANYWAY?
Homework is vitally important to any child's school success. It is a
time for your child to review and practice important skills learned in the
classroom.
Studying at home helps develop self-discipline and good
work/study habits. Not only does it reflect the concepts that students are
learning, but it also gives additional practice to difficult skills.
It encourages responsibility and independence. Remember that it is "the
practice" that helps each of us become better at whatever we try to do.
Unfortunately, our school time is not long enough for students to practice
everything they learned each and every day.
Homework is not a punishment and should be viewed as a way to improve
academics.
Homework in our classroom may be assigned for the following reasons:
**Extension: to provide students with opportunities to transfer specific
skills or concepts to new situations.
**Practice: to help students master specific skills which have been
presented in class.
**Preparation: to help students prepare for the next step in a unit or study
for a quiz or test.
**Absence: to make up work missed during an excused absence.
**Completion: to finish work not completed at school for which time has been
given to do so in class.
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HOW MUCH SHOULD I HELP WITH HOMEWORK?
The most useful stance parents can take, many experts agree, is to be
somewhat, but not overly involved in homework.
The emphasis needs to be on parents helping children do their homework
themselves — not on doing it for them.
Show a genuine interest in your child's homework.
Ask questions about the work to be done.
Ask questions that require more than one or two words!
Help your child be organized.
Establish a regular time and place for homework. QUIET and comfortable!
Encourage questions and searching for answers (make them work).
Practice school skills at home! (Math facts, oral reading, kindness, etc.)
Relate their homework to everyday life! (using fractions to cook and
measure, paying the cashier and counting back change, reading the Bible out
loud for family time, etc.)
Be a role model!
Take the time to read The Bible, the newspaper, or a good book while your
child studies.
Praise, Praise, PRAISE your child for both small steps and BIG LEAPS in the
right direction.
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WHAT DOES A HOMEWORK PASS DO?
Homework passes are awarded throughout the year for various reasons.
The homework pass may be used for exemption from one written homework
assignment for the course the pass was received.
Homework passes are not to be used the night before a test or quiz.
Homework passes must clearly list the assignment it is being used for and
include the name of the student.
The homework pass must be included in the homework folder when it is turned
in on Friday.
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WHAT ABOUT LUNCH TICKETS?
Lunch tickets can be purchased before 8:00 A.M. in the gym.
Students must write their name on their ticket and give them to me when they
arrive in the classroom. They may give me as many tickets as they like AS
LONG AS THEY HAVE THEIR NAME ON THEM!
I will keep the tickets in my desk.
They are to retrieve their ticket in the morning and put in the daily stack
of tickets on my desk. This is how I know who and what is being ordered for
that day!
DO NOT TURN IN A TICKET WITHOUT A NAME!!
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WHAT ABOUT BOOK REPORTS?
Book Reprot Forms with instructions will be handed out in hard copy after we
have gone over them in class.
In 4th grade we will have 5 book report projects. The
students will be required to read a book on an assigned genre and create the
appropriate project and/or write the assigned book report.
A reading log and rubric will be handed out at the beginning of each project.
I must approve each book at the beginning of the project.
It is very important that every student complete their own work.
Late book reports will be deducted 7 points per day.
These projects will be worth two grades; one in Reading and one in Language
Arts.
All book report books should be fourth grade level and no less than 120
pages unless approved by the teacher.
See the Yearly project schedule page for the dates that all book reports are
due!
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HOW MANY PROJECTS WILL I HAVE AND WHEN ARE THEY DUE?
See the yearly projects calendar page for ALL the due dates.
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WHAT ABOUT WEDNESDAY FOLDERS?
Every Wednesday I will send home a folder with important graded papers.
Every test and some quizzes will have an evaluation form attached explaining
what was missed on the test or quiz if the grade is LESS than an 80%. The
missed items should be reviewed according to the evaluation sheet and the
test or quiz must be SIGNED by the parent and returned in the folder BY
FRIDAY. The student may receive extra points back for correcting their
mistakes (usually half credit). ALL other papers will be sent home daily and
need not be returned unless stamped to do so.
The folder will often contain important school communication from the office
as well as from me.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW THE CONTENTS OF WEDNESDAY FOLDERS WITH YOUR
CHILD!
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WHAT IS A PARENT CORNER?
The Parent Corner page is the weekly newsletter from me to you, the parent.
It will include the upcoming test schedule and any important announcements
about our classroom.
It will include a behavior report from the previous week.
The Parent Corner will be sent home with the students every Monday and will
also be posted on the website as a separate page.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ASK FOR THIS REPORT ON MONDAY SO YOU CAN REVIEW THE
WEEKLY BEHAVIOR REPORT! This letter DOES NOT need to be signed and returned!
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HOW DOES MY CHILD MAKE UP WORK WHEN HE/SHE IS ABSENT?
Please contact the school when your child is absent.
When your child is able to return to school, he/she will have a special
folder with important work they have missed(excluding tests and quizzes).
They may take this folder home and work on the assignments for the same
number of days that they were out.
As they are ready for missed tests and quizzes, IT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY
TO INFORM ME THAT THEY NEED TO TAKE A TEST OR QUIZ!
We will then adjust our daily schedule to get this assignment made up.
