Jenks Public Schools
The Scoop on Crabb Shack
2011-2012
Welcome to fourth grade! This is going to be a great year. The information in this packet, along with the student handbook, will most likely be all you ever needed to know about fourth grade at Southeast.
Communication: Any questions or concerns please E-mail me: stephanie.crabb@. Our class website is a great place to get information about our class. The address is . I send newsletters as needed, usually once a month. (They will be posted on the website and you will receive them via email.) I also have a phone extension that you are welcome to leave messages on, but know that I only check it before and after school. 299-4411 ext. 6859.
Curriculum
Reading: We use many sources for our Comprehension Toolkit. Our first goal is to “monitor our comprehension”, follow our inner conversations (connecting to the text) and notice when our meaning breaks down. When that happens, we use strategies to reconnect (like checking for understanding, backing up and rereading, retelling the story - to name a few).
In addition to the Toolkit, I will be meeting with students (whole group, small groups, one-on-one conferences) using the CAFÉ guidelines – Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, (Expanding) Vocabulary. My goal is to give kids the skills they need to gain full meaning from text. I will access student needs with the BRI (reading inventory). I also want to build their reading stamina.
Reading outside of class is required and a parent will be checking the Reading Logs every Friday morning and recording their minutes. Each child must read 100 minutes weekly. I need you to initial their agenda total once a week on the Reading square. Your child may ask you to initial their log more often. Great! I love that they want to share how much they are reading. Please be sure that you see them do some of that reading. (Students love to “next-to-you” read. You read the paper or anything silently while your child reads their book/article silently in the same room. Strong readers love to say “Listen to this!” and share funny/favorite lines.) We are recording our minutes in our agendas.
Soon our class will be visiting the library once a week and I am always happy to help your children find that just right book. Our goal is one “main course” book and one “dessert” book from the library weekly. When one book is completed, I will give your child a pass to the library to select another.
Language Arts: Our adopted text is Write Source published by Great Source. This is a resource book/text book that your children will use as they learn the craft of writing. Children will use the writing process to compose narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive texts. Poetry, research skills, grammar and word study will complete our language arts experience.
The beginning focus of our writing is our Writer’s Notebooks. This is the place to hold our pre-writing steps of the writing process (gathering an idea, choosing a seed, nurturing a topic). Then we will write, revise, edit and publish our pieces. The Writer’s Notebooks will hold momentos/pictures, topics, short writings, that we use as springboards for our pieces.
Spelling: I have pretested the students and am arranging groups according to their needs. The children will work with a needed pattern for two to three weeks. This pattern will be taken from the developmental stage your child is in based on the assessments. The children will be collecting /finding words in this pattern as a way of internalizing spelling rules. They will usually have a few sentences to create, using forms of spelling words as part of the spelling tests. Generally tests will be on Fridays.
Math: Everyday Mathematics is our adopted math series. Within the content, emphasis is placed on establishing links from past experiences, discussing and sharing ideas about math, and embedded problem solving. Playing games, solving challenging problems relating to our world and Study Links with most lessons keep the children highly engaged. See the Everyday Math link in my web site if you have questions or would like more information. JPS students are fortunate to have em-math games and the children will soon have their passwords written inside their agendas. I want to strongly encourage all of your children to use this because it is wonderful for reinforcement, practice and individual challenge. The SRB (Student Reference Book) is a great source for reviewing concepts and applying them with the practice problems at the bottom. (I have some older copies that you are welcome to check out and keep at home for the year.)
WordMaster Tests: We will participate in the WordMaster national analogy contest three times this year. This is a wonderful experience that really stretches our students and teaches them flexible thinking as well as vocabulary development. Children will be discovering synonyms, antonyms, definitions, root words and more. Stay tuned.
Handwriting: We will have instruction in cursive writing and the majority of our work will be done in cursive. Neatness and legibility are emphasized.
Science: We use a hands-on discovery based curriculum called Science and Technology for Children. There are three units of study in fourth grade: Electric Circuits, Animal Studies and Motion and Design. We will begin our study of science with the new Electric Circuit Unit soon.
