Welcome to Ms. Hirmer's Fourth Grade Class:
«««« Look at the LEFT menu to find:
-Useful Links: links to websites that connnect to our curriculum.
-Files and Documents: download printable documents (study guides, supplemental activites that align with our math curriculum)
-Calendar: upcoming test/quizzes and class events
Hello Fourth Graders!
I am very excited for my 7th year as an educator and my 4th year as a 4th grade teacher at J.W. Alvey. Born and raised in Virginia, I grew up very near Haymarket. I love new adventures (hiking, skiing, skydiving), museums & history, reading a good book, and relaxing with family, friends, and my two dogs Bernie & Pearl. I am looking forward to spending the school year getting to know each of you! - Ms. Hirmer
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Please see below for Classroom Updates:
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Classroom Update – May 19th
Announcements/Upcoming Events:
*Volunteer Luncheon – Dear Parents, I will not be able to attend the luncheon with you. I do apologize – this was a date I had chosen months in advance for a medical appointment and I am unable to reschedule. If I had known this would be a day to celebrate all the WONDERFUL parents who volunteer in our room, I would never have missed it! Please know how thankful I am for all you do to help support our class!
*5/29 – Memorial Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL
SOL REVIEW: SOL Review Binders were fully completed and reviewed prior to all SOL’s. These will be collected this week for grades.
Math — Measurement Unit Test: Wednesday, May 24th
Study Guides are due to check (in-class) on Tuesday. They will be collected for a grade on Wednesday (test day).
Measurement Unit Skills Include:
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Length
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Length
· Area/Perimeter *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Weight/Mass
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Weight/Mass *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Capacity
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Capacity *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
**As always there are extra resources located on my class page in the files and documents section they are labeled Reteach, HW Practice, and Enrich for different levels of student need. Please feel free to take a look and utilize those resources to aid the study guides in preparation for the unit test.
Science—From Mrs. Cochrane: Study Plants #21-43 for a Quiz on Tuesday, 5/23.
Language Arts—Author’s Purpose: We are identifying the author’s purpose in various texts AND implementing our writing skills to write for a variety of purposes. The three reasons an author writes (author’s purpose) are: to inform, to persuade, to entertain.
Writing- We will be focusing on grammar and continuing our in-class review for the SOLs beginning with root words, prefixes, suffixes, guide words, and nonfiction skills. We will begin poetry!
Social Studies—Please study all sections of the VA Government and Economics Packet to prepare for a Quick Check on Friday, 5/26.
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Classroom Update – May 12th
Announcements/Upcoming Events:
*5/18- Math SOL – eat a hearty breakfast & get lots of sleep!
*Volunteer Luncheon – all parents should have received an invitation and an email from me regretfully announcing that I will not be able to attend the luncheon with you. I do apologize – this was a date I had chosen months in advance for a medical appointment and I am unable to reschedule. If I had known this would be a day to celebrate all the WONDERFUL parents who volunteer in our room, I would never have missed it! Please know how thankful I am for all you do to help support our class!
*5/29 – Memorial Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL
SOL REVIEW: The SOL Review Binder is now entirely focused on MATH REVIEW. We are digging up old concepts and making them stretch their brains all the way back to September! We are still spending a minimum of 45 minutes each day working on the SOL Review assignments. Please contact me if your child is bringing a significant incomplete workload home – this is not the intention and I would like to help them use their class time more wisely!
LUNCH BUNCH – “Lunch Bunch” is when I invite a small group of students to meet with me and work on targeted SOL skills for their lunch period. This is an invitation, never a requirement and students who would rather not study during their lunch break do not have attend! Whenever I have students decline a lunch bunch invite, I always offer their spot to someone else. ALL students are invited to Lunch Bunch at least once! Some students, based on targeted need for skills practice for the upcoming SOL’s will be invited more than once. Our current Lunch Bunch is focused on our upcoming Math SOL.
Math — Measurement, Patterns/Functions/Algebra and Data Analysis.
Measurement Unit Skills Include:
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Length
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Length
· Area/Perimeter *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Weight/Mass
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Weight/Mass *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
· Estimating Customary AND Metric Units of Capacity
· Converting Customary AND Metric of Capacity *CALCULATOR PERMITTED
PATTERNS, FUNCTION, and ALGEBRA Skills include a review of the following:
· Numeric and Nonnumeric Patterns
· Functions
· Algebraic Expressions
DATA ANALYSIS Skills include a review of the following areas:
· Collecting and Organizing Data
· Bar Graphs
· Line Graphs
· Deciding the best way to display and set of data (bar or line graph)
· Naming reasonable real-life events to explain data changes
**As always there are extra resources located on my class page in the files and documents section they are labeled Reteach, HW Practice, and Enrich for different levels of student need. Please feel free to take a look and utilize those resources to aid the study guides in preparation for the unit test.
Science—From Mrs. Cochrane: Study Plants #21-43
Language Arts—We are putting our Language Arts/Reading skills to multi-purpose use as we study and prepare for our final SOL. We are reading cross-curricular texts that use our non-fiction text feature skills and comprehension skills to review materials.
Read Aloud: CHAINS
Writing- We will be focusing on grammar and continuing our in-class review for the SOLs beginning with root words, prefixes, suffixes, guide words, and nonfiction skills. After the SOL we will begin poetry!
Social Studies—Please study all sections of the VA in the 20th and 21st Century packet for the Unit Test on Friday, May 19th.
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Dear Students and Families,
Words cannot express how humbled I am by your outpouring of love and appreciation this week. Gifts, flowers, sharpies, LOTTERY tickets, oh my! I promise not to leave you if I win big with those lottery tickets!.... A huge thank you to Colleen Quintana as well, for helping coordinate all of these outrageously thoughtful and unique gifts! Each of you sure know how to spoil a teacher!! I have been so blessed to spend my days working with your children. Thank you for your support & for entrusting me with their growth and success this year.
Gratefully,
Rachael Hirmer
(see pictures below!!)
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