4th Grade News and Notes
November 11, 2008

• Enclosed in this packet is an information form to help the 4th grade teachers prepare for parent conferences in December. In order to make the best use of our time together, we ask that you fill out the form and return it separately on or before next Tuesday, November 18th.
  
  

Religion, Math, and Social Studies:
Our classroom work continues with reconciliation, decimals, statistics, and the study of the United States of America.

Be sure students are planning ahead and breaking down the independent long term assignments this month into smaller manageable pieces to be done each day or week.

Reminders:
  • “In the Bag” project due Wednesday, November 19th
  • November’s Prayers of the Month due memorized and recited to Mrs. B – Thursday, November 20th
  • November's Map Test on South America –Friday, November 21st
  • Multiplication fact test – Monday, November 24th
  • November’s AR independent reading book Esperanza Rising – quiz, & written assignments due by Tuesday, December 2nd



Reading, Language Arts, and Science: Our Reading, Grammar and Spelling activities continue this week, with a concentration on Editing Sentences. In Science, we made new vocabulary cards for the terms we will be working with during our Biome unit. The Biome project will replace a formal test for this unit. Our 4th graders are very excited to begin building their models and posters. Thank you to parents for your support in helping students to gather materials from home. For more details about the project please see the Biome Guidelines and Grade sheet, which should remain in the home folder to be used at school.

Important Dates and Reminders:
  •  Weekly Reading log – 2 hours or more (including Esperanza Rising) completed at home, and form signed – Due Friday
  •  Biome box project – Due Nov 21st

4th Grade News and Notes
November 4, 2008

Religion, Math, and Social Studies: November brings a change in the overall topic for Religion classes. Our emphasis will be on reconciliation (mending relationships) and preparation for students receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation on December 9th. On occasion, students will be asking parents to sign certain pages in their Religion books. This is to be sure there is communication to the home about what students are learning about these important topics. November's Prayers of the Month help the students remember that November is the month of Thanksgiving. The prayers are the Blessings Before and After Meals and two Liturgical Responses (from the Mass). Students received copies of these prayers yesterday. Prayers should be memorized and recited to Mrs. Burwinkel by November 20th.

Math multiplication facts should be reviewed for a test on November 24th. Separating flash cards into facts known and facts not known, then studying the unknown, is a good strategy to try. In classes we continue to work on statistics and decimals. (Students are also gaining familiarity with US state names through this work, too.)

South America is Nativity's November Map Studies focus. Students will receive study sheet and map, discuss locations, and make a map on Mapmaker's Toolkit of the required material this week. Independent study is homework until the testing date. The test will be given November 21st.

Mrs. Burwinkel will assign the November independent AR book for a grade in Social Studies. The book is Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Copies of the book are provided to the students. Directions and deadlines for reading the book, taking the AR quiz, and for the assignments associated with the book were given to the students today. (To avoid double reading time, students can use Social Studies reading time in Esperanza Rising for their Student Reading Log.) The book, quiz and written assignments are due December 2nd.

Reminders:
  • “In the Bag” project due Wednesday, November 19th
  • November’s Prayers of the Month due memorized and recited to Mrs. B – Thursday, November 20th
  • November's Map Test on South America –Friday, November 21st
  • Multiplication fact test – Monday, November 24th
  • November’s AR independent reading book Esperanza Rising – quiz, & assignments due by Tuesday, December 2nd

Reading, Language Arts, and Science: On Monday students took part in a Science/Magic show, with a visit from Cincinnati Arts Association artist Mathew Brian Taylor. He engaged the 4th graders while teaching the science behind special effects, magic tricks, and optical illusions. On Thursday students will take their Chapter 2 Science test. Students have been learning about photosynthesis, plant reproduction, as well as how to study for a chapter test. On Wednesday we will begin a “Biome Box” project. In this project students will work with a small group to build a representation of their selected Biome, which corresponds with content they will be learning in our Chapter 3 Ecosystem unit. This is an in-class project which includes a shoebox model and a typed team report. All work will be completed during class time except for gathering the materials each team decides upon. Please see the project guidelines sheet given to students in class on Wednesday.

This week in writing, students are creating an I Am booklet, which focuses on their strengths and allows them to reflect on the positive qualities they have to share with others. This is a reflection piece inspired by Maniac Magee, to encourage self-esteem.

In Reading this month there will be no independent AR quiz or book report assigned by Mrs. Foster. Instead, please see the directions above for the independent Esperanza Rising details.

