1. Miss BarnhardtMrs. Desmond Ms. FergusonMrs. Hentz Ms. LeeMrs. Marotz Ms. SkolarisMrs. Wooten Welcome to Third Grade Curriculum Night!

2. It is our mission… Caleb’s Creek Elementary School will provide each student with challenging experiences, implement a rigorous curriculum, and incorporate multi-media instruction. This will ensure that we meet the needs of diverse learners in an ever-changing society. A variety of assessments will be used to measure progress toward goals, and we will teach our students to be responsible for their choices while being respectful towards others. We will promote continuous learning for staff, students, and parents in a safe, nurturing environment.

3. Background about Common Core/Essential Standards For the past 25 years, WSFC/S curriculum has been The North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Beginning this school year (2012-2013) the curriculum will be The Common Core Standards, which will cover 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.

4. Who else is using Common Core? 45 states including the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the Common Core standards.

5. 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.

6. So, what’s different? 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.

7. ELA Shifts The study of Language Arts includes Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. Six Shifts 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

8. What your child is learning in… ELA Working to identify and interpret story elements Good reader strategies Reading comprehension skills Growing as a reader with fluency and accuracy Respond to texts in a variety of ways. Critically analyzing a variety of text Create written texts using correct capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, and organization Create a good paragraph with a topic and closing sentence, as well as lots of elaboration and detail Correct use of grammar and its elements Use strategies for spelling Learn to edit and revise.

9. Why read 20-25 minutes each day?

10. What your child is learning in… Math Develop number sense for whole numbers through 10,000 Solve problems using multiple strategies Collecting and analyzing data through the use of graphs Measurement (time, length, capacity, area, perimeter) Basic foundations of algebra Fluency with multi-digit addition, subtraction. Fluency with multiplication and division Modeling fractions to explore relationships Geometric shapes

11. What your child is learning in… Science 1 st Quarter –Ecosystems: Growth and survival of plants and the basic properties and components of soil 2 nd Quarter –Solar System –Earth’s Surface 3 rd Quarter –Matter: Properties and Change –Energy: Transfer –Forces and Motion: Speed, direction, and gravity 4 th Quarter –Structures and functions of living organisms: Human body systems (Protection, movement, and support)

12. What your child is learning in… Social Studies 1 st Quarter –Geography 2 nd Quarter –Economy-Understand how the location of a region affects activity in an economy –Local government 3 rd Quarter –History of local and regional communities 4 th Quarter –Understanding diverse cultures in local and regional communities

13. 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 (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/) and The NC Essential Standards (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-standards/) for your child's grade.http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-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 (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf) at the Common Core website.http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf

14. 3. 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.

15. Available Resources Common Core Standards http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/ K-12 Standards in Science www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards PTA Brochure for Parents http://www.pta.org/4996.htm Parent Roadmaps http://www.cgcs.org/Domain/36 (Language Arts) http://www.cgcs.org/Page/244 (Math) Spotlight on Common Core http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1106 Common Core website http://www.corestandards.org/

16. It takes a community to help raise a child, we just want to say.. Thank you!!

17. Questions?