Week One!

It was so wonderful to meet you at Meet The Teacher Night! Thank you to everyone who came. It was a joy to get to speak with each of you, and of course your sweet kiddos! I am ready to see them all again Monday morning! 

In this update I'll briefly discuss what the lessons this week will look like, give a test and quiz schedule, and discuss some other important classroom topics. 

Lessons

Grammar/Writing: Students will start off the year in grammar and writing with a focus on what a sentence is and then a review of the parts of speech.

History: The year beings with a study of geography in history. Students will learn how to measure the distance between two places on a map, the role of latitude and longitude lines, how to find a place on a map using coordinates, and times zones. There is a quiz on Friday.

• The symbol on a map with four arrows pointing in different directions is called a ________________.
• A map key, or _______________, is a table or chart with symbols that represent places or routes on a map.The earth is divided into four half spheres, called ________________.
• The ____________ is a line of _______________ dividing the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres.
• A map _________ can help you find the distance between two places on a map and looks like a ruler.  
• The ______________ is a line of _____________ dividing the earth into the eastern and western hemispheres.

Literature: The first book of the year is The Princess and the Goblin. Please have your child bring his/her copy of the book on Monday. This week, students will read chapters 1-4. 

Math: The study of mathematics starts with a review and study of place value. This year, students must memorize all whole numbers from the ones place to the hundred millions place. They will have a test on this Monday of week 2. 

Poetry: Students will memorize the poem "Humanity" by Elma Stuckey. They will have two weeks to memorize this poem and will be expected to recite it perfectly during week 3. Students should practice this poem nightly until memorized and then every other night to maintain the memorization. 

Greek and Latin Roots: This week, students will learn the first four Greek and Latin roots. They will have a review check-up on these next week. 

Science: The study of science begins with a study of chemistry. This week, students will learn about atoms. This will include what an atom is, how atomic theory was developed, and the parts of atoms. Once they understand that everything is formed by atoms, they will discover the terms matter, mass, density, volume, and vacuum.

Spalding: On day one, students will take a 50-word spelling test that will help me see what your child's spelling grade level is. This is an important piece of data for me, but it does not factor in your child's grade. Students will then start learning the rules of the English language. They will be taught 10 words this week and there is a Spalding Test on Friday.

Important Dates

• Friday: History Quiz
• Friday: Spalding Test
• Monday (Week 2): Place Value Test

Class Information

Nut-Free: 4A has a student who is allergic to nuts, therefore we are a nut-free classroom. Students may not bring in any food with peanuts in them. Students will not be permitted to eat a snack with nuts in the hallway during snack time. Please provide your child with another appropriate snack. 

Snack Regulations: The goal of snack time is to provide the students with an opportunity to eat a healthy snack that will help hold them over until lunchtime. Therefore, I limit snack options. Students may not eat chips, candy, or cookies during snack time. Students may only drink water in the classroom. One exception to the cookie rule is "healthy cookies" such as a protein cookie. Students may also not have messy snacks such as cups of fruit with syrup, jello, pudding, apple sauce, and cracker or pretzel packets that include a dip. This is done simply to maintain the cleanliness of the classroom. 

Good snack options include, but are not limited to, fresh fruit and vegetables, popcorn, crackers, Gold Fish, sliced meats, hard-boiled eggs, beef jerky, and cheeses. If you have any questions or comments regarding snack, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. 

Literature Books: It is recommended that families purchase the literature books for their children so students can write in their books as we read them. That way, when they come across a word they don't know or something surprises or confuses them, they can quickly access that part of the text for discussions. However, if you are not able to purchase the books, one will be provided to your child. But, he/she will not be able to write in it. Please let me know if your child needs a book provided to him/her.

Poetry Notebook: In your child's desk is their poetry notebook. This has all of the poems we will memorize for recitation and those which we will only read. Many students keep this in their take-home folder, but you may keep it at home if you wish. 

Greek and Latin Roots Review Check-ups: Each quarter, students will take a Greek and Latin roots test. These tests are cumulative, so the one at the end of the first quarter is 25 roots, the second quarter one is 50 roots, the third quarter one is 75 roots, and the final roots test is 100 roots. To promote memorization and to support students in remembering the ones they've memorized, there are weekly review checks. Most of these are only over the ones they learned the previous week. However, every four weeks, students will have a cumulative review check to help them stay committed to memorizing their roots.