Important Dates and Reminders:
  •  Weekly Reading log – 2 hours or more (including Esperanza Rising) completed at home, and form signed – Due Friday
  •  Science Chapter 2 Test – this Thursday, November 6

1st Quarter in Review
4th Graders have been very busy learning this quarter!

Here are some of the highlights as we say hello to the 2nd quarter!
  • In Reading we read all about Maniac Magee and his adventures to find a home and bring people together!
  • In Writing and English we learned about sentences, and how to make our ideas into complete thoughts and sentences. We have      written descriptions, from people or places that have impacted our lives.
  • We have explored our creative sides in creative writing journals, while also brushing up our cursive handwriting.
  • We have tackled many new words to strengthen how to read independently. We have learned so many new Vocabulary and Spelling      words from our stories!
  • We have conducted many lab activities including working with the vascular tissue inside plants, and creating plant cell models out of      Jello!

Jumping into the 2nd Quarter
4th Graders have many exciting things to look forward to in the second quarter.

Here are just a few!
  • Coming soon -- many exciting activities in Science! We will explore all about relationships and roles in ecosystems, and work in teams      on Biome box projects, maps and posters.
  • Look forward to reading many short stories to become familiar with how a great author makes stories come alive, so that we can      create amazing stories of our own!
  • Exploring the Non-fiction genre in December.
  • Creating models of our favorite books, as we identify story elements like secondary characters, summary, conflict, resolution, and      climax, in our “Mini-Library” book shelves.

Welcome to the 2nd quarter!
4th Grade News and Notes
October 28, 2008

• This packet contains the last of the 1st quarter’s work. The grades within have already been averaged into the report cards that will be given out this Friday. Therefore, none of the papers in this packet can be. Our usual corrections system will begin again with next week’s packet.
  
  
• As the second quarter begins and the routine of 4th grade has been established, students are reminded of these routines less often, in order to gain responsibility and become more independent. Routines such as putting full names on papers, planning out time for monthly assignments, making and turning in corrections, turning in late work, making good choices of what to do with independent time, and bringing the correct materials to classes -- are now up to each student to do his/her best.
  
  
• As we begin a new quarter, students will have the opportunity to visit a 4th grade “store” on Monday Nov 3rd from 8:15-9:00. Each student will choose prizes from the store, based on the number of positive behavior punches they have earned this quarter. We are looking for store donation items (school supplies, sports equipment, books, candy, toys, accessories – anything!). We are also asking for parent volunteers who can set up the store in the morning and help students select items during their visit. Please write a note on this packet or let Mrs. Foster know if you can help!
  
  

Religion, Math, and Social Studies: Our study of the United States brings us to the topic of immigration and the contributions of each cultural or ethnic group that populates our country. Be looking for the first “at-home” project in Social Studies on this topic. It is called “In the Bag”. Directions will be given, explained, and discussed with students next Monday and Tuesday. The project is homework and due Wednesday, November 19th.

Also, in conjunction with the immigration topic, Mrs. Burwinkel will assign the November independent AR book for a grade in Social Studies. The book is Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. Copies of the book will be provided to the students. Directions and deadlines for reading the book, taking the AR quiz, and for the assignments associated with the book will be given to the students by the end of this week. (To avoid double reading time, students can use Social Studies reading time in Esperanza Rising for their Student Reading Log.)

Reminders:
October’s Map Test on North America – Thursday, October 30th
October's Prayers of the Month, the 4 sets of Mysteries – (recited to Mrs. B) by Monday, November 3rd
“In the Bag” project due Wednesday, November 19th

Coming next week:
 • November’s Map Test info on South America for November 21st test
 • November’s Prayers of the Month info due memorized and recited to Mrs. B – Nov. 20th
 • November’s AR independent reading book info – Esperanza Rising, quiz, assignments – Dec.2nd

Reading, Language Arts, and Science: Our 4th graders celebrated reading yesterday with the first quarter Read-In! Many students shared stories about favorite parts of his/her book, took advantage of this time to take AR tests for Maniac Magee and other independent reading for the month, and asked questions to gain a better understanding of tricky vocabulary or events in Maniac Magee. Thank you to all 4th graders for helping to make it a great success! As we begin the second quarter, the Spelling and Reading Log routines have changed slightly. Please see Mrs. Foster’s website for more details. On the school supplies list at the beginning of the year, one of the items required was a personal dictionary and thesaurus. Our 2nd quarter spelling activities will use these tools, and will be needed for homework. Please make sure each child has these reference tools available to them, for use at home as well as for writing activities at school.

