ࡱ > z { | } ~ ` t5 jbjb d d t/ $ W W W W $ W e X X X X X [[ . [ [ %e 'e 'e 'e 'e 'e 'e , g R i Se [ [ @ [[ [ [ Se ] X X + he ] ] ] [ * X X %e ] 4 T [ %e ] ] : a , 9b X u$ W \ : a 9b ~e 0 e a R j ] j 9b ] $, 0/ ( 0/ Curriculum Handbook Mrs. Valkenaar Fourth Grade Room E226 Woodland Intermediate School 2006-2007 Mrs. Valkenaars Varsity Team Eliot Ayala Amy BEcker Cory Calvert Alec Columbus Kaeli Czosek Ashley Falk Nina Fout Drew Garcia-Lewis Sonia Gomez Cameron Haevers Hirsh Joshi Justin Koch Michael Lucarelli Alexis Mougalian Kyle Nagel Martin Nava Taylor Nixon Domingo Ocampo Tanya Ocampo Rena Peterson Abbie Reynolds Zach Theer Kayla Yarbrough Mrs. Valkenaars Class Schedule 2006-2007 MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridayFlex Block 8:10- 8:40Flex Block 8:10- 8:40Flex Block (Choir) 8:10- 8:40Flex Block 8:10- 8:40Flex Block (Choir) 8:10- 8:40P.E. 8:45- 9:15P.E. 8:45- 9:15P.E. 8:45- 9:15P.E. 8:45- 9:15P.E. 8:45- 9:15 Specials 9:20- 9:50Specials 9:20- 9:50Specials 9:20- 9:50Specials 9:20- 9:50Specials 9:20- 9:50STAR 9:50-10:05STAR 9:50-10:05STAR 9:50-10:05STAR 9:50-10:05STAR 9:50-10:05L.A. 10:05-11:30L.A. 10:05-11:30L.A. 10:05-11:30L.A. 10:05-11:30L.A. 10:05-11:30Lunch 11:35-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Lunch 11:35-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Lunch 11:35-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Lunch 11:35-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Lunch 11:35-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Math 12:25-1:30Math 12:25-1:30Math 12:25-1:30Math 12:25-1:30Math 12:25-1:30Science 1:35-2:35Social Studies (Mrs. Herbst) 1:35-2:35Science 1:35-2:35Social Studies (Mrs. Herbst) 1:35-2:35Team Building 1:35-2:35Assignment Notebook 2:35-2:45Assignment Notebook 2:35-2:45Assignment Notebook 2:35-2:45Assignment Notebook 2:35-2:45Assignment Notebook 2:35-2:45 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 be 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 at least twice a month. Curriculum continued: VII Specials Five-Day Rotation Day 1 Library (Mrs. Neahous) Day 2 Music (Miss Awe) Day 3 Music (Miss Awe) Day 4 Computer (Mr. Trimble) 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 STAR (Sit Tight And Read) 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 90-100 Outstanding B 80-89 Satisfactory C 70-79 Needs Improvement D 60-69 Unsatisfactory E 59 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. Please encourage your child to continue to read to build their fluency and comprehension skills. 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. 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. In the event a student is absent from school, homework will be sent home following the procedures set forth in the Student handbook. 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 another for 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 Mrs. Valkenaar. Groups also work together to earn Huskie Bucks throughout the month. Huskie Bucks teach students about responsibility and allow them to own their place in the classroom. At the end of each month, students are given the opportunity to shop at the Valkenaar Vending Company for an assortment of items. Students may also earn individual recognition for outstanding behavior in class. The Varsity Student Awards are given to students exhibiting exemplary behavior. These awards are turned into the raffle box and prizes are drawn monthly. 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 E226 Rules for Respect 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. Office referrals will be handled according to the guidelines set forth in the Student Handbook. 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 childs 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 childs 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 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. Thank you for a wonderful evening. See you at conferences!! Mrs. Valkenaar Tips to Help Your Child Become an Independent Reader * Talk with your child often to build listening and speaking skills. * Read to your child often. Even older children enjoy being read to. * Talk to your child about the words and ideas in books. * Ask your child to tell in his/her own words what the story was about. * Encourage your child to read on his/her own. * Listen to your child read books that he/she has brought home from school. Be patient. If your child reads slowly and makes a lot of mistakes, ask him/her to reread a paragraph or page. Let your child know you are proud that he/she is reading. * Talk about new words that your child has read or heard. Help your child learn the meaning of new words by using the dictionary. * Show your child how to use pictures in books to help figure out what words mean. * Let your child see you reading. Encourage your child to read while you are reading. * Even if you are not an independent reader, let your child know that you value reading and that reading makes life richer in many ways. * Make sure your child has plenty of quiet time to read without distractions such as television and video games. * Encourage your child to write oftenfor example, letters to friends, grocery lists, and emails. Help your child find and correct spelling mistakes. * Ask your childs teacher how you can help your child practice at home what he/she is learning at school. School Year Curriculum (quick view) First QuarterSecond QuarterThird QuarterFourth QuarterMathPlace Value and Money Review addition and subtraction facts Multiplication and division facts Multiplication and division facts Multiplication of larger numbers Measurement and negative numbersGeometry and Measurement Statistics and Probability Fractions and mixed numbers Decimals One-Digit Divisors Graphing and Algebra Two-Digit Divisors Language Arts Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar, and SpellingTheme 1: Guiding Your Way Identity of self and others Guided ReadingTheme 2: Working It Out Cooperation Theme 3: Natural Changes Ecology Guided ReadingTheme 4: In Search of a Dream Mission and Goals Theme 5: Making Progress Growth and Change Guided ReadingTheme 5: Making Progress Growth and Change Theme 6: Great Inspirations Creativity Guided ReadingScienceCarbon Cycles: Pond Ecosystems (Pond Ecosystems continued) Scientific Method Forces: Magnetism & Electricity Water and Air Cycles: Weather (continue Weather)Social StudiesCulture Geography HistoryGovernment Economy Illinois5 Regions(5 Regions continued) ' i j ³}}oaN@0}o h 5B*CJ OJ QJ ph h B*CJ( OJ QJ ph $j h B*CJ( OJ QJ Uph h B*CJ( OJ QJ ph h B*CJ OJ QJ ph h B*CJ OJ QJ ph h B*CJ OJ QJ ph he h CJ( OJ QJ he h CJ( OJ QJ he h B* OJ QJ ph he h B* ph !he h B* CJP OJ QJ ph !he h B* CJP OJ QJ ph j h UmH nH sH tH ' 6 @ A ^ _ i &