• Please be sure to sign in on the table by the door.
• Find your child’s seat.
• You may look through the materials on or inside your child’s
desk.
•I will discuss all of the materials on the desk. You may fill
out the homework helper paper, if you wish. Please list any
students (and that student’s teacher) that would be able to
bring you your child’s homework if he/she misses school.
There are pens on the front table.
Northern Bedford
Fourth Grade Classes
Welcome, Parents and
Guardians!
Welcome to Fourth Grade!
 Your child’s teachers this
year are:
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Mrs. Lisa Blackburn – 4A
Mrs. Paulette Baur – 4B
Mr. Matthew Wasilko – 4C
Mrs. Kathy Wright – 4D
All About Mrs. Lisa Blackburn
 Grew-up in Snake Spring Valley on a Dairy Farm
 Graduated from Elizabethtown College
 Masters Degree from Gannon University in Curriculum and
Instruction
 Substitute Teacher for 3 Years
 11th Year of Teaching at NBC
 Husband Justin & Sons, Nate-6 and Owen-3
All About
Mrs. Paulette Baur
 Lived in Pennsylvania until the age of 16. Moved to
Florida for 20 years.
 Graduated from the University of South Florida.
 Currently working on my Masters Degree in Reading
and Literacy.
 Sixth year of teaching. Third year at N.B.C.
 Married for 19 years to Gary.
 Have two amazing teenagers, Katelyn and Alex!
All About Mr. Matt
Wasilko
 17th year of teaching
 14th year of teaching at
NBC (5th grade=2 yrs
and 4th grade = 12 yrs)
 Taught for 3 years in
North Carolina
(6th grade=2 yrs and
5th grade= 1 yr)
 Married to Renee
(almost 18 years)
 One child, William 9th
grade
 Dog, Sasha
All About Mrs.
Kathy Wright
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Lived in the Cove most of my life.
Graduated from Northern Bedford
Graduated from Penn State University
11th year teaching Grade 4 at NBC
Married to Ty
2 Children, Dylan (15) and Kara (12)
Cares for 4 pets at home
Grade 4 Goals
 To give your children the academic and
social skills they need to progress to
fifth grade.
 To provide a supportive and fun
classroom environment.
 To help your children make new friends
and discover new interests.
Class Subjects
 The subjects we cover during fourth
grade are:
 Language Arts which include Spelling,
English, Writing, and Reading
 Math
 Science
 Social Studies
Reading Skills and Strategies
taught according to PSSA standards and
anchors
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Character Traits and Motivations
Compare and Contrast
Synonyms and Antonyms
Making Judgments
Using Story Structure
Answering Questions
Plot: Conflict Resolution
Author’s Purpose and Perspective
Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots
Locating Information
More Reading Skills
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Text Structure: Cause and Effect
Drawing Conclusions
Reference Sources
Predicting Outcomes
Using Graphic Organizers
Fact and Opinion
Recognizing a Theme
Following Written Directions
Narrative Forms
Reading Skills Continued
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Character, Setting, and Plot
Sequence, Story Events
Text Structure
Using Story Structure
Making Inferences
Using Context Clues
Main Idea and Details
Figurative Language
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Using Graphic Aids
Accelerated Reader
 Students will take the Star Reading
Test at the beginning of each marking
period to determine their ZPD (Zone of
Proximal Development).
 Students are to read books that are
within their ZPD.
 Students are required to meet their
individual goal each marking period.
English skills
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 SentencesSubjects/Predicates
 Prepositional Phrases
 Clauses/Phrases/Complex
Sentences
 Nouns
 Pronouns
 Adjectives
 Verbs
 Adverbs
 Review of Grammar
Math Skills
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 Understand Whole Numbers
and Operations
 Time, Data, and Graphing
 Multiplication
 Division
 Geometry & Algebra
 Fractions & Probability
 Measurement & Decimals
 Perimeter, Area, & Volume
Science
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 The Nature of Science
 Scientific Knowledge and
Reasoning
 Change and Its Effects
 Designing and Conducting
Investigations
 Scientific Instruments
 Systems and Their Parts
 Using Models
 Identifying Patterns in Nature
Science
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 Organisms and the
Environment
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Living Things and Life Processes
Adaptations
Inherited Characteristics
Ecosystems
Change and the Environment
Humans and the Environment
Science
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 Matter, Energy, Force,
and Motion
 Physical Properties of Matter
 Energy
 Force and Motion
 Earth and Space
 Describing and Measuring
Weather
 Earth, Sun, and Moon
Social Studies
taught according to PSSA standards
and anchors
 Geography and
Landforms
 Earth’s Resources
 Graphing
 Plotting Points on a
Grid
Social Studies Continued
 Pennsylvania Unit
 Including topics such
as the Johnstown
Flood of 1889,
Pennsylvania Mainline
and the Allegheny
Portage Railroad
Spelling & Writing
 Spelling
 Different from
previous years.
 Students will be
tested weekly on
ten select words.
 Writing
 Collins Writing
Program: 5 types
of writing
 5-paragraph
format: (narrative,
persuasive,
informational)
Specials Classes
Your child will take the following specials
classes:
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Gym
Computer
Library
Art
Music
Guidance
 They also have the
opportunity to take
recorders class in the
morning from 7:55-8:20.
Classroom Community
 Our classroom is a community. In our
community, we have expectations to help us
get along with each other.
 Our classroom expectations are:
 Follow direction the first time given.
 Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
 Use appropriate language and behavior at all
times.
 Be kind and respectful; always treat others as you
would like to be treated.
Homework
 Grade four students can receive up to 45
minutes of homework per evening.
 Weekly reading assignments
 Homework not completed before class time
will be finished at recess time.
 Parents need to check that the homework is
completed before they sign the child’s
agenda.
 We do not assign homework on weekends.
Tardiness
 School starts at 8:20 A.M.
 If you aren’t in the classroom by the
time the bell rings, please check in at
the school office before coming to
class.
 Please be on time and prepared each
day.
Field Trips
 Currently, we do not have a field trip planned!
Our yearly field trip was always on May 31st
due to the anniversary of the Johnstown
Flood. We will be checking into other
possibilities in the near future and will let you
know when the information becomes
available.
 There has been an increase in the cost for
the annual bowling trip. The cost will be $5
per child.
Let’s Have a Great Year!