The Scoop on Gooding’s Group
2015-2016
Welcome to fourth grade! This is going to be a great year. The information in this
packet, along with the student handbook, will most likely be all you ever needed to know about
fourth grade at Southeast.
Communication: Any questions or concerns please E-mail me: marjorie.gooding@jenksps.org.
Our class website is a great place to get information about our class. The address is
www.jenksps.org. I send newsletters as needed, several times a month. (They will be posted
on the website and you will receive them via email.) I also have a phone extension that you
are welcome to leave messages on, but know that I only check it before and after school.
299-4411 ext. 5845
Curriculum
Reading: We use many sources for our Comprehension Toolkit. Our first goal is to “monitor
our comprehension”, follow our inner conversations (connecting to the text) and notice when
our meaning breaks down. When that happens, we use strategies to reconnect (like checking
for understanding, backing up and rereading, retelling the story - to name a few).
In addition to the Toolkit, I will be meeting with students (whole group, small groups,
one-on-one conferences) using the CAFÉ guidelines – Comprehension, Articulation, Fluency,
(Expanding) Vocabulary. My goal is to give kids the skills they need to gain full meaning from
text. I will access student needs with STAR test and running records. I also want to build
their reading stamina.
Reading outside of class is required and I will be checking reading responses every
Friday morning. Each child must read 100 minutes weekly and respond to what they are
reading. Please be sure that you see them do some of that reading. (Students love to “nextto-you” read. You read the paper or anything silently while your child reads their
book/article silently in the same room. Strong readers love to say, “Listen to this!” and share
funny/favorite lines.
Our class will visit the Media once a week and I am always happy to help your children
find that just right book. Our goal is one “main course” book and one “dessert” book from the
library weekly. When one book is completed, I will give your child a pass to the library to
select another.
Language Arts: Our adopted text is Write Source published by Great Source. This is a
resource book/text book that your children will use as they learn the craft of writing.
Children will use the writing process to compose narrative, opinion and informative texts.
Poetry, research skills, grammar, capitalization, punctuation and word study will complete our
language arts experience.
The beginning focus of our writing is our Writer’s Notebooks. This is the place to
hold our pre-writing steps of the writing process (gathering an idea, choosing a seed,
nurturing a topic). Then we will write, revise, edit and publish our pieces. The Writer’s
Notebooks will hold momentos/pictures, topics, short writings, that we use as springboards
for our pieces.
Word Study: I have pre-tested the students and am arranging groups according to their
spelling developmental needs. The children will work with a needed pattern for two
weeks. This pattern will be taken from the developmental stage your child is in based on the
assessments. The children will be collecting /finding words in this pattern as a way of
internalizing spelling rules. They will also learn the meanings of the word; find synonyms and
antonyms for the words as well as other activities. 4th grade will not be taking spelling tests
each Friday this school year.
Math: Everyday Mathematics is our adopted math series. Within the content, emphasis is
placed on establishing links from past experiences, discussing and sharing ideas about math,
and embedded problem solving. Playing games, solving challenging problems relating to our
world and Study Links with most lessons keep the children highly engaged. See the Everyday
Math link on my web site if you have questions or would like more information. JPS students
are fortunate to have EM Math games and the children will soon have their passwords written
inside their agendas. I want to strongly encourage all of your children to use this because it
is wonderful for reinforcement, practice and individual challenge. The SRB (Student
Reference Book) is a great source for reviewing concepts and applying them with the practice
problems at the bottom.
Handwriting: We will have instruction in cursive writing. Neatness and legibility are
emphasized.
Science: We use a hands-on discovery based curriculum called Science and Technology for
Children. There are three units of study in third grade: Animals, Electric Circuits and
Weather on Earth
Social Studies: TCI, the Pre-K-Twelfth grade social studies curriculum is to develop
responsible, action-oriented citizens with a personal, global, and historical understanding of
cultural diversity and community. We begin the year with map, globe, and geography skills.
