Greetings Families,
This week has been pretty crazy as we have been adapting to the new school year. The students demonstrated a lot of virtuous behaviors this week, especially as they persevered in adjusting to the fourth grade expectations. The jump from third to fourth is pretty steep and it often takes students off guard; but they have been steady in their growth.
One of the big jumps in fourth grade is quizzes. This week, students took two quizzes: one in math and one in history. The grades on the math quiz were largely good while many students suffered on the history quiz. The purpose of the quizzes is to help motivate students to be regularly aware and engaged in class.
As a former third grade teachers, I'm aware of the teaching styles used by the students' teachers last year. The teachers did a great job of teaching the material, but students did not have to be engaged in the lessons or regularly review their notes because study guides were handed out that were often identical to the tests days ahead of time. We will still be providing study guides for many of the test or giving them a good idea of what to study from their notes, but quizzes do not function like test. Quizzes are meant to keep them engaged because they know they will be regularly assessed on the material without an extended period to prepare.
Many families will see their child receiving very poor grades. Some families may see their first F on a quiz. Please do not be alarmed. Last year, when we installed the regular quizzes, many students and families were alarmed when their child came home with poor grades on quizzes. Some students who had never seen a B received their first F. But, in the end, it paid off. By the end of the year, students were regularly getting good grades on the quizzes and their test grades improved because they were engaged in the lessons. I also saw more students excited to learn the content, because they had trained themselves to think and ask questions, something many of them had never really grasped. The third grade model of giving study guides days in advance for every assessment trains students to relax their learning engagement because they can just cram for the test. The fourth grade model promotes student engagement and joy in the curriculum because there is little time for cramming. They have to stay on top of what they are learning.
Seeing an F on a quiz won't be easy for many of you. I understand that. But I ask that you be patient with your child and me because research and my experience has shown that it will pay off.
On another note, Madame Gebara has asked that I remind families of their need to purchase the French textbook, which is new this year. You may purchase it at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (I believe it might be on the shelf at Barnes and Noble at Dana Park).
Here are the lessons for the week:
History: Students will continue the unit on maps. This is a great unit to begin with, as students will use maps throughout the year, even learning and memorizing all of the European countries and capitals, finding locations of great battles of the American Revolution, and searching for kingdoms and cities of medieval Europe. This week they will learn about time zones and how to read physical maps. The students will take their first history test on Friday.
Science: Students will continue the unit on chemistry. This will lay a foundation for future units. Through observations, inference, and data collection, they will set the base for experimentation and discovery in the realm of science. Students will learn about elements, the periodic table, and mixtures next week. There will be two quizzes this week covering what they have learned thus far.
Language Arts: Spalding phonics continues. Students will take to task the phonograms, the pronunciations, and continue working in their Spalding books. They will also start having nightly homework as we begin our Spalding words. In grammar, we will take what we learned about what makes a good sentence, and further it into classifying. Literature continues with the next four chapters of The Princess and the Goblin.
Math: Students will continue to learn about whole numbers, number sense, ordering, and place value. On Monday, they will take a quiz over chapter one. Today, your child brought home a review packet to help them prepare for the quiz. After the quiz, students will focus on estimating and rounding. They will take a quiz on estimation and rounding on Thursday or Friday, depending on the students' progress.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren
This week has been pretty crazy as we have been adapting to the new school year. The students demonstrated a lot of virtuous behaviors this week, especially as they persevered in adjusting to the fourth grade expectations. The jump from third to fourth is pretty steep and it often takes students off guard; but they have been steady in their growth.
One of the big jumps in fourth grade is quizzes. This week, students took two quizzes: one in math and one in history. The grades on the math quiz were largely good while many students suffered on the history quiz. The purpose of the quizzes is to help motivate students to be regularly aware and engaged in class.
As a former third grade teachers, I'm aware of the teaching styles used by the students' teachers last year. The teachers did a great job of teaching the material, but students did not have to be engaged in the lessons or regularly review their notes because study guides were handed out that were often identical to the tests days ahead of time. We will still be providing study guides for many of the test or giving them a good idea of what to study from their notes, but quizzes do not function like test. Quizzes are meant to keep them engaged because they know they will be regularly assessed on the material without an extended period to prepare.
Many families will see their child receiving very poor grades. Some families may see their first F on a quiz. Please do not be alarmed. Last year, when we installed the regular quizzes, many students and families were alarmed when their child came home with poor grades on quizzes. Some students who had never seen a B received their first F. But, in the end, it paid off. By the end of the year, students were regularly getting good grades on the quizzes and their test grades improved because they were engaged in the lessons. I also saw more students excited to learn the content, because they had trained themselves to think and ask questions, something many of them had never really grasped. The third grade model of giving study guides days in advance for every assessment trains students to relax their learning engagement because they can just cram for the test. The fourth grade model promotes student engagement and joy in the curriculum because there is little time for cramming. They have to stay on top of what they are learning.
Seeing an F on a quiz won't be easy for many of you. I understand that. But I ask that you be patient with your child and me because research and my experience has shown that it will pay off.
On another note, Madame Gebara has asked that I remind families of their need to purchase the French textbook, which is new this year. You may purchase it at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (I believe it might be on the shelf at Barnes and Noble at Dana Park).
Here are the lessons for the week:
Lessons
History: Students will continue the unit on maps. This is a great unit to begin with, as students will use maps throughout the year, even learning and memorizing all of the European countries and capitals, finding locations of great battles of the American Revolution, and searching for kingdoms and cities of medieval Europe. This week they will learn about time zones and how to read physical maps. The students will take their first history test on Friday.
Science: Students will continue the unit on chemistry. This will lay a foundation for future units. Through observations, inference, and data collection, they will set the base for experimentation and discovery in the realm of science. Students will learn about elements, the periodic table, and mixtures next week. There will be two quizzes this week covering what they have learned thus far.
Language Arts: Spalding phonics continues. Students will take to task the phonograms, the pronunciations, and continue working in their Spalding books. They will also start having nightly homework as we begin our Spalding words. In grammar, we will take what we learned about what makes a good sentence, and further it into classifying. Literature continues with the next four chapters of The Princess and the Goblin.
Math: Students will continue to learn about whole numbers, number sense, ordering, and place value. On Monday, they will take a quiz over chapter one. Today, your child brought home a review packet to help them prepare for the quiz. After the quiz, students will focus on estimating and rounding. They will take a quiz on estimation and rounding on Thursday or Friday, depending on the students' progress.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren