Welcome 2020-21

Dear Parents,

Welcome to 4th grade extended Math and/or Reading! It is an exciting time as children come upon new adventures in digital learning. This is a year of important transitions, as well as gaining new skills and strategies to add to your child's toolbox for learning. I hope to make your child’s learning experience a fun and exciting one, and I hope to instill a love of learning and continue to teach them how to learn.

So many things are changing and one of my goals this year is to have as much consistency and transparency as possible for both you and your child. In fact, this year will be full of opportunities to develop our mindsets towards learning and growth. It is tremendously important to keep in mind that we all build on small successes. Each child will progress at their own rate, acquiring skills as they are developmentally ready. Maintaining each child’s self-esteem and building a secure foundation for future growth will always remain a priority in the extended classroom.

Here are some ways you can help: Celebrate your child’s success, no matter how small it may seem. This will keep your child enthusiastic about learning and proud of their work! Read to and with your child every day, if possible. The more your child is exposed to language, the easier it will be for them to incorporate new skills in reading and math in the classroom. I am looking forward to working with your child this year and helping them achieve their full potential. Please contact me if you need anything.

I will send out blog posts with helpful tips, strategies, and information throughout the year. We will learn and grow together!

Warmly,

Pam

Comments

The Power of Sketch-noting

Sketchnoting is a powerful tool that can really helps students learn, think, and grow their ideas. We learn and practice this as a tool in our extended class. Take a look.... Why Teachers Are So Excited About the Power Of Sketchnoting Katrina Schwartz Nov 3, 2019 Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Carrie Baughcum's sketchnote of why she uses sketchnoting in her classroom. (Courtesy Carrie Baughcum ) Once a month, Rayna Freedman ’s fifth-graders present their genius hour projects. They get to explore anything that interests them and present what they’ve learned to the class in whatever way they want. Freedman likes genius hour projects because students often get more excited about researching and sharing their knowledge about a topic that interests them. But she was never sure what the other kids were getting out of listening to the presentations. One day she noticed a student in the back of the class drawing during the presentations. She went ove...

#3GoodThings

As I have been reading more and more I have come to see a pattern of what is important in teaching and learning. A pattern I see is having a positive growth mindset and being grateful and happy about yourself and your life. Here is some information about what noticing 3 good things a day and reflecting can do. I will be doing a project called #3GoodThings with my reading classes as a way to promote social-emotional learning and reading/writing. Students will notice 3 positive things in their lives or the lives of others around them and write them in a digital journal (or they can choose to use a journal they have) and then on Friday, there will be a Reflection Friday assignment. This is a way to help encourage us to notice more and to find a way to be positive. This is a website called Action for Happiness that has other ideas as well. Enjoy...and let's be happy together! Warmly, Pam

Try New Things ! Growth Mindset

One of my favorite songs for kids is "Try Everything" from Zootopia (A great movie) because the words encourage trying and getting up and trying again. I will use this song in the classroom to help show a growth mindset towards life! Try Everything Song and Video Also here is a great article about ways to encourage your child to try new things.

2020-21 4th grade Extended Math/Reading Lines Elementary School

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