1. Welcome to Grade 4 Back to School Presentation
September 22, 2016

2. School News and Information
Video
F2F
School Communications – OVERVIEW
Engaging parents and families as partners in education is a key priority of the HCPSS Strategic Plan, and is one of my/our school’s highest priorities. We use several communications tools to keep parents informed of what’s happening in the school and provide the information you need to make informed decisions regarding your child’s education. I’ll describe each of these in a moment [covered on following slides].
Often – personal communications are best.
Most important though, is that you feel comfortable reaching out to teachers and administrators whenever you have a concern or question. We’re happy to meet with parents, have you visit the classroom – call the school office with questions or to set up a convenient time. We also value parent involvement in school activities.
Feel free to contact any teacher or administrator via , or make an appointment to meet to discuss your concerns.
Social Media
Print

3. HCPSS News Email Text School News Optional for HCPSS News
Emergency Notices
Optional for
Emergency Notices
Only
Parents receive news and announcements from our school and from the school system via the HCPSS News service.
Parents are automatically registered for this service. messages are delivered to the contact information that you submit through the Emergency Card process. You can review or change this information in HCPSS Connect (info on separate slide).
You will receive via
School newsletters & other communications
System-level announcements
Emergency notifications (school closings/delays).
Parents are given the option to receive text messages. New parents are sent a text message to opt-in for text alerts. – if you didn’t receive this, visit to troubleshoot.
If you were already opted-in to receive text messages last year, and your phone number has not changed, you do not need to opt-in again.
Community members and others can sign up for this messaging service at (or visit the home page

4. School Closings/Delays
HCPSS.org
HCPSS News
@hcpss
HoCoSchools

5. The HCPSS Mobile App is available free to download for iphones, iPad, and Android devices in the app stores.
The app makes it quick and easy to find the information you need, when you need it. It provides:
Simplified access to information
On-the-go access
Compiles messages and calendar dates from multiple schools as well as district information, if you have children attending other schools as well.
MOBILE APP

6. ces.hcpss.org CES Website Announcements and news School calendar Staff
Academics
Student Services
Student activities, sports, clubs
Links to essential applications
We’ve recently upgraded our school website.
The new site offers streamlined mobile access, user-friendly navigation, improved visibility, ease of maintenance and more focused search results.
Our school website is where you can quickly find:
School calendar
Announcements and news
Academic departments
Student activities, sports, clubs
Staff directory and links
ces.hcpss.org

7. GRADE 4 TEAM Teachers: Irina Suknova: Irina_Suknova@hcpss.org
Hilary Becker:
Dan Graham:
Mary Kay Thierer:
Instructional Assistants:
Nadia Koroleva:
Carol Crivelli:
Penny Otte:

8. SUPPORT STAFF Jen Palich: Jennifer_Palich@hcpss.org
Stephanie Kehres:
Cassandra Menikheim :
MeHae Roldan:
Lisa Johnson:
Samantha Baker:
Chris Malen:

9. RELATED ARTS TEAM Jennifer Cherry: Jennifer_Cherry@hcpss.org
Emily D’Avella:
Susan Van Eseltine:
Joseph Decker:
Laurie Goodwin:
Sharon King:
Eileen Volker:
Donna Britton:

10. DAILY SCHEDULE TIME ACTIVITY 9:15-9:45 Arrival, Writing 9:45-10:45
Related Arts: PE, Music, Technology, Art, Media
10:45-11:00
English Language Arts
11:00-12:15
Math
12:15-1:15
Recess / Lunch
1:15-3:00
3-3:45
Content: Science, Social Studies, Health

11. HOMEWORK Word Study/Vocabulary
An activity will be provided for each night

12. Reading Math Sent home every Monday
Returned on Thursday with parent signature
Math
Worksheet: review of learned skills
Daily practice of number sense concepts

