Parent Packet
Welcome to fourth grade and thank you for sharing your child with me this year!
My goal for your child is to have an enjoyable year, filled with many learning experiences across all areas of our curriculum. I want your child to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom. They need to be willing risk takers and learn from their mistakes.
I use proven best practices in my classroom to help my students be successful.
My class webpage will contain important information including; spelling lists, curriculum, educational links, nightly homework, and weekly news in my teacher blog.
Homework and Responsibility
Homework folders will go home with students every day with that evening’s assignment. Students will also have a planner that they will use to write in that night’s assignments. Parents are required to sign the planner each night and students are to bring it back to school in the morning and turn it in. New assignments should be placed in the front pocket and finished assignments are to be placed in the back pocket. In addition to assigned homework, students should read, practice spelling words, practice multiplication and division facts, do research, write, or play educational games along with their homework for 30 minutes a night.
Any work not completed in class during the day is to be completed as homework. If a student does not use their time wisely, there will be more homework than normal.
Students not completing homework on time will spend their lunch recess completing the work.
To help your student be successful; set aside time each night for homework and make it the same time if possible. If an assignment or problem is too confusing or frustrating write a note and I will help them during school time.
Curriculum
Math: Everyday Mathematics
Volume 1:
* Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures
* Using Numbers and Organizing Data
* Multiplication and Division; Number Sentences and Algebra
* Decimals and Their Uses
* Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation
* Division; Map Reference Frames; Measures of Angles
Volume 2:
* Fractions and Their Uses; Chance and Probability
* Perimeter and Area
* Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
* Reflections and Symmetry
* 3-D Shapes, Weight, Volume, and Capacity
* Rates
Science: Battle Creek
Unit 1: View From Earth
Unit 2: States of Matter
Unit 3: Energy Transfer
Unit 4: Organisms in Their Environment
Language Arts: Treasures (Includes reading, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and writing)
Unit 1 Theme: Let's Explore; Explore mysteries, space and wildlife.
Unit 2 Theme: Take a Stand; Take a stand in your own life as well as in bettering the lives of others.
Unit 3 Theme: Making a Difference; Find out about children and heroes that have made a difference in our lives.
Unit 4 Theme: Viewpoints; How do we know what a whale or a dog is thinking? Learn about the viewpoints of others.
Unit 5 Theme: Relationships; Read about the different types of relationships, animals, and people can have.
Unit 6 Theme: Discovery; Make discoveries about history, nature, and the animals in our world.
Social Studies (United States Studies)
Using the context of the United States, fourth grade students learn significant
social studies concepts within an increasingly complex social environment.
They examine fundamental concepts in geography, civics and government, and
economics through the lens of Michigan history and the United States.
Unit 1: Foundations in Social Studies
Unit 2: United States in Spatial Terms
Unit 3: Human Geography in the USA
Unit 4: Exploring Economics
Unit 5: Our Federal Government
Unit 6: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
Grading
Traditional grades are given in…. These are figured by percentage points.
97-100 A+
94-96 A
90-93 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D-
59 and below will be an F
*******Any score a student is not happy with can be redone for full credit; class assignment, homework, or test. *******
Birthdays
Students will be able to bring in a treat of their choice to celebrate their birthday with the class. The treat should be brought in first thing in the morning. Anyone with a summer birthday can choose any day they like to celebrate. Please send in napkins with your treat.
Helping in the Classroom
There will be three classroom parties and we are allowed to have four parents attend, plan, and run each of them. There will be a sign-up sheet during “back-to-school night”.
If you are interested in making copies or reading with students let me know as well.
I’m sure I didn’t cover everything so if you have any questions please contact me.
[email protected]
Thank You,
Justin Hahaj
My goal for your child is to have an enjoyable year, filled with many learning experiences across all areas of our curriculum. I want your child to feel comfortable and safe in my classroom. They need to be willing risk takers and learn from their mistakes.
I use proven best practices in my classroom to help my students be successful.
