Connecting My 4th-Grade Parents

Parental Communication is Vital to a Successful School Year. 

I feel it is just as important to be in contact with parents when their students are excelling as it is when there is a concern.  I know as a parent I would cringe every time I got a call from the school.  “What happened now?” maybe their first thought.  I like to put their mind at ease and let them know how great their child is doing.  How they have improved in a subject or just how helpful they have been.  I find when I do this, it makes for a much better relationship as well as easier to bring up concerns when the need arises. 

Parent involvement can be challenging no matter what grade you are teaching.  

Besides emails, I find that there are several tools that work well for me to keep in touch with my families.  At the beginning of the year, I send each family a Google Form to fill out regarding their student. The information asked for includes contact information as well as an introduction to their child and what they would like me to know.  I inquire about how they would like to participate during the year.  This could include, helping out in class, taking items home to work on, or organizing class parties. If the parent or family member would like to visit our class and teach then that would be recorded on the form as well.  

During Open House, I review all of the vital information that parents would like to know using a Google Slide presentation.  I introduce myself and explain the content we will be covering as well as any field trips we might be taking during the year.  I explain to my families that I will keep an updated website to keep them apprised of assignments, due dates, and current information necessary for their child to be successful. A small flipbook will be given to the parents as well as the link to our classroom website.

My classroom website will be the focal point of parental connection.  I have pages that will keep the families informed:

• Introduction - a short paragraph introducing myself, my family, or hobbies including a few photos

• FAQ - information about policies and procedures as well as contact information.

• Calendar - assignments, due dates, upcoming events posted here.

• Videos - as our class creates videos, there will be links to view them.

• Resources / Activities - Links to some of the websites and programs that our students are using or ideas of activities that extend our curriculum they can perform at home.

• Lost Items - posted photos of items left in the classroom that have remained unclaimed for more than a week.

• Class Schedule - Our daily schedule of learning including what days and times we attend our specials

• Room 19 Hard at Work - I post class photos of my students working on various projects

• Say Hello to Room 19 - This page is designated for parents to send in photos of their child outside of school.  Participating in sports, family activities, or a simple smile and a kind message have been very welcoming posts in the past.  

Remind is an app that I have also utilized in my classroom.  This is a quick way for me to send messages or reminders to my families.  It is convenient to use on the phone as well as on the computer.

Teaching parents how to access the website would be absolutely necessary in order for them to make use of this tool.  I cover this information during Open House, however, not all of my parents attend.  For this reason, I include a sheet of written step by step instructions with photos that will help them along.  They are also welcome to call me if they have any questions. 

In order for me to stay in close contact with my parents using my web page, parents would have to have access to the web and a device.  I have had students in my class whose parents do not even have an email address.  In such cases, I provide those students with a hard copy of the calendar and any other upcoming information that they would need to have.  Of course, it is always a gamble as to whether or not they will make use of it, but I do provide it as well as my contact information should any questions arise. I have never had a parent that does not own a cell phone, so using the Remind app has worked well for me.  It usually takes a few weeks to get all of the parents to enroll in my class.  I send home reminders and make a few phone calls to reach all families.

Connecting My 4th Grade Students

What Does it Mean to be Global?

I would like to introduce the idea of being a “global” citizen in today’s world to my fourth-grade students. It’s important for students to have an understanding that people are different. The world itself is different. Connecting students together is a great way for them to not only investigate and learn about other cultures but also their perspectives about the world. The experience of connecting with others offers a real-world global experience of understanding others and possibly learning something about themselves as well.

Before students can be connected to others, it will be important for them to understand their own “Place in this World.” We will create a flipbook that designates their home, city, state, and country, etc. There will be a page for them to color each of these on a visual map. Next, we will be exploring our essential question, “What does it mean to be Global?” Each student will have the opportunity to respond to this question on Flipgrid. A classroom discussion will be opened up after the students have viewed their classmates' responses. Students will gain an authentic experience by using the PenPalSchools website to learn about schools around the world. Each 4th grader will be matched up with another student from a different country. They will engage in a weekly lesson and answer a discussion question. Collaborative projects also include activities such as creating virtual postcards. All final projects will be uploaded to the PenPalSchools home website for others to view as well.

Pen Pals Learn Together!

Students will be entering 4th grade with basic computer knowledge. Before the class will be ready to take on this adventure, we will need to go more in-depth on using the provided chrome books. In the first few weeks of school, we will begin to review the necessary skills they will need to be successful using technology beginning with the ability to log in without a Q card. We will also practice using Google Docs and Slides, and Piktochart so they can become more familiar with how they can create information to share with others using technology. Google Classroom will be used to assign beginning lessons on geography and using a globe. This will enable them to become more familiar with the various locations we will be studying as a class. Information about our project will be sent home for parental approval. This will include a link to the website we will be using so parents can gain further knowledge. The class code will also be available for the parents so they can follow along with the journey that their child is making.

An obstacle might include not obtaining parental approval. In this case, I will have the students work on a different type of activity to produce the desired outcome. I will give the student a few different choices of global areas to choose from to do a research project. The student can then use their chrome book to research education in the location they have chosen. They will be instructed to combine their ideas together and present an infographic using Piktochart. Another possible obstacle may be that we are not in our own building for learning purposes. In this case, I will teach remotely. I will create instructional videos using screencastify. I will also be able to teach and demonstrate lessons using Google Meets in the presentation mode.