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4th Grade 2015-2016 Syllabus

Instructional Teams
Teachers / Subject
Gretisz Benitez
Florinda Davis / Bilingual/Reading/Language Arts/Social Studies
Bilingual/Math/Science
Robin McCardell
Megan Morris / Reading/Language Arts/Social Studies
Math/Science
Danica Nolan
Kelly Whinery / Reading/Language Arts/Social Studies
Math/Science

The 4th grade team is excited about this new school year. We are looking forward to bringing out the best in your child. This syllabus will contain information about the concepts taught throughout the year as well as our policies for grading, homework, and discipline. Please read through this information carefully with your child. Sign the last page and return it with your child so that we know that you have read this carefully.

GRADING POLICY
100-90 = A
89-80 = B
79-70 = C
69 & Below = F
Grades are determined based on scores from daily work, class participation, projects, homework, CBA (curriculum based assessments) and tests.
Students may be allowed to redo certain assignments based on the teacher’s discretion. / Homework
Students are expected to complete homework DAILY!
Students will have weekly homework in reading and math.
Occasionally, students may also have homework in social studies, language arts, and science.
Homework will be graded based on level of completion and level of understanding.
On certain occasions, during benchmarks or state testing, homework will NOT be required and students and parents will be notified with a note in the planner or a separate note sent home.
DISCIPLINE
The students at K. E. Little are expected to follow the 6 Pillars of Character:
TRRFCC – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.
There is also a campus wide system called CHAMPS. This helps students understand what’s expected of them in various areas throughout the school.
C – Conversation – voice level and who students are supposed to be talking to (whole class, partner, etc.)
H – Help – how students ask for help (raise hand, ask a friend, etc.)
A – Activity – what the students are doing (whole group, small group, test)
M – Movement – how students move around the room (stay in a particular area, turn work in, etc. )
P – Participation – how students are involved (talking to one another, working on a test, etc.)
Ø  During the 1st week of school, students will discuss with teachers expectations for the classroom, hallway, cafeteria, library, playground, and activity classes.
Ø  The students will play a role in developing rules. However, ALL students are expected to arrive on time, be in class every day, complete class work & homework, participate in class, and treat others with kindness & respect.
Ø  Consequences can range from lunch detention, laps at recess, letter or phone call home, or in-school suspension and will be based on the child’s behavior.
1st 9 WEEKS / 2nd 9 WEEKS / 3rd 9 WEEKS / 4th 9 WEEKS
Reading / Begin Reading Workshop (Students hear a mini lesson, apply concept in independent reading while teacher works with small groups. Students end with a share time.)
Genre (or types of books)
Biography/Autobiography/
Literary Non-Fiction
Skills:
-Author’s purpose (why the author wrote a piece)
-Character traits (descriptions of characters)
-Compare/Contrast events in biography and fiction story (known as paired passages)
Informational Text
-Text Features (graphs, bold words, etc.)
-Central Idea (Get the Gist-main idea)
-Summary
Poetry (Biography, informational)
-Structure (rhyme, meter, stanzas, line breaks)
Comprehension Strategies:
-Infer/Predict
-Summarize
-Make Connections / Genre Focus:
Realistic Fiction
-Understanding Characters
-Story/Plot Elements(Setting, Conflict, Sequence of Events, Resolution)
-Summary
-Theme
Traditional Literature (Fairy Tales, Folk Tales)
-Text Structure
-Theme
-Summary
Poetry
-Forms (Seasonal, Narrative, Humorous, Lyrical, Free Verse)
-Complex figurative language and its effect on meaning
Comprehension Strategies:
-Infer/Predict
-Questioning
-Analyze/Evaluate
-Summarize
-Visualize
-Monitor/Clarify / Genre Focus:
Historical Fiction
Summarize & Sequence
Character Analysis
Theme
Drama
Dramatic elements (stage directions, cast of characters)
Theme
Summary
Understanding Characters
Vocab: playwright, act, scene, dialogue, stage direction, cast, narrator, setting
Poetry
Sensory details
Comprehension Strategies:
Infer/Predict
Analyze/Evaluate
Summarize
Visualize / Spiral all genres/skills based on academic needs
-Sequence of Events
-Compare and Contrast
-Author’s Purpose
-Cause and Effect
-Story Structure
STAAR READING TEST
MAY 10, 2016.
Language
Arts / Setting up Writers’ Workshop (mini-lesson, students apply in their own writing while teacher conferences with students or works with small groups, share time)
Genre: Expository (explain why)
-How & Why CAFÉ (added Cautions, Anecdotes, Facts, and Examples to writing)
-Introductions (Funnel, Quotation, Turn About)
-Transitional Phrases (However, In conclusion,)
-Conclusions (Refer to Intro, Summarize, Call to Action)
Writers’ Craft
-Over Used Words (Said is Dead, Vivid Verbs, Sensory Details)
-Figurative Language (SMAPHO –similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia
-Revising and Editing (ARMS & CUPS)
-Using Rubric as a writing guide
-Peer editing
Poetry
-Sensory details
-Rhyme, meter, patterns of verse
Reader’s Response to texts
Journal Writing
Quick Writes
Grammar
-capitalization of proper nouns such as titles of books, stories, and essays, historical events and documents, languages, races, and nationalities
-Comma rules (ASLICED & FANBOYS) introduced
-complete sentences with end punctuation
-commas in a series & direct address
-correct regular/irregular plurals
-standard usage of parts of speech
-subject/ verb agreement
-prepositional phrases to elaborate written ideas
-conjunctions to connect meaningful ideas: correlative (either, or, neither, nor)
-apostrophes in contractions and possessives / Genre: Personal Narratives
Writers’ Craft
-Seed moments
-Leads (action, Setting, Dialogue)
-Word Choice
-Conclusions
-Thought Shots (BadaBing)
-Sensory Details
-Figurative Language
Editing and Revising
-Peer editing
-Transitional Phrases
-Sentence Fluency
-Review ARMS & CUPS
Poetry
-Sensory details
-Rhyme, meter, patterns of verse
-Complex figurative language
Reader’s Response to texts
Journal Writing
Quick Writes
Grammar
-descriptive adjectives
-comparative and superlative adjectives to make writing vivid or precise
-adverbs to make writing vivid and precise
-varied sentence types: compound and complex to match meaning & purpose
-time- order transition words
-transitions that indicate a conclusion
-dependent/ independent clauses (and their effects on meaning)
-commas in compound sentences
-apostrophes
prepositional phrases / Genre: Alternate Expository and Personal Narrative
Writers’ Craft
-Continue to use previously introduced skills with more depth
Editing and Revising
-Peer editing
-Transitional Phrases
-Sentence Fluency
-Review ARMS & CUPS
Poetry
-Sensory details
-Rhyme, meter, patterns of verse
-Complex figurative language
Reader’s Response to texts
Journal Writing
Quick Writes
Research Paper(including sources, paraphrasing, plagiarism, works cited page)
Grammar
·  pronoun/ antecedent agreement
·  plural nouns
·  reflexive pronouns
·  quotation marks
·  comma/conjunctions / Persuasive Writing
-Author’s purpose(write for a specific audience)
-Establish a position and use supporting details
-Word Choice(write for a specific audience)
-Word Choice (words to influence)
STAAR WRITING TEST
March 29 & 30
1st 9 WEEKS / 2nd 9 WEEKS / 3rd 9 WEEKS / 4th 9 WEEKS
Word Study / Word Study Principles/Buddy Study
Buddy Study Cycle
Consonant Clusters
Short Vowel Sounds
High Frequency Words
Digraphs
Using Y as a vowel sound
Long Vowel Sounds
Phonograms with Double Vowels
Compound Words
Contractions
Syllables
Double Consonants
Fluency –(repeated throughout year)
Accuracy, Intonation, Phrasing, Expression, Rate, Pauses
