Our Partnership This Year Will Help Your Child Be Successful Student+Parent+Teacher=Success

1. Our Partnership This Year Will Help Your Child Be Successful Student+Parent+Teacher=Success Welcome to Mrs. Biondi's Fourth Grade Class

2. Meet the Teacher • Over 35 years teaching experience • 18th year of teaching in Robbinsville • Review of professional literature for teachers –www.middleweb.com • Teacher Consultant-National Writing Project@Rider University • Member of the NJDOE Teacher Advisory Panel, 2012-ongoing • Loves teaching more and more each day

3. Educational Philosophy • My mission as your child’s teacher is to instill in my students a lifelong love of learning—to communicate that through learning ,they can make their dream come true. I want them to believe in themselves and through that belief reach their highest potential. I want to help them become independent learners and responsible, self disciplined individuals. I will respect their individual differences and do everything to help them believe in themselves and develop to their true potential.

4. Communication…The Key to a Successful Year Call • Send in a note • Schedule an appointment • Coming soon….Newsletter

5. We all learn differently Not another survey!

6. Responsive Classroom and Affirmations

7. Positive Behavior Support • Knights Pledge Cards • Dimes for Charity

8. Units of Study Writer's Workshop Personal Narrative Content Area Writing-Science and Social Studies Writing Realistic Fiction Tall Tales and Myths Writers Craft Persuasive Essays With a Biographical Focus: People Who Made a Difference in History Writing With Independence: Preparing For the Writing Tasks of the State Test

9. Components of Writer’s Workshop Mini lesson (5-10 minutes) Lessons • Procedures and Organizations (routines) • Strategies and Processes • Skills • Craft and Techniques Active Engagement (20-30 minutes) Independent Writing The teacher gives all students a quick opportunity to try out the new skill or strategy. Students practice the strategy. Students often “turn and talk” with their partner. Conferring (During Independent Writing) Assessment

10. Readers workshop Independent Reading Partnerships Book Clubs • Realistic Fiction • Interpreting Poetry • Nonfiction-Science • Nonfiction-Social Studies • Tall Tales and Myths • Social Issues Book Club • Readers Read Well in Testing Situations-Being a Confident and Strategic Test Taker

11. Reading Levels Enjoy what you are reading.

12. Number of pages read at school and home should be about the same. • Must be filled in each night. Read for at least 20 minutes each night in the book they are also reading in class. • My goal….to develop lifelong readers • Sample responses

13. Scholastic Book Club Get up to 10,000 Extra Bonus Points with orders placed by the end of the month. Due Date :September 19.

14. Did You Know? • If a child reads for 20 minutes every day, they are exposed to about 1.8 million words of text every year. That is 137 new words per minute! • If families read together for 20 minutes a day, 7 days a week, they get more than 121 hours of bonding time every year! • For every year you read with your child, average lifetime earnings increase by $50,000. You make a $250,000 gift to your child from birth to age five by reading aloud, just 20 minutes a day

15. Everyday Math Our fourth-grade math curriculum helps students to learn to think, reason, solve problems and apply mathematics in real life situations.

16. Everyday Math Resources • SRB online • EDM online • Mrs. Biondi’s Website • Study Links online (just in case)

17. Science Scientific method Ecosystems Electrical Circuits Astronomy Mini Unit Motion and Design

18. Social Studies • Immigration/Culture • Constitution • Regions of the United States -what determines a region • Cities and suburbs/urban growth • Civil rights • Economics-tourism, products

19. Homework • Goal is to support classroom learning through: • Practice (math facts) • Processing (Example: write a short diary entry, reflection) • Checking for understanding (short reading and response) • To practice skills taught in class • To increase reading fluency (20 minutes a night/Readers Notebook response) • Time each night: no more than forty minutes a night, including reading

20. Homework is checked daily. • If there is a family emergency, or if a child is sick, please send in a note and special arrangements will always be made. • If your child is having difficulty with a concept, please send in a note so that I can help. • Children who are absent always get extra time to get caught up of course! 

21. Parent's Role • Be there to help • Check to make sure it is done and packed • Sign agenda • Let me know if your child is having difficulty with an assignment

22. Technology in the Classroom • Everyday Math • Raz-Kids • Moby Max • Word Processing/Flash Drive • Class Blog • Research

23. Useful Information Dress for the weather—keep a sweatshirt in the class

24. Activities Earlyact Club Band and Chorus Birthdays Mystery Reader Guest Speakers

26. Celebrate learning! Thank you for coming.