4th GradePudong Elementary

During Readers and Writers Workshop, we use the workshop model. It typically begins with everyone meeting together on the carpet. Then, the lesson opens with a connection, followed by a specific teaching point, active engagement, and a link. While students work independently, teachers confer with individual students or small groups of students. At the end of the workshop, we gather once more to share and celebrate what we have learned.

Components of Writers Workshop:

Whole Group Meeting

Whole group meetings are the space in which students are presented with the mini-lesson and teaching point of the day. This can take form in many different ways. Sometimes this might be modeled writing or shared writing, it can also be a read aloud to illustrate a target skill. Other times, it may be a class discussion or a check in for the status of the class. Overall, this is the time for direct teaching to occur that applies to the class as a whole.

Work Time

The majority of our writing workshop is the work time. This is because it is where students spend time applying what they have learned during the whole group meeting. During this work time students could be planning, drafting, working on new or ongoing pieces, revising and editing alone or with a partner, publishing, or conferring. While the student is working, the teacher's role is to observe, assess, guide, help and teach students skills that will make their writing better. The largest role a teacher plays here is in conferencing. This is essential as it allows each writer individual time to experience instruction on exactly what he or she needs. Writing is a long and complex process; conferring helps to work on the specific, necessary layers of the individual writer.

Sharing Sessions

Writers workshop values each individual’s struggles, advancements, and discoveries. The sharing sessions are the space for these to come to light. A sharing session can be formatted in many different ways. It may be an Author’s Chair, a shared excerpt from a written piece, feedback in small groups or partners, publication celebrations, or even the discovery of new craft moves or writing strategies that work.

Readers & Writers Workshop

Components of our Readers Workshop:

Shared Reading

Shared reading allows students to participate in reading material that may be beyond their reading levels. The teacher models a reading strategy to the whole class using enlarged text such as big books, posters, or the morning message on chart paper. Students all have access to and can interact with the text.

Independent Reading

During the independent reading portion of the workshop, students read ‘just right’ books – books they select that can be read without help. Our classroom has a wide variety of books and poems for shared reading, posters, magazines, and a teacher who loves reading to children and teaching them about reading! While the children are reading independently, the teacher provides direct instruction to a group of students (guided reading) or to individual students (conferences).

Guided Reading

Guided reading is designed to help students learn how to problem solve increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency. Students meet in small groups and work on skills and strategies, with support from the teacher as needed.

Read-Alouds

The teacher reads to the class from a book, magazine, poem, or other print material for a specific purpose. It’s an opportunity for teachers to model reading fluency, reading/writing strategies and share discussions. This can be done during any part of the school day.

Book Clubs

Students choose books that they would like to read and meet regularly with their small group for discussions. This is a great opportunity for students to practice strategies they have learned and to share ideas with their peers.

How do we teach math in fourth grade?Students will be working in skills based groups. This is not a ‘high-medium-low’ distinction. Students will be regrouped across the grade level and will be working together to focus on skills as needed. Groups will be reformed with each unit. This will allow each child to receive the exact instruction they need instead of learning things they already know or learning things they are not yet ready for.

Why do we teach this way?Research supports the notion that different learners need different materials and strategies to enable them to achieve their full potential. Because of this, we are going to use flexible skills based grouping for our upcoming units of study.

How is your child placed?Students are given a focused pre-assessment based on specific skills from our standards-based curriculum that are covered in each unit of study.

How often will my child get a new teacher?Students will remain with one teacher for each unit of study. As three to four units will be covered each trimester, students may be working with different teachers depending on their skill needs.

How will my child be assessed?Every student will take the same assessment across fourth grade. The test is based on SAS’s math standards. Your child will receive feedback from their math teacher.

How will my child’s homeroom teacher know what’s going on in other classrooms?The fourth grade team meets regularly to collaborate and discuss each child’s progress in math.

3 Components of Mathematics:Conceptual understanding

Procedural fluencyProblem solving

Process Standards:

1. Problem Solving2. Reasoning and Proof3. Communication4. Connections

Content Standards:

1. Numbers and Operations2. Measurement3. Patterns, Functions and

Algebra4. Geometry5. Data Analysis and Probability

Math

In science, our students are engaged by exploring different aspects of the natural world and the relationships between them. Using a hands-on discovery approach, students learn about important concepts, and develop their understanding of the scientific process as they construct ideas through inquiry, investigation and analyses.

Each of the science units is designed with essential questions that students investigate through structured, purposeful inquiry. In our Structures of Life unit, students examine the form of various living organism, as well as what they need to survive and grow. The second unit, Magnetism and Electricity allows students to explore key concepts about magnetism and electricity, as well as the connection between the two. The final unit, Water, is an investigation of the properties of water, as well as the water cycle.

The Scientific Process• Construct research questions• Collect, records and organize data• Analyze and interpret collected data• Draw conclusions and/or evaluate• Make effective use of equipment and technology

Social studies is the study of people in relation to their past, their present and their future, their environment and their society. It encourages curiosity and develops an understanding of a rapidly changing world. Through social studies, students develop an understanding of their personal and cultural identities. It provides opportunities for students to look at and think about human behavior and activity, opening doors to key questions about life and learning.

Each of the Social Studies unit guides students towards a deeper understanding of themselves and others, and their place in an increasingly global society. The first unit focuses on Geography as students look at how the physical geography of a region affects people and the way they live. Using the rich history of Ancient China's dynasties, students then move onto a study of Leaders and the influence they have on society and culture as they make connections to other leaders and people who are remembered. Continuing on with time as China moves into its modern days, the final unit again takes advantage of our experiences with our host country to focus on Trade and Resources as students study how trade is a changing system that affects people and society.

Science

Social Studies

We believe the purpose of homework is to:1. Reinforce skills and concepts

2. Extend educational opportunities beyond the walls of the classroom

3. Develop independent learning habits and responsibility

Homework Assignments

The standard 4th grade homework policy for all classes is that students should be completing no more than 40 minutes per evening. These 40 minutes are shared with Chinese class, so expect about 20 minutes from homeroom classes Monday through Thursday.

Additionally, students are encouraged to read outside of school daily. We believe the purpose of reading at home is to build a positive reading life outside of school, provide additional time for students to read, and to encourage enjoyment of reading. Reading outside the classroom ideally should be a combination of reading with an adult, adults reading to children, and a child reading to themselves. We suggest 150 minutes or more per week. It will be the students’ responsibility to record their assignments.

Homework

The best way to get in touch with your homeroom teacher is via E-MAIL. We will read and respond within 24 hours, with the exception of weekends and holidays.

If it is an emergency, please call the office (6221-1445) and they will get us the message.

Please email YEAP (yeapPD@saschina.org) and your homeroom teacher regarding any transportation changes before 11:30am. Any messages sent to us in the afternoon may or may not be read (we may be teaching or in meetings).

If you do not receive confirmation from us, assume that we have not read your message.

For safety reasons, please note that unless we have your instructions in writing, or unless the office has received a call from you, we will always have students go home the usual way.

If your child is absent, please email your teacher AND call the email/call the office (sandy.hong@saschina.org, 6221-1445) with the reason of the absence. If it is illness, we will need to know if your child has a fever as well.

Class updates and announcements are shared through our homeroom BLOGS. Teachers spend a lot of time trying to keep families posted, so please take the time to read our BLOGS!

Important Notes on Communication