March Newletter

Dear 4^th Grade Families,

March is a month that is full of activities and events in our classroom. It is also a time when we are really digging deep into content areas and begin prepping for the MSP. This is the time of year to make sure your student is healthy and gets a good nights rest! Read on to learn about what we’ll be up to in the month of March.

Classroom Community: Our daily Meet and Greet in our class has become a time the kids look forward to so they can share the things they care about in their world.  It’s been a time where we’ve been learning social skills as well: taking turns, reading social cues from our audience, etc.  Ask your 4^th grader about it! This month the students met their goal of earning 100 Class Points and decided as their reward to have a class talent show.

Writing:  This month we’re moving from expository writing on to imaginative writing.  Our focus will be writing a story with an exciting beginning, middle, and end.  We will work on our word choice and descriptive writing skills to build setting and character.  Starting after Spring Break, we will work on a prompt per week with Monday being our prewrite day and lead, Tuesday will be our middle of the story day, Wednesday we focus on conventions, Thursday we’ll focus on writing strong endings, and Friday we’ll revise and edit.  So you can see attendance will be very important as any missed days will put students behind in the process.  Please continue to reinforce the importance of good editing and revising skills at home.  Encourage the use of dictionaries and checking all written work carefully after completion. Students can check their written work by reading it aloud to themselves, by doing this they are able to hear mistakes within their writing and really make sure what they have written makes sense.

Reading:  This month, we’ll begin our strategy focus on questioning.  Our class will learn that readers constantly ask questions as they read.  We will learn that some questions have answers that can be found in the text, some questions have answers that can be found outside of the book in other resources, and still other questions remain unanswered because they are the big questions/themes of life.  We will look at all sorts of texts through the lens of questioning.  The students will be participating in book clubs with a pioneer theme and will complete a book report on the book that they are reading with their book club group.  The students will follow a format similar to their typical in-class reading work completing a 2-column chart for each chapter that they read.  Then they will meet with their book club group periodically to discuss the book using their 2-column notes as talking points. Check-in with your student and their book club calendar to make sure that they are on track with their reading schedule!

Math:  We’re learning about fractions right now.  Students will learn about how to find equivalent fractions, simplify fractions, compare fractions, and convert improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa. This will also be the time of the year that we take their nametag with their multiplication table off their desks.  They are not allowed to have these times tables out during MSP testing and are expected to be able to solve problems such as 45 x 23 without the times table as a resource.  You can see just how important knowing their math facts are.  Thank you to the math volunteers that have worked so hard with our class this year to achieve our goals!  We couldn’t do it without you!  Keep in mind that you can always check out www.pearsonsuccessnet.com and log in with your child’s name (that they go by in class) followed by 209 and then type the same thing in for the password.  I would log in as karri209 and then my password would be karri209.  There should be a label on the inside of the cover of your child’s planner that reviews this.  Let me know if you experience problems and we’ll see if we can figure it out.  Then you can access the math book if you have questions about how to work with your child on certain fraction concepts.  I know that for some of us, it’s been a long time since we had to work with fractions in this way (besides cookingJ).  Then we’ll move into working with decimals: naming them, drawing them on tenths grids and hundredths grids. 

Social Studies:  We are moving into our study of pioneers and westward movement.  We have officially started our pioneer simulation and the kids have become a pioneer identity and will write journal entries as if they were that pioneer.  I think you’ll be surprised when your child begins using phrases such as “darn tootin.”   Students will need to stay current with their assignments to earn points to move their wagon along the trail. 

Science: This month we will finish up our Environments science kit. We have had beetles, isopods, goldfish, and snails in our classroom that the kids have been observing. We are learning about factors in the environment as well as environmental roles (producer, consumer, decomposer). Please share anything you know with you student about these topics. They love making connections in learning from home-to-school! J

 MSP (Measure of Student Progress):  The MSP testing window is April 25^th-May 17th. The first test we will start with is Reading, then Writing, and finally Math.  Keep in mind that even on the days that we are not testing, we are preparing for other days of testing and moving forward with our learning.  Please do what you can to ensure that your child is well-rested, relaxed, fed a healthy breakfast, and in school (please do not plan family vacations) during those weeks.  Students who are not, have to make up the test on the alternate days in a different location in the building and often don’t do as well because they are testing in an environment that is not comfortable to them.

Important Dates:

Fourth Grade Pride and MSP Information Night- March 27^th from 7-8 pm: Come and check out some projects your child has been working on at school.  Arrive at 7 pm to see what we’ve been up to and stay with your fourth grade student to learn about MSP testing expectations.  This is a fantastic opportunity to work with your child to learn more about what to expect during this important testing.  We’ll do some testing examples together and you’ll learn how to support your child in doing their best in the last few weeks before testing begins.  You’ll be surprised to see the jump in expectations from third to fourth grade and it is helpful to know what to expect.  Knowing how to work with your child now helps prepare them for fifth grade, as well.  Hope to see you in room 209 on March 27^th!

Please email us with any comments, questions or concerns.  Have a wonderful week and I hope to see you March 27^th!

Warm Regards,

Karri Allen & Lara Magnuson

Art Discovery- Pop art in the Style of Roy Lichtenstein

Fort Vancouver Field Trip on a Sunny Day!

Playing Valentine Battleship to practice using coordinate pairs (x,y).  This is the very beginning of the coordinate grid work these students will do in algebra class in middle and high school.  Our "boats" were conversation hearts.  How yummy AND fun!

We mustache you a question . . . will you be our Valentine? 

Here is our class with the mustaches they got from their teachers for Valentine's Day.  The mustaches are held up by pixie sticks!

February Newsletter

February 2012

Dear Parents/Families of Students in Room 209,

Can you believe its February already? The school year seems to be whizzing by and your students have made it a joy!  Miss Magnuson, our student teacher, is now teaching as the lead teacher with Mrs. Allen’s support Monday-Thursday and the students have gotten into a rhythm with this change. On Friday, Miss Magnuson attends courses at WSU Vancouver and Mrs. Allen teaches. Miss Magnuson will be filming some of her lessons in the upcoming weeks so she can perfect her teaching. If you have questions about this, please feel free to ask!

Life skills and Class Community Issues This month we will feature the life skills of honesty/integrity.  We will use our daily class meetings to explore these attributes and compliment our classmates for their use of these.

Writing:  We just finished drafting a mock MSP narrative and more information will be coming home with your student about this.  We focused on using a writing plan to create these stories. Next, we will be going deeper with expository writing.  We’ve learned that expository writing has DEARFD (descriptions, examples, anecdotes, reasons, facts, and definitions) and we will be learning how to add those to our writing to accurately explain our topic.  Next week we will begin our draft for a Valentine’s letter to someone special to explain three ways that person is appreciated or is special.  We will use DEARFD to help support our ideas in this letter. We will work on going deep with our elaboration and description.  Please continue to reinforce the importance of good editing and revising skills at home.  Encourage the use of dictionaries and checking all written work carefully after completion.

Reading:  This month will be continuing our focus on inferring.  To make an inference, we use text clues and what we already know (our background knowledge) to make conclusions about what the author wants us to know or learn from the text.  Our reading equation for this is TC (text clues) + BK (background knowledge) = Inference.  We are focusing on inferring the big ideas the author wants us to know but doesn’t tell us directly.  The winter book report is due February 24^th. Doing this, will ensure students have enough time to work on their rough draft and then the final copy.  We would like to see their rough draft by February 16^th (This is an editted date as the 17th is a no school day) and when they show us their rough draft, we will give them their final copy paper.  Then students will still have a week to complete their final copy of their book report.  We’re using these dates and reminders to help teach students time management.   Encourage best writing on the book report including strong supporting details, excellent spelling, and punctuation.  Students should use a black pen to trace over all words on their book report then erase any pencil marks that remain.  The book report should be final copy/published quality work with full coloring on any sketches.  No white spaces in the area where the sketches are.  Please keep encouraging your child to be reading their chapter books to reach their goal of reading at least 500 pages by the end of the trimester. Their reading should be a mix of silent reading and reading aloud with some feedback from you.  Reading silently helps students think deeply and visualize the events in the book and reading aloud with feedback improves reading rate and fluency.  At the end of each book, your child should be filling out a High Five Book Club summary by writing a short summary of the book to demonstrate they have read the book entirely and then turning it in for credit.  Ask your child where they are with this goal for the trimester.  We HIGHLY encourage students to write up their book report book as well.

