Fourth Grade Teachers Chatboard – Teachers.Net

Join Teachers.Net

chatboardsgroups

Chatboards

Recent Groups

Fourth Grade

MEMBERS

8 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Fourth Grade Teachers Chatboard

Academic Vocabulary

by Pappy

Sep 15, 2011

A grade level member turned me onto these academic vocabulary cards called concept bricks. Awesome stuff......and they are free. I've only used them for the past couple of days, but I love them to introduce these concepts. Check them out on the link below.

Grading question-- from a parent

by Janette

Sep 15, 2011

My son is a fourth grader and dyslexic (medical diagnosis). Through an amazing amount of hard work,he actually reads at grade level, but spelling is just a nightmare.

He usually gets one or sero right on the Monday pretest (the easiest words, not challenge or anything like that). He (and I) work on those d*** words every night so he can g...See More

view previous comments

KK This may be a little off topic, but the amount of time some schools spend with spelling tests seems off to me. I have never ever seen any research that says weekly spelling tests improve spelling.

Although I would not say this widely to parents, it has been my experience that some people tend to be natural spellers--these tend to be people...See MoreThis may be a little off topic, but the amount of time some schools spend with spelling tests seems off to me. I have never ever seen any research that says weekly spelling tests improve spelling.

Although I would not say this widely to parents, it has been my experience that some people tend to be natural spellers--these tend to be people who read widely. Other people really struggle with spelling, and these people can also be voracious readers. I have not really found a rhyme or reason about why it clicks better for some students than for others, any more than I can explain why some people hear and sing pitches more accurately than others. This observation describes entire student populations, without focusing on students with dyslexia (I have taught music, 5th grade, and gifted students--plenty of whom struggle with spelling).

I think time is much better spent on vocabulary instruction than on weekly spelling tests. (Don't get me started on how English has the most irregular spelling rules . . .) I'm not saying that students shouldn't take time to spell things correctly, or that spelling doesn't matter. I just think that our instructional time is better spent practice reading comprehension, vocabulary, and thoughtful editing skills. With that belief, I would be frustrated to see spelling take up an entire space on a report card with its own letter grade, as if it were equivalent to all of Math or Reading.

More toward the OP's original question, I think it is typical that spelling is a component of a student's overall Writing grade, and sometimes spelling is wrapped into Daily Oral Language practice (which focuses on punctuation, correct grammar and spelling in context, and so forth), which is in turn part of the Writing grade.

I think your son should definitely have some IEP accommodations which are not being addressed. The teacher may not be aware that s/he needs to modify this assignment. Your family should not have to be held hostage every evening all year for this assignment (that's not the argument I would make in the IEP meeting, but it's true). Best of luck to you.

On 10/12/11, Ben wrote: > Getting an F in spelling does NOT make your son a stupid boy. > Doesn't he do well in reading? What about writing stories or > essays? What about his book reports? Social studies? Math? > Science? Foreign language? If his only deficit is in spelling, > then his overall grade can't possibly be an F! > > If your son were an 18 year old college student, or a 24 year > old worker, would spelling matter? NO! He'd be typing > everything, and use automatic spellcheck! > > If he gets an F in one part, then anyone who sees that will > say "okay, he sucks at spelling, but since he does well at > other things, we'll overlook it." But the problem is where > they see D's, C's, and incompletes in everything.

May 31, 2012

KK Oh, sorry--I didn't check the date before I posted--I clicked the topic from the window to the right. Hope it resolved happily this year!

On 5/31/12, KK wrote: > This may be a little off topic, but the amount of time some > schools spend with spelling tests seems off to me. I have never > ever seen any research that says weekly sp...See MoreOh, sorry--I didn't check the date before I posted--I clicked the topic from the window to the right. Hope it resolved happily this year!

