Math Study Guide and Week 4

Dear Parents,

We had a lot of fun in science class this week. Both classes had the opportunity to analyze stories and come up with reasonable hypotheses about what the observations contained in those stories could mean. It was amazing to see how creative the students were; given the exact same story, many of them came up with completely different hypothesis about it. This gave us an opportunity for great conversations about how different scientists can come up with different hypotheses given the same observations, and how the only way to know if a hypothesis is true is to do an experiment. It was great to see the students’ eyes light up as they came up with their hypotheses and to watch the jy they took in sharing their ideas.

This week I would like to discuss birthdays. In fourth grade we allow our students to bring in treats and celebrate their birthdays; we want the students to feel special, and we enjoy the opportunity to celebrate them as individuals. However, we are concerned about how the large numbers of sweets can affect students’ health, as there are often five or six birthdays a month. We have also heard concern from parents who prefer their children to eat healthy foods but who can’t help it if their child gets sweets at school. Therefore, in order to promote a healthy fourth grade class that celebrates its members, the fourth grade team consulted with the Nurse Perialis and Coach Brinson (who has a master’s degree in nutrition) to come up with the following policy about birthday treats:

Treats for birthdays should be healthy or at least mini-sized. In the past, students have celebrated with watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, and other fruits. Apples with caramel dip, string cheese, or ants on a log are other possibilities. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. If treats are not healthy, they should be mini-sized. As an example, some students bring in birthday cupcakes. However, the large 3 inch diameter cupcakes that are sold in bakeries are actually considered two servings of sugar, calories, etc. for adults. Instead of 3 inch diameter cupcakes students should bring in the mini 1 inch diameter cupcakes which are more kid-sized. Instead of doughnuts, students can bring in doughnut holes or mini doughnuts, instead of cookies mini cookies, etc. Last but not least, for the safety of our students with allergies, we ask that all processed foods be accompanied by labels listing ingredients. Naturally, fruits and veggies don’t need labels. J

Keep in mind that many students bring their own snacks for recess and sometimes there is more than one celebration on the same day. Also, recess is only an hour before lunch. They will have plenty to eat and enjoy even when birthdays snacks are smaller.

On a different note, this week I will begin emailing parents of students who are missing assignments. Almost every assignment has one or more students who did not turn it in, so for efficiency’s sake I will be sending group emails to all the parents of students missing an assignment. The message contained will not be personal, but it will be private; I will be using a blind carbon copy so no one will know who else is receiving each message.

Of course, a good student who works hard may still occasionally forget to hand in an assignment. Also, a student may have handed in an assignment without their name on it. In fact, I have had over ten assignments turned in without names since the start of school. Naturally, teachers can’t give credit for an assignment if they don’t know whose it is. This can result in a situation in where the student insists they handed the assignment in, and teachers must further insist that they have not received it. Sometimes a student forgets to pick up a copy of the assignment in the first place and so is unaware that there is an assignment they have not handed in. At other times, they forget an assignment because it is absent work, or they complete the assignment but forget to actually hand it in.

There can be many reasons, sometimes good reasons, why a student has not handed in an assignment. In any case, all missing assignments are ultimately the student’s responsibility. If they choose to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the emails I send their parents, they should first look for the assignment in their homework folder, at home, and in their desk. If they still can’t find it, they can pick up a copy from the missing assignment bins in the fourth grade classrooms. All math and science assignments will be in the bin in my room, and all literature, writing and history assignments will be in bin in Mr. Ohabyashi’s room. Late assignments will be graded at half credit, but this is far better for students’ grades than no credit.

Having successfully completed our first science test last week, we know turn our attention to math. We have a math test coming up on Thursday. Some of you may have received the email I sent explaining that I forgot to have students to put it in their agenda. At such times in class I usually tell students, “See? Teachers make mistakes, too!” While I recognize the test will make this a busy week for students, who also have a history test, I wanted to have the test before Labor Day weekend so that students will not feel pressured to study when they should be enjoying time with their families. The test will be on place value, rounding and comparing numbers using the < > signs. As with the science test I have included a study guide below my signature line in this post.

