Mrs. Valkenaar
Fourth Grade
Room E226
Woodland Intermediate School
Curriculum:
I Language Arts
This will include four areas: Spelling, Grammar, Writing, and Reading. Students will receive their grade from the teacher they have for Language Arts. For Reading, we will be using the Signatures series, which is a fully integrated program. This program will meet the needs of students in the broadest possible range of classroom environments by providing comprehensive development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. *See Signatures Program Philosophy for more information. This year, we will also begin using the Scholastic Guided Reading Program to foster reading skills. This program will meet each student at his or her reading level, and focus on improving his or her reading ability. *See Scholastic Guided Reading attachment for more information.
II Math
Our goal is to apply knowledge of basic mathematical facts, skills, and concepts to use in everyday living. The use of hands-on manipulatives, calculators, and real-life problem solving is strongly reinforced throughout the year. *See Houghton-Mifflin description for more information.
Concepts:
Place Value and Money
Review addition and subtraction facts
Multiplication and division facts
Multiplication of larger numbers
Measurement and negative numbers
Fractions and mixed numbers
Decimals
Statistics and probability
Geometry and measurement
Graphing and algebra
III Social Studies
This year we will follow the new Social Studies curriculum. This curriculum will be based on the Scott Foresman series, Regions. The fourth grade units will include the concepts of culture, geography, history, government and economy, the state of Illinois, and the five regions of the United States.
IV Science
Our units fall into three categories of Science: Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science. We will incorporate the scientific method and apply it to hands-on experiments. The units include Weather, Magnetism & Electricity, and Pond Ecosystems.
V Health
Our units cover self-esteem, drug awareness, systems of the body, diseases, personal health, food choices, and safety.
VI Cooperative Activities
Team Building is a program that encourages responsibility. The areas of Communicating, Appreciating Differences, Understanding feelings, Working Together, and Problem Solving are practiced in class and in team building lessons twice a month.
Curriculum continued:
VII Specials Five-Day Rotation
Day 1 Music (Mrs. Buntrock)
Day 2 Music (Mrs. Buntrock)
Day 3 Computer (Mr. Trimble)
Day 4 Library (Mrs. Neahous)
Day 5 Art (Mrs. McCarthy)
These Specials are 30 minutes long. Students will be allowed to check out books during Library and other days of the week during (Sit Tight And Read) STAR time. Physical Education is taught daily for 30 minutes.
Grading Policy:
Fourth graders will receive letter grades for Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science. Health and Specials use another system to chart progress. These scales are as follows:
Subjects Health and Specials
A 93-100 Outstanding
B 85-92 Satisfactory
C 77-84 Needs Improvement
D 70-76 Unsatisfactory
E 69 and below
Homework Policy:
The guidelines set by the district indicate that fourth graders will be expected to complete approximately 45-60 minutes of homework each night. Included in this time should be 15-20 minutes of home reading, using the sheet being sent home weekly. Students must also complete Spelling Spirals with every spelling list. These are due the day before the Spelling test. These 3 activities are to be completed at home. I realize times may need to be adjusted if projects require more time, or family schedules change. However, please encourage your child to continue to read to build their fluency and comprehension skills. Students are expected to turn their work in on time. If there is a situation preventing the student from completing an assignment, please let me know. If the assignment is not turned in the day it is due, the student will receive a L.A.W. notice. The L.A.W. notice requires a parent signature and the assignment must be turned the next day. The student will receive one letter grade lower, but will get credit. Any assignments not turned in, or turned in more than 1 day late will receive a zero. *See Homework policy for further information.
Portfolios:
A portfolio is a collection system of student work selected by both the teacher and the student to provide an ongoing system of assessment. They offer an excellent way to show growth over the course of the year. We have a portfolio for Language Arts and Math. At conference times, you can view their accumulated work, and see why they selected certain pieces. At the end of the year these portfolios will be sent home.
Positive Reinforcements:
Our class has a variety of incentives to work cooperatively, quietly, and constructively. Everyone in the class is seated in groups of five students. These students work together to earn points for good behavior, good work, and positive attitudes. Each week, the team with the most points will be rewarded with a pick from the treasure box. At the end of the month the team with the most points will earn a lunch date in the class provided by Miss Dusing.
Teacher Consequences:
For inappropriate behavior, our class follows a card system. Under this system, the students begin every day on a green card. After any type of behavior incident where the student is misbehaving or not following room E 226 Responsibilities will be handled as follows. The student will be asked to turn their card. The first turn is to the yellow dot. This is the first warning. If the student continues to misbehave any time that day, the second turn is a yellow card. Yellow cards will result in a note home, to be signed by the parents and loss of recess the following day. The final a card is the red card. This will result in a note home, loss of recess, and a referral to the office for a.m. detention. A.M. detentions will follow the school policy, including a conference with the parents. Each day the students will begin with a clean slate. Any cards from the day before are erased.
Communication:
Every day, your student will be bringing home a variety of assignments, fliers, and many other papers. PLEASE check your childŐs expandable every night. All homework assignments and items of importance will be recorded in the assignment notebook. It is vital that this is brought home, and back to school each and every day. The assignment notebook is located in the last slot of your childŐs expandable. If you need to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate to call at 596-5390. This will connect you to my voice mail. I will try to return all calls within one school day.
Parent Volunteers:
Volunteers are greatly appreciated. Keep an eye out in our bi-weekly newsletter for volunteering activities. Feel free to sign up tonight for activities you may be interested in assisting in our class. If you are ever interested in volunteering after curriculum night, feel free to call me at 596-5390.
