Today, your child should have brought home their Mid-Module Assessment for math and their Plants science test.

Please read the cover letters carefully for important information.

It is imperative that students study throughout the units this year. The assessments are comprehensive and truely test your child’s understanding of concepts/skills. Use the study guides that I send home early in the units to help direct your studying. We review in class a lot! But it is necessary to put forth some time regularly at home to review the material as well.

Math will not have study guides because the skills/concepts build upon the previous day. For Math, I created a practice test and sent it home with an answer key. Students were told to take this practice test and then have their parents use the answer key to help correct mistakes that they are making. If you look back, the practice test that I made was VERY similar to the real test. 🙂 It is my intention to make a practice test before each math test and send it home for you to use to help your child prepare. 

I am trying to help support my students as much as possible as they transition into a difficult academic year!

Together we can help them to be successful!

:O) Mrs. Spata

Tackan’s Family Fun

Fall Carnival

Saturday, October 5th

12:00-4:00 PM

(rain or shine)

The Fourth Grade Melting Pot project

Each student will be assigned a week to present their “melting pot” information. You will receive paperwork with more information about this tomorrow at Meet the Teacher Night. I will also send you a reminder notice at least two weeks prior to your assigned week. This way you will have plenty of time to prepare your presentation. Please include as much information from the organizer as possible when teaching us about your family history.

Feel free to get as creative as you would like with your poster(s), powerpoint show, etc.

I am so excited to learn about each of you and give you an opportunity to shine while you share your family heritage with us! :O)

I am looking forward to meeting all of you at our Meet the Teacher Night. It is tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7PM.

It will begin in the gymnasium with Dr. Leeds. There have been MANY changes this year, so I recommend that you make every effort to attend this part of the evening! You are invited back to our classroom following her presentation. Please DO NOT come down to the room before Dr. Leeds is finished with her presentation.

Thank you and I can’t wait to meet you and for you to get to know me!

:O) Mrs. Spata

You did it!!!

You survived your first week of 4th grade!!

It was so wonderful to meet all of you this week!! You really did a super job working hard (especially in math this week)!

If you would like to share your best part of the week…click the comment tab and let me know!

See you all on Monday!

:O)  Mrs. Spata

I have created a new page entitled “Common Core Module #1”.

You will find it at the top of the blog. I will try to upload the Student Practice Problem Set answer keys (pink book used in class) for you to see from home.

The homework questions are identical to the problems that we complete in class with only the number changed. The steps to solve them are the same that we focused on that day in class. While your child is building their note-taking skills, this will let you see what should be written as they work in class with me.

Please note that I will sometimes do things a little bit differently, or give a “trick” to help make more sense of the steps. However, this is the process that your children should be using to complete thier homework.

I hope that this helps a little bit as we ALL adjust to the new Common Core Math! 🙂

:O) Serena Spata

Are you asking yourself….”What is going on with this vocabulary intense math program??”

Here is the short answer. (You will hear more about this at our Meet the Teacher Night from both Dr Leeds and myself.)

Smithtown has adopted the New York State Math Modules which align well with the new Common Core curriculum for K-8th grade. I know that it looks very different and that there is often an “easier” way to get to the answers. Please help  your child to follow the steps in their notebook and in their pink Practice Set books. These strategies will get studnets THINKING about math in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Stay open-minded! It will get easier as we adapt to the modules. Together we can do this!!!!

:O) Mrs. Spata

It has been a wonderful 3 days getting to know all of you!!!

I hope that you are learning that as long as you try your best…even if it seems very hard at the time…you will do great this year!

See you tomorrow! :O)