3 rd Grade Curriculum Night Caleb’s Creek Elementary School September 2013

Meet the Teacher(s) Mrs. Hentz & Mrs. Palmore Miss Barnhardt Mrs. Ferguson Mrs. Marotz Mrs. Schoonover Ms. Lee

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

Expectations and Character Day

Homework Policy Homework in 3rd grade is very important and is reflective of what we do in the classroom. Math sheet due Friday Read minutes nightly Spelling- 4 activities due Friday *Check your child’s agenda nightly for new assignments or classroom news. Please work with your child to ensure that homework is done neatly and to the best of their ability. If you don't understand, please write a note to let me know so I can work with your child the next day for maximum understanding. *Homework is due on Friday. Your child can adjust their schedule as needed!

DIBELS Next Formative and Summative Assessments End-of-Quarter Assessments Quarterly Writing Benchmarks – The Writing Process EOG Testing Assessments/Grades Transition from 2 nd to 3 rd Letter Grades!! We are on a 7 point scale = A = B = C – This is AVERAGE!! = D 69 ir below = F We are looking for EFFORT not Perfection!

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 Demo of New Assessments

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

Major Work of the 3 rd Grade in 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. Applying Place Value to Addition and Rounding (whole numbers < 1 million) Exploring Perimeter Develop Understanding of Fraction Quantities Exploring Multiplication Using Addition and Subtraction Telling Time and Problem Solving Reasoning with Shapes and their Attributes Develop Multiplication Strategies Solving Problems involving mass and volume Measuring area and perimeter relating area to operations Exploring Division and Relating Division to Multiplication Comparing Fractions with Models and Reasoning Applying Multiplication and Division to Problem solving Interpreting data with Fractional Amounts Investigating Linear and Area Measurement Using Computational Fluency and Problem Solving

Science Essential Standards for 1 st & 2 nd QuarterEssential Standards for 3 rd & 4 th Quarter ~Ecosystem ~Earth in the Universe ~Earth System ~Matter ~Energy Conservation ~Forces and Motions ~Structures and Functions of the Human Body ~Preview to Molecular Biology

Social Studies ~5 Themes of Geography ~Government ~Individual Shapes Community ~Communities Change Over Time ~Connected Communities ~Economic Needs

Field trips 1 st quarter- Kersey Valley (October 4 th ) 2 nd quarter- Mrs. Hanes Cookie Factory (Jan. 9 th and 10 th ) 3 rd quarter- Natural Science Center (March 7 th ) 4 th quarter- River Run Film Festival (TBA) * Chaperones must fill out online volunteer form and pay at the field trip.

Staying Informed Wednesday packet Parent/Teacher Conferences Contact your child’s teacher via Reminder 101 Text Messages s Newsletters School and class webpage School telephone:

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. 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”

Questions?