Curriculum Night, September 9, 2014Curriculum Night, September 9, 2014

My presentation will begin at 6:30p.m. Please write a note to your child on the paper inside the folder on your child’s desk. Kindly put it in your child’s desk folder for him/her to enjoy tomorrow morning.

Thank you!

Help yourself to some candy and mints!

Look who has been “Look who has been “spottedspotted” in Mrs. Hinkson’s ” in Mrs. Hinkson’s class!class!

Welcome to Third Grade• Introduction• November Conference sign-ups • Wellness Policy (Due to life threatening student allergies, please

provide non-edible birthday treats.)• PFA Contact Information• Daily Schedule• My website has a lot of useful and helpful information

on it. 1. Go to North Allegheny’s website 1. Go to North Allegheny’s website

www.northallegheny.org 2. Go to McKnight’s website2. Go to McKnight’s website 3. Building staff3. Building staff

4. Hinkson, Sherri4. Hinkson, Sherri Please practice telling time to

reduce anxiety about pull-outs.

Special Services: Pull OutsORCHESTRA, CAS, CAP, GOAL, ELL, SPEECH, OT, PT

• Students will continue to learn while your child is out of the classroom.

• All children will receive 60 minutes of uninterrupted math & CA instruction daily.

• Most pull-outs occur during science and social studies classes.

• Please help your child to complete the work missed if he/she did not attend class that day. (Your child will receive a small note stating the in class assignment.)

Orchestra Participation

Bring instrument & music book to school on Wednesdays & Fridays for weekly lessons and whole group practice.

•Orchestra is an elective class. Your child is responsible to make up any work he/she missed while attending weekly lessons. •During whole group orchestra rehearsals on Fridays (2:25-3:10) students who do not participate in orchestra will be involved in remediation/enrichment activities. There is no work to make up on Fridays.•Contact Mr. Morton dmorton@northallegheny.org for questions regarding orchestra.

• Assignment Book-Check daily!

Please sign on Thurs. nightsHelp students get into the habit of checking off work

as it’s done

• Binder—travels to each class and homePouch to hold pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers,

and crayon packTab dividers to separate subjects: Math,

Science, Social Studies, and CA Homework Folder-3 hole punched

(Labeled Stay at home/Return to school)

Organizational Tools

Homework Tips

When returning home, students should open his/her assignment book & place it in a convenient spot for parents to review. Parents should not have to “dig” through their child’s backpack.

• Establish a homework routine• Find a quiet place• Make a homework supply box• Review your child’s homework. The student is

responsible for putting it back in the backpack.• Please sign assignment book on Thursday evenings• Homework Slip – please sign and have child return

attached to homework

Harcourt Storytown Themes:

1.School Days2.Together We Can3.As We Grow4.Tales to Tell5.A Place for All6.Discoveries 

Communication Arts

Reading Skills

• Robust Vocabulary– Review at home – Quizzed on matching and using words in context

• Word Analysis/Phonics• Comprehension

– Literal comprehension (Look back strategy)– Making inferences (Use your personal experiences

and story clues to infer how characters feel or why they act in a certain way.)

– Written response (Students use specific details & examples from the story to write complete responses.)

Hamburger Paragraph Format

•First,

•Next,

•After that,

•Finally,

First,

Next,

After that,

Finally,

Written Response ExpectationsLesson 1 Weekly Test Written Response: “Ruby the Copycat”

Example of expectations to earn 3/3 points using PSSA Rubric Format  

Question: Explain how Angela’s feelings toward Ruby Change during

the story. Use details and information from “Ruby the Copycat” to explain your answer. 

This is how Angela’s feelings toward Ruby changed. In the beginning, Angela liked when Ruby went home at lunch and changed her clothes to copy Angela. For example, on page 27 Angela whispered, “I like your sweater.” In the middle of the story, Angela was mad that Ruby copied her so much. For example, on page 33 Angela wrote a note that said, “YOU COPIED ME! I’M TELLING MISS HART!” At the end of the story, Angela liked Ruby again because she was being herself and not copying others. For example, on page 39 they hopped home for lunch together. That is how Angela’s feelings toward Ruby changed. 

•Topic Sentence•Supporting Details & Examples•Conclusion Sentence

Oral Reading Fluency……is the ability to read text smoothly, accurately, and with expression. Fluent readers can read aloud with a pace and phrasing that are much like speaking.)

• Lesson Tests—Parent Involvement Section

• Fluency log-binder

• Tips for improving fluency are on the

back of the log.

