WELCOME to Kindergarten

What is the Common Core? Common Core standards… provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn across the curriculum areas so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.

Common Core Fundamental Shifts Balance Literacy & Informational Text Build Knowledge in the Disciplines Staircase of Text Complexity Text-Based Answers Write from Sources Build Academic Vocabulary

Curriculum Shifts ELA Math Read as much non fiction as fiction Learn about the world by reading Read more challenging material closely Discuss reading using evidence Write non-fiction using evidence Increase academic vocabulary Focus: learn more about fewer, key topics Build skills within and across grades Develop speed and accuracy Really know it, Really do it Use it in the real world Think fast AND solve problems

3 Major Shifts In Math… Teachers will concentrate on teaching a more focused set of major math concepts and skills. This will allow students time to master key math concepts and skills in a more organized way throughout the year and from one grade to the next. It will also call for teachers to use rich and challenging math content and to engage students in solving real-world problems in order to inspire greater interest in mathematics.

What do we want students to know? Mathematics Topic What do we want students to know? Counting & Cardinality Number names & the count sequence Count to tell number Compare numbers Measurement & Data Describe & compare measurable attributes Classify & count the number of objects in a category Geometry Identify 7 shapes Compare & create shapes Operations & Algebraic Thinking Understand addition as putting together Understand subtraction as taking apart & taking from Numbers and Operations in Base Ten Work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value

3 Major Shifts in ELA... Students will continue reading and writing. But in addition to stories and literature, they will read more texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas including science and social studies. They will read more challenging texts and be asked more questions that will require them to refer back to what they have read. There will also be an increased emphasis on building a strong vocabulary so that students can read and understand challenging material.

ELA Curriculum Units of Study Reading Writing Readers Build Good Habits Launching Writer’s Workshop Readers Think and Talk About Emergent Books Looking Closely, Observing & Listing Like Scientists Just-Right Books- Readers Use Powers Personal narrative Non-Fiction Reading for Information Non-fiction “How-To” Books We Can Be Reading Teachers Raising the Quality of Small Moments Readers Are Brave and Resourceful Information books on Science Readers Get to Know Characters By Pretending & Performing Books Persuasive Writing

Social Studies Unit Description School & School Community What is a school? What does it mean to be a good school citizen? Why are rules important? What rules should we follow in our classroom/school? Myself and Others How are people alike and different? What is special about me Families Why are families important? How are families alike/different? What holidays do you celebrate in your family? What are some of your family traditions? Community What is a community? How do communities meet are needs? Who lives and works in a community? Citizenship What does it mean to be a good citizen? What are our responsibilities as a citizen of our country? What are some of the symbols that represent our country?

Science Unit Goals The Five Senses Fabric Plants Animals Two by Two Observe common objects by using the five senses. Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight). Fabric To become familiar with fabrics’ properties Discover what happens when they are tested Discover how they interact with other materials, including water Plants Care for plants to learn what they need to grow and develop Observe the structures of plants and discover ways to propagate new plants from seeds. Animals Two by Two Have close and personal interaction with some common land and water animals Establish appropriate habitats and learn to care for the animals. Observe and care for one animal over time, and have many opportunities for observation, communication, and comparison.

Response to Intervention (RTI) …a research based approach to providing high quality individual or small group instruction to students who experience difficulty making progress in their grade level curriculum.

Helping your Child Outside of School…. Math ELA Use everyday objects to allow your child to count and group a collection of objects. Encourage your child to construct numbers in multiple ways. For example, what are some ways that you can make 10? Answers might include 5+5, 6+4, 8+2, etc. Have your child explain his or her thinking. Have your child create story problems to represent addition and subtraction of small numbers. For example, “Ann had eight balloons. Then she gave three away, so she only had five left.” Encourage your child to stick with it whenever a problem seems difficult. This will help your child see that everyone can learn math. Praise your child when he or she makes an effort and share in the excitement when he or she solves a problem or understands something for the first time. Read to your child and have him or her read to you every day for at least 15 minutes. Pick out words that might be new to your child or words that have multiple or complex meanings. Discuss those words and how they add to what the writer is saying. Ask your child to retell a story in his or her own words by telling what happened first, second, third, etc. Ask your child to think about what the message of a story may be or what he or she learned from an informational book or article. Look for opportunities in everyday places to build your child’s vocabulary Be sure your child has a library card. Children should select books in which they are interested to develop a passion for reading. Many libraries have book clubs and family activities that make reading fun for the entire family. Use technology to help build your child’s interest in reading. There are several websites where students can read books or articles online. The computer will help with words the student cannot read independently.