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Welcome to 4th Grade Math in Texas Wiki! . My purpose in creating this wiki was to provide information specific to 4th Grade Math. Since the Math STAAR test will be administered for the first time this upcoming spring in 2012, I thought I would gather information that teachers might need and put it in one useful place. Having been a teacher not so long ago, I know how easily handouts from summer professional development sessions and even electronic files and/or websites can be misplaced. My intention will be to place as much as I know, can research, and discover about 4th Grade Math TEKS, 4th Grade Math STAAR test, and the resources and best teaching strategies to help prepare our students on this wiki.

I will, of course, welcome any comments and/or feedback about any of the information on this website. If you find any of the information that I share on this wiki to be useful and/or you would like to share anything from which 4th grade students might benefit, I'd really appreciate it if you would email me so that others can benefit from your expertise as well.

A few things you may want to know about me. I am passionately committed to student success. That being said, I don't usually find many things that I will shy away from trying if I think a kid might benefit from it. I believe the only way to grow as a teacher and as a student is to be continually stretched out of our comfort zones. I am a constructivist. I don't like worksheets. I don't like stand and deliver instructional approaches. I do, however, recognize that I don't know everything and love to talk and share with other teachers. From this type of collaboration, comes great things for our kids.

The best teacher I ever knew was my first teammate. She broke all the rules, she did not teach like anyone else I've ever seen, but she was beloved by her students and consequently, her students outperformed every other teacher in our district. I learned so much from her and continue to look for teachers who have great instructional approaches. After she left our school and I was having a particularly hard time with some negative teammates, she told me something that sticks with me to this day, and something I pass to all other teachers I work with.... "Don't ever let anyone steal your light...the kids can't be left in the dark"....