Grade 4 French Immersion
Contact: [email protected]
Website: www.paulacourage.weebly.com
895-2241/2242
Twitter: @PCourage
Bienvenue! Please find below important information regarding the grade four curriculum and our classroom routines.
Electronics/Toys
Your child is permitted to bring along games, electronics and toys from home every day. I let the children know that if they bring expensive electronics, I cannot be responsible for anything that is lost, broken, or stolen. It is entirely their responsibility.
Absences
With our current public health measures, absences are understandably more frequent than usual. If possible, please email me the night before or in the morning before school starts as we enter our attendance in the morning.
Agendas/Plastic Envelopes
We don’t use agendas in our classroom on a daily basis to write homework. However, the pocket at the front has traditionally been how I send home communication from school. To make it less bulky and more visible, we will try using large plastic envelopes this year. Please check it every night for any correspondence. I will do the same first thing every morning for any notes that you may send in. Daily items in this envelope should include:
- Cafeteria orders (that are not ordered online)
- Notes regarding change to transportation
- Any written correspondence
- Weekly French book (if it fits)
I cannot stress enough the importance to send a note when your child’s transportation arrangements at the end of the day are different from usual. Sending it along in the plastic envelope is more effective than sending it electronically as some days do not allow for time to check email. If you email me about changes in transportation and I haven’t responded by 2 pm, it is imperative that you call the school so I get the message on time.
Sunglasses and Earbuds
We will spend some time learning outside this year. Feel free to send along a pair of labelled sunglasses that your child can leave at school for outdoor learning and play. Labelled earbuds would also be useful when using the Chromebooks at school.
Outdoor Time
Because the children don’t go outside for lunch, we will spend time outside just about every day. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately every day for outside. This is especially important on rainy days when a raincoat and rubber boots are ideal.
In addition to outdoor playtime, we have been engaging in forest bathing. Your child may have told you about sitspot already! I am a forest therapy guide in training and I have been allowing time for the children to visit the forest to learn and to avail of the nurturing properties it provides. There is a lot of information about forest bathing online if you are interested in learning more, but here’s a short video that gives a brief overview.
Allergy Reminder
We have someone in our class this year with a peanut allergy. Please be extra diligent in ensuring all food sent to school is safe.
Oral Presentations
It is important to understand the relationship between oral production and written output. Simply, one cannot write what one cannot say. For that reason, a lot of emphasis will be on oral communication, speaking in complete sentences with fluency and precision. Only then can we expect your child to write that way. There will be monthly oral presentations that your child will prepare and practise at home in both English and French. They will begin in October during the week of October 19-23 and will be in French. Your child will sign up for the day they prefer as the date approaches. These presentations must be at least one minute in length but no longer than two. A complete outline of the requirements can be found on my website and will be communicated the week before each presentation.
Home Project
I have given the concept of homework some serious consideration. While I fail to see the benefit of pencil and paper tasks assigned at home for the sake of having homework, I am very aware of this new generation of 21st century learners. Their access to information has made them more aware, curious, and knowledgeable than previous generations. I would like to tap in to that and get them excited about learning and sharing their knowledge. More than ever, teachers are facilitators of learning and I am relieved not to have to be smarter than them! I also believe strongly in the parents’ role being one of support and guidance. With that in mind, I have designed a home research project that I hope will be rewarding for you and your child as you embark on the process together. If implemented successfully, your child should be excited about doing it and there should be no conflict at home. If this is not the case, please let me know. My main goal is for you and your child to be engaged in an enjoyable learning process together.
I will start by asking the students to choose a topic of interest. Please have the same discussion at home. The topic should be one that gets them excited and has resources for research readily accessible to you. The topic will be due to me September 28th. The project will also be sent home on that day. It will be divided into different sections based on the grade four outcomes for several subject areas. For example, they will have three art projects to complete, three math problems, and so forth. Each section will have clear and precise instructions and choices for you and your child. Please send in a binder by next Monday, September 28th for the project. Some children like to get a special one just for this project, but any binder will do!
How in-depth you go will be entirely up to you and your child. Some projects the children do independently, sometimes the parents are more involved. Let your child take the lead role and let you know how much help they need or want.
You will have the freedom to complete this home project on your own schedule. Your child will prepare a 15-minute presentation for the class upon completion of the project. All final projects must be presented by May 7th. Please submit to me by October 30th the date your child will present. Parents are usually welcome and encouraged to join us for the presentations. If the current restrictions still apply by the time your child presents, we can invite you to join us virtually. Should we happen to go entirely online, your child can present from home. Wherever we are, we’ll make it work:)
Your help will be required with safe internet searches and possible trips to local libraries and other locations. You will have to work with your child on time management, converse frequently about a topic that interests him/her and learn quite a bit during the process. Please use the calendar in the binder to help your child set realistic short-term goals. Please be comfortable with your child not knowing something, often direct him/her to resources to find answers, and know when to inject and remove yourselves from the process. Feel free to contact me any time along the way with any questions. Have fun with it!
Homework/Google Accounts
In addition to the home project and monthly oral presentations, there will be weekly learning tasks assigned. Beginning Monday, Sept. 28th, each child will receive a French book to read at home during that week. It should be sent back and forth between home and school daily as we will work on it in class as well. They have all week to read it so reading a part of the book every night will suffice. They will also have to listen to a short video in French to support French comprehension (listening every night is recommended to help strengthen French vocabulary), and practice Math facts. Reading and listening to French, and practicing Math facts daily will have a significant impact on your child’s learning.