On 5/31/12, KK wrote: > This may be a little off topic, but the amount of time some > schools spend with spelling tests seems off to me. I have never > ever seen any research that says weekly spelling tests improve > spelling. > > Although I would not say this widely to parents, it has been my > experience that some people tend to be natural spellers--these > tend to be people who read widely. Other people really struggle > with spelling, and these people can also be voracious readers. I > have not really found a rhyme or reason about why it clicks better > for some students than for others, any more than I can explain why > some people hear and sing pitches more accurately than others. > This observation describes entire student populations, without > focusing on students with dyslexia (I have taught music, 5th > grade, and gifted students--plenty of whom struggle with spelling). > > I think time is much better spent on vocabulary instruction than > on weekly spelling tests. (Don't get me started on how English > has the most irregular spelling rules . . .) I'm not saying that > students shouldn't take time to spell things correctly, or that > spelling doesn't matter. I just think that our instructional time > is better spent practice reading comprehension, vocabulary, and > thoughtful editing skills. With that belief, I would be frustrated > to see spelling take up an entire space on a report card with its > own letter grade, as if it were equivalent to all of Math or Reading. > > More toward the OP's original question, I think it is typical that > spelling is a component of a student's overall Writing grade, and > sometimes spelling is wrapped into Daily Oral Language practice > (which focuses on punctuation, correct grammar and spelling in > context, and so forth), which is in turn part of the Writing grade. > > I think your son should definitely have some IEP accommodations > which are not being addressed. The teacher may not be aware that > s/he needs to modify this assignment. Your family should not have > to be held hostage every evening all year for this assignment > (that's not the argument I would make in the IEP meeting, but it's > true). Best of luck to you. > > > On 10/12/11, Ben wrote: >> Getting an F in spelling does NOT make your son a stupid boy. >> Doesn't he do well in reading? What about writing stories or >> essays? What about his book reports? Social studies? Math? >> Science? Foreign language? If his only deficit is in spelling, >> then his overall grade can't possibly be an F! >> >> If your son were an 18 year old college student, or a 24 year >> old worker, would spelling matter? NO! He'd be typing >> everything, and use automatic spellcheck! >> >> If he gets an F in one part, then anyone who sees that will >> say "okay, he sucks at spelling, but since he does well at >> other things, we'll overlook it." But the problem is where >> they see D's, C's, and incompletes in everything.

May 31, 2012

Decimal place value?

by clinical student

Sep 16, 2011

I am in a Math/Sci 4th grade class for my semester long clinical. For my first lesson, the teacher told me to teach tenths and hundredths place. She's given me no more information than that they are learning place value of millions and billions place, and she wants me to teach tenths and hundredths. No suggestions, no helps.

I've done som...See More

Ann Marie On 9/16/11, clinical student wrote: > I am in a Math/Sci 4th grade class for my semester long > clinical. For my first lesson, the teacher told me to teach > tenths and hundredths place. She's given me no more > information than that they are learning place value of > millions and billions place, and she wants me to teach > tenths...See More

Oct 12, 2011

PedagoNet erhaps this method can be useful at a later stage

Oct 13, 2011

Student Teaching Internship Needed

by R. Burns

Sep 19, 2011

Need an extra pair of hands in your classroom? Well, I need a student teaching internship and I am eager to help out. I can relocate anywhere in Florida. Please get in touch to discuss the possibility. -R.B.

Please Vote for Me!

by Diane Raude

Sep 23, 2011

Dear Fellow Colleagues,

I wanted to let you know that I am participating in a contest sponsored by Plato Learning and an online community, called WeAreTeachers. I submitted a teaching idea answering the question:

How do you determine the skill levels of each student in order to create individualized lesson plans?

The 5...See More

First formal observation

by amathona

Sep 26, 2011

I student taught in college, but its been a few years. In the mean time I've worked in middle schools for 4 years, 3 of those in other people's classrooms. Friday is my first formal observation in 4 years... and the 5 I had while student teaching were traumatic. (My college supervisor was terrible at sharing feedback. I usually left crying.) I'm st...See More

Sara On 9/26/11, amathona wrote:

[link removed]

That's a cute video but if you punch in 'analyzing bar graphs' on youtube, a fair bit will come up. Some is dry but some is always good - I use youtube very often. I particularly like the student presentations on youtube and so do my students. And I wouldn't know why you have to wait a d...See More

Sep 27, 2011

Leah I'll be starting a new unit that day... Analyzing > horizontal and vertical bar graphs. I'd love to have them > give data, but that is supposed to be the next day (use > collected data to create a bar graph). Anyone have any > great videos on the topic? Fantastic ideas for hands-on > interaction? It would be so much easier with the c...See More

Oct 4, 2011

US Education Opinion

by CIAsam

Sep 28, 2011

Hey! I'm collecting research for my senior thesis on the US education system. This survey is for primary, secondary, and high shool teachers in the US.

