Meeting Summary

If you missed the meeting Tuesday night here is a quick summary.

  • The teachers will begin new rotations of the classes starting on Nov 14th.  Look for more information in the Thursday folder.
  • Continue to check the planner for homework.
  • Spelling.  Students will get the words on Monday and have a pre-test on Tuesday.  If they get 100% they will not have to take the test with the rest on the class on Friday.
  • All the students will be able to go to Camp Cooper in February with help from the staff.  Look for more information on parent involvement in December/January.

Multiplication Facts

There are many ways to study math facts but here is one way that makes it less overwhelming.

First, find out which multiplication problems they need to practice.  This can be done with flash cards, worksheets (here) or by asking aloud using a multiplication table (here) ("what is four times five?" etc.).


Next, print a multiplication table (like this one) and let them color in the answers they know.  This is a good visual to show them how much they know already.


 It gets even better when they realize they only have to learn half the boxes.


Focus on one or two problems at a time.  Post problems around the house, drill on the way to school or before bed. 



Finally, color in the boxes once they know the answer consistently and move on to a new problem. 

Links to more worksheets
Multiplication (basic)
Multiplication (advanced)
Multiplication tables

Fry's 300 Instant Sight Word List

If you are looking to fill some gaps in reading and writing Fry's high frequency word list is a good place to start.  Here are some words that Mrs. Koy from Clear Sky Elementary had to share about this list of words.
In 1996, Dr. Fry expanded on Dolch's sight word lists and research and published a book titled "Fry 1000 Instant Words." His research found that a mere 25 words make up approximately 1/3 of all items published. He discovered that 100 words comprise approximately 1/2 of all the publications written, and 300 words make up 65% of all written material.

Over half of every newspaper article, textbook, children's story, and novel is composed of these 300 words. It is difficult to write a sentence without using several of the first 300 words in Fry's Instant Word Lists. Consequently, students need to be able to read the first 300 Instant Words without a moment's hesitation.
As your child's work comes home you may want to scan for spelling errors from the words below.  These would be good words to practice in addition to the weekly spelling word lists.  





Flash cards of these words to increase reading fluency can be found here.

Welcome Parents

This blog was created as a resource for parents of the fourth grade classes at Sam Hughes. We may have had a bumpy start to the year but I believe that it is time to look forward and work together to build a successful fourth grade year for our children.

I am a speech language pathologist currently providing services at an elementary school in the Amphitheater School District. I am familiar with the state standards and have access to resources that you, as parents, may find helpful.

My intention is to post links to activities and websites that support our curriculum. Input from our teachers is welcome but I hope to run this for them instead of giving them more to do. I will not be posting names or pictures without consent. Respectful comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Lia Kurtin
(Ava Kurtin's mom)