Wilson Elementary 3rd Grade

About the teachers Mrs. Susan Whitenight- Regular Education Teacher, Year #21 at Wilson! rebecca.whitenight@christina.k12.de.us Mrs. Lisa Yerkes – Special Education Teacher, Year #22 at Wilson! lisa.yerkes@christina.k12.de.us *The best way to contact us is to write a note in the agenda or send an email. 

Schedule Lunch 9:00-9:10 9:10-9:40 9:40-10:10 10:10-10:30 10:30-11:15 Phonics 9:10-9:40 Reading Whole Group 9:40-10:10 Reading Small Group Gr.1 9:40 – 9:55 Gr.2 9:55 – 10:10 10:10-10:30 Number Corner 10:30-11:15 RTI Reading/Math 11:15-12:00 Special 12:00-12:30 Lunch 12:30-1:30 Math 1:30-2:10 Science/ Social Studies 2:10-2:40 Recess 2:40-2:50 Grammar 2:50-3:30 Writing 3:30-3:40 Character Education 3:40 Dismissal

Classroom Management-PBS Be Respectful Be Responsible Manage Yourself Follow Directions –The First Time

Classroom Management-PBS Classroom specific expectations and routines! Using the Wilson PBS Expectations, Room 30 uses an Agenda for homework and notes, and the “Weekly Report” for up-coming parent announcements, writing a daily student “reflection”, and recording behavior management points. Students may earn 32 points per day. Those earning 30-32 points per day earn a small reward on Fridays. Also, students who earn 30-32 points per day earn 30 minutes of a special activity at the end of the month. Students with less than that earn 15 minutes.

Communication & Homework Using the Student Agenda and the “Weekly Report” are ways teachers communicate daily with parents/guardians. The Agenda lists the daily homework and reminders. It can also include positive notes/concerns. The Weekly Report announces up-coming Wilson/grade-level activities, your child’s daily reflection, and a record of the total points earned out of 32 points. Homework policy- During a normal school week, your child will have Reading homework Monday through Thursday. Math homework is not every night, but at least 2 times per week. Completed homework earns the 1st point and parent initials on the weekly report and agenda earn the 2nd point for the next day’s points. It is your child’s job to be sure these points are earned by bringing a pencil to you and showing you what he/she wrote down as the assignment and that the work is done.

Classroom What classroom would be complete without a website on which I can communicate and share with parents and students? The website is: www.mrswhitenightsclass.com I periodically update it with important information, regarding Wilson School events, 3rd grade field trips, reminders, the 2018-2019 Christina School District Calendar Student and Manual, and a link to Kahn Academy – a superior tutoring program for all subjects, and other information. On it, in the Poetry Corner, is a MP4 recording of Shel Silverstein’s poem, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout. I also have a classroom wish-list posted for things we could use in the classroom. Any donations are greatly appreciated.  Boxes of tissues are always needed!

Morning Procedure? 1. Greet friends and teachers. 2. Unpack everything from the book bag. 3. In the designated trays, place: Agenda, homework, homework folder, parent notes, and Project R.E.D. book. 4. Hang up book bag in closet. 5. Procure 2 “Razor-Sharp” pencils, use bathroom, get a drink from the water fountain, and eat breakfast. 6. Unrestricted Play until 8:55 A.M.

Math Curriculum specifics: We are using a new curriculum this year called Bridges in Mathematics. It is very hands-on and uses many different strategies to learn skills. Number Corner is a part of the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum, but it is separate, as we work on different skills in Number Corner. We use both of them daily.

Reading In Reading, we use an anthology entitled Journeys. We focus on a new skill every two weeks. Our book contains both fictional and non-fictional texts. We also use Interactive Read-Alouds to teach the focus skill. Some of these include: Stone Fox, Shiloh, The BFG, Bunnicula, and Charlotte’s Web. The students really enjoy these! We have a daily whole group lesson, as well as small groups.

My stellar student selects a book. Project R.E.D. (Read Every Day) – Keys to Your Future 40 Book Challenge My stellar student selects a book. My stellar student reads for 20 minutes a night. My stellar student reflects in the Project R.E.D. book. on a part of the book read during the week. My stellar student keeps a log & reports to me when a goal is met. Certificates are given for the 1st,5th,10th,15th,20th,25th,30th, 35th, 40th etc. books!

Social Studies Units include: Citizenship/Respect Climate/Landforms Artifacts/Documents Economics (Market Day)

Science Units include: Earth Materials Water Cycle

Assessments District: ELA Cold Reads-every two weeks. They assess reading and listening skills, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension. Curriculum Based Tests (Bridges & Number Corner) iReady Computerized Test (used to drive instruction and form reading and math intervention groups) Smarter Balanced Assessment

Intervention Intervention occurs daily in small groups in addition to regular classroom instruction. Tiers 1-3 use multiple sources of data to determine a student’s level of intervention needs. RTI cycles every 9 weeks- each student’s progress is monitored during this time in both reading and math. These “flex” groups can change based on student needs. Advanced Academics Program-Reading & Math

Field Trips 1. A trip to White Clay Creek to Study Rocks and Minerals- is scheduled for Tuesday, November 20, 2018. 2. Dayett Mills to study the Water Cycle, Springtime

Dismissal Procedures Dismissal begins at 3:40 P.M.. All students are lined up in the classroom according to their after-school destination. I call students by their names as they are excused. Students who are being picked up by car, Daycare vans/cars or those enrolled in the YMCA program in the cafeteria are excused into the Wilson cafeteria at the lobby doors. Car and van riders are walked to those vehicles by teachers. Bus riders are walked by me to their buses and enter the bus when I call their name. * Note: Any student who usually rides a bus, but is being picked up by car, must have a written note. Otherwise, that student will ride the bus home.

Extra details needed?? The first report card semester ends October 25th. The report cards are accessible on line to parents. Paper copies are no longer available. Conferences are scheduled for: Friday, November 2nd from 8:00 A.M.- 11:30 A.M. and Monday, November 5th from 8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. If possible, I would like your child to attend so he/she can feel accountable for their learning. We have a great class this year and are looking forward to lots of fun and learning! If you haven’t had an opportunity to do so yet, please sign in with your name and email before you leave. Thank you for attending tonight. Questions?