Greetings!

Return to School
As we transition back to school from summer - and to fourth grade - there are a lot of changes to ponder. In this blog, you will find information about the week, about the units we are studying, and about various other topics that pertain to your child's Language Arts (Reading and Writing) class. 

Language Arts
Language Arts is a fancy way of saying "a study of language and how we use it to read, write, listen, and speak effectively." that being said, this year in Language Arts class, students will engage in various writing units and projects, read a variety of stories and types of stories, listen to their classmates in group discussions and presentations, and engage other students in group discussions and their own presentations.

Fourth grade is a big jump, for several reasons: First, there is no 3rd grade guarantee hanging over their heads, no NWEA or MAP testing, no Fall AIR test. While this is great for the students, as it is less stressful for them, it also doesn't show you a lot of information about their progress that you may be used to receiving. Secondly, this means that their Language Arts time is drastically cut from previous years. In previous years, students had double-blocks for their Reading & Writing class, and this year, I have just over an hour with students, unless I have them for Expansion, which is a 25 minute period. This is a huge leap for some students, especially those that need a bit more time!

As there is only an hour period, I must alternate between Reading & Writing projects. Therefore, there will not be a set schedule for tests or quizzes. I will alert students of when a quiz will be (though I will not write them in the agendas), and tests will be written in their agendas. Most quizzes will be for the Bell Work students complete on Grammar and Parts of Speech; these worksheets are daily activities to practice and/or review skills with identifying Parts of Speech and using proper sentence structures and grammar. Students should review these at home as necessary! Before tests, there will often be a Jeopardy review, which will be posted the evening before the test, if one is used for that Reading Unit.

Books for Silent Reading
If you're looking for a new book or book series for your child (or you) to read, below are two lists of popular 4th grade books.  Your school librarian or community children's librarian are also great resources for finding new books!  Some of my favorite 4th grade level authors are Andrew Clements, Kate DiCamillo, Brian Selznick, and Donald J. Sobol, though there are so many to choose from! I alos have some of my favorite children's authors and/or books marked on my Scholastic Book Clubs site.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/4th-grade

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/book-lists/favorite-books-for-fourth-graders/ 

Scholastic
For the students in my homeroom, my class code is TTBNT if you want to order books online.  Thanks and have a great day!

Homework 
I typically put a schedule of homework at the end of the post. This is only the Language Arts homework.

Contacting Me
Feel free to contact me at the school with questions and concerns, and I will do my best to answer them, or direct you to the person better equipped to help you. During the school day, it's probably best to contact me via email (sabrandenburg@norwayne.net), or via the Remind app, but before and directly after school, I can also be reached via the school phone (330.435.6383 ext 10412). If I do not answer your voicemail quickly, it is probably because I have been unable to access it for whatever reason. Please be understanding that technology is great, but it sometimes has its hiccups!


Hope you have a great week!

Miss Brandenburg

Homework this week in Language Arts class will be assigned as follows:
Monday: N/A (No School - Labor Day!)
Tuesday: Work on Secondary Characters for the story students chose in class on Friday
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday: Complete Draft of Story if not done in class, Due Fri
Friday: N/A