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.

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

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

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

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 11- 13, 2018 Math: May 1 - 3, 2018 Science: Performance Assessment – May 30, 2018 Written – June 4, 2018

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

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

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

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

Teacher Page Go to updated Denton website via: https://www.herricks.org/Domain/706 -Click onto classroom pages link -Follow the link for Mrs. Cheng -Practical information on daily homework/reminders & important links

Important ELA websites: https://www.kidsa-z.com/main/Login -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