Math:   This week we will begin our exploration of area. We will start by finding the area of irregular shaped objects such as one’s hand or foot and then move into rectangular objects. We want students to see the connections between arrays and finding area.  Daily practice with math facts for 10-15 minutes is important to ensure progress with this concept.  We can’t stress enough that knowing these facts are instrumental to learning more advanced concepts and feeling confident in math. Thanks again to all math fact parent helpers for their help with math facts weekly!  Toward the end of the month, we will be moving into working with fractions: identifying, drawing, putting them on a number line, and beginning to find equivalents.

Social Studies/Science:  In Social Studies, we will continue our learning about Lewis and Clark, the Corp of Discovery, and Sacagawea and their role in westward movement.  Then we will turn our focus to learning about fur trappers and traders.  We will also begin to study Pioneers and their movement to the West. In science, we are continuing our study of environments and continuing to nurture and observe the terrariums growing in our classroom. This week we will be adding some Beetles and Isopods to the terrariums and observing how they adapt to the environment.

Important Days in February:  There is no school on 2/17 and 2/20 for President’s Weekend.  There are also two half days set aside in March for parent conferences: the 13^th, 15^th, and 16th.    Miss Magnuson and Mrs. Allen will set up conferences with students and parents to address any concerns that we are having.    Please don’t be alarmed if we contact you (sometimes we conference with parents about keeping a student challenged and exceeding standards!J)  If you would like to request a conference with us during that time, you are welcome to.  Just send an email or give us a call at 604-6650 x 2569.   

Valentine’s Day At Fisher’s Landing Elementary:   Students are welcome to bring Valentines to hand out at the very end of the day on February 14^th as long as they bring a Valentine for everyone in our class.  This will be very low key (classes only have 3 celebrations a year and we have already had 2- the last will be our end of the year celebration). Please send your child with their valentines in a grocery sack to school on Tuesday, February 14th so they can use it to take home their exchanged Valentines.  We will do some fun Valentine activities throughout the day so the kids will feel like they are celebrating even though we’re not having a “party.” 

We so enjoy working with your students!  They are such a kind and special group! 

Warmest regards,

Karri Allen and Lara Magnuson

Standards-Based Grading- What does a "3" Really Mean?

Hi families,

I have had a few questions about the grading system our school district uses for elementary students.  The grading system is a standards-based grading system, set by the school district, and does not match up with the traditional A/B/C/D/F letter grade system that most people are familiar with.  I use this grading system on class assignments and assessments, as well as on report cards.  Using a standards-based system means that there are learning targets the students in our class are progressing toward throughout the year. When students are able to fairly consistently show mastery of a learning target, we say that they meet standard.  This aligns with a grade of a “3.”  When a student demonstrates expected progress, they earn a “3.”  That is why there will be some assignments that go home graded where your child hasn’t missed one question but they still earn a “3.”  Those are assignments where it was expected that students should miss very few or none to be “at standard.”  The difference between a “2” and a “3” is consistency.  A student who receives a “3” fairly consistently meets standard/expectation.  A student who receives a “2” meets standards sometimes but other times falls short of the standard.  Sometimes they show they understand or have a good grasp of the learning target but other times, they do not.

So what about “4s?”  Many parents dream/expect that their child will have straight “A”s someday so why not straight “4”s you may wonder.  Well, it’s not that simple.  A “4” does not equal an “A.”  A “4” means that your child is exceeding the standard consistently.  That means that every task or nearly every task that your child engages with on that particular learning target, your child demonstrates beyond expectation performance.  This is very difficult to achieve, even for Excel students. I would expect that a student who wants to earn “4”s completes the extension/more challenging assignments or projects when offered.

A “4” can be earned by:

·         Careful attention to directions

·         Accuracy in work

·         Checking for neatness

·         Going beyond minimum set criteria (for example, I ask for 5 sentences and your child writes more than asked for but still maintains high quality)

·         Complete demonstration of thinking

At this point in the year, I tend to “round” down if there is any question to whether or not a student is meeting standard as we just finished the first trimester.  Students still have two trimesters to make progress and grow in their understandings.

I hope this explanation helps to clarify our grading system a bit.  Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns.

Kindly,

Karri Allen