Fluency Assessment: Lesson Tests

Once upon a time there was a greedy dog. Even 10though he had plenty of food and toys, he always desired 21more. One afternoon he observed a little puppy chewing 30on a huge bone. 34"Give me that bone," the greedy dog growled. The 43frightened puppy dropped the bone and scurried away. 51The greedy dog scooped up the bone and marched on 61his way. 63As the greedy dog crossed a bridge over a creek, he 74glanced over the edge of the bridge and noticed another 84dog staring up at him from the water. That dog also had 96a huge bone in his mouth. The greedy dog decided he 107wanted that bone, too. 111He bared his teeth and let out a fierce growl. Much 122to his disbelief, the dog in the water growled back. The 133greedy dog snapped at the bone in the other dog's 143mouth. Plop! The bone in the greedy dog's mouth fell 153into the water, and the other dog vanished. 161"That dog has stolen my bone! " thought the greedy 170dog. "I must find him!" 175Of course, he never did. 180 _______WCPM

Third Grade Storytown BenchmarksFall Winter Spring

71 92 107

• Instruct your child to read the story aloud with expression and fluency while you time him/her for 1 minute. Your child should stop at periods & pause at commas. Reading fluency is NOT speed reading!

• As the child reads, the parent should circle the omitted, unknown, or mispronounced words on the second copy of the story. These words will be scored as “incorrect.” If he/she goes back to self correct a mistake, do not count the word as “incorrect.”

•Count the # of words your child read correctly in one minute. That is your child’s WCPM (words correct per minute.)

•Record the WCPM score on the cover sheet of the lesson test and fluency log located in your child’s binder.

•Take turns reading aloud with your child weekly to model and practice fluency.

Choosing an Appropriate Book

Five Finger Rule:

• Open the book to a middle page with little or no pictures.

• While reading the page, put one finger up each time you can’t pronounce a word, or if you don’t know the meaning of a word.

• If you have 5 or more fingers up at the end of the page…STOP…and choose another book. That book is too difficult for you.

Third Grade Reading Log• Children are required to read 25 grade

appropriate books during the third grade school year.

• Books do not have to be chapter books

• Reading Log~ located in your child’s binder

• Books read this summer may be included.

• A variety of genre is encouraged: ~Poetry~Biography~Realistic Fiction~Non-Fiction

Creative Writing

The Writing Process:

1. Pre-writing

2. Drafting

3. Revising/Editing

4. Final Draft

5. Proofreading/Sharing

Types of Writing1. Friendly letter2. Personal Narrative3. Compare/Contrast 4. Instructions5. Persuasive 6. Poetry7. Description

Creative writing is not graded until fourth grade. The primary writing goal in third grade is for students to independently write a detailed paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion sentence.

English – Grammar Skills

English lessons are incorporated into the reading lessons throughout the week. Lessons include:

• Types of Sentences• Nouns/Pronouns• Verbs• Adjectives/Adverbs• Conventions – includes capitalization, punctuation, and

sentence structure.

You can link to various sites to review the English lessons from my website.

Daily Oral Language • The students edit two sentences each morning upon arrival. We correct these

sentences together and discuss spelling, grammar, and convention rules.

• The skills are taught & reinforced continuously all year.

• Students will complete a 10 point quiz to assess their knowledge and application of the weekly skills.

• There is a study guide for each week in the DOL booklet. It is located in your child’s binder behind the “Communication Arts” tab.

• The test consists of 5 multiple choice questions and a paragraph in which students must identify and correct 5 errors.

Spelling• Monday-The students will be given a pretest of 15 words, and

the spelling generalization is introduced. Five challenge word will be given to students who miss 0 or 1 on the pretest. (Any student would did not qualify to do the challenge words but would like to do the challenge words may do so.)Students will write the word in cursive 3 times to practice.

• Tuesday-Thursday- Reinforcement and practice activities are completed.

• Friday- The students complete a weekly test. Spelling correlates with each story in the reading series, so we may

not have spelling lessons/tests every week.

Mathematics• Harcourt Mathematics Program• 30 Chapters- Pennsylvania Standards• Very rigorous curriculum- Monitoring homework daily is essential for

your child’s success in the classroom.

Grouping Based Upon Second Grade:~ ITBS Scores-concepts, problem solving, and computation~Basic fact speed quizzes (+ and -)~ Math student attributes~ End of book test

Academic I Group: Ms. Kauffman Academic II Group: All other classes are mixed

• Missing Homework: An “Incomplete Assignment Slip” will be given to the student. It must be signed by the student and parent and then stapled to the completed homework assignment. If this is not returned the next day, the student will stay in from recess to complete the missing assignment. Students are given points for homework completion.

