Curriculum Night Tarwater Elementary Mrs. April Pena, M.A. Ed 6th Grade Teacher August 3, 2012

Housekeeping Please fill out any forms on your child’s desk. There is a textbook form on your child’s desk. Please sign the bottom to acknowledge you are aware that they have textbooks checked out to them. This paper should be left on the desk at the end of the night. Make sure you write a note to your child before you leave. Miscellaneous-Art Masterpiece & Jr. Achievement

Communication Stay updated through our class website at http://ww2.chandler.k12.az.us//Domain/4894 Homework and spelling lists will be posted on the website starting next week. Email is the best way to contact me. For a same day response contact me at pena.april@cusd80.com Stop by after school to see me any day. Fridays I have morning and afternoon duty.

Schedule Block Schedule: Refer to the handout behind the calendar. Computer Lab- Day 4- 9:30-10 am  It is important that your child brings a snack. We eat lunch late and students are hungry. Please send your child with a snack to eat in the morning. Our class schedule is on the website and is subject to change.

BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS Our classroom is a team. In our team, we have rules to help us get along with each other. Our class rules are: You may engage in any behavior that does not create a problem for you or anyone else. Students earn tickets for good choices. They can also lose tickets for talking, inappropriate language, etc. Students enter their tickets in the “Friday Raffle” and earn prizes.

Class Work Expectations Students are expected to complete all class work daily. Incomplete work may be finished when other work is done. Students will have it for homework that night if they don’t complete it in class. Work sent home is due back the next day. Missing assignments will be graded as a zero. Students are expected to put their first names, class number, and dates on ALL work.

Homework Expectations The main emphasis for homework is to reinforce skills taught in the classroom, and provide opportunities to teach responsibility by taking assignments home and returning the completed work the next day. Homework is due daily. Children will have homework Monday through Thursday which will include a math assignment, spelling assignment, a, and required AR reading for 15 minutes. (When a language arts assignment is sent home, students do not need to AR read.   Math and language arts homework should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Please refer to the daily agenda if you need to know what was assigned for homework. You can also find the homework online.

HOMEWORK CONTINUED If at any time your child is having difficulty completing homework, please contact me so we can modify it. Tip: Ask your child to explain to you how he or she got a problem correct. This lets you know if he/she understands the concept.

Spelling A spelling notebook will been given to every student on Monday. They should do their spelling activities in the notebook. They will rip out each assignment and turn it in the next day. Students who score 100% on the spelling pre-test are excused from spelling homework for the week. The spelling list is found online. I send home the list on Monday with your child’s pretest. There is a mandatory activity for spelling on Monday night. The rest are free choice. See the pink sheet for spelling activities. This can also be found online. We will do spelling every other week this year. An alternate vocabulary activity will be given in the off weeks.

Science Camp Cost $175 Tax Deductible August 24-Parents who have been selected to attend will be notified. Sept. 6- Chaperone Meeting Sept 17-18-Groups will meet with chaperones at school. Sept 19-21- Science Camp at Prescott Pines

Leveled Spelling The entire third grade does a leveled spelling program. Students are placed in spelling groups according to their phonