FOURTH GRADE LEVEL
CONTACT FOURTH GRADE TEACHER
Welcome to the fourth grade at Balfour Elementary.
The fourth grade teachers for the 2011 - 2012 school year are:
Mrs. Langbeen
Mr. Roberts
This year you will be studying these subjects and areas:
Reading – Balanced Literacy with the use of whole and small group instruction which includes
- weekly Reader’s Notebook letters
- Daily Reading Journals
- Concentration on reaching fourth grade reading levels
Fourth grade reading levels are:
- Balanced Literacy – Q, R, S, T
- Lexile – 625 and up
Math
- Memorization of multiplication tables a must!
- Focused use of the TI-15 calculator
- Also studying algebra, geometry, division, fractions, decimals, problem solving, probability and data graphs
- Students can check out a math kit to take home to practice skills we are working on here at school. Ask your child's teacher today about this!
Writing/Language Arts
- concentration on narrative (personal and imaginative) story writing, with a state test in the Spring of 2008
Science
Rocks and Minerals, Magnetism and Electricity, Food and Nutrition, and Food Webs
Switching classes throughout the year (science only)
Social Studies
Focused instruction on the people and places of North Carolina – past, present and future
Project based learning and research
The fourth grade teachers have the following expectations of all students and parents:
Students are to follow ALL school and classroom rules
- Practice Positive Behavior and Character Trait guidelines
- Homework/Classwork folders to be reviewed and signed over the weekends by parent/guardian.
- Daily Work Planners to be signed nightly by parent/guardian
- Minimum of 30 minutes of reading a night
- Please attend all school/class/parent-teacher meetings as scheduled
- There will be parent involvement nights that will benefit the student - like Writing and Math Nights.
Some of the tentative activities and field trips that we will participate in this year are:
- Old Salem Village - October 26, 2011
- Raleigh Science and History Museums - Spring 2012
- Greensboro Symphony – Spring 2012 (free)
Of course, in fourth grade we participate in North Carolina End of Grade Testing. In fourth grade we have the following tests:
- Writing – Throughout the Year
- Reading – May 2012
- Math – May 2012
- Throughout the year, we will be giving benchmark, or practice, tests to gauge students’ progress for all of the above.
We, the teachers, are here to help each student on the road to success. We believe that the most important ingredient in the recipe of success is communication. With open and constructive communication between parents/guardians and teachers, student success is almost guaranteed. We welcome each opportunity to discuss any difficulties or successes of each student. We encourage parents and guardians to be active parts of our daily routine when possible. The fourth grade teachers view their classrooms as families, and parents/guardians are included.