Weekly Newsletter
Welcome to my home page! I am a 4th grade teacher at Cooper
Elementary!
Education & Teaching Background:
 | Bachelor's of Science in Nursing |
| 10 Yr. experience at GISD |
| Certified in Gifted and Talented Instruction |
| Trainer for Cognitively Guided Instruction (math) |
| Participant in the 2003/2004 and 2007/2008 Central Texas Regional Collaborative for
Excellence in Science Teaching |
| Member of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics |
| Certified in ESL |
Contact Information:
This year, in my class we will be learning some fantastic things!
Math
We are in our second year of the textbook adoption, Think Math. I am excited to
see how the scholars will continue to grow and develop their number sense and become better
problem-solvers using this program.
| Problem solving - We will be doing a lot of problem solving and
developing strategies for tackling challenging problems. |
| Number Sense - We will be working on developing a strong sense of
numbers; what they mean and how they can be put together and broken
down. Mental math strategies will be explored |
| Algebraic Thinking - We will be exploring patterns and
relationships, and exploring the relationship between two sets of data that
we generate in class. |
| Geometry - We will be studying plane and solid shapes, and
exploring symmetry. |
| Measurement - We will be doing a fun unit on measurement with the
students measuring and weighing objects as well as obtaining temperature
recording which they will be graphing |
Reading
| We will be reading content from across the curriculum incorporating
science and social studies. |
| We will be exploring a variety of genres, including biographies,
historical fiction, and mysteries |
| We will be working on developing reading fluency through different
activities such as Reader's Theater. |
| We will use Stop to Think strategies for reading comprehension. |
Writing
| Using writer's workshop, the students will be writing, editing, and
publishing stories. |
| The students will be using Thinking maps to plan and organize their
writing using the Write from the Beginning strategies that they have been
learning since kindergarten. |
Science
| We will be learning about the properties of matter
and doing some exciting explorations with density. |
| In Earth Science we will learn about rocks, weathering,
erosion and the changes that occur over time. The scholars will learn
about patterns such as the seasons and the different phases of the moon. |
| We will look at fossils and learn what they can tell us about life from
the past. We even will make our own fossil and go on a field trip to see
a fossilized dinosaur footprint! |
| In Life Science, we will explore different adaptations of plants and
animals and discover how they help a species meet its basic needs. |
| We will learn about behaviors of animals, learned and instinctual.
We will also look at inherited traits of animals and how all of these factors
help the animal meets its basic needs to survive and reproduce. |
| When the winter winds roar, we will be learning about weather and how it
can be predicted. |
| This year I will be continuing the Junior Master Gardener program through
Texas A & M. The scholars will be studying the Literature in the
Garden curriculum as they plant the vegetable gardens and maintain the
butterfly garden. |
Social Studies
| This is an exciting year for scholars since we learn all about Texas
history. |
| The scholars will begin the year learning about maps and globes and how to
use them |
| We will learn about the landforms of Texas and the Native People who
inhabited the land. |
| The scholars will learn about the discovery of Texas and the different
explorers who came upon it. |
| Of course we will be learning all about early settlers to Texas, the
missions, and the conflict with Mexico. We will be visiting the Bob
Bullock State History Museum in the spring. |
| The scholars will be learning about the growing and changing Republic and
how it became the 28th state in the Union. |
| Civil war and reconstruction follows as the state and country undergo
major changes. |
| We will also learn about the depression and its effect upon Texas, |
  
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