- High expectations of student achievement
- Course methods and routines that are clear to the teacher and student
- Varied and appropriate teaching method and materials
- A supportive, cooperative atmosphere
- Enthusiasm, energy, caring, and maintenance of a nonthreatening atmosphere
- A manifest belief that their subject is important
- Relate instruction to student interests
- Content expertise
- Spatial
- Linguistic
- Logical-mathematical
- Bodily-kinesthetic
- Musical
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
- Naturalistic
My class webpage will contain important information including; spelling lists, curriculum, educational links, nightly homework, and weekly news in my teacher blog.
Homework and Responsibility
Homework folders will go home with students every day with that evening’s assignment. Students will also have a planner that they will use to write in that night’s assignments. Parents are required to sign the planner each night and students are to bring it back to school in the morning and turn it in. New assignments should be placed in the front pocket and finished assignments are to be placed in the back pocket. In addition to assigned homework, students should read, practice spelling words, practice multiplication and division facts, do research, write, or play educational games along with their homework for 30 minutes a night.
Any work not completed in class during the day is to be completed as homework. If a student does not use their time wisely, there will be more homework than normal.
Students not completing homework on time will spend their lunch recess completing the work.
To help your student be successful; set aside time each night for homework and make it the same time if possible. If an assignment or problem is too confusing or frustrating write a note and I will help them during school time.
Curriculum
Math: Everyday Mathematics
Volume 1:
* Naming and Constructing Geometric Figures
* Using Numbers and Organizing Data
* Multiplication and Division; Number Sentences and Algebra
* Decimals and Their Uses
* Big Numbers, Estimation, and Computation
* Division; Map Reference Frames; Measures of Angles
Volume 2:
* Fractions and Their Uses; Chance and Probability
* Perimeter and Area
* Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
* Reflections and Symmetry
* 3-D Shapes, Weight, Volume, and Capacity
* Rates
Science: Battle Creek
Unit 1: View From Earth
Unit 2: States of Matter
Unit 3: Energy Transfer
Unit 4: Organisms in Their Environment
Language Arts: Treasures (Includes reading, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and writing)
Unit 1 Theme: Let's Explore; Explore mysteries, space and wildlife.
Unit 2 Theme: Take a Stand; Take a stand in your own life as well as in bettering the lives of others.
Unit 3 Theme: Making a Difference; Find out about children and heroes that have made a difference in our lives.
Unit 4 Theme: Viewpoints; How do we know what a whale or a dog is thinking? Learn about the viewpoints of others.
Unit 5 Theme: Relationships; Read about the different types of relationships, animals, and people can have.
Unit 6 Theme: Discovery; Make discoveries about history, nature, and the animals in our world.
Social Studies (United States Studies)
Using the context of the United States, fourth grade students learn significant
social studies concepts within an increasingly complex social environment.
They examine fundamental concepts in geography, civics and government, and
economics through the lens of Michigan history and the United States.
Unit 1: Foundations in Social Studies
Unit 2: United States in Spatial Terms
Unit 3: Human Geography in the USA
Unit 4: Exploring Economics
Unit 5: Our Federal Government
Unit 6: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
Grading
Traditional grades are given in…. These are figured by percentage points.
97-100 A+
94-96 A
90-93 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D-
59 and below will be an F
*******Any score a student is not happy with can be redone for full credit; class assignment, homework, or test. *******
Birthdays
Students will be able to bring in a treat of their choice to celebrate their birthday with the class. The treat should be brought in first thing in the morning. Anyone with a summer birthday can choose any day they like to celebrate. Please send in napkins with your treat.
Helping in the Classroom
There will be three classroom parties and we are allowed to have four parents attend, plan, and run each of them. There will be a sign-up sheet during “back-to-school night”.
If you are interested in making copies or reading with students let me know as well.
I’m sure I didn’t cover everything so if you have any questions please contact me.
[email protected]
Thank You,
Justin Hahaj