Important Dates and Reminders:
 • Maniac Magee AR Quiz and Book Report - Due this Thursday
 • October Independent Reading AR quiz - Due this Thursday
 • Science Chapter 2 Test – Thursday, November 6

4th Grade News and Notes
October 21 2008

• The end of the 1st Quarter is Thursday, October 23, 2008. All assignments, corrections, make-up work, and extra credit work for the quarter are due to Mrs. Foster or Mrs. Burwinkel by 3:00 p.m. that day.
  
  
• Due to the end of the quarter, the correction process is a bit different this week. Students will receive their signed packets back on Wednesday and corrections are due Thursday. This is very different from our usual routine, due to the end of the quarter. Receiving corrections on Monday as usual will be too late for work to count into the 1st quarter average. We are sorry for the inconvenience but this happens 4 times a year as we bring each quarter to a close.
  
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Religion, Math, and Social Studies: During the next week, students will be introduced to a type of prayer called a “litany”. Students will explore a Litany of Saints through song, and relate the “communion of saints” concept to the celebration of the Halloween/All Saints Day/All Souls Day holiday/holydays. As part of their study of All Souls Day, students will compile a class prayer booklet containing the names of students’ family or friends who have died of which the students wish the class to pray for throughout the year. Each student will make one page of the booklet. Please discuss this at home so students are prepared to discuss this person, and write the name and a picture/symbol to represent that loved one on their page for the booklet.

In Math, students will begin some data analysis and work with decimals next.

In Social Studies, students will be viewing one another’s Power Point presentations about the North American countries. And we will begin our 2nd quarter study of the United States in more detail.

Reminders:
  • Rosary Day – Wednesday, October 22nd
  • Deadline for missing assignments, corrections, make up work, or extra credit work– Thursday, October 23rd
  •  October’s Map Test on North America – Thursday, October 30th
  • October's Prayers of the Month, the 4 sets of Mysteries – (recited to Mrs. B) by Monday, November 3rd

Reading, Language Arts, and Science: As we wrap up the 1st quarter this week, students are working on drafting and editing their Descriptive writing piece. We will be using our Thesauruses to choose words that help to “paint a picture” for the reader. This week students are reading Chapters 33-39 independently in Maniac Magee. There will be no spelling activities this week due to the end of the quarter, which will allow more time for reading these chapters at home.

On Monday, during Mrs. Foster’s classes, we will be having a “Read-In” day. During Reading and Language Arts classes Monday, students have the opportunity to celebrate reading by bringing in a few good books, a snack and/or drink, and a small pillow or blanket to relax and enjoy reading! This will be a great opportunity to finish the remaining chapters in Maniac Magee (40-46). After students finish the book, they can also use “Read-In” time to get ahead by taking the AR test for the whole book, when ready. Homework for this week includes one grammar activity and one science activity. Please remember to check Mrs. Foster’s website for more details.

In Science (using Chapter 2) we are learning important parts of plants, as well as how plants make their own food. Students will be making the vocabulary note cards for this chapter on Wednesday night. In this week’s packet you will find a permission slip for a “Wild Science” presentation and activity. This November 3rd performance is brought to us by scientist/magician Matthew Brian Taylor. Please return the permission slip, along with the $4.00 by Monday October 27th.

Important Dates and Reminders:
  •  Deadline for missing assignments, corrections, make up work, or extra credit work – Thursday, October 23rd
  •  Read-In Day – Monday, October 27th – bring snack, drink, pillow, and books!
  •  Science permission slip and $4.00 – Due Monday, October 27th
  •  Maniac Magee AR book and Quiz, and Book Report – Due Thursday, October 30

4th Grade News and Notes
October 14, 2008

• Terra Nova tests for 4th grade students continue every morning this week. Please remember to encourage students to eat breakfast and get plenty of sleep.
  
• The end of the 1st Quarter is Thursday, October 23, 2008. All assignments, corrections, make-up work, and extra credit work for the quarter are due to Mrs. Foster or Mrs. Burwinkel by 3:00 p.m. that day.
  

Religion, Math, and Social Studies:
October is the month of the Rosary. In honor of this, 4th Grade “Rosary Day” will be Wednesday, October 22nd. On that day students may bring in their personal or family rosaries to show to the rest of the class. Telling small family stories about the rosaries will also be permitted. Please discuss the importance of respecting and caring for the rosaries with your children, especially if students are bringing in family keepsakes. We’re hoping that many kinds and types of rosaries will be displayed for all 4th graders to see. Students will finish the “Rosary Day” Religion class by praying the beautiful prayer of the rosary together.

