Each morning my students will do a 30 minute walk for health. After our walk, we will DIVE INTO FUN math. Our morning math will be all hands on. We will be starting out with our Multiplication Tables. I really need parents working with their students on these. We will have a lot of tables on our EOG Test.
Next, we will enjoy a fun-filled hour of creative writing strategies. I'm going to challenge your child, and get them all excited about their writing techniques; by introducing a variety of teaching skills, we will foster your child.
Morning Snack will be brought from your home. Pack only what you think your child will eat.
I plan to start off with the Basil Text in Reading. We will read one story each week. Your child's Voc. Words will be taken from the weekly story. Meanwhile my class will read the novel Charlotte's Web together. We will finish this book just in time to visit the Mountain State Fair at the fair grounds in Fletcher. Charlotte's Web is an AR (Accelerated Reading) book and is worth 5 points. That will only leave 7 pts for the first six weeks that parents and students are responsible for. We will also do Coral Reading, which is a very fun way to read in groups. We will do this for 15 minutes at least twice a week. Your child is required to read for 30 minutes a day at home. Please look for the Reading Log sheet which must be signed daily.
All children will be taught to write cursive. I will expect my students to be ready to write in complete cursive writing by mid-year. We will work on one letter at a time.
We have weekly SPECIALS. At these times listed on our schedule, students will be involved with other teachers outside our classroom.
Lunch will run from 12:15 - 12:45 each day.
HANDS-ON SCIENCE will run for three weeks at a time. Science is all hands-on. Students will be asked to observe, predict outcomes, and make reasonable inquiry skills more evident by using scientific reasoning and thinking. We will be taking advantage of our resources available in this community to explore and create units of interest. Our first three weeks will be on animal habits.
Social Studies this year is North Carolina History. We will take the last three weeks of the first six weeks to discover the Outer Banks of NC. Our first unit will be about Pirates. We will be doing research about the many cut-throats which once terrorized the Grave Yard of the Atlantic, and the deadly Outer Banks. All students will be asked to research and write a nice one-page paper on a pirate of their choice.
Your child will not have homework in Math, Creative Writing, Science, or Social Studies unless we are working on a special project. Your child will need to Read each night and study his/her Vocabulary Words. If I ask for special Science/Social Studies things to be brought to school, then your child will receive extra credit in labs.
I hope this will clear up a few concerns you might have about the on-goings in our classroom for the first six-weeks of school. I will be happy to schedule meetings to speak with you about your child's fourth grade experience. Please call me and we will find a time that is convenient for both parties.
Sincerely,
Jeannie Miller
Brush Creek Elem. (828) 649 -1547