Welcome to 4th Grade!

Welcome!

Hoping that everyone had a wonderful summer! We are happy to be coming back and are ready for a great year. Welcome back returning students and welcome to those who are new with us this year. Mrs. Krasnodebski will be working in 4th Grade Resource. Students will see her throughout the fourth-grade area!

We welcome back our students with three assistants in 4th grade.  Mrs. Micek will continue sharing her instructional talents in 4th grade.  She is a certified special education teacher.  Also, Mrs. Bryant has come to join our team from 5th grade this year.  She has a variety of educational experiences to add to our team the whole day through.  Finally, Mrs. Kelly is joining our team to assist in one of our 4th grade math classes.  How lucky we are to have such a talented, caring women as a part of our team!

Our first week included "Getting to Know You" activities, team building and learning classroom procedures. The students and teachers have been getting to know each other, sharing some laughs and working hard.

Mrs. Krasnodebski's teaching is based on the premise that all students can learn, despite any obstacles in their path. For that reason, our students receive instruction and support both in the general education classroom and in the resource room. Your child will receive an educational program that encompasses the goals and instructional strategies outlined in his/her Individualized Education Program (IEP). We will work very hard to help your child complete all of his/her goals and objectives. If you have any questions regarding your child's academic performance, please do not hesitate to make contact.

The resource room is a classroom like any other. In order to function, it must have rules and policies that ensure fair treatment for teachers and students alike.

We are all looking forward to working with your child and helping him/her to achieve at his/her full potential. Mrs. Krasnodebski will discuss your child's academic history with his/her classroom teachers in preparation for the upcoming year. The parent-teacher relationship is vital to your child's success in school. By working together, we can help your child have a very fulfilling learning experience.

Fourth-grade students will take MAP tests during the week of 8/29. The Reading portion of the test is scheduled for Tuesday, 8/30 and the Math portion will take place on Wednesday, 8/31. Our motto for MAP testing is "Don't stress...just do your best!" 

Please be sure to mark your calendar for Curriculum Night, which is scheduled for Tuesday, August 30th from 6:30 to 7:30. You will have an opportunity to visit our classroom, and to meet your child's math teacher. There will also be a presentation regarding the district "Learning Never Stops" technology initiative.

Mrs. Krasnodebski may be reached during school hours at (630) 783-5097. You may leave a voice mail message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. She may also be reached at the respective e-mail address: jkrasno@ccsd66.org . She can respond more quickly when sent an email. Throughout the year, she will communicate with the home through notes in the assignment notebook, blog, telephone calls, progress reports, school newsletters and report cards. She will also be available for parent-teacher conferences, as they are needed.

Once again, welcome back! The 2016-2017 school year is going to be a great experience for your child! Thank you in advance for your support and commitment throughout the year.

Mrs. Krasnodebski and Beseth's Math Class: 

We will have our first day of math on Monday. Our first module is Models for Multiplication and Division. The students will learn how to interpret products of whole numbers using number lines, ratio tables, and rectangular rays.  There will be a nightly homework assignment.

May 16-20

Vocabulary

What is it?

With a solid vocabulary, a child understands and uses spoken and written words to communicate effectively.

Why is it important?

A broad vocabulary helps a child in all subject areas. The more words a child has been exposed to, the easier it is for him to figure them out when he sees them for the first time in print, and the easier it is for him to understand new concepts in class. 

What can we do at home?

Read aloud - Continue to read aloud to your child even after he is able to read independently. Choose books above your child's level because they are likely to contain broader vocabulary. This way, you are actually teaching him new words and how they are used in context.

Preview words - Before reading to or with your child, scan through the book, choose two words that you think might be interesting or unfamiliar to your child. Tell your child what the words are and what they mean. As you read the book, have your child listen for those words.

Hot potato (version 1) - Play hot potato with synonyms. Choose a word, and then your child has to think of another word that means the same thing. Take turns until someone is stumped. For example, you may say, "Cold," and your child might say, "Freezing." Then you could say, "Chilly," and so on. Try the game again with antonyms.

Hot potato (version 2) - Play hot potato with prefixes or suffixes. The prefixes dis-, ex-, mis-, non-, pre-, re-, and un- are common ones. Common suffixes include -able/-ible, -ed, -er, -est, -ful, -ish, -less, -ly, -ment, and -ness.

Hot potato (version 3) - Play hot potato with categories. For younger children, the categories can be simple: pets, clothes, family members. For older children, the categories can be quite complex: The Revolutionary War, astronomy, math terms. 

Word Collecting - Have each family member be on the look out for interesting words that they heard that day. At dinner or bedtime, have everyone share the word they collected and tell what they think it means. If the child shares an incorrect meaning, guide him to the correct meaning. Try to use some of the words in conversation.

May 9 - 13

Mrs. Krasnodebski & Mrs. Beseth's Math Class:
We will continue Unit Five Geometry and Measurement.  This week we will focus on symmetry and polygons.   The students should know how to identify the different types of polygons.  

Comprehension 

What is it?

Simply put, comprehension is the reader's ability to understand what he is reading.

