1. Welcome & Introductions
Find your child’s seat.
Read welcome letter on your child’s desk-write back!
Complete form in your folder confirming contact info/receipt of SAVE book and turn form into white basket.
Sign-up for donation of items for classroom parties
(manila folder going around).
Health needs-tree nut & peanut sensitive classrooms
Send in $10 cash in labeled envelope-party money.
Curriculum guides by grade available on district website
Remember to sign up for parent-teacher conferences outside classroom.

2. Typical Classroom Schedule ELA Section
Homework check
Grammar, vocabulary or spelling work
Writing workshop
*Special
Healthy Snack/Read-Aloud
Reading Workshop
Review homework
Switch to Spanish section
LUNCH
Continue Spanish section
*Depending on what day, we also have gym 2x/week,
music, chorus, technology/library & art

3. Statement of Philosophy
Nurture academic & character development of each child
Balanced literacy classroom
Focus on inquiry, critical thinking, reasoning skills and “staircase” of increasing complexity
Balance of whole class, small group, as well as individual learning

4. Homework Policy Homework Monday-Thursday nights
Independent Reading-6 days a week.
Daily assignments in reading/writing & math with alternating assignments in social studies & science
Importance of reading log and notebook work
Make-up policy: students have one day to make-up missed assignment and two days if excused absence
HW assignments can be viewed in same place on Cheng teacher page via Denton website

5. Assessments Conferring with students-strategy and guided groups
Formal and informal assessments in both reading and writing
Reading benchmarks and NWEA
Portfolio work
Parent-teacher conferences dates:
Dec. 7 (evening), Dec 8 (daytime) + 3rd date
March 15 (evening), March 16 (daytime) + 3rd date
New York State testing dates (note change-two days within following window):
English Language Arts (ELA): April , 2018
Math: May 1 - 3, 2018
Science:
Performance Assessment – May 30, 2018
Written – June 4, 2018

6. Reading Curriculum Units in fiction and non-fiction
Read-aloud/shared reading/independent reading
Reading partners as coaches
Book clubs/strategy lessons
Use of rubrics & continuums in order to set goals
Learning through research:
Extreme Weather/Natural Disasters
Colonial Life/ The American Revolution

7. Writing Curriculum
Writing process beginning with generating & developing of ideas (structure, craft, elaboration, meaning).
Emphasis on revision & editing strategies within partnerships
Grammar & word study
Writing within various genres-realistic fiction,
essays, historical fiction, research reports, and
news articles
Focus on essay writing-personal, persuasive and literary

8. Social Studies Research projects developed in
conjunction with library/research
Units of study:
Study of NY geography and maps
Native Americans in region that became New York
Explorers-New York
Colonial Period-New York
Revolutionary Period-New York
Government-United States and New York State

9. Tentative list of Trips/Programs
Garvies Point-Stream Table/Beach Walk- October
Journeys into American Indian Territory (in-house)- January
Smithtown Historical Society 18th Century Innkeeper’s Day-May
Clark Garden-Terrarium Workshop-June

10. Teacher Page Go to updated Denton website via:
-Click onto classroom pages link
-Follow the link for Mrs. Cheng
-Practical information on daily
homework/reminders & important links

11. Important ELA websites:
-Leveled library-fiction and non-fiction digital books
-Quizzes to check comprehension
-Teachers can monitor usage
-Can record child reading aloud
Storyworks.scholastic.com
-Online classroom magazine
-Display Name: Mrs. Cheng’s Class
Password: ELAroom39
-Content across genres