Mrs. Davis & Mr. Seley Welcome you to Back to School Night! Before the presentation begins, please visit the table in the hall for: (1) Your folder of handouts for tonight’s presentation (labeled with your child’s name) (2) Classroom Volunteer sign-up sheet for the year (in Room 203) We will begin at 6:30 SHARP!

Back to School Night 2011 Mrs. Davis & Mr. Seley

Throughout the presentation, please write down any questions you have for us on the index card. Leave your name and address and we’ll get back to you individually!

WHO WE ARE

Kim Davis

Tom Seley

CURRICULUM

Language Arts Novels Picture Books Book Clubs 6+1 Traits Writing Proces s Paragraph Design Fantasy Folk Tales and Fables Myths and Legends Realistic Fiction Biography Character Education Mystery and Adventure Historical Fiction Nonfiction (aligned with Science) Poetry Personal Essay Descriptive Writing Letter Writing Daily Reading & Writing Workshop

Social Studies Michigan Studies Geography Government History Economy

Land and Water Ecosystems Variables Science

Math Daily Home Links (HL) or Study Links (SL) Daily Math Journal pages (MJ p.) Worksheets to practice skills Day-to-day in-class assessment Extension Activities Learning Spiral Daily basic facts practice at home Homework reviewed together Review Sheets and Unit Tests Basic Facts Timed Tests SEE GRADE-LEVEL HANDOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION

Enrichment for All Learners Enrichment pieces integrated into most units of study and into many daily lessons. Optional Challenge & Enrichment activities are often provided. Challenge & Enrichment involve the student making choices to match his/her individual interests and/or learning style.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION & ENGAGE

21 st Century Skills G.E.E.K.ed = Global Education Engaging KidsG.E.E.K.ed = Global Education Engaging Kids BCS believes in learning-centered curriculum designed to emphasize: –Collaboration –Communication reading, writing, speaking, listening) –Creativity –Critical Thinking (Inquiry and Problem Solving) –Reflection –Digital Citizenship

21 st Century Tools Daily Homework Blog Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Outlook) Photostory Digital still cameras Digital video cameras (flip) Numerous Internet-based learning resources

What is a wiki? – Uses for Our Students –Individual Student Portfolios and group projects –Share with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. Visit our wiki – Parameters –Students have login privileges to edit –No last names or directly identifying a student in a photo –Students may discuss each other’s work, update group projects, but may not delete anyone else’s work or comment –History is recorded so changes are attributed to user –Public classroom community

What is Moodle? –( **Scroll down to bottom of page for video.** Uses for Our Students –Quizzes/Tests –Assignments –Discussion Forums Visit our Moodle pages – Parameters –No one can log into our Moodle classroom except for kids in our classroom. Last names are okay. This is a private online classroom.

Daily Homework Blog VISIT OUR BLOGS DAILY!!! Add these to your favorites list: – – Parameters –3 rd graders will want to visit Mrs. Davis’ blog for 3 rd grade math homework; 4 th graders will want to visit Mr. Seley’s blog for 4 th grade math homework. –This is the way to communicate our exciting curriculum with parents! –Check the blog every day for LOADS of helpful information!

Downloadable Homework Assignments 3/4 Resource Page: Most homework assignments available to be downloaded and printed. Username = bcsstu Password = cobra

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Laptops or tablets (PC or mac), itouches Optional and encouraged! We are working toward a 1:1 device to student ratio. Most-frequently-used programs will be an internet browser and Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint). Devices will be kept with the student, in our classroom, or in the child’s locker. Devices must be clearly labeled with your child’s first and last name before they are brought to school. BYOD will be greatly useful for ALL the children in our classes and will positively impact their daily education.

What do our 21 st Century classrooms look like? Math Science Social Studies Writing Reading

BCS is a great place to be! Engage Grades 3-8 Project-based learning, 21 st Century Skills, technology integration 3/4 kids have Engage as a co- curricular class twice a week for 90 minutes per week 3/4 teacher and Engage teacher co-teach twice a week for 90 minutes per week

And we haven’t forgotten…. Spelling Handwriting/Cursive Grammar Map Reading Character Education Teamwork Your kids still learn these things too!

CLASSROOM LOGISTICS

How much homework? Most homework is finishing daily class work. Daily: Reading (20 minutes minimum for 3 rd, 30 minutes for 4 th ) Math (one lesson) Practice basic math facts and typing. In Quarters 2 and 3, there is Spelling homework. We will have an at-home Paragraph Practice once or twice a month.