Every teacher and student in our district has a Google Account. This year your child will be able to communicate, share, and return work to me directly via their Google account. I will email their weekly homework to them every week and post it in our Google Classroom. They will be responsible for checking it every night and completing what needs to be done.
This homework style is designed for your child to be able to do it independently. They may want to read with you and you may want to practice math facts with them, but they should be the one to initiate their work every night. I strongly encourage you to help your child take ownership of their own work and let any discussions about homework be between me and them. Please do not allow the topic of homework or the home project to cause any distress at home. If that is happening, please let me know so I can work it out with your child.
Online Accounts
The children will have access to several online accounts this year to support their learning. They will use them at school and at home. When they are all set up, I will send home all of their usernames and passwords. For now, they are already set up with Prodigy and Khan Academy, both of which they can access with their Google Accounts. We will also use the following:
Currents4Kids (Eng)
Infojeunes (French)
ReadWorks (Eng)
EPIC (Eng and Fr)
Curriculum
The detailed curriculum outcomes for grade four are available via my website as is our homework policy. Here is a quick overview.
Mathematics:
In Grade 4, the following concepts will be covered:
- Patterns and relations
- Number sense: represent numbers to 10 000; addition & subtraction; multiplication and division
- Measurement (read calendar dates, calculate area, tell time: analog, digital, 24 hr. clock)
- Geometry (2-D shapes, 3-D objects, transformations, symmetry)
- Fractions and decimals
- Data analysis and probability
- Problem solving
- Mathematical communication and reasoning
A very important part of the math program is for the children to communicate mathematical reasoning and the see how mathematical ideas are connected to the real world, to other mathematical ideas, and to what they are learning in other subject areas. Please make math a part of everyday discussions. Be aware of its presence and encourage your children to talk about it. Encourage them to bake with you to learn about fractions, shop with you to estimate prices, find 3D geometric shapes around your house and community, keep an analog clock in your house, etc.. Simply, talk about math and where and how it exists all around us.
Science:
- There are four major units with the new Science Program:
- Rocks and Minerals
- Light
- Sound
- Healthy Habitats
Social Studies:
- The Social Studies program is relatively new, and will focus on four major themes:
- Exploration Defined
- The Nature of Exploration
- Exploring Our World
- Exploring the Landscapes of Canada
Health:
The topics covered this year are:
1) Mental Health
2) Relationships
3) Physical Growth and Development
4) Nutrition
5) Self Care
6) Active Living
7) Injury Prevention and Safety
8) Drug Education
9) Consumer Health
10) Environmental Health
Religion:
The Elementary Religious Education Program takes a nondenominational approach. Various religions are included in this program and the beliefs, doctrines, practices and history of each are covered with sensitivity and respect. The program enables and encourages students to grow spiritually and morally into informed, caring and contributing members of society. Students develop an appreciation for their own beliefs and values, and the beliefs and values of others.
Through reading, discussion, questions/assignments, grade 4 children explore the beliefs, traditions and values of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
Art:
The students will explore the ideas of line, shape, color, texture, and imagination through various artists. This program is designed to help students develop an appreciation for art and an awareness of the different art forms. Students will be evaluated on responses to their own art and the art of others, as well as a demonstration of the concepts taught through the completion of assigned projects and artwork samples.
French Language Arts:
The language arts curriculum is comprised of interrelated areas:
1) Listening and Speaking
2) Reading and Viewing
3) Writing and Representing
4) Appreciation of French Language and Culture
English Language Arts:
The language arts curriculum is comprised of interrelated areas:
1) Listening and Speaking
2) Reading and Viewing
3) Writing and Representing
Evaluation:
Evaluation is an on-going process. Each child is an individual and develops at his/her own rate. I will be using various assessment techniques in order to provide information about your child’s individual accomplishments throughout the year. Your child will be offered choices to show me what they have learned and will be encouraged to do so according to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory. Your child has already identified how they learn best and how they are smart. My goal is to ensure a variety of opportunities for all learning styles to thrive in my classroom.
Reading strategies practised in school and would be beneficial to be practised at home as well.
1. Je lis le titre du texte. ( I read the title of the book.)
2. Je regarde les illustrations. (I look at the illustrations.)
3. Je fais des prédictions selon le titre et les illustrations. (I make predictions based on the title and illustrations.)
4. Je cherche les mots connus. (I look for words that are familiar.)
5. Je découpe les mots que je ne connais pas. (I break down the words I do not know, ie : a ra chide.)
6. Je regarde la première lettre du mot inconnu. Je pense à un mot qui commence avec cette lettre. As-t-il du sens dans cette phrase ? (I look at the first letter of a word I don’t know. I think of a word that starts with that letter. Does it make sense in this sentence?)
7. Je lis tous les mots entre la lettre majuscule et le point afin de bien comprendre la phrase. (I read the whole sentence from the capital to the period to understand the sentence.)
8. Je saute un mot inconnu dans une phrase. Y-a-t-il un mot qui a du sens dans sa place ? (I leave out an unknown word in a sentence. Is there a word that makes sense in its place ?
9. Si je ne comprends pas la phrase, je la relis. (If I do not understand the sentence, I re-read it.)
10. Je me pose les questions tout au long de ma lecture. (I ask questions throughout my reading.)
11. À la fin de ma lecture, je compare mes prédictions aux événements du texte. (After reading, I compare my predictions with what I have read.)
12. J’emploie plusieurs stratégies avant de demander de l’aide. (I try several strategies before asking for help.)
Questions? Concerns? Comments?
I very much support open communication between home and school. It is important for the children to know that the teachers and parents work together. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns you or your child may have. I look forward to an awesome year in grade four!!