September Newsletter

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our first class blog. I'm going to be sending the newsletter once a month via this blog. I will also be adding other important information as necessary. Currently there is a link to our class schedule as well as a calendar that I will update as needed.

So far our class is going very well. We're all trying to get back into the swing of things. I'm not complaining that we had Monday off, but it still doesn't feel like we're really going. By the end of this week I'm sure we'll all know the schedule and be ready to roll!

Each month I will list curriculum topics so that you will know what your children are learning. I hope it will make it easier when you ask what they are doing and they reply "nothing." Don't worry we're always doing something!

Thank you so much for all the beautiful flowers. You made my birthday special.

Sincerely,
Naletta Galbraith


Science

We begin the year with a review of the scientific method or scientific inquiry as well as a look at scientific process skills. We are learning how to conduct experiments so that throughout the year we will be more successful at completing experiments and understanding the results.

Beginning next week we will be looking at the structure and function of plants and then move on to animals. In the life science unit which will last the first quarter, we are paying particular attention to adaptations, habitats, and inherited versus learned traits. It's by far my favorite unit in science!


Math

Math begins with a review of concepts learned last year. These include place value up to the millions, how to round numbers, and multiplication and division facts.

Throughout the year we will be incorporating problem solving into all our units. Each week we will work on an Exemplars problem. These are open ended problems which don't always have one correct answer. The emphasis on Exemplars is not only to find the right answer, but also to communicate how you came up with that answer. We are beginning with problems that we work as a class and in small groups and then will move on to completing them independently.


Writing

Fourth grade is our big TAKS writing year. By the time TAKS comes along, we will all be ready. Right now we are starting to set up our writer's notebook and writer's workshop folder. We have already created a map of a special place with stories marked so that we have something to go to when trying to decided what to write.

We are also discussing what writing is. We pay particular attention to the intended audience of and the purpose of our piece.

Historically speaking, the TAKS is a personal narrative so we will spend much of our time working on personal narratives. They are also often the best place for authors to start. It is usually much easier to write about something you know than something that is completely fictional. However, we will get to other genre of writing throughout the year.

Our first personal narrative will be a piece about the origin of their name. Students will be asked to research where their name came from, it's meaning, and anything else special about it. They will then write an essay about this.

We go through the entire writing process including editing and publishing. Throughout the process they will meet with a writing partner as well as meet with me.


Reading

This year we will do much of our reading in reading groups. We will also have large group instruction to highlight various strategies and literary components. Students are required to read 20 minutes a day and fill out a reading log. The reading log is located in a separate section of their binder. We are just beginning this the first week of September. We will be sharing our comments so that students get a better idea of what to write in response to their reading.

Our class has begun a class read called Eggs by Jerry Spinelli.

This year our book buddies are Mrs. Skinner's pre-kindergarten class. We have met with them once and are eager to share our stories with them. Not only does this help the younger students hear good reading, but it helps the fourth graders practice their fluency. Mrs. Skinner already has plans for us to help with various other projects as well.


Social Studies

Texas is the theme for the year. This month we will be reviewing map skills and studying the various landforms of Texas.

We will also learn to identify all 50 states. We will do this by region beginning with the southwest region.