These are all the notes I have for you this week! If you have any further questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account, and I will be happy to help you.

Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt

Math Test Study Guide

1.       The ten digits are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

2.       Students should be able to read numbers with places through the hundred millions’ place. They should be able to identify place values through the hundred millions’ place. This may sound simple, but a surprising number of students have been stumbling when asked to work beyond the thousands’ place.

3.       Students should understand the distinctions between digits, place and value. For example, given a number like 4,162 students should be able to answer questions like, “What digit is in the thousands’ place?” (4)  “In what place is the digit 6?” (It is in the tens’ place) and “What value does the digit in the in the tens’ place have?” (60) Most likely numbers used for such questions on the test will have places through the hundred millions’ place.

4.       A round number is any number that ends in 0.

5.       Students should be able to round to any place through the hundred millions’ place. We have discussed the idea that rounding means find the closest round number to a given number.  For example, rounding 275 to the tens’ place means finding the multiple of ten that is closest to 275, in this case 280. However, students should be able to use the standard rules for rounding to find such numbers.

6.       The standard rules for rounding are as follows: Find the place to which you are rounding. Underline it. Circle the digit directly to the right of the place to which you are rounding. If the circled digit is 0-4, then round down. That is, all the places up to the underlined place change to zeroes, and the digit in the underlined place does not change. If the circled digit is 5-9, then round up. That is, all the places up to the underlined place change to zeroes, and add one to the underlined place.  For example, 47,532 rounded to the thousands’ place is 48,000. 47,232 rounded to the thousands’ place is 47,000.

7.       One more standard rule for rounding: If the digit in the place to which you are rounding (underlined place) is 9, and you need to round up, than the digit in the underlined place also becomes a zero, and you add one to the digit in the next place above it. This is because you are adding one to a nine which makes ten, and you must carry your one. For example, 1,973 rounded to the nearest hundred is 2,000.

8.       Students should understand that you can round to a place which the number you’re rounding does not even have. For instance, 767 rounded to the thousands’ place is 1,000, or 12,450 rounded to the hundred thousands’ place is zero.

9.       Students should understand that when you round to a place that is not the highest place of the number you still have to write all the higher place values of that number in your answer. For instance, when asked to round 12,345 to the tens’ place, some students will write 50, but the correct answer is 12,350.

10.   Students should be able to use the wavy equals sign to mean approximately when writing answers to rounding problems. (It looks like two of these signs ~ stacked on top of each other.

11.   Students should be able to use the < > signs. The large end always points to the bigger number. 55 is greater than 6 should be written as 55 > 6.   4 is less than 400 should be written as 4 < 400.

12.   Students should be able to read statements using the < > signs. 67 < 70 should be read, “67 is less than 70.”  34 > 5 should be read, “34 is greater than 5.”

13.   Students should be able to accurately compare numbers through the hundred millions using the < > signs.

14.    In case any students are confused about which numbers are greater or less when comparing very large numbers, the following are the standard rules for comparison: If one number has more digits, that number is greater. If both numbers have the same amount of digits, than look at the place value on the far left. Whichever number has the greatest digit in that place value is the latest. If both numbers have the same digit in the place on the far left, look at the place right next to the place on the left. Whichever number has a greater digit is greater. If both digits are the same, continue comparing the next place and the next until a difference is found. If all digits are the same, the numbers are equal.

Week 3 and Science Study Guide

Dear Parents,


I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This week we have some exciting things going on, including our first foray into the online portion of our math curriculum and our first science test. I will address each of these topics, as well as a few others, in this post.

Monday will begin our introduction to the online computer system. From now on, morning math classes will be on the computer and afternoon math classes will be in the students' homeroom. The exceptions to this rule are Wednesdays and half days. On Wednesdays there will be only one 45 minute math period that will occur in the homeroom. On half days there will be only one 45 minute online math period.