It may be necessary at times to hold the child after school to make up work.
We can make these arrangements as necessary.
PLEASE REMEMBER, IT IS YOUR CHILD'S RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM ME WHEN THEY
HAVE WORK TO MAKE UP AND TO GET IT DONE!!
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WHAT ARE THE CLASS RULES AND EXPECTATIONS?
OBEY ALL SCHOOL RULES
SPEAK AND LEAVE SEAT WITH PERMISSION ONLY
FOLLOW ALL TEACHER INSTRUCTIONS (OBEDIENCE)
RESPECT OTHERS’ FEELINGS AND PROPERTY
BE A STEWARD OF YOUR TIME AND BELONGINGS
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS
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WHAT IS THE DISCIPLINE POLICY ?
EXPECTATIONS:
Our classroom discipline policy begins with a short list of teacher
expectations.
Then we plan a contract that is the classroom behavior policy in written
form for all of us to sign. As a class we decide if we need to change the
rules or add to them! Then we sign our contract committing to work hard at
following the expectations of the classroom!
CONSEQUENCES:
Just as in our cities and states, we understand that there may be times when
the rules are broken.
In these situations the student is cited by a warning. After that, another
infraction in the same day receives a consequence appropriate to the
infraction.
REWARDS:
Behavior is monitored on a chart in the classroom by our classroom’s “daily
scribe.”
This chart reminds us at the end of the week who has done a GREAT job in
contributing to classroom order and those individuals are rewarded before
they leave on Friday. The results of the chart are reflected on the
Monday “Parent Corner” page.
REFLECTION FORMS:
If a student is struggling with behavior issues and breaches contract more
than 3 times in one day, he/she must fill out a behavior reflection form and
have it signed by Mr. Washburn and the parents. This form is to be returned
the very next day SIGNED! If the form is not returned, the parent will
receive an email from me or a phone call OR BOTH!
I DO NOT INFORM THE PARENT OF BEHAVIOR ISSUES UNTIL A BEHAVIOR REFLECTION
FORM IS ISSUED OR A MAJOR ISSUE HAS COME UP SUCH AS LYING OR CHEATING. THESE
TYPES OF BEHAVIOR ISSUES RECEIVE NO WARNINGS AND ARE SENT TO THE PRINCIPAL
FOR REVIEW.
ORGANIZATION:
The class is always organized into different teams that stay together for 3-
4 weeks. These teams work together to promote unity and order in the
classroom as well as participation. At the end of the competition period,
the winning team members receive a frosty to eat during reading time!
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WHAT IS THE MASTERY CLUB?
Mastery club is a club developed by a teacher in Oregon to increase student
learning.
Mastery Club encourages students to go above and beyond what is required in
class.
The desire to learn "new things - just because" helps us remember that
learning happens all the time, not just August to June and not just from
8:00 AM to 2:30 PM. There are thousands of Mastery Club members all over
the country.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS!
A list of eighty-four Mastery Club challenges with topics from Science,
Social Studies, Math and Miscellaneous subjects are listed on this site.
To become a member of the Mastery Club, students must earn sixteen
achievements or more.
Once they reach 16 achievements, they will be added to the
Mastery Club list posted in the classroom and on our Website.
THESE ACHIEVEMENTS CAN BE DONE ORALLY OR WRITTEN AS WE HAVE TIME IN THE
CLASSROOM. THE BEST TIME FOR GIVING MASTERY CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS IS RECESS AND
DAYCARE!
Once a name is added to the list, it will never be taken off from year to
year. To become a Mastry Club CHAMPION, the student must submit 75 answers!
Students may submit answer challenges any time for review. See the mastery
club page for the challenge questions!
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WHAT IS DISCOVERY QUEST?
Discovery Quest is designed to give your child experience performing
research and presenting their findings in front of a group.
Details are located on the history page.
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WHAT DOES MY CHILD WEAR FOR PE?
There are no PE uniforms for elementary school. Your child must wear
appropriate shoes, though. NON-MARKING SOLE tennis shoes must be worn or
your child will not be allowed to participate. Thank you for your
cooperation as we preserve the gym floor the Lord has graciously given to
our students.
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WHAT IF I DO NOT ALLOW MY CHILD TO USE THE INTERNET?
This is a highly respectable standard due to the dangers of children seeing
things they shouldn't see by accident.
Please review the suggestions for parents regarding internet research that
is posted on the "FOR PARENTS ONLY" page of this website.
Every research assignment that requires internet can also be done at a
public library using encyclopedias and other research books. Some of these
projects may require research tools not available in our school library
which will necessitate the parent taking the child to the library and
helping them find the information they need.
This is a family decision and is totally respected.
The "Continent Webquest" Assignment is the only assignment that requires
internet interaction with National Geographic, and arrangements for an
alternative assignment can be made.
Please inform me ahead of time.
PARENTS SHOULD ALWAYS RESEARCH INFORMATION WITH THE CHILD TO TEACH THE CHILD
HOW TO RESEARCH CORRECTLY WITHOUT BLINDLY "SURFING" THE INTERNET.
NEVER LEAVE A CHILD ALONE WITH A COMPUTER THAT HAS INTERNET
ACCESS!!!
All classroom research assignments can be researched from the links on my
website.
