MATH
Welcome to Math in Focus: Singapore Math! This is our newly adopted math curriculum in District 25!
Math in Focus curriculum strives to develop conceptual understanding with the goal of content mastery. Concepts are taught moving through a sequence of concrete to pictorial to abstract. Concrete learning happens through hands-on activities with math manipulatives, such as counters, coins, number lines, or base ten blocks. Pictorial learning uses pictures, drawings, or other forms that illustrate the concept with something more than abstract numbers. Finally, abstract learning requires students to use numerals, strategies, and problem solving methods to solve problems.
Math in Focus supports the goals of the Illinois Learning Standards for Mathematics. It is a research-based program that focuses on classroom learning, discussion and practice. It strives to balance conceptual understanding, visual learning, and problem solving.
Students will have access to math manipulatives, student workbooks, student textbooks and online resources.
READING WORKSHOP
Fourth grade literacy this year will be taught through a Reading Workshop model. District 25 has recently adopted a new literacy curriculum, Schoolwide. From the Schoolwide website:
Reading Fundamentals has a central mission to develop, expand, and enhance the skills, strategies, and tools students can use to make meaning of and interact with text. Reading Fundamentals Units of Study exist inside a balanced literacy framework. Within this framework, there are opportunities to read to students (mentor texts), to read with students (shared texts), and to have students read independently (books and other texts at their independent reading levels).
Goals of our First Unit: The Launching Unit: This unit will establish the reading behaviors, rituals and routines for Reading Workshop. Our goal is to establish a community that fosters active listening, thinking, engagement, and participation in all aspects of a Reading Workshop. We will be spending time getting to know
ourselves and each other as readers, setting goals for ourselves as readers and establishing an initial repertoire of strategies to further develop across the year.
Students are expected to be reading an independent reading book at all times---this book travels between home and school. You will also see students using their Reading Notebooks to gather and develop thinking about their reading.
Home/School Connection:
Nonfiction
Launching
Poetry
Fiction
Ecosystems
● What are you reading? Why did you select this text? What are you thinking about as you are reading? What are you reading next?
● Talk with your child about your own self as a reader—your interests, habits and passions as a reader.
In addition to the new Schoolwide reading curriculum, students will learn the Notice & Note Strategies for Close Reading and Reading Nonfiction: Stances, Signposts, & Strategies. From the Heinemann website:
“The essential element in rigor is engagement. If students are to read rigorously they must be committed to understanding some intriguing character, to solving some problem, to figuring out what a writer believes and how those thoughts compare with their own. The literary signposts in Notice and Note encourage this rigor, and in the Notice and Note Literature Log, we share our signposts with students.”--Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst
Students will be introduced to the six literary signposts over the next few weeks, and practice using them throughout the year.
Contrasts & Contradictions
When you’re reading and a character says or does something that contradicts what he has been saying or doing all along.
Aha Moments
When you’re reading and suddenly a character realizes, understands, or finally figures something out.
Tough Questions
When you’re reading and the character asks himself a really difficult question.
Again & Again Moments
When you’re reading and you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over.
Words to the Wiser
When you’re reading and a character (who’s probably older and lots wiser) takes the main character aside and gives serious advice.
Memory Moments
When you’re reading and the author interrupts the action to tell you a memory.
Later in the year, as we begin to explore nonfiction, students will be introduced to stances, signposts, and strategies.
STANCE (To adopt the proper questioning stance)
THE 3 BIG QUESTIONS:
Our Additional Literacy Texts will include both fiction and nonfiction texts. Each of these literacy units focuses on a central theme and/or text, and assessments will be given throughout.
Leveled readers, including novels, will be used for guided reading instruction this year. At various times throughout the year, guided reading instruction may take place among the four fifth grade teachers, to meet the varying needs of each student.
COMMUNICATION
Spelling instruction will begin this year with data collection to closely examine our spellers’ and their needs. We will move into studying The Nifty Thrifty Fifty--50 Morphemic Key Words (From Patricia M. Cunningham, Phonics They Use, 7th ed.) Exposure to The Nifty Thrifty Fifty will “help students develop a store of big words they can read and spell, and teach them how to analyze big words for familiar patterns. Because a limited number of prefixes, suffixes, and spelling changes can be found in thousands of multisyllabic words, everyone should have example words for those that are thoroughly familiar to them.”
Later in the year we will begin instruction in Prefixes and Suffixes.
The national standards require that students use their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of words. Each of the 30 units in this resource includes a word list, vocabulary sort cards, review game cards, and a vocabulary quiz. Students will learn over 300 vocabulary words and become more comfortable dissecting words and defining their parts.
Grammar this year will be taught from the Daily Grammar Practice program. This program is currently used in sixth grade at Thomas Middle School.
Writing instruction will be taught from the Writers’ Express (WEX) Program. The WEX Method follows a research-based sequence of writing skills, focusing on a weekly-targeted skill. Students receive constructive feedback and have opportunities to revise their work for improvement.
Various study skills will be emphasized throughout the year. Outlining, note-taking, dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia skills will be reinforced.
SCIENCE
District 25 Science goals and objectives have been written to provide each grade level with three science themes. Each of our units will be taught from Science Companion.
THEMES: Earth in Space, Matter, and Ecosystems.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
We will study the history of the United States, with a strong integration of geography, humanities, citizenship, and economics.
TOPICS: American Revolution, Bill of Rights & Constitution, Branches of Government, and Westward Expansion.
Welcome to Math in Focus: Singapore Math! This is our newly adopted math curriculum in District 25!