Monday's online class will be largely an introduction to the Reasoning Mind interface and a time to practice procedures and expectations related to the lab. More online instruction time will occur in the following days once these expectations are clearly in place.

Since I mentioned half days above, please remember that this Friday, August 26, is a half day. School will start at the usual time, but students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm. (In other words, pick-up for half days starts at 12:00 pm.)

Regarding the science test: I had initially announced this test for Tuesday, but as I am only getting this blog post to you on Sunday, I thought it would be best to give the students more time to study. Therefore, I am postponing the science test until this Thursday, August 25. I promised I would write a study guide and include it in this blog post. I have done so; it is below my signature line on this post so that it will not disrupt the flow of the post.

Of course, it is always the student's responsibility to do their best to learn, to pay attention in classes, to carefully complete and hand in assignments, and to study for tests. No student, no matter how intelligent, can be successful without fulfilling those basic responsibilities. Students who work hard to learn can often be more successful than students who are considered "naturally gifted."

I want to make sure that students who work hard and care about the material have the best chance they can possibly have to be successful in my classes. This is part of the reason I postponed the science test and also part of the reason I typically provide study guides for tests in my classes. I say typically because the study guide should never come to be viewed as any sort of right or contract by students. I will generally provide study guides, but I may not do so for all tests, especially as the year progresses. Similarly, the information on the study guide should cover the major points of what students need to know, but as the students mature in their abilities, I may include things on the test not directly mentioned on the study guides.

Homework assignments are another area in which I offer support to students in numerous ways. If a student scores less than 50% on any math or science assignment, I will typically write "Try Again" in large letters across the top of the assignment and put it in the student's Friday folder. Students who redo these assignments and hand them back can still receive full credit for their efforts.

I believe it is more important for students to learn through their work than to get the answers right on the first try every time. However, in order to take advantage of this opportunity students must hand in their assignments on time. Students who turn in assignments late will not be offered the opportunity to try again on those assignments. Also, if a students has clearly put very little effort into their assignment, I may not offer the opportunity to try again. However, I have found that such exceptions are typically few and most students derive benefit from this system. Please look through students' Friday folders and be especially vigilant in helping them locate "Try Again" assignments so they can take advantage  of this opportunity to learn.

Regarding missing assignments: Starting this Monday, bins containing extra copies of homework worksheets will be placed in my classroom and Mr. Ohbayashi's classroom. My bin will contain extra copies of all math and science assignments. Mr. Ohbayashi's bin will contain extra copies of literature, grammar/writing, and history assignments. Students who neglect to pick up a copy of an assignment or who misplace an assignment can pick it up from proper bin. If they complete it and turn it in, they can still receive half credit for it. Of course, students must take the initiative to find the assignments in the bin on their own time (before school, during morning recess, or during lunch recess). Also, we will normally place ample copies of each assignment in the bins. However, if the copies happen to run out, they will not be reprinted. The intention of this system is to promote the students' sense of responsibility for their work while also giving them opportunities to correct occasional mistakes they make.

One more thing: please remember to sign and date the front of your student's Friday folder and send it back to school with them on Monday! I know this may take some getting used to, but I appreciate your attention to this matter very much  because it reassures me that you are reviewing your student's work and overseeing their progress.

As always, if you wish to contact me about these matters or anything else, please contact me through you Jupiter Ed account and I will be happy to help you.


Sincerely,


Rebecca Wycklendt

Science Test 1 Study Guide

  

Students should understand that scientists study natural (as opposed to man-made) things.

Students should be familiar with the scientific method as the way all scientists learn about the natural world.

Students should know the steps to the scientific method in order. They are: 1.Observe  2. Make a hypothesis  3. Experiment  4. Collect the results  5. Draw a conclusion (based on the results)  6. Communicate the results

Students should MEMORIZE the definitions of observation and hypothesis and know the difference between the two. (An observation is something you personally see or experience. A hypothesis an idea you want to test. It must be based on an observation. It is tested by an experiment.)

