1. Welcome to Curriculum Night 3 rd Grade Mrs. Cooper 2013-2014

2. Classroom Management  Monthly Behavior Contract- please look at it nightly, and sign it monthly.  Students start each day with 5 “pillars”.  Students receive one warning, and then pillars are taken for breaking any of our class promises.  Warnings are not given for severe infractions.  Not bringing homework= loss of 2 pillars.  Students who have kept 4 or more pillars per day may participate in grade-level recess.  Students who keep 20 or more pillars per week participate in Success Club on Friday.

3. Homework  Presented weekly, but with daily due dates.  Similar format every week: *Mon. night (due Tues.): Problem Solving *Tues. night (due Wed.): Reading Comprehension *Wed. night (due Thurs): Math Computation *Thurs. Night (due Fri.): Writing Once weekly, students are expected to complete an activity off the math menu. This can be either a simple fact recall practice or one of the various math games we will learn this year. In addition, students are required to read at least 15 minutes nightly Monday- Thursday and obtain a parent signature. We are in “Training” right now in terms of Homework expectations: Schematic representations, written explanations and justifications, underlining passages to support answers, complete sentences, quality handwriting. Once students are more comfortable with the expectations, homework will not be accepted until standards are met.

4. Curriculum  Using the Common Core Standards in Reading, Language Arts, and Math in 3 rd Grade  http://www.azed.gov/standards- practices/common-core-state-standards http://www.azed.gov/standards- practices/common-core-state-standards

5. Highlights of What We Will Learn  Reading : More of an emphasis on Non-Fiction Text and its many forms. Many reading elements integrated thematically around a weekly piece of foundational text  Math : MULTIPLICATION, problem solving, logic are highlights this year.  Science and Social Studies : Integrated and embedded within the Language Arts time- Rocks, Plants, Light and Sound, Government, Explorers, Famous Americans.

6. A Method to the Madness: Structures and Strategies of Rm. 29  Math : emphasis on problem solving, schematic representation, writing and justifying our reasoning, critiquing and analyzing the logic of others. Introduction of multiple strategies or processes for computation methods.  Reading : Daily 5 structure. Constantly setting and evaluating personal reading goals on CAFÉ strategies. Emphasis on comprehension. Later in the semester: Formal Note Taking!  Writing: formal 5 paragraph essays with introductions, conclusions, main ideas and details: for all forms of writing. Use of the “Idea Closet” graphic organizer.

7. PROBLEMS Problem solving is a HUGE emphasis in Room 29 and carries across all subject areas. We will plan on an optional community- building service activitie each semester. These activities will be student-driven based on problems that the class sees and wants to try and “solve.” It could include reading to residents of Sun Lakes, park clean up, etc.

8. Changes from 2 nd to 3rd  STATE AIMS testing in April- Reading (with writing embedded) and Math.  Formal letter grades in Math, Writing, and Reading. Indicators only in Science and Social Studies- can be checked through Infinite Campus online.  Emphasis on Rubrics and Scales in Learning

9. Conferences  Mark your Calendars!  August 28th(afternoon only)  August 29 th (afternoon and evening) Sharing of data and goal setting for the year. Opportunity to sign up for Infinite Campus access.

10. Thank you for Coming to Curriculum Night!