Kindergarten Curriculum Night Caleb’s Creek Elementary School September 2013

Classroom Information Save Box Tops, Parmesan cheese containers, Bread ties, aluminum cans. Vest/pillow case needed by November 1. Birthday information Extra Clothes – Names on EVERYTHING Shoes – sneakers Snack calendar explanation.

Agenda  Classroom Rules and Procedures  Homework Policy  Daily Schedule  Assessments  Common Core Standards  ELA  Math  Science  Social Studies  Technology?  Field Trips  Staying Informed  Ways You Can Help at Home  Questions?

Classroom Rules and Procedures Classroom Rules 1.Listen when the teacher is talking. 2.Follow directions quickly. 3.Respect yourself, others, and your school. 4.Raise your hand to speak. 5.Make good choices.

Homework Policy Math sheets coming home Sight word ideas – Go fish, Memory, Bear in a cup, puzzlemaker.com, BINGO. Reading now and reading later Sound Bags – 2 nd Quarter Science bottles coming home Responsibility sheet stays in the folder please. Practice opening things at home

Take a Look at Our Daily Schedule 8:25 – 8:45Unpack, Check-In, Morning Work, Centers 8:50 Morning Announcements 9:00 – 9:45“Morning Meeting” (Calendar, Imagine It phonics, Science, Social Studies, Interactive Writing 9:45 – 10:30Specials 10:30 -11:00Learning Centers (reading, writing, phonics, independent) 11:00-12:05Literacy Centers ( guided reading/phonics, guided writing, phonics cont.)/snack 12:05-12:40Recess/bathroom 12:45 – 1:15 Lunch 1:30 – 2:30 Math (Whole group, math stations, math tubs) 2:30 – 3:10Social Studies/Science

K-2 Assessment (Running Records, Retells, Math, Book&Print) DIBELS Next - Phonics End-of-Quarter Assessments Quarterly Writing Assessments Assessments

Background: Common Core & Essential Standards  For the past 25 years, WSFC/S curriculum has been The North Carolina Standard Course of Study.  Starting last school year ( ) the curriculum is The Common Core Standards, which covers English Language Arts, Math and Literacy. North Carolina has chosen to examine curriculum in all other subjects so there are Essential Standards in Social Studies, Science, etc.  A major step was taken in setting clear, consistent academic expectations for our students by adopting the Common Core State Standards.  Common Core Standards are a first step to leveling the playing field to allow equal access to an excellent education for all children.

Why Common Core? To provide a more rigorous curriculum (fewer goals & objectives in ELA) Aligned with college and work expectations The standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career. To provide a deeper understanding of content -Students will be expected to apply and use the knowledge they acquire. Each year builds on the next so that by high school, young people are prepared for college or to enter the workplace. To standardize curriculum across the country.

What’s Different About The Common Core Standards New standards are fewer and clearer allowing teachers to move students to a much higher level of understanding of the material being taught. Provides more emphasis on the use of knowledge Less worksheets and more showing Greater focus on real-world application More open-ended questions Problem solving that requires students to evaluate and determine best answers & solutions.

New State Testing Aligned to New Standards NC will continue to assess students annually – In Reading and Math for 3-8 – In Science for 5 th and 8 th More electronic tests All subjects will have an end-of-quarter OR end-of-grade assessment Test format will include multiple-choice, short answer, and performance tasks

English Language Arts or ELA The study of Language Arts includes reading, writing, speaking and listening. 6 Shifts in ELA/Literacy 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

Math The Math Standards emphasize that every student can be good in math. They standards set good math habits and strategies as top priorities for all students. Students should be able to: -Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. -Reason abstractly and quantitatively. -Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. -Model with mathematics. -Use appropriate tools strategically. -Attend to precision. -Look for and make use of structure. -Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Major Work of Kindergarteners in Math … Counting and Number Sense -Know number names and count sequence -Count to tell the number of objects -Compare numbers Operations and Algebraic Thinking -Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from Number and Operations in Base Ten -Work with numbers to gain foundations for place value

Major Work of Kindergarteners in Math Continued… Measurement and Data – Describe and compare measurable attributes – Classify objects and count the number of objects in categories Geometry -Identify and describe shapes -Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes

Science Essential Standards for 1 st & 2 nd Quarter -Understand change and observable patterns of weather that occur from day to day and throughout the year -Infer that change is something that happens using one or more senses -Summarize change in weather noting day to day changes throughout the year -Note changes in weather from season to season -Compare characteristics of animals that make them alike and different from other animals and nonliving things. -Compare different types of the same animal -Compare characteristics of living and non-living things -Understand the positions and motions of objects and organisms observed in the environment - Compare the relative position of various objects observed in the classroom and outside using position words such as: in front of, behind, between, on top of, under, above, below and beside. -Give examples and ways different objects and organisms move

Social Studies -Roles of a Citizen -Rules -Honesty -Fairness -Change -How people change over time -How seasons change -How life events bring change -Maps and our surroundings -How to use maps and globes -Human Environment/Basic Economic Concepts -Wants/Needs -How we use jobs to fulfill our want & needs -Similarities & Differences -Culture -Diversity

Technology How do you integrate technology in your classroom? Calendar Imagine It Phonics – on our school computers Math (Envision) – on our school computers Reading – Raz Kids – home link will be coming – Also for your Ipads.

Proposed Field Trips Fire station Children’s Farm Children’s Museum “Around the Town” of Kernersville – Community Helpers

Staying Informed Wednesday packet Parent/Teacher Conferences Contact your child’s teacher via Newsletters School webpage School telephone: Remind 101

Ways You Can Help at Home 1. Talk with your child's teacher. The standards define how students should progress in their knowledge and skills as they move through each grade level. Read the standards and use them to guide conversations with your child’s teacher about their mastery of content and critical skills. Get started today by downloading the Common Core Standards ( and The NC Essential Standards ( standards/) for your child's grade. standards/ 2. Prepare to see more complex reading assignments. (upper level grades) Parents will notice that reading assignments under the new standards will become more challenging. Students will be expected to read and learn from more complex text. When reading, ask your child "why" and "how" questions to spark their critical thinking and comprehension. For reading ideas, download Appendix B ( at the Common Core website.

Ways You Can Help at Home Continued 3. Watch for testing changes throughout the year. To make sure every child is on track to meet the new requirements, teachers will begin to use more formative assessments and benchmark tests. Feedback will be immediate from these assessments and will help teachers know when they need to change instruction to suit your child's growth and needs. Parents will continue to see end-of-grade and end-of-course tests. However the way these tests are delivered and how they are constructed will change over time as the state moves towards online testing and incorporates the new standards. 4. Encourage your child to become a better problem solver. The new standards include both content and practice standards. The content standards are focused on what students are responsible for learning at each grade level. The practice standards explain how students engage in the content to solve problems. Some concepts are introduced earlier and some have been eliminated to allow students to explore mathematics at deeper levels. Students should be encouraged to use multiple representations and methods to solve problems. When working with your child, ask him/her to explain and justify the process used to solve problems. The use of short-cuts or tricks should be limited to allow students to reason about the mathematics. To support mathematical understanding, students will be expected to explain concepts they are learning in their own words.

Available Online Resources Common Core Standards PTA Brochure for Parents K-12 Standards in Science North Carolina DPI- “READY” Reading to Achieve

Questions?