The word hypothesis literally means “best guess.” A hypothesis is a scientist’s best guess about causes something he observes. The hypothesis can be right or wrong, and a scientist finds out whether the hypothesis is right or wrong by performing an experiment to test the hypothesis. (The statements in this paragraph are not part of the definition of a hypothesis that needs to be memorized, but they are very helpful for students who need more clarification on what a hypothesis is. It is a long word for a simple concept.)

Students should be familiar with the idea of a scientific observation as a precise, and (if possible) measurable observation. Given two observations, they should be able to distinguish which one is more scientific. (For example, “The dog is only 20lbs,” is a more scientific observation than “The dog is small.” Similarly, “The flower is a deep violet with hints of black around the edges” is a more scientific observation than “The flower is purple and black.”)

When presented with a simple observation, students should be able to come up with a reasonable hypothesis about what the observation means or what is causing the thing observed. For instance, if a gardener has two of a certain kind of plant, one in the sun and one in the shade, he might observe the plant in the sun is taller and stronger than the one in the shade. He could infer that this kind of plant prefers sunlight or that it grows best in sunlight. Similarly, given an observation and a hypothesis, students should be able to distinguish which is which.

Note: 4B students have studied slightly different definitions related to observations and scientific observations than 4A students. For 4A students, the definition of observation they have in their notebooks will suffice.

Week 2!

Dear Parents,


We made it through the first week! Often the first week after summer is one of the most challenging weeks of the school year because students need to spend a lot of time practicing procedures and expectations so they can maximize their class time for the coming year. However, on the whole, the fourth graders seems to be quite efficient, and I look forward to a productive year with them. Of course, pick-up time is another aspect of the first week that is often less than smooth, but we appreciate your patience as we all get better at this process.

I haven't yet discussed grading and homework with you all, so I thought this would be a good chance to discuss those things. As you have already seen, students have a blue and yellow agenda in which they record their homework assignments each day. If you ever need to know what homework your students were assigned, the agenda should be your first reference.

Students will also have a homework folder in which they will bring home all paper assignments. Any assignment on the agenda that is labelled "worksheet" should have a corresponding paper in the homework folder. All homework is always due on the next school day, unless the agenda explicitly says otherwise.

Students who bring in their homework on time will receive full credit. If a student hands in their homework late, they can still receive half-credit for it. Most students will make a mistake and hand in one or two assignments late each quarter. I highly encourage students to hand in late homework. Half-credit is much better than a zero for students' grades.

If a student loses a worksheet, it is their responsibility to get another copy. I have a bin with copies of all printed worksheets handed out in my class, and students can go through the bin and find their missing assignment.When they complete it, they can turn it in for half credit.

Starting next Friday, students will bring their graded work  home each week in a manila folder that we call a "Friday folder."We ask that parents sign and date the Friday folders to verify that they have seen the work, and send it back to school with their students on Monday. In this way the Friday folder also serves as a record that parents are receiving the graded work, and that it is not being lost. We are not sending Friday folders this week because there have not been many assignments, but starting next Friday you should expect to see one every Friday.

I hope all of this is clear. I have done my best create procedures for homework that will be fair, that will support students when they make mistakes, and that will allow parents to have a sense of how their student is doing even before they see formal grades at the end of first quarter. Of course, if you have questions about homework, grading or anything else, please contact me through your  Jupiter Ed account, and I will be happy to help you.

Sincerely,


Rebecca Wycklendt

Welcome!

Dear Parents,


It was good to meet so many of you at "Meet the Teacher" night. I felt a lot of enthusiasm from students and parents alike, and I am looking forward to an exciting year.

I feel I have a lot to tell you about the classes I teach and the structure of the fourth grade classrooms. I want you all to be well-informed about your children's academics. At the same time, I do not want to overload you with all the information at once. Therefore, I will confine myself to explaining a few things each week until I have covered everything.