Homework: Last year, Archway Arete took some measures to reduce the amount of time students were spending on homework. The goal for nightly homework is roughly 60 minutes Monday through Friday. Fourth-grade students will have homework over the weekend. Here is an idea of what nightly homework should look like.

• Individual Reading (20 minutes) - This may include assigned reading by the teacher. 
• Math Homework [including math fact review] (20 minutes)
• Spalding [including phonogram review] (10 minutes)
• Study and Memorization [Science, Greek and Latin Roots, & Poetry] (10 minutes)

Next, the expectations for homework are different depending on the subject. This is a brief overview of what homework will look like for each class. 

• History
• There is no homework in history. All tests and quizzes are open-notes. There are two projects in history. More details about the projects will come later.
• Science
• Students should complete study guides and study for tests as a routine. It is not a good practice to try and cram everything in the night or two before the test. 
• Eventually, there will be nightly reading comprehension assignments in science. The minutes spent working on these will count toward the individual reading time. 
• Math
• Students will complete selected workbook problems on most nights.
• Students will be provided with practice tests before the upcoming test. 
• Students will have a nightly review worksheet with 3-6 problems.
• Students should practice their math facts 3-4 times a week (I recommend the car as the place to do this). 
• Grammar
• There are occasional homework assignments to review for tests. 
• Writing
• There is no "writing" homework. However, a rough draft may be sent home to have students get parent feedback. 
• Greek and Latin Roots
• Students should study their roots for a few minutes 2-3 times a week. Students will likely spend more time in the days before the tests. 
• Poems
• Students should spend 3-5 minutes a night memorizing their poems. The time will likely increase right before a recitation. This time should count toward the individual reading time. 
• Spalding
• Students will write each spelling word one time with spaces--no rules or markings.
• Literature
• There is no homework in literature. 

Homework is usually due the next day. Students will be given specific instructions if this is not the case. All late homework will receive 80% of its value. Students may turn in late homework up until the last day of week 8 of each quarter. 

Dress Code: As a member of Archway Arete, it is my responsibility to enforce the dress code. Please understand, if your child receives a uniform infraction for a dress code violation, this in no way impacts my relationship with the child or how he/she will perform in my class. If you have any complaints regarding the dress code, please direct those to Dean Kaye, the Dean of Students. 

• Belts for Boys and Girls: Boys and girls must wear a black belt with their shorts and pants. If there are belt loops, a belt should be worn.
• Appropriate Length Hair for Boys: Boys must have their hair cut short enough that their hair does not tough their collar, come below the midpoint of the ear, or cover their eyes.
• Headbands, Bows, Barrettes, and Hair Ties for Girls: Girls may wear headbands, bows, barrettes, and hair ties, but they should match the school uniform. That means they should be black, white, baby blue, or navy blue. Other colors will not be permitted. They should also be small to prevent them from being a distraction.
• Bracelets: Students may wear one watch, but are not allowed to wear bracelets. This includes hair ties for ladies. Students who wear bracelets will be required to remove them, even if cutting is required.
• Necklaces: Students may only wear a necklace with religious significance. It should be worn under the polo as to not be a distraction. 
• Shoes: Shoes should be all black. This includes laces, soles, logos, etc. 

Grades: Grades, for me, though likely not for you or your child, are simply a benchmark of current success or mastery in a specific subject (like history) or skill (like studying). They do not indicate a child's overall ability level or intelligence. I think of tests and quizzes as assessments, instruments given by me to assess a child's current level in respect to a specific skill (can this child do this sort of problem in math or has this child learned how to study to prepare himself/herself for a science assessment). Where I will often differ from your child and you is that I don't think of an F as a bad thing. An F simply means that a child has not yet mastered a specific subject or skill. When an F happens, it simply means that I need to identify the cause. In any case, having an F on a test may be the best thing for a child because it at least alerts you and me to some issue. If a struggling student simply gets lucky and does well, we will likely assume that the child is fine until some later time. And, thankfully, fourth grade is a great year to struggle and fail at times. This is the case because there are still four years to resolve this issue before an F in a class really hurts. Colleges don't look at fourth-grade transcripts, so if something is wrong, it is best to fix it when it won't hurt the child's long-term future.

Thank you for hanging in there to read all this important information! I do not take the task of teaching your children lightly. I count it as an honor and joy to get to work with them and watch them grow this year!