If there are any here, could you please take my survey, it takes about 5-10 minutes. Really short, and it will be of great help.

[link removed]

I will also gladly answe...See More

Historical Fiction/Nonfiction books

by Tarah

Oct 4, 2011

We are planning a book report to be read on a historical fiction or historical nonfiction book. Do you have any recommendations? I would like to give the kids a list. Thanks. ~Fourth Grade Teacher

view previous comments

Bev-MI ret. On 10/05/11, Sara wrote: > On 10/04/11, Tarah wrote: >> We are planning a book report to be read on a historical >> fiction or historical nonfiction book. Do you have any >> recommendations? I would like to give the kids a list. Thanks. >> ~Fourth Grade Teacher > > Some of my favorites are - The Light in the Forest....See More

Oct 10, 2011

LS br> >> Some of my favorites are - The Light in the Forest. My Brother >> Sam is Dead. The Day No Pigs Would Die. War Comes to Willy >> Collins. The Watsons Go To Birmingham.

FYI- I would not include My Brother Sam is Dead on a fourth-grade reading list. My sons read it in eighth grade. Heavy content. That is a tough ge...See More

Oct 30, 2011

iPad in the classroom

by 4th grade teacher

Oct 14, 2011

I am hoping to get an iPad for my classroom, but wonder if just having one will be worthwhile. Does anyone just have one in their classroom? How are you using it? What are the pros and cons of having them?

Thanks in advance!

view previous comments

Diane Owens On 10/14/11, 4th grade teacher wrote: >>>> I am hoping to get an iPad for my classroom, but wonder if >>>> just having one will be worthwhile. Does anyone just have >>>> one in their classroom? How are you using it? What are the >>>> pros and cons of having them? >>>> >>>> Than...See More

Nov 10, 2011

Diane Owens Sorry about that. I don't know what happened to the link. It's nancybarthtutoring.com, just in case it doesn't work this time!

> Nancy Barth is a retired teacher who uses the blog portion of her site > to review educational ipad apps. The reviews are complete, clear and > concise. Until I found her site, I had no idea how many ed...See More

Nov 10, 2011

High rigor with Storytown

by Mike

Oct 16, 2011

I am fairly new to Storytown, and a thing that is being pushed is making the Storytown program itself more hands on. Great, but, how? How do you people here use it? Also I can't see a lot of what I am typing becasue of the stupid ad that covers up a lot of the text box here. Thanks in advance. Mike

Teacher Chatboards

General

Teacher Chatboard

Method & Theory

Grade Levels

- -

Multiage Classroom

Adult Education

Classroom Projects

Arts and Crafts

Read Across America

Travelling Buddies

Learning Centers

States

Teachers Abroad

Australian Teachers

Canadian Teachers

Subject Areas

Foreign Languages

Language Arts Center

Science Teachers

Language Arts

4 Blocks Literacy

6 Traits Writing

Accelerated Reader

Building Blocks (K)

Books & Literature

Creative Writing

Librarian/Media Arts

Reading/Writing

Remedial Reading

Foreign Language

ESL/EFL Teachers

French Teachers

German Teachers

Spanish Teachers

Travel/Study Abroad

Peer Groups

AP/GATE Teachers

Beginning Teachers

Distance Teachers

Department Heads

Library/Media Science

Master Teachers

Mentor Teachers

Retired Teachers

Special Education

Student Teachers

Substitute Teachers

Method & Theory

Beginning Learners

Character Education

Classroom Discipline

Collaborative Learning

Disruptive Students

General Education

Learning Disorders

Learning Research

Lesson Planning

Montessori Method

Motivating Students

Professional Devel

Professional Readings

Staff Development

Standardized Testing

Testing & Grading

Career Center

Continuing Education

National Boards/NBPTS

Hot Topics

Classroom Humor

Healthy Teachers

NCLB/Race to the Top

Teacher Gatherings

Teacher Inspirations

Teacher Recipes

Teacher Social Board

Tech Center

Apple Classroom

Computer Teachers

Educational Software

Internet Security

Library/Media Science

Teaching with PowerPoint

Teacher Video Share

Teaching with the Web

Tech Coordinators

Teachers.Net

Home About Forum Policies Privacy

Resources

Chatboards Lesson Plans Classroom Projects Classified Ads

Follow us...

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mailring

Contacts

Advertising Job Listings Submissions Reprints