Social Studies: We begin the year with map and globe skills. The first quarter will highlight learning all about our great state. We will then begin to study the U.S. Regions, complete with learning the states and capitals. Our texts are Harcourt Brace. During our regions study, we follow Westward Expansion of the U.S., beginning with the Northeast.
General Information
Homework
Any work that has not been finished during the school day will need to be finished and returned the next morning. I will often assign written homework and occasional projects. The children will write assignments in their agendas nightly.
Grading
Your children will be assessed using formal and informal measures. The JPS grading scale using the report card rubric is as follows:
3 = consistently successful 85%=100% of the time
2 = progressing 70%=84% of the time
1 = area of concern (student does not demonstrate skill in an area)
I do not take a grade on every assignment but I keep anecdotal notes and use some grades for re-teaching. I will usually state how many correct out of total numbers of points. (8/10) I will be using rubrics for grading writing pieces and the children will be working with these rubrics throughout the writing process. Jenks Public School is on a 9-week grading period. All students will receive a Progress Report in mid-September. After that, only those students who are not progressing as expected will receive them.
Late Assignments
The fourth grade policy is as follows. Any assignment not completed in class is homework and should be finished at home and returned the next day. If there are extenuating circumstances at home, please send me a note.
Monday-Thursday Folders: I will send home graded papers in the yellow folder. This is an excellent opportunity for you to keep up with your child’s progress. You may see correct and return papers and please note that these do not have to be returned the next day. Let me know if you have concerns. The same folder makes another trip home on Thursday with PTA flyers that you will take out and return empty.
Communication: I will update the class newsletter regularly using the JPS site and your email. I will always include special events, class projects, and school functions. The nightly agenda is also your way of knowing what is going on because we write assignments daily as well as reminders.
School Attendance: Please call the office each day that your child is absent. Homework may be picked up on request but please allow time after school hours for me to get it together. Your child will have one day for each day absent to make up work. Our school day begins at 8:50 and ends at 3:30.
Bike Riders/Walkers: A note must be on file in the office if your child is going to walk to ride a bike. The office has these forms.
Classroom Management: I believe in positive reinforcement. If we have a problem we will solve our problem as a class. Students take ownership of what happens in this classroom. We strive hard to create and keep a positive learning and social environment. I want each child to feel worth, power and a sense of purpose. We learn together often in collaborative groups and work hard to develop positive interpersonal skills. We are a Tribes School, and we participate in Tribes energizers and community building activities. Our Community Circle time is a place to be heard, appreciated and complimented. Our agreements that truly run the room are: Mutual Respect, Attentive Listening, Appreciation/No Put downs and the Right to Pass.
Birthdays: I really would like to do a birthday celebration once a month during lunch in the cafeteria. Last year we would combine months or if there is enough birthdays in one month to celebrate then that is great. Usually, the parents did a pizza lunch and dessert for the kids. So if 4 people have a birthday that month then they would just split it. If this doesn’t work for you then we can work on something. Please do not send homemade items due to the health department rules. Many children at Southeast have severe food allergies so please do not bring food made with peanuts or peanut oil. Let me know ahead of time if you plan on sending a treat.
Class Activities
Field Trips: Our field trips include a trip to Rose Hill School in Perry, Oklahoma. This is a one-room schoolhouse depicting school in 1910. We will be going on Tuesday, November 9. We also will be traveling to the State Capital and Oklahoma History Museum in early March. The homeroom mothers and I will be informing you about the specifics of all these trips in a timely fashion.
Technology: We use technology often. We have twelve laptop computers in our classroom. We will also have visits to our Computer Lab. Besides practicing keyboarding, the students will learn Power Point, Timeliner, and Inspiration programs, slide shows, research through the Internet and writing papers and reports. Some testing is done in the Computer Lab.
Parent Volunteers: Our co-homeroom coordinators will have signup sheets for the many volunteer activities your children will experience this year.
Parent Teacher Conferences: The first conference time is in October, and there will by signup sheets at Back to School Night. If you ever need an additional conference please let me know and I will be happy to schedule one.
Looking forward to an exciting, full year of learning!
Stephanie Crabb
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