We will begin reading The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
in class and there are several things you need to be aware of before we begin
reading.
The scheduling of reading comprehension and vocabulary quizzes will be
drastically altered. I plan on starting on November 2nd and teaching the book
until the Thanksgiving break that gives us a little over three weeks to read
a 22 chapter book. We’ll be reading about a chapter and sometimes two per
day. Most weeks we’ll be taking a quiz on Wednesday and Friday and sometimes
in between. I will prepare the students well enough in class but each night
please check your students’ planner to see what chapter/chapters he or she
needs to reread that night. The planner will also be used to advise parents
of changes in the assessment schedule.
Island of the Blue Dolphins is our first core literature book and is
of a higher reading level than anything else we’ve read in our reading
textbooks so far. It is essential that your student reads the text carefully
and stay attuned to details as he or she reads. The story is rather engaging
so attending is not usually an issue but this will not be a text that any of
the students “breeze” through.
The book deals with themes that may seem scary at times. I am about
to ruin the surprise for you… please do not share this with your son or
daughter. The story is about a young Native American girl who lives with her
tribe on San Nicolas Island. Early in the book Spanish missionaries “rescue”
the tribe and attempt to take them off the island and to mainland California
by boat. As the boat pulls away from shore the main character, Karana sees
her young brother Ramo on shore and jumps off the ship to stay with him, they
are left by the ship without the passengers even knowing. Within days of the
boat experience Ramo is killed on the island by wild dogs and Karana is left
alone to fend for herself for years on end. It sounds intense but the way
it’s written is very kid friendly. I am certain your child will come home and
tell you about how Mrs. Benink cried when we read through the tragic death of
young Ramo. Trust me to handle the issue of grief and loss appropriately. I
will stress the importance of how she used the tragedy to build skills of
strength, determination, and self reliance; skills every parents desires for
their child regardless of the circumstance. The literature lends itself to
many teachable moments and I can’t wait to read the book with such an amazing
class.
It’s a pretty quick and exciting read and I highly recommend that you
purchase a copy for your son or daughter to use in class and read it before
we begin next week (optional, of course). Should you have any questions at
all please don’t hesitate to ask, I am more than willing to talk about this
special curriculum addition. I will add that this is one of my favorite
pieces of literature to teach as it will greatly enrich our knowledge of
survival and self reliance.
Fourth Grade is the year where students learn how to make decisions,
establish their identity as learners and friends. They begin to become less
concerned with themselves and dependent upon others to reach appropriate
levels of success, yet at the same time crave structure and guidance. Sycamore
Canyon School prides itself on a strong academic program which emphasizes core
curriculum in a dynamic and challenging environment. As teachers, we seek and
desire to facilitate the district’s motto of “High Expectation Equals High
Achievement”. Future 4th graders can look forward to numerous exciting
experiences. Living in Ventura County provides many opportunities to learn
outside as well as inside the classroom. We love taking field trips & exposing
children to California’s rich history. These trips include reenacting mission
life, working on a rancho, connecting literature by revisiting historical
landmarks, panning for gold, or retracing the steps of the original settlers
and inhabitants of our beautiful state. Students study environments, rocks &
minerals, & electricity & magnetism in Science. Students are taught strategies
& given tools to write powerful paragraphs, summaries, responses to
literature, & narrative stories. Hands on activities & a variety of
methods/algorithms are used to teach students to problem solve & learn
mathematical concepts. A balanced approach to curriculum allows for a
memorable year.
Trimester 1- "Summarization of Non-Fiction Text"
Please use this information to aid your child in writing summaries of
non-fiction material. The steps that we use in class are as follows:
1. Read the article.
2. Highlight the main ideas / exclude the details.
3. Take notes from the highlighted information in your own words.
4. Put your notes together in a paragraph and do not include any
personal opinions.
In addition, we have taught the children how to write an appropriate topic
sentence for their summary. The formula is as follows:
Name it! Verb it! Finish it!
For example: The article "The Wonder of Monarchs," by Harvey
Gunderson explains the lifecycle of Monarch butterflies.
We suggest that you print off this email, plus the attachments, and
keep them in a safe place at home where they can be used as a reference/study
guide. We hope that you will find this information is helpful to you as you
work alongside your 4th Grader.
Take note of the template I use in room 21:
Summarization of Informational Text
*Include only the main idea in each paragraph. Take notes and write your
own sentences. Tell the big idea and leave out little details.
*Never copy whole sentences
Verbs: describes, explains, tells, informs, compares, presents, gives, etc.
Transitions: First, Also, In addition, In conclusion, etc.
The _____________________ "__________________________" by
(report, article, essay) (name it)
_______________ ___________ _____________________
(author's name) (verb it) (finish it)
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Student Friendly Rubric
4th Grade
yes no 1. Did you read, highlight, take notes, and write a
paragraph?
yes no 2. Did you name it, verb it, finish it in the topic sentence?
yes no 3. Are all of the important points of the whole reading included?
yes no 4. Are the unimportant details left out?
yes no 5. Did you say things in your own words?
yes no 6. Did you leave out your opinions?
yes no 7. Is enough information included to help a classmate who has not
read the selection get a passing grade on a quiz?
yes no 8. Are the ideas presented in a way that makes sense and is easy
to follow?
yes no 9. Did you reread your writing to check for mistakes and then fix
them?