Handwriting – Review and Practice Cursive / Word Study Principles/Buddy Study
Vowel Combinations (oo,oi,oy,ow,aw,au)
Short O
Unique Vowel Sounds –oo
Homophones
Synonyms
Antonyms
Open Syllables
Closed Syllables
Syllables in words with silent E
Compound Words
Double Consonants
Forming Plurals (add –es,ending in y, f,fe, lf)
Abbreviations
Fluency –(repeated throughout year)
Accuracy, Intonation, Phrasing, Expression, Rate, Pauses
Handwriting –Review and Practice cursive / Word Study Principles/Buddy Study
Consonant Letters with Different Sounds
Silent Letters
Phonograms with Double Consonants
Vowel/Consonant Patterns
Vowel Combinations
Vowel/Consonant/Silent E
Homographs
Syllables
Past Tense with –ed
Adding –er
Alphabetical Order
Open Syllables
Closed Syllables
R-Influenced Vowels
Double Consonants
Compound Words
Final K Sound (c, k, ke,ck,que)
Fluency –(repeated throughout year)
Accuracy, Intonation, Phrasing, Expression, Rate, Stress
Handwriting –Review and Practice cursive / Word Study Principles/Buddy Study
Words with Capital Letters
High Frequency Words
Action Words
Describing Words
Syllables
Plurals ending in –o
Metaphors and Similes
Blended Words
Multisyllable Words
Forming Comparisons (-er, -est)
Prefixes
Suffixes
Fluency –(repeated throughout year)
Accuracy, Intonation, Phrasing, Expression, Rate, Syllables
Handwriting –Review and Practice cursive
Social Studies / Places and Exploration
-Texas Symbols & Patriotism
-Map skills and regions
-American Indians
-Exploration
*District project-based assessment completed throughout grading period. / Colonization and Independence
-Colonization (Missions)
-Colonies and Empresarios
-Revolution, Independence, Freedom
*District project-based assessment completed throughout grading period. / From Republic to Statehood
-Republic/Statehood -Annexation/Mexican American War
-Civil War/Reconstruction
*District project-based assessment completed throughout grading period. / Post Reconstruction of the Twenty-First Century
-Cattle/R.R./Oil
-20th Century
-Government/ Heritage & Culture -Economic growth Free Enterprise/Industries/ Farming and Ranching
-Interdependence/Imports & Exports/NAFTA/ Scientific Discoveries
**Culminating performance-based assessment completed during dedicated week.
Math / Concepts that will be tested on 1st Quarter CBA:
Whole Number Place Value, Decimal Place Value, Add and Subtract Whole Numbers and Decimals, Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers. / Concepts that will be tested on 2nd Quarter CBA:
Multiply 2-Digit Numbers, Division Strategies, Divide by 1-Digit Numbers, Algebra: Multi-Step Problems, Fraction Concepts. / Concepts that will be tested on BENCHMARK: Everything from 1st & 2nd Nine weeks and Compare Fractions, Add and Subtract Fractions, Number Patterns, Perimeter, and Area, Geometry Concepts, Measure Angles, Customary and Metric Measures, Time and Money, Represent and Interpret Data. / STAAR MATH TEST
MAY 9, 2016.
Concepts that will be tested on 4th Quarter CBA AFTER STAAR: Compare Fractions, Add and Subtract Fractions, Number Patterns, Perimeter, and Area, Geometry Concepts, Measure Angles, Customary and Metric Measures, Time and Money, Represent and Interpret Data.
Science / *Safety and Scientific Reasoning
*Matter / *Forms of Energy
*Electricity and Circuits
*Forces and Motion / *Earth’s Surface
*The Water Cycle and Weather
*Patterns in the Sky / *Organisms and Their Environments
*Plants and Animals
*Bridge to 5th Grade Science: Fossils

Thank you for taking the time to read through this syllabus. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Fill out this page and return to the school with your child.

I ______(printed PARENT name) have read and

understand the above policies and curriculum guides.

PARENT signature ______

Date ______

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I ______(printed STUDENT name) have read and

understand the above policies and curriculum guides.

STUDENT signature ______

Date ______