13. BEHAVIOR PLAN Green, yellow, red
Cougar Club Days. Students meeting monthly criteria will participate in grade- wide incentive per month. Activities include spirit day, extra recess, art activity, movie, etc.
Communication Form will be sent home after 2 warnings (verbal & non-verbal) or a serious infraction
Must be signed by a parent that night
Opportunity to start fresh in each new class/subject

14. COMMUNICATION FORM

15. COUNTY-WIDE FOOD POLICY
No sharing of food will be allowed
Healthy foods encouraged
Due to the severity of our food allergic students, please refrain from sending in a food with nut ingredients

16. MISCELLANEOUS
Volunteer Training information/
Field Trips
National Aquarium
Walters Art Museum
Historic London’s Town

17. WHAT PARENTS CAN DO Read to your child and have your child read to you
Initial the Weekly Reading Homework and Nightly Word Study Homework
Practice basic math facts at home daily
Check planner for homework
Volunteer in classroom (as needed)
Keep in touch through notes, , phone

18. CANVAS OVERVIEW See your child’s individual classes
Learn about their teachers
What your child will learn (curriculum)
Links to resources
See your child’s grade level course (team information)
Calendar
Announcements
NO grades (that is only for middle/high school)
Family and community resources are now located in the same place for all different content areas by grade level. So when you want to know what your 4th grader will be learning and how to help them in reading, math, social studies, etc. you will only need to navigate from one page.

19. HOW DO I FIND IT? Login into your account through HCPSS.org/connect
Click on the Canvas (Gradebook) in the Task Navigation Pane.

20. After clicking on the Canvas Gradebook on the left, click on the link that will now appear under your child’s picture.

21. Click on the Grade Level page.

22. Scroll down to Quick Links.
Click on Family Resources.

24. HOW DO I LEARN MORE? Go to www.hcpss.org/connect Watch the video
View guides

25. The College and Career Readiness Standards for Language Arts focus on:
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
The College and Career Readiness Standards
for Language Arts focus on:
Close, analytic reading
Text-dependent questions
Text-based evidence
Balance of text types
Complex text
Writing from sources
Academic vocabulary
Speaking & listening
Short, focused research
Integration of standards

26. Reading Novels Anthologies: Treasures Series
Informational text used in Science, Social Studies, and Health
Time for Kids, National Geographic, Storyworks, and other news magazine articles

27. Writing

28. Word Study / Vocabulary
Examine words for meaning
Divide compound words into parts
Study roots of the words
Attach Greek and Latin affixes to familiar words
Negate words by attaching affixes

29. Words their Way

30. MATH Canvas Overview Philosophy of the Elementary Mathematics Office
Videos to support parents
We will be briefly walking you through the math pages available for parents. The overview page outlines the philosophy of the elementary mathematics program in Howard County and has a few videos that can be useful to parents.

31. Canvas: What Your Child Will Learn
Possible Teacher Dialogue:
This page can be found under the what your child will learn tab on the Canvas Parent Pages.
The table shows the specific standards for each major concept area. The table also outlines during which quarter a concept will most likely be introduced. Some concepts will be introduced during one quarter and then built upon as the year goes on.
There is also a link at the top of this page to take parents to above grade level content.

32. Major Math Concepts for Fourth Grade
Whole Numbers
Fractions
Multiplication and Division
Decimals
Measurement and Data
Patterns
Geometry
Possible Teacher Dialogue
Whole Numbers: Includes understanding place value to one million, comparing numbers, rounding and fluently adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers
Fractions: Includes understanding equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions and decomposing fractions
Multiplication and Division: Includes multiplying and dividing to solve word problems, identifying prime and composite numbers, finding factor pairs up to 100, multiplying multi-digit numbers and explaining calculations using equations, arrays and/or area models and dividing multi-digit numbers with single digit divisors
Decimals: Includes reading, writing and representing decimals as they relate to fractions with denominators of 10 or 100 and comparing decimals to the hundredths
Measurement and Data: Includes converting equivalent measurements in the same measurement system, adding and subtracting fractions on a line plot, applying the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles, solving measurement related word problems and understanding, measuring and drawing angles using a protractor
Patterns: Includes using shapes and numbers to create and understand patterns that follow set rules
Geometry: Includes identifying and drawing points, line segments, rays, angles, perpendicular and parallel lines, classifying figures by line segments and angles and understanding line of symmetry for 2 dimensional figures

33. Computational Fluency
Review the slide and what computational fluency means.
Points to focus on:
Flexibility allows students to apply concepts in a wide range of problem solving situations
Strategies for computational fluency build often starting with conceptual models and manipulatives
Computational fluency is more than just quick basic facts recall, it extends to multi-digit computation strategies and flexibility with numbers
This information about computational fluency comes directly from the Family and Community Resources pages in Canvas. There are also specific examples of different computational strategies that can be found on this page.

34. Balanced Instruction
Mathematics instruction in Howard County is a balance between conceptual understanding , procedural fluency and application of the mathematical concepts/skills.

35. Canvas: How To Support Your Child
Each resource page includes:
Vocabulary
Suggested activities
Online activities
Links to independent practice sheets
Possible Teacher Dialogue
Within the “How to support your child tab” you can select a concept area to find additional resources (listed above). Each topic area contains the four resources that are listed above.

36. Online Activities Possible Teacher Dialogue:
For each topic area there is a selection of online games to support the skills that your child is learning in school.

37. Independent Practice Possible Teacher Dialogue:
For each topic area there are links to options for paper-pencil practice that can be completed at home.

38. Canvas: Additional Resources
Teaching and Learning Mathematics
Assessments
HCPSS Resources
Possible Teacher Dialogue:
Briefly mention the resources available on the Canvas page. Mention the type of testing that occurs in 1st grade – MAP testing in the fall, winter and spring.
If there are question about the Online homework assistance tool:
It is an additional resource that HCPSS and the Howard County Library System offers. It can be accessed through the Canvas: Parent and Family, Additional Resources page. You will need your Howard county library card to gain access.

39. Parent preview

40. SOCIAL STUDIES Quarter 1: Maryland: The First People
Geographic Characteristics of Maryland
Elements of culture of early Native American societies
European explorers

41. Quarter 2: Early Settlements
Challenges of early colonies
Founding Maryland
Early Maryland government

42. Quarter 3: Colonial America
Economics of the colonies
Trade in the colonies
Free and enslaved Africans

43. Quarter 4: Maryland in Business
Government and the economy
Barter system
Global trade
Financial literacy

44. SCIENCE Quarter 1: Energy Energy “makes things happen.”
The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses.
Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects, or through sound, light, or electric currents.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

45. Quarter 1: Energy
Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another, which can change their motion.
Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use can affect the environment in a variety of ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

46. Quarter 2: Waves
There are a variety of wave types. Some waves occur in water, others through the air, and still others within the ground. Waves are an example of a transfer of energy.
Waves of the same type can differ in amplitude (height of the wave) and wavelength (spacing between wave peaks).
Digital information can be transmitted over long distances using waves. High tech devices, such as smartphones, use waves to receive and decode information.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

47. Quarter 3: Earth Systems: Shaping the Earth
Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal land changes over periods of time.
Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

48. Quarter 3: Earth Systems: Shaping the Earth
The locations of mountain ranges, deep ocean trenches, ocean floor structures, earthquakes, and volcanoes occur in patterns. Maps can help locate the different land and water feature areas on Earth.
A variety of hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate the hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

49. Quarter 4: Structure, Function, and Information
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior and reproduction.
Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information, which may then be processed by the animal’s brain. Animals are able to use their perceptions and memories to guide their actions.
** Sexual and asexual reproduction will NOT be discussed – “Reproduction” is limited to animals, not including humans, and refers to finding a mate, rearing of offspring, and parent identification.
Quarter descriptions are taken from “What Your Child Will Learn” document distributed by schools and online at

50. FOR MORE INFORMATION

51. HEALTH

52. Questions
& answers
Everyone

53. THANKS FOR COMING!