WELCOME TO THIRD GRADE

CURRICULUM NIGHT

Please find your child’s desk and have a seat. Use the index card to write a note to your child if you wish.

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About Mrs. Leftwich•This is my 17th year of teaching. •I have taught first, second, & third grades, and 6th grade math.

•I am a military brat, so from a lot of places!

•Married with four children—Luke (20) soon to be a junior in college, and Troy, Brooke, and Brenna (18), my triplets, who are freshman in college.

•I have a boxer named Gunner.

General InformationDaily School Schedule•7:40 Line up on #20 on basketball courts

•7:45 School starts•11:20- 12:00 Recess/Lunch•2:35 Dismissal (12:35 Wed.)Special Areas Schedule MondayMusic

9:45-10:35

TuesdayP.E.

9:45-10:35

WednesdayART

9:45-10:35

Thursday

Computer

Lab9:50-10:40

FridayLIBRARY

9:45-10:35

General Information cont.•Bring healthy snacks daily•Behavior Expectations: Love & Logic•Star slips•Behavior Logs due on Monday signed•80+ minutes/week for reading•Website www.kyrene.org/aleftw

Homework Schedule •Mon.: 2 Spelling assign., due back Thur.

•Mon. – Thur. Math/Language usually•80 minutes reading a week

•Homework will usually be due the day after it is given. If, for some reason, your child was unable to complete it, please email me or send a note to let me know. If I don’t hear from you, your child will be asked to complete the work at recess time or during Study Hall in academic lab.

New Assessments for 2014-2015

•The AIMS test, which is not aligned to the existing standards, was used for the last time in Spring 2014.

•Arizona State Board of Education is devoted to the selection of a rigorous assessment to measure student learning and inform the State’s accountability measures.

•The State Board of Education’s final selection and adoption of a new statewide English language arts and mathematics achievement assessment is expected to occur in early October, 2014.

•This new statewide achievement assessment will be aligned to Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards and will be administered beginning in the spring of 2015.

3rd Grade Math Assessment Sample Questions

Sample 1:What is another way of expressing 8 ×12?• (8 ×10) + (8 × 2)• (8 ×1) + (8 × 2)• (8 ×10) + 2• 8 + (10 × 2)

Sample 2:A bake sale had the 3 cakes, as shown below, for sale.

Each cake was cut into 6 slices. Each slice was sold for $5.What was the total amount earned for the sale of all the cakes?Show your work.

Reading Assessment Sample

The state of New York has sample tests online that are Common Core aligned (College and Career Readiness Standards, AKA…CCRS)

Math•We have three resources— Investigations in Data and Space and Scott Foresman (SFAW), Contexts for Learning Mathematics.

•Investigations lessons focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning.

•SFAW is a traditional textbook that focuses on problem solving and practice.

•The new Contexts for Learning Mathematics series by Catherine Fosnot uses carefully crafted math situations to foster a deep conceptual understanding of essential mathematical ideas, strategies, and models through math workshops.

Math (Major Clusters) Operations and Algebraic Thinking

•Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division•Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division

•Multiply/Divide within 100•Solve problems involving the 4 operations (+, -, x, ÷), and identify patterns in arithmeticNumber and Operations – Fractions

•Develop and understanding of fractions as numbers•Understand fractional parts must be equal size•Part/ whole•Understand fractions can be shown on a number line •Understanding equivalent fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8

•Compare & order fractionsMeasurement and Data

•Solve problems involving measurement of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and mass

•Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.

Reading•Students learn to read by reading!

•Students will participate in guided reading, shared reading, and independent reading.

•Students will read stories from our adopted Harcourt series as well as leveled readers in reading groups with me.

•We will meet in instructional focus groups (IFGs); Tradebooks, nonfiction articles

Reading•Third grade students will have three quarterly book projects on the following genres:

1. Mystery2. Fables/Tall Tales3. Biography

Writing• Instruction using Write from the Beginning

and Beyond • Assessments will be from WFB&B rubrics

and the Six Traits of Writing 1. Ideas2. Organization3. Voice4. Word Choice5. Sentence Fluency6. Conventions

Spelling •Third grade spelling words come from the Harcourt series and correlate with the weekly stories.

•Lists will be sent home on Monday with suggested activities on the back of the paper. Practice the words with your child throughout the week. We will also study the words in class. The spelling test will be given on Friday.

•Challenge Words are optional

Social Studies (Learning Strands) American History•Exploration and colonization•Civil War and Reconstruction•Contemporary U.S.World History•Early Civilizations (Ancient Greece and Rome)•Civics and Government•Foundations and structure of government•Rights, responsibilities and roles of citizenshipGeographyEconomicsJunior Achievement

Health •The Third Grade Health Curriculum focuses on concepts and skills that promote personal health and safety.

•The Health Curriculum will…•Lead your child to an understanding of total health and an overall idea of wellness.

•Encourage emotional and physical healthy habits

•HIV Awareness (Permission Forms sent prior to teaching)

Science •Matter & Energy• Light• Sound

•Earth Science• Rocks and Minerals• Earth’s Structure and Composition

•Living Things• Ecosystems• Plants • Animals

Technology •Computer Operations•Keyboarding: Typing Agent•Word Processing•Presentations: Pixie, Frames, Share•Research•Integration: Dreambox, Typing Agent•Smartboard

Climb to the Stars Fundraiser• This is our main fundraiser goes through the 29th

• If you donate tonight, you will be put in a drawing to win a Go Pro camera      

•100% of donations go towards our school•Donations are tax deductible       • Accept cash, checks, or credit cards (curriculum night only for credit cards)      

•This money is used directly to support our students, families, and staff      

• Individual prizes, class prizes will be earned      • If we reach our goal of $10,000, Administration will sumo wrestle at an assembly!

Thanks for coming!

Email me with specific questions anytime: aleftw@kyrene.org