That’s a Fact!Practice, Practice, Practice…

• Reinforcing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division facts each day will increase confidence so your child may experience success in the classroom.

• Log onto the McKnight webpage or my webpage for

access to your child’s math book on-line, tutorials, and fun learning links to support the curriculum.

• Harcourt—Learning Site—“That’s a Fact” orange box at the top of the page is a great resource.

• Many apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod, and smart phones are great for practicing facts on the go!

Rocket Math• Students practice a small number of facts in a sequential manner repeatedly. The gradual

accumulation of facts and repeated practice helps to commit facts to long term memory so they may be recalled quickly.

• Third grade begins with subtraction (Letters A-Z) and will move to multiplication (Letters A-Z). Students who do not master subtraction by November/December, will still progress to multiplication.

• Parent participation is important for your child’s success!

• A list of sequential facts to study is located in your child’s assignment book. He/she should write which letter to study in his assignment book each night.

• Flashcards of the facts have been sent home for practice. Students should recite the problem and the answer.

• Upon mastering a level, your child will color the corresponding letter on the rocket.

• Students complete a two-minute weekly non-graded quiz to track progress.

Rocket Math Preview

Science• Students work in

cooperative groups and participate in hands-on activities.

• Students use the inquiry method to investigate new science concepts.

Science

Scientific Method of Inquiry:

1. Generate a Question

2. Create a Hypothesis

3. Plan an Investigation

4. Collect and Display Data

5. Analyze the Data to Draw a

Conclusion

6. Think: How could I investigate this topic further?

Science UnitsMrs. Hinkson is the science teacher for both 3C and 3B

Social StudiesMs. Garrett is the teacher (3B)

(Mrs. Arbogast will return in January)

3rd Grade Harcourt Series: Our Communities

• Topics Include:– Maps & Globes – Communities

• Geographical features, cultures, citizens, government, and economics

– State and National History• Important people, places, and events

• TYLER Gradebook: Parents may access their child’s grades and other related information via the student information system. (SIS) Directions to access this information is located on the district website.

Please do not use the e-mail feature of this program, because it does not connect to the district email.

If a grade is listed as incomplete for your child, please be patient. He/she may have been absent or making up work from a pull-out.

Click on the assignment to see the point value. The assignment may read 50%, but the score may be 2/4 on a lesson test skill. • Students may access their READING, MATH, SCIENCE, & SOCIAL STUDIES books on-line. Directions are listed on the district

website and my website.

On-line Resources

PSSA Testing• PA Department of Education has established math,

reading, writing, and science standards for all students in grades K-12.

• The standards provide consistency in education across the state.

• Assessments are given in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 (High School---Keystone Exams)

• Third grade testing ~ Math & English Language Arts Testing Dates: April 13-17 English Language Arts

April 20-24 MathUsually testing is conducted each morning during these weeks. The testing schedule is

not yet determined, so please do not schedule vacations and appointments during these two weeks.)

Third Grade PSSA Testing • Reading Assessments: ~ multiple choice items ~ constructed response in which students must write specific story examples to respond to the question. (3 pt. rubric)

• Math Assessments: ~ multiple choice items ~ constructed response in which students must show work for each step of the problem AND write sentences to explain his/her thought process (4 pt. rubric)

PSSA Testing

• North Allegheny curriculum is directly aligned with the Pennsylvania State Standards.

• The staff at McKnight is dedicated to not only prepare your child for the state assessment, but to empower students to be lifelong thinkers and learners.

• The students are well prepared for the exam. They need to get plenty of rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and “show what they know.”

Olweus Bully Prevention "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and

over time, to negative actions by one or more persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself.”

• Class meetings will be conducted to share feelings and experiences, develop a sense of community within our classroom, and aid students in solving problems.

Important Third Grade Dates Halloween Party ~ October 31, 2014

Winter Party ~ December 22, 2014

•IOWA Tests of Basic Skills ~ Jan. 12-16, 2015

Valentine’s Day Party ~ February 13, 2015

•PSSA Testing ~ April 13-17 & 20-24, 2015

Memorial Day Program ~ May 22, 2015

•Field Day~ June 5, 2015 Additional dates will be announced later

in the year. The third grade team is

collaborating to plan more meaningful and

authentic activities that correlate with the third

grade curriculum.

Thank you for coming!

Please read the butterfly story located in your child’s packet. I’m looking forward to working in

partnership with you to help your child gain independence and establish strong

organizational skills.