Math Facts Goals 3 rd Grade Math4 th Grade Math Addition Facts 0-10 (30 facts in two minutes) Subtraction Facts 0-10 (30 facts in two minutes) Multiplication Facts 0-10 (50 facts in three minutes) Division Facts 0-10 (50 facts in three minutes) Addition Facts 0-10 (100 facts in five minutes) Subtraction Facts 0-10 (100 facts in five minutes) Multiplication Facts 0-12 (100 facts in five minutes) Division Facts 0-12 (100 facts in five minutes) End of Year District Goals:

Math Facts Practice Due to a rigorous math curriculum, students need to practice basic fact at home all year long. We recommend 15 minutes per weekday. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division District goals for each grade level; mastery includes speed and getting correct answer. Use flashcards and fact triangle cards in the car! Keep them by your child’s seat. Play games from the Student Reference Book. Online: play free games, free timed tests, print free worksheets. Apps for cell phones!!

Fostering Independent Homework Skills Homework is the student’s job and they should do more work than the parent or the teacher. Homework is a four step process: take it home, do it, bring it back to school, turn it in If students have missing assignments, they will work during lunch and recess in the room. Teachers will contact parents if students have missing assignments. Students turn in work independently by putting their work into the proper tray in the tower or by submitting it electronically.

Fostering Independent Homework Skills Doing Homework –Have a regular time and place for homework. –Allow your child to do his or her homework alone. –Encourage kids to put a ? next to problems that confuse them. –Have your child show you completed homework and bring you the planner to be initialed. –Set natural consequences at home if work doesn’t get done. Getting Homework to and from School –Keep all folders, papers, binders, and other classroom materials in the binder at all times. Please do NOT “clean out” your child’s binder. Remind your child to re-pack his or her binder as soon as work is completed, AT NIGHT!

Field Trips Friday, December 9, 2011: ROUGE PLANT TOUR Friday, January 20, 2012: DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM Friday, June 1, 2012: GREENFIELD VILLAGE

Wear comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothes. Pack lunches ONLY in disposable bags/baggies/bottles. Groups may NOT visit Souvenir Shops. Do NOT give your child spending money. Chaperones may NOT purchase anything for the children in their group. Pack GameBoys, iPods, books, etc. for use on the bus only at your own risk. We are not responsible for lost or damaged items. Children must carry all of their own belongings. Chaperones are not sherpas! Field Trip Musts

Class Parties –Halloween Party – Monday, October 31 th –Holiday Party – Friday, December 16 th –Valentine’s Day Party – Tuesday, February 14 th –Reading to Superbowl – Friday February ??,10:00-11:00 –End of the Year Party – Thursday, June 14 th, all day Please join us! Contact your room parent to volunteer!!

You may send in a birthday treat for your child to share with his/her homeroom if you choose. All treats must be NUT FREE! We celebrate in the afternoon. Please your child’s teacher the day before so we make time for your child’s celebration! You may drop off your treat when you drop off your child. There are 27 students in our homeroom. Please send in treats that are individually portioned for each student. All 27 treats should be identical. (flavor, size, etc.) Children enjoy “fairness.” Please provide 27 napkins. Beverages are not necessary. Students enjoy passing out treats to other teachers, so you may wish to send in a few extra. Summer birthdays may want to choose an alternate date to celebrate. (ex. half-birthday) Birthday Treats

Check both teachers’ blogs every day. Discuss the homework assignments with your child. Initial your child’s planner EVERY night. Support your child’s homework to foster independence. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, has a healthy lunch and snack, and is physically active. Have your child read daily and you should read daily in front of them. Read together as well. Read Love and Logic to get a feel for BCS’ discipline model. Explore our blogs. Communicate with your child’s teachers!! How to Help

“Parents play a crucial role in providing the supportive framework in which children: grow, learn mental discipline, focus their abilities, appreciate their own strengths and weaknesses, cultivate a desire to learn and to take advantage of opportunities, and develop as thoughtful and kind people.” ~~Mingus & Grassl (1999)~~ We highly value parent- teacher communication. Please feel free to us at any time! Parents and Teachers As Partners

WE PREFER !!! Contact Us Anytime!

Contact Our Fabulous Room Parents Davis Kathy Barnas (Nikki’s mom) Jen Savel (Jackson’s mom) Mirjam Gunter (Thomas’ mom) Nicole (Toland’s mom) Seley Stacy Hansen (Nina’s mom) Suzanne Sadek (Rea’s mom)

Please leave your question cards in the basket and we will respond by . We are so thankful to work with such supportive parents! Mr. Hartley and Mrs. Chinn will be beginning their presentation in the Media Center. Thank you for coming tonight!

Social Studies Social Studies Alive! textbook and online materials Regions of the United States (Password protected login--you will learn more later)

Sound Dental Health and Nutrition Insects & Life Cycles Magnetism and Electricity Science