Geometry continues this week with the study of intersecting, perpendicular, and parallel lines.

Reminders:
  •  October’s Map Test on North America – Thursday, October 30th
  • October's Prayers of the Month, the 4 sets of Mysteries – (recited to Mrs. B) by Monday, November 3rd

Reading, Language Arts, and Science:
Our first formal writing piece, including the steps in the writing process, will begin this week. Each student will first brainstorm ideas and choose a topic for writing a description. A description at the 4th grade level involves creating a picture in words that helps the reader see, hear, taste, smell, or feel what you are writing about. Our focuses will be on strong opening sentences, the use of exact, sense words and details, as well as a strong ending to the description. Also this week we will continue reading Maniac Magee Chapters 27-30 independently. There will be no spelling unit, due to Terra Novas.

Mrs. Foster will be chaperoning the Camp Kern field trip with 7th grade students this Thursday and Friday. Please e-mail any questions that may arise on either of these days.

Important Dates and Reminders:
  •  Reading Log (1 hour or more each week, including Maniac Magee) - Due every Friday
  • October Independent AR book and Quiz – Due Thursday, October 30
  • October Book Report –for Maniac Magee – Due Thursday, October 30

Welcome to the 4th Grade!
Welcome to the 4th grade at Nativity School! My name is Mrs. Foster and I am the 4th grade Reading, Language Arts, and Science teacher. I am so excited to begin a fantastic year with such a great group of students! My goal is to help students make a smooth transition into the 4th grade, and to help each child become a more independent, successful student in the coming years. Throughout the curriculum I will continue to inspire a love of learning and exploring.

4th Grade Goals
   • Students will transition from Primary Grades to Intermediate Grades
   • Students will acquire 4th grade skills and accomplish performance objectives according to the Archdiocese Graded Course of Study
   • Students will practice working cooperatively and accepting responsibilities.

Course Description
During the first quarter, students will be engaging in a variety of topics and transitions. In Reading and Language Arts we will be reading many great books of various lengths, both as a class and in small groups. We will also be reading stories in our Reading textbooks and working on skills in our reading workbooks. Students will be journaling, using the writing process, completing “Mini-Library” book reports, continuing work with Accelerated reader, as well as the necessary spelling, grammar and literary skills necessary to grow in fluency and comprehension.

In Science we will explore the classification of plants and animals, learn how we gain energy from plants, and will be caring for new plant growth in our land lab. We will study many aspects of water – from the smallest components through a microscope, to the water cycle, hurricanes and tornadoes! We will conduct investigations into the properties of matter, and explore electricity and magnetism. We will also learn about nutrition, bacteria, and viruses in relation to our own health.

We will be enhancing classroom learning with a variety of field trips and activities. Some plans include working closely with Cincinnati’s conservation services, The Cincinnati Zoo, The Aronoff Theatre, Crystal Clear and Steve Spangler Science, The Taft Museum, the Symphony, and many more!

Class Rules and Expectations
At the beginning of the year students take part in creating the class rules. Along with the teacher they choose three class rules that they believe will make the classroom environment fair and comfortable for all students.

Teacher Expectations
The main expectation we have for 4th grade students is that they do their best in whatever they do. There is no boundary to this expectation. Doing their best is not limited to just academic work. Of course we expect that each student puts forth his/her best effort in each assignment, project, test or quiz, however we also expect them to put forth your best effort during interactions and relationships with classmates, teachers, principal, parents, and most importantly themselves. Here are just a few ways students can be sure to meet these expectations.
     • Follow the rules of proper school behavior, as explained in the student handbook.
     • Display respect and kindness to others, and their property and keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
     • Pay attention in class, participate, and stay organized throughout the school year.

Grading
Reading Log
Every student will be required to read at least one hour per week outside of school. Each child is provided with a Reading Log folder. In the folder you will find a sheet where they will keep track of the books they are reading. Also there is a place to record the amount of time read, and a place for an adult to sign, showing that the reading has occurred. The students can choose a place comfortable for them. The point of this routine is to encourage reading, so I encourage you to make this as pleasant as possible at home. There are many books available in our classroom libraries, as well as our school library in which they may read at their leisure.

