Welcome to 4th Grade at
Hooper
Mrs. Graf Mrs. Lovinger
Mrs. Isosaki Miss Wisniewski
BJ Hooper 2014-2015
Where we are piecing together the future.
Your Child’s Teachers
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Mrs. Isosaki
Ms. Wisniewski
Mrs. Lovinger
Mrs. Graf
Class Rules and Expectations
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Each student has rights and
responsibilities in a community of
learners!
Rules (Respect self, others and
property)
Assignment notebook should be
reviewed nightly and initialed by a parent
Consequence-behavior chart
Math
 EnVision Math
• On-line resources available-access code
will be sent home for games and lessons
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Accelerated math students will go to
Mrs. Graf’s classroom.
Math homework will be sent home on a
regular basis
EnVision Math has been updated to
reflect the Illinois Common Core
standards
ELA (English/Language Arts)
Writing
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District 41 ELA Curriculum is based on best practices
and Illinois Common Core Standards.
Write Source and Explorations in Nonfiction Writing for
writing and grammar
We will concentrate on informative/ explanatory, opinion
(persuasive), narrative and descriptive writing. We will
also work on research papers (animal and state reports)
and persuasive speeches
Students will incorporate the 6-Traits of writing in their
work
ELA (English/Language Arts)
Reading
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The District 41 ELA Curriculum will be used. It is based
on best practices and Illinois Common Core Standards.
The curriculum outlines essential components of reading
instruction applied through a gradual release method
(direct instruction, guided practice, and independent
practice).
Students are encouraged to read for at least 20 minutes
each night.
Word Study (ELA)
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Rebecca Sitton Word Study Program
Students work with words so they can spell
correctly within their daily writing
(proofreading is a must).
Students do not memorize for tests, but learn
patterns that are helpful in spelling all words.
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We do encourage you to keep a folder at home with
the priority & core words, along with any words that
your child is having difficulty with
It is based off of the 1,200 most commonly
used words.
Science
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There are three science areas (Life, Earth, and
Physical) in the 4th grade science program.
The four specific units of study will be:
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Electricity (Mrs. Lovinger)
Force and Motion (Mrs. Isosaki)
Rocks & Minerals (Mrs. Graf)
Animals (Mrs. Wisniewski)
• We will be switching classrooms for each unit! We
will also study the scientific process, simple
machines, the solar system, and inventions.
Social Studies
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We will study the land, people, and
resources for each of the five regions of
the United States and write a state
report.
Fourth grade social studies includes an
in-depth unit on Illinois.
Students will also work on Daily
Geography and mapping activities.
Specials
Specials will be on a four day rotating schedule
so each week will look a little different.
Monday-Thursday
Friday
Computers
Art
1:25-2:05 pm
10:20-11:00 am
Music
PE
It is recommended that the students keep a pair
of gym shoes in their lockers.
Grading
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Lake Villa District 41 will continue to use the
standards-based grading system.
Grades will be input on PowerSchool every two
weeks (Parent Portal).
Parent information is on the District 41 website:
www.district41.org
Achievement grades are based on the
following percentages:
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A
B
C
D
F
90% to 100%
80% to 89%
70% to 79%
60% to 69%
Below 59%
Misc.
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Scholastic book orders (monthly)
Newsletters/Assignment Notebooks
Parties (Halloween, Winter Party, Valentine’s Day)
Snacks-keep it healthy, quick, and nut-free
Volunteer procedures
Student handbook is now on-line (hard copy
forms can be requested from the office)
Camp Hooper
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Thank you all for coming! We look forward to
a fantastic year with your children.
Please feel free to contact us anytime during
the year.
Contact information:
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jgraf@district41.org
847-245-8130
lisosaki@district41.org
847-245-8132
mwisniewski@district41.org 847-245-8131
jlovinger@district41.org
847-245-8133
If it is an emergency, please contact the office (847356-2151) and they will contact us directly.
Thank you
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Hand outs:
• Detailed curriculum information
• Internet permission form
• Student Handbook Acknowledgement form
• Classroom policies for fourth grade
• PowerSchool information and codes
• Word Study list (priority words and no excuse words)
• Allergy Handout
• “Getting to Know Your Child” Handout
Sign up for conferences