We will then continue our studies with a tour of the U.S. Regions. It is so exciting to learn all
about our country and how people differ in each of the regions. We will memorize all the
states and capitals for each region. Our goal is to be able to identify all 50 states and label
their capitals on a map by the end of the year. In addition to our U.S. tour, we will be taking
a field trip on Nov. 13th to Rose Hill. Your child will have the opportunity to travel back in
time to a 1900’s school house and learn what life was like back then. You will want to begin
looking for an outfit for this special occasion. I will go over more about this at Back to
School night on Thursday, August 29th.
General Information
Homework:
Students will have math Study Links or another math worksheet most evenings. They will also
be assigned 100 reading minutes weekly. Coming soon: Our Weekly Reading Reports! Also, any
work that has not been finished during the school day will need to be finished at home and
returned the next morning. I will often assign written homework and occasional
projects. The children will write assignments in their agendas daily and they each have a
yellow homework folder to help keep items organized and continually located in a safe place.
Grading
Your children will be assessed using formal and informal measures. The JPS grading scale
using the report card rubric is as follows:
3 = consistently successful 85%=100% of the time
2 = progressing 70%=84% of the time
1 = area of concern (student does not demonstrate skill in an area)
I do not take a grade on every assignment but I keep anecdotal notes and use some grades
for re-teaching. I will usually state how many correct out of total numbers of points. (8/10)
I will be using rubrics for grading writing pieces and the children will be working with these
rubrics throughout the writing process. Jenks Public School is on a 9-week grading period. All
students will receive a Progress Report in mid-September. After that, only those students
who are not progressing as expected will receive them.
Late Assignments
The fourth grade policy is as follows. Any assignment not completed in class is homework and
should be finished at home and returned the next day. If there are extenuating
circumstances at home, please send me a note.
Monday-Thursday Folders: I will send home graded papers in the yellow folder. This is an
excellent opportunity for you to keep up with your child’s progress. You may see correct and
return papers and please note that these do not have to be returned the next day. Let me
know if you have concerns. The same folder makes another trip home on Thursday with PTA
flyers that you will take out and return empty.
Communication: I will update the class newsletter regularly using the JPS site and your
email. I will always include special events, class projects, and school functions. The nightly
agenda is also your way of knowing what is going on because we write assignments daily as well
as reminders.
School Attendance: Please call the office each day that your child is absent. Homework may
be picked up on request but please allow time after school hours for me to get it together.
Your child will have one day for each day absent to make up work. Our school day begins at
8:50 and ends at 3:30.
Bike Riders/Walkers: A note must be on file in the office if your child is going to walk to
ride a bike. The office has these forms.
Classroom Management: I believe in positive reinforcement. If we have a problem we will
solve our problem as a class. Students take ownership of what happens in this classroom. We
strive hard to create and keep a positive learning and social environment. I want each child to
feel worth, power and a sense of purpose. We learn together often in collaborative groups
and work hard to develop positive interpersonal skills. We will also being using our 4th Grade
Essential 20. We will also use a system called Bonus Bucks. The students can earn and lose
“Buck” for behavior, class jobs, compliments, etc.
Birthdays: We will have a monthly celebration on the last Friday of the month in the
cafeteria. The homeroom moms will send out reminders to all the parents of a particular
birthday month and you may then choose to work with the other birthday month’s parents if
you wish to do anything. The children eat lunch from 12:35-12:55 so whatever is brought
needs to be brought to the cafeteria and set up by 12:35 so that students have time to enjoy
it before rushing off to recess. We have severe food allergies in our school so please do
not bring food containing any nuts, peanuts, or peanut oil. All treats must be store bought
with a label that clearly states the ingredients.
Field Trips: Fourth grade will go to Rose Hill on November 18th and to the Capitol/History
Museum in March.
Technology: We use technology often. We have class set of chrome books in our classroom.
We will also have visits to our Computer Lab. Besides practicing keyboarding, the students
will learn Power Point, Timeliner, and Inspiration programs, slide shows, research through the
Internet and writing papers and reports. Some testing is done in the Computer Lab. Our
classroom is equipped with a Smartboard, and audio sound system (to enhance instruction),
and a document camera.
Parent Teacher Conferences: The first conference time is in October, and I will send a
Sign-Up Genius to everyone in September. If you ever need an additional conference please
let me know and I will be happy to schedule one.
Looking forward to an exciting, full year of learning!
Marjorie Gooding