Math in Focus curriculum strives to develop conceptual understanding with the goal of content mastery. Concepts are taught moving through a sequence of concrete to pictorial to abstract. Concrete learning happens through hands-on activities with math manipulatives, such as counters, coins, number lines, or base ten blocks. Pictorial learning uses pictures, drawings, or other forms that illustrate the concept with something more than abstract numbers. Finally, abstract learning requires students to use numerals, strategies, and problem solving methods to solve problems.
Math in Focus supports the goals of the Illinois Learning Standards for Mathematics. It is a research-based program that focuses on classroom learning, discussion and practice. It strives to balance conceptual understanding, visual learning, and problem solving.
Students will have access to math manipulatives, student workbooks, student textbooks and online resources.
READING WORKSHOP
Fourth grade literacy this year will be taught through a Reading Workshop model. District 25 has recently adopted a new literacy curriculum, Schoolwide. From the Schoolwide website:
Reading Fundamentals has a central mission to develop, expand, and enhance the skills, strategies, and tools students can use to make meaning of and interact with text. Reading Fundamentals Units of Study exist inside a balanced literacy framework. Within this framework, there are opportunities to read to students (mentor texts), to read with students (shared texts), and to have students read independently (books and other texts at their independent reading levels).
Goals of our First Unit: The Launching Unit: This unit will establish the reading behaviors, rituals and routines for Reading Workshop. Our goal is to establish a community that fosters active listening, thinking, engagement, and participation in all aspects of a Reading Workshop. We will be spending time getting to know
ourselves and each other as readers, setting goals for ourselves as readers and establishing an initial repertoire of strategies to further develop across the year.
Students are expected to be reading an independent reading book at all times---this book travels between home and school. You will also see students using their Reading Notebooks to gather and develop thinking about their reading.
Home/School Connection:
- Talk to your child about his/her reading life.
Nonfiction
Launching
Poetry
Fiction
Ecosystems
● What are you reading? Why did you select this text? What are you thinking about as you are reading? What are you reading next?
● Talk with your child about your own self as a reader—your interests, habits and passions as a reader.
In addition to the new Schoolwide reading curriculum, students will learn the Notice & Note Strategies for Close Reading and Reading Nonfiction: Stances, Signposts, & Strategies. From the Heinemann website:
“The essential element in rigor is engagement. If students are to read rigorously they must be committed to understanding some intriguing character, to solving some problem, to figuring out what a writer believes and how those thoughts compare with their own. The literary signposts in Notice and Note encourage this rigor, and in the Notice and Note Literature Log, we share our signposts with students.”--Kylene Beers & Robert E. Probst
Students will be introduced to the six literary signposts over the next few weeks, and practice using them throughout the year.
Contrasts & Contradictions
When you’re reading and a character says or does something that contradicts what he has been saying or doing all along.
Aha Moments
When you’re reading and suddenly a character realizes, understands, or finally figures something out.
Tough Questions
When you’re reading and the character asks himself a really difficult question.
Again & Again Moments
When you’re reading and you notice a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over.
Words to the Wiser
When you’re reading and a character (who’s probably older and lots wiser) takes the main character aside and gives serious advice.
Memory Moments
When you’re reading and the author interrupts the action to tell you a memory.
Later in the year, as we begin to explore nonfiction, students will be introduced to stances, signposts, and strategies.
STANCE (To adopt the proper questioning stance)
THE 3 BIG QUESTIONS:
- What surprised you?
- What did the author think you already knew?
- What changed, challenged or confirmed what you already knew?
- Contrasts and Contradictions
- Extreme or Absolute Language
- Numbers and Stats
- Quoted Words
- Word Gaps
- Possible sentences
- KWL 2.0
- Somebody Wanted But So
- Syntax Surgery
- Genre Reformulation
- Poster
- Sketch to Stretch
Our Additional Literacy Texts will include both fiction and nonfiction texts. Each of these literacy units focuses on a central theme and/or text, and assessments will be given throughout.
Leveled readers, including novels, will be used for guided reading instruction this year. At various times throughout the year, guided reading instruction may take place among the four fifth grade teachers, to meet the varying needs of each student.
COMMUNICATION
Spelling instruction will begin this year with data collection to closely examine our spellers’ and their needs. We will move into studying The Nifty Thrifty Fifty--50 Morphemic Key Words (From Patricia M. Cunningham, Phonics They Use, 7th ed.) Exposure to The Nifty Thrifty Fifty will “help students develop a store of big words they can read and spell, and teach them how to analyze big words for familiar patterns. Because a limited number of prefixes, suffixes, and spelling changes can be found in thousands of multisyllabic words, everyone should have example words for those that are thoroughly familiar to them.”
Later in the year we will begin instruction in Prefixes and Suffixes.
The national standards require that students use their knowledge of prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of words. Each of the 30 units in this resource includes a word list, vocabulary sort cards, review game cards, and a vocabulary quiz. Students will learn over 300 vocabulary words and become more comfortable dissecting words and defining their parts.
Grammar this year will be taught from the Daily Grammar Practice program. This program is currently used in sixth grade at Thomas Middle School.
Writing instruction will be taught from the Writers’ Express (WEX) Program. The WEX Method follows a research-based sequence of writing skills, focusing on a weekly-targeted skill. Students receive constructive feedback and have opportunities to revise their work for improvement.
Various study skills will be emphasized throughout the year. Outlining, note-taking, dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia skills will be reinforced.
SCIENCE
District 25 Science goals and objectives have been written to provide each grade level with three science themes. Each of our units will be taught from Science Companion.
THEMES: Earth in Space, Matter, and Ecosystems.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
We will study the history of the United States, with a strong integration of geography, humanities, citizenship, and economics.
TOPICS: American Revolution, Bill of Rights & Constitution, Branches of Government, and Westward Expansion.