Sarah Goodwin's Class

Fourth Grade at Miller's Run is a great place to be!  We have a class of sixteen, energetic students who always strive to do their personal best. 

SCHEDULE

Our schedule is fairly consistent in that we generally have math, science or social studies, and a special in the morning.  The afternoon is devoted to language arts: reading and writing.

MORNING MEETING

We begin each day with a morning meeting or additional support: small working groups of "no new instruction time" for students who need help in math or literacy. "No new instruction time" is a time when students are working in small math or literacy groups to gain confidence in concepts that should already be mastered.  The intent is that students will gain proficiency in either math or literacy or both areas.  Morning meeting time is designed to promote confidence and sensitivity when talking with classmates in a circle setting.  Students begin each meeting with a friendly greeting and often have a chance to share feelings and experiences that may impact how they are feeling throughout the day.  We also work on respectful responses to individual shares. 

MATH

Investigations is the foundation of our math program.  There are several components to this program.  The first piece is our Ten Minute Math.  This piece works primarily on mental computation either from hearing the task orally or a written problem on the board.  Either way, students are completing the task without pencil and paper. 

The second piece is called the core teaching/learning lesson of our math and generally lasts for about 45 minutes to about one hour. This component of our Investigations program is our main unit of study.  Throughout the fourth grade year we work on multiplication, attributes, collections of data, algebra, area and perimeter and many other fun topics.  Please check in with a child in the fourth grade to hear about our current unit of study.

Student workbooks are the final componet of this math program and offer students additional practice opportunities, multiple strategies and connections to prior learning.

*Students in the fourth grade need to continue working on multiplication facts.  All fourth grade students should know up to twelve times twelve, by the end of the year.

READING

All students in fourth grade are not reading at the same level, however, we are all working on the same reading strategies.  These strategies include visualizing, imagining, rereading, predicting, summarizing, questioning, connecting, exploring inferences, and analyzing text structure. It is important for all students to be able to use these strategies independently in oral and written work.

SOCIAL STUDIES

 The fourth grade curriculum for social studies is Vermont History.  During the second quarter we learn the geography of Vermont and essential facts.  The fourth quarter we work with how Vermont became a state and famous Vermont people.

Email the Grade 4 at grade4@millersrunschool.org
Millers Run School
PO Box 154, 3249 VT RT 122
Sheffield, VT 05866
Phone: (802) 626-9755   Fax: (802) 626-4316