This week, I would like to discuss the Reasoning Mind ( or RM) math curriculum in more detail. As many of you know from my presentations last year and from my letter on Friday, the Reasoning Mind curriculum blends traditional classroom instruction with online learning. Every day, students will have two math classes. For the first two weeks of school, both of those classes will be traditional classes. However, starting in the third week of school, the first math class each morning will take place in the computer lab.

In the first two weeks, before the introduction of the computer, we will go over a number of easy topics deeply but rapidly. These topics include place, value, digits, expanded form, comparing numbers, writing numbers in words, rounding, and simple addition. Students should have seen most of these topics before, perhaps many times. However, because they are older they can now examine these fundamentals with more depth. This exploration will help them develop a common experience of math that they will use in class discussions throughout the year.

If students do find these first weeks easy, rest assured that math will not be so easy for long! By the end of first quarter we will be doing column multiplication by two and three digit numbers. By the end of second quarter we will be dividing four digit numbers by two digit numbers using long division.

After the first two weeks, the morning math class will be presented through the online program. Students will log into online accounts and work on a math lesson in the lab. Every student will start on the same lesson, but the computer will use the students' responses to individualize instruction for each student according to what they need most. Students who have shown understanding of a particular concept will be given harder problems. Students who find a concept challenging will be given extra instruction in that area and also extra problems.

As the students work, Mr. Conklin and I will be in the math lab, assisting students as necessary. The program gives teachers real-time information about how well students are performing, which students most likely need help, and what their misunderstandings are. This allows us to help them in the most efficient way possible with their individual needs. At the same time, if the data tells us a student is exceling, we have the ability to pull that student off the computer for further enrichment on the topic they are studying.

The second math class of the day will continue to be a traditional, homeroom math class. During this class, we will learn topics that are not covered by the online system or explore more deeply topics that are presented in the online system. We will use physical manipulatives to help explain math concepts and work together on problems that are too difficult for any one student to solve on their own.

The other main topic I would like to explain this week is the infraction system of discipline used in fourth and fifthe grade. This is a system we use to be objective and fair when giving consequences for minor issues. It is also a way for us to communicate with parents about students' habits, so there are no surprises if a consequence becomes necessary.

Here's how it works: If a student breaks a rule in a minor way, like talking in class without raising their hand or arriving in class without the necessary books and supplies, a teacher will write an infraction code in the student's homework agenda. This is a series of letters that is short for a particular offense. The four infractions we will use are as follows:

TLK: Talking out of turn
UPL: Unprepared to learn (missing books or supplies, incomplete homework)
DIS: Disrespect
FOL: Breaking any other clearly stated school rule

The infraction written in the student's agenda is intended to be a gentle reminder that they have made a mistake and they can do better. Most students do get a few infractions each month because everyone makes mistakes from time to time. In general, infractions written in the student's agenda are intended to be opportunities for students and parents to have a conversation about how students can strive to do better, but they are usually not indicative of a serious problem. Of course, you can always ask the teachers any questions you may have about an infraction, and we will be happy to respond.

Since communication with parents is one of the main goals of the infraction system, students are required to get these infractions signed by their parents before school the next day. If not, they will recive an FOL in fraction with a large box saying, "Sign here!" If they continue to come to school with unsigned infractions, they may have to call their parents during recess about the infractions. This is to ensure that parents are seeing the agenda and infractions.

If a student receives four of the same kind of infraction in one week, he or she will receive an after-school detention. This will give us an opportunity to sit down with the student and discuss why they are having trouble following a particular rule. Then we can come up with a plan to help students do better. If a student has four fractions in a week, but they are of different kinds, no consequence will result. Teachers will simply remind the student to follow the rules and do better next week.

For the first week, though, infractions will not result in a detention no matter how many of the same infraction a student receives. We want to give the students a fair chance to get used to the rules and the system before attaching consequences to their actions.

I hope this is helpful and useful information as we start the new school year. Next weekend I shall post again on other topics. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message through your Jupiter Ed account, and I will respond within 24 hours.


Sincerely,

Miss Wycklendt