Ms. Sandy Campbell
email: scampbell2@oakdale.k12.ca.us
Reading Language Arts: We use the Houghton-Mifflin textbooks that integrate reading, writing, listening, spelling, vocabulary development, and speaking. Our Writer’s Workshop focuses on the expository, narrative, descriptive and persuasive styles of writing. Students will be studying the spelling list that goes with the literature story we are reading. By completing the weekly work and studying these words carefully, students experience success and increase their vocabulary.
Math: Homework in math will be assigned on a daily basis. Much of the work we do at this level is based on the assumption that students have already mastered their multiplication facts through twelve. If your child has not mastered the multiplication tables, we strongly suggest that you work with them at home. Use flashcards and mental quizzing at every opportune moment to help them commit the facts to memory.
At-Home Reading: Each student is required to read on his or her own for a total of 150 minutes a week. A monthly reading log will be assigned at the beginning of the month indicating both the time spent reading and the pages read. This reading log will be due on a bi-weekly basis. This counts as 10% of your child’s reading grade.
Social Science: In fourth grade students will learn about California History. Students learn the story of their home state, unique in American history in terms of its vast and varied geography, its many waves of immigration beginning with pre- Columbian societies, its continuous diversity, economic energy, and rapid growth. In addition to the specific treatment of milestones in California history, students examine the state in the context of the rest of the nation, with an emphasis on the U.S. Constitu tion and the relationship between state and federal government. Students will write a report on a California Mission and also write a report on the Gold Rush.
Science: In fourth grade students will learn the following: Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many useful applications in everyday life. All organisms need energy and matter to live and grow. Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. The properties of rocks and minerals reflect the processes that formed them. Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape Earth’s land surface. Students will be writing reports on the ecosystems. Students will also have hands-on labs, exploring the scientific method.
Physical Education: Please make sure that your child comes prepared for PE every day with proper clothing and shoes. Students will not be excused from PE unless we have a parent notification and a note from a physician.
Grading Policy: Grades are made up of homework, class work, tests, quizzes, and projects. Homework is graded on effort. Therefore, a child who truly makes an effort, but does not score well on a homework assignment, still can earn most of the points based on the effort that was made. These scores will be averaged into the other categories of tests, quizzes, class work, and projects. Report cards are sent out three times a year. You will also receive a progress report indicating performance midway through each trimester. Our first conference will be in the fall. The grading scale is as follows:
90%-100% = A 80%-89% = B 70% - 79% = C 60% - 69% = D
0% -59% = F
Time Management: Major goals of fourth grade are to instill effective time management practices, to develop organizational skills, to teach responsibility, and to encourage self-reliance. Your involvement is necessary and valued to help your child become independently responsible and to make the transition to fifth grade easier. Organization is challenge for many fourth grade students. Try to familiarize yourself with your child’s organization in her or his binder, check it routinely to see that it is in order. This is where notes and reference materials are kept to be used to assist in completing assignments. Take unhurried time to review each section in their three ring binders. It should be very organized and neat. Catch warning signs early.