Welcome to 3SK Curriculum Night 2017 This is going to be a great year!! I am looking forward to sharing this 3rd grade experience with your children!! Mrs.Skok

Assignment Sheet There will be an assignment sheet that goes home every night with your child. Please check with your child to see what needs to be done for their homework and when they are finished just initial the assignment sheet so I know that you have seen the sheet and the work is complete.

The All Important Home Folders!!! Home Folders go back and forth from school to home everyday. Homework and other important papers will be found in the pockets. Please go through the Home Folder with your child to see what they have brought home at the end of each school day.

Reading Log Students will be required to read and fill out a Reading Log every night for homework. Students are to read 100 minutes a week reading at least 4 nights a week. School work does not count. After reading they are to record the title of the book and how many minutes they read. The Reading Logs will go home on a Friday and be returned the following Friday. The Reading Logs will be two-sided. Please sign the bottom of the Reading Log when it is completed.

Morning Snack Everyone needs a healthy snack. Please do not send food items containing nuts or nut bi-products. Students can bring in fruits, vegetables , crackers, and popcorn. Also, students can have a water bottle in the classroom during the day. The bottles need to be the ones with a squirt nozzle. This will minimize damage from any accidental spills.

Friday Fun!!! Students who have completed their weekly work will have Friday Fun outside on the playground. This extra recess will be 15-20 minutes. Students who do not turn in their homework assignments on time will need to sit out one minute for every assignment. Reading Logs also need to be turned in every Friday to earn Friday Fun.

V.I.P. of the Week Each week one student will be chosen to be our V.I.P. of the week. They will fill out a poster about themselves and bring in special items that represent themselves. Some ideas are collections, stuffed animals, trophies, uniforms etc. Also, our V.I.P. can have a “Special Reader” come in and read to the class. This will be from 12:20-12:40 on Thursdays. If this time does not work, we can change the time and day, just let me know.

Contacting Me During the Day If you need to contact me during the school day and you do not reach me on my classroom phone, please call the office, give them the message and they will get the message to me. My school phone number is 630-463-3531. My e-mail address is eskok@geneva304.org

Book Orders Book orders will go home every other month. One check can be written for multiple orders. Please do not send in cash only checks.

Specials Please don’t forget to send in art shirts for art and tennis shoes for P.E.!!

Words Their Way Spelling Program Words Their Way is designed to differentiate instruction allowing each child to work at their appropriate instructional level. It focuses less on memorization and more on allowing students to work with the words during word sorts to give them a chance to learn the spelling patterns. Spelling words will be given on Monday and students will test on Friday. If someone is not ready on Friday they can take the test on Monday. We did practice the sorts this week as a class and will start the program the week of September 5th. For games and activities using each of the weekly sorts, you can go to SpellingCity.com look of your child’s weekly sort number and have fun completing the activities!

Classroom Behavior Expectations for behavior are high in 3SK.The students are encouraged to make good decisions regarding how they will conduct themselves throughout the day. We have a few things in place to help remind us of our behavior. There is the “My Choice” board. This is a flexible, flowing chart that helps students keep track of where they are during the day as they monitor their behavior. In order to keep track of our behavior each student will have a Behavioral Chart. At the end of each day students will get a sticker on their chart for that day, if they were a 3 or higher on the “My Choice” board. These calendars will go home at the end of the month, so you can see how your child has done for the month regarding their behavior. As a class the students will work together in achieving a behavioral goal. The students will try and build up a marble jar by working and moving around the classroom and school building quietly. Once the marble jar has reached the top, the class can decide on what type of party they would like to have.

Sholes School and Durant-Peterson House Field Trip This very special field trip takes our 3rd grade class back into the past for a unique historical opportunity. Students learn what they normally read in textbooks, granting them an appreciation of life in a 170-year-old prairie house and spending the day in a one room school house from 1872. Students will role-play attending school as children would in the 1800’s. Suggestions will be given to make the day as authentic as possible. Our trip to Sholes School and Durant-Peterson House will be Friday, September 29th.

November Conferences Due to district policy, we are encouraged to have phone conferences with those parents who may not be able to attend in person. We can schedule a time that works best for you and fits into the conference schedule. Conferences are held on Monday, November 20th and Tuesday, November 21st.

What is Mystery Science? Brand new curriculum that inspires kids to LOVE Science. Each lesson begins with an engaging mystery that aims to get kids curious about the world around them. Hands-on activities. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.

How does the NGSS classroom look different? Traditional Science Classroom NGSS Classroom Memorization of facts & vocabulary terms. Deeper understanding of science. “Reading About” how scientists do their work. Emphasis on student scientific exploration & experimentation. “Learning About” a particular topic in isolation. “Figuring Out” phenomena. Scientific Method – as linear set of steps Students will engage in the practices that scientists/engineers use – not just the inquiry part, but also scientific discourse (conversations).