1. Curriculum Night 2012 “A Shared Vision”

2. Curriculum Night is an opportunity to talk to our Caleb’s Creek families and answer questions regarding what their child will be learning in school this year. We recognize the importance of having a shared vision with our students, parents, staff and community and we look forward to working with you this year! What is Curriculum Night? I’m glad you asked!

3. A Shared Vision Digging Deeper Into 5 th Grade AIG 'A shared vision is not an idea...it is rather, a force in people's hearts...at its simplest level, a shared vision is the answer to the question: 'What do we want to create?‘ Peter Senge

4. Follow me as we take a glimpse into our classroom

5. Take a look at Our Daily Schedule 8:45 Students arrive, write down homework, check homework 9:00 Math 9:55 Shared Reading 10:40 Writing 11:20 Read aloud and pack up 12:30 Return to 5 th grade class

6. Compacting Curriculum In AIG classes, students work one year ahead of their current grade level. Objectives and goals are compacted to fit more material in the same amount of time. This is especially important this year, as we transition to the new national curriculum (Common Core) and state curriculum (Essential Standards). This involves pre-assessing materials to determine exactly what kind of instruction students need. Students should try their best on these non-graded assessments. If they can prove proficiency in an area, they can advance to the next level.

7. Reading/Language Arts Expectations Expands and refines vocabulary through knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, roots, derivatives, context clues to assist comprehension Identifies key vocabulary from the text to support comprehension Monitors comprehension and extend vocabulary Reads independently, daily from self-selected materials (consistent with the student’s independent reading level) to increase fluency, build background knowledge, and vocabulary skills Makes inferences about fictional and non-fictional text Integrates main idea and supporting details from multiple resources to expand understanding of text Organize writing and speaking tasks considering audience, purpose Composes a draft that elaborates on major ideas and adheres to the topic by using an appropriate organizational pattern that accomplishes the purpose of the writing task and effectively communicates its content Composes a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and dramas using self-selected topic and format- poetry, research reports, news articles, letters to the editor, business letters

8. 1 st Quarter Math Expectations Volume, Place value/decimals, Add/subtract decimals, Classifying 2-D Figures, Relate Volume to Multiplying and Addition, and Multiplying/dividing whole numbers/decimals

9. Take a Look at our: Daily, Weekly, Quarterly Assessments End-of-Quarter Testing (district) 1 st and 3 rd quarter ONLY this year Quarterly Writing prompts (district) Math –Tests –Homework Test grade –Daily work –Quizzes Writing –Concept focused writing –Writing prompt responses Reading –Tests reflecting class reading (all open book) –Reading Log –Daily work

10. Continuous Improvement I am a very strong believer in a cycle of continuing to improve at all times. No matter where you start, you can get better! This is a big reason why I ask students to complete SIMMs on all math tests. I expect students to ask questions and make mistakes. They help me to be a better teacher! Encourage your child to keep trying! Asking for help is necessary in all walks of life, so why not start practicing now?

11. Rubrics and Student Choice In order to encourage student creativity and critical thinking, students are often given a choice in their assignments. This differentiation can come in the form of content, product, or process differentiation. This allows students to take advantage of their multiple intelligence, highlighting particular talents and interests. Criteria is established on a rubric. Students choose which level of proficiency they want to achieve and work accordingly. Students are encouraged to ask questions about the depth and complexity that is required for each task if they are unclear.

12. Homework Tips –Homework should be a reinforcement of material learned in school. If it is not the topic we covered in class, call a classmate to be sure you are doing the right thing! –Set aside time and a place for studying that is free of distractions. (Tools for learning handy: books, pencils, etc.) –Allow students to finish the assignment before you check it. Then, mark errors and let them attempt to correct themselves. –Study with your child (great time to bond!) –Stay in touch with your teacher! –(Parents) Create a portfolio of best pieces, keeping only selected assignments, not all of them

13. Other HOT 5 th grade topics *Absences and Make-up work 3 days to make up work missed *Binder/dividers 5 subject notebooks: One for Mrs. Grubbs, one for Mr. Desmond Keep my notebook in binder! Use dividers. No paper should just be ‘stuck’ in the binder.

14. Staying Informed Curriculum Night PTA Parent/Teacher conferences (Nov. 5) Bi-Weekly Newsletters Wednesday folder –Sign Parent Assist log when a date is noted on the log Webpage Phone Calls/Email Parent Assist

15. Questions???