The time spent reading for the log may be divided evenly each day (15 minutes Monday-Thursday), or they may decide to read for 30 minutes each day. Any combination of one hour will be acceptable, as long as parents are supervising and encouraging student reading. The logs will be collected at the end of each month and recorded. This is a routine that will continue throughout the first half of the year.

Letter Grades
Letter grades are given and are new to 4th grade students. An A, B, C, D, or F will appear on assignments, many times with the corresponding percentage grade. All "F" grades may be corrected for a passing grade. Teachers encourage students to turn in corrections promptly. Letter grades are as follows:
   • "A" - performance far exceeds expectations, or excellent work, or 93% to 100% accuracy.
   • "B" - performance above expectations, or very good work, or 85% to 92% accuracy.
   • "C" - performance meets expectations, or good work, or 77% to 84% accuracy.
   • "D" - performance below expectations, or work needs improvement, or 70% to 76% accuracy.
   • "F" - performance fails to meet expectations, or failing work, or 69% and below accuracy.

At the end of the quarter, both teachers average homework assignments, classroom assignments, quizzes, project scores, and test scores. Quality of students' oral answers in class, extra credit work, and participation in class are also taken into consideration in finalizing grades at the end of the quarter.

Extra Challenge Opportunities
   • Every student has the opportunity to complete extra credit for each spelling unit. The extra credit options include:
     On index cards, write the definitions on one side of the card, and the word on the other, for easy reviewing (3 points)
   • Extra Accelerated Reader Quizzes – After any book either read for leisure or as a class assigned novel, students can take an AR      Quiz to check comprehension and work toward class reading incentives. This will be tallied at the end of the quarter.
   • Science research – Given as needed for independent study. Topic can be chosen based on the student’s interest, and the teacher will      provide guideline information.

Homework Policy
Students can expect homework most Monday through Thursday evenings. Rarely, homework will be given on the weekend, however the weekend will usually be reserved for catching up on missing or incomplete work, or getting ahead in routine assignments or extra credit opportunities.

Assignments and Consequences
  • Every effort should be made to turn in assignments on the due date.
  • Assignments will be accepted one day late but a Homework Assistance Time (HAT) after school is required if the assignment is      incomplete on the second day.
  •Three HAT’s in one quarter result in notification of the principal. Students are expected to make up assignments missed due to an      absence.
  • Missing assignments result in a zero if not turned in by the end of the quarter.

Classroom Management
Room 207 Positive Reinforcement - As a homeroom, students will also be earning tokens based on positive behaviors in the classroom, and in transition to classes. These tokens can be earned based on polite and helpful gestures to their classmates, cooperative team building, thoughtfulness, and putting forth their best effort in the classroom. Students will be working with a small group or team of students to earn as many tokens as possible. These tokens will be stored in the classroom, and redeemed at the end of each quarter, for team rewards such as popcorn, movie, pizza, and homework passes.

In addition to each homeroom teacher’s positive reinforcement challenges, students also have behavior consequences. Both 4th grade teachers will use a color-coded reward and consequence card system for behavior. Colors are changed if an infraction occurs.

  • White – Student’s reward card will be punched at the end of the day, signifying positive behavior throughout the day.
  • Green – Student receives a verbal warning, but reward card will still be punched at the end of the day.
  • Yellow – Student’s reward card will not be punched at the end of the day.
  • Red – Student’s reward card will not be punched at the end of the day, and a school detention period will be issued to the student. If               the student has already received a detention period that week, the color card is automatically moved to purple.
  • Purple – Student’s reward card will not be punched, and he/she receives a Conduct Report. After three conduct reports there will be a                  parent/student/teacher conference with the principal.

Accumulated punches on students’ reward cards may be redeemed for prizes at the end of each quarter. Each child’s homeroom teacher keeps reward cards. Punches may be saved for the next quarter but should be redeemed before the end of the year.

Communication and Contact Information
I am very excited to begin another exciting year here at Nativity. You are welcome to contact me at any time by sending a note to school, through my email at brookefoster03@yahoo.com, or through the school voice mail at 458-6767. I look forward to a great year!

Links
Mrs. Foster’s Website – www.scholastic.com/classhomepage
Class Username: mrsfoster4           Class Password: nativity

www.nettrekker.com
Username: mrsfoster4                    Password: nativity

Textbooks
Scott Foresman Science; Grade 4 The Diamond Edition - http://www.sfscience.com/
Houghton Mifflin Reading; Grade 4 Traditions - http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/hmr06/
Sadlier-Oxford Grammar Workshop – Level Orange - http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/grammar/workshop.cfm?sp=family