Why is it important?

Comprehension is the main goal of reading. The written word is an author's way of communicating with a reader. A reader needs to be able to understand what the author is saying and think about how the author's words affect him. Good comprehension leads to reading enjoyment. Reading enjoyment leads to more time spent reading. More time spent reading leads to better comprehension, and so on...

What can we do at home?

Think aloud - Even though your child is now an independent reader, don't stop reading aloud! When you read aloud to your child, talk about your reactions to what you are reading. This gives your child a deeper understanding of comprehension. For example, describe how you feel about what's going on in the book, what you think will happen next, or what you thought about a character's choice.

Know the Strategies that Your Child is Learning - 

1. Predicting - Predicting means using clues from the text and from your own knowledge to figure out what might happen next.

2. Inferring - Inferring means using clues from the text and from your own knowledge to figure out something that the author does not say directly, such as how a character is feeling or why the character chose to act a certain way. 

3. Questioning - Question means that, as a thoughtful reader, you are always asking questions about what you read as you are reading. For example, "Why did the author spend so much time describing the red umbrella? I wonder if that will be important later in the story."

4. Monitoring and Clarifying - Monitoring means making sure that you are understanding what you are reading. For example, we've all had the experience of reading to the end of the page and not remembering what we've read. When we realize that, we are monitoring our reading. Clarifying means clearing up any misunderstanding or lack of understanding. For example, if you didn't remember what you had read, you might choose to reread that page.

5. Retelling and Summarizing - Retelling means telling what happened in your own words. With fiction, a good retell usually includes characters, setting, problem, events in order, and solution. Summarizing is like giving a very short retell. In a summary, the reader includes only the most important details.

6. Visualizing - Visualizing means imagining the text in your head, like a picture or movie in your mind. Some readers do this automatically, but others need coaching. For example, if the story is about children having a lemonade stand, you might picture the weather, how busy the street was, what type of neighborhood it is in, what the children are wearing, or how many people are gathered around. These are details that the author may not include, but they help the reader better understand the story and get that feeling of "being there." 

Reading fiction

1. Here are two strategies to use before beginning a fiction book. 

Predicting - Have your child look at the cover and the first page and make a prediction about what will happen in the story. Emphasize using clues from the story and from personal knowledge.

Questioning - Encourage your child to create a couple of questions that he would like the author to answer in the book. This gives your child a purpose or a goal for reading.

2. While reading, try these strategies.

Predicting - Stop at various points, particularly at the end or chapters or at very exciting points, and ask your child, "What do you think will happen next? Why?"

Questioning - Encourage questioning. "Do you have new questions about what's going on in the story? What do you wonder?"

Inferring - Help your child think about the character's actions, words, and feelings. "Does the author give any clues about why the character is acting certain way or how the character is feeling or why the character would say what he did? Have you ever had an experience like the character's?"

Monitoring and Clarifying with a Retell/Summary - Stop every few pages or at the end of the chapter and ask your child to tell you what has happened so far in the story. If he can do this, continue on with the story. If he cannot, try rereading the section together to figure out where the misunderstanding took place.

Visualizing - Every now and then, stop and ask your child to describe the picture in his mind at this part in the story. If necessary, ask questions to help your child make this picture more vivid and detailed.

3. After reading, emphasize the strategy of retelling/summarizing. You may have had your child retell pieces of the story as he read; now it's time to retell the story as a whole.

PS - There's no need to work on every strategy every time. In fact, that would really interfere with the flow and enjoyment of the story. Choose one or two strategies at a time.

Reading Nonfiction

1. Here are two strategies to use before beginning a nonfiction book.

Predicting – Preview the cover and the table of contents. Ask your child to think about what he would like to find out by reading this book. Ask him if he thinks this book will give him the information that he is looking for.

Questioning – After looking at the cover and the table of contents, ask your child what questions he would like this book to answer. This helps set a purpose for reading. 

2. While reading, try these strategies.

Questioning - Have your child continue asking questions as he reads and to notice when the text answers his questions. 

Monitoring and Clarifying - Help your child make sure he monitors his reading by stopping at the end of a section or chapter to ask, "Did I understand what I just read? If not, what can I do about it?"

Retelling/Summarizing – Reinforce the idea of main idea and supporting details.Ask your child, “What was this section mostly about?” This is the main idea. Then ask, “What details tell more about the main idea?” 

3. After reading, wrap up the discussion.

Questioning - Ask your child, "Did the book answer your questions? What do you still want to know?"

Inferring - Help your child use his background knowledge and clues from the text to figure out how the author feels about the topic and what the author's message is. For example, "I think that the author admires Wilma Rudolph's perseverance, and the author's message is to believe in yourself and never give up just like Wilma Rudolph."

Retelling/Summarizing – As before, reinforce main idea and supporting details.Ask your child, “What was this book mostly about?” This is the main idea. Then ask, “What details tell me more about the main idea?” Another apprach is to ask, "What do you think the author would like you to remember after reading this book?"

PS - As with fiction, focusing on one or two strategies at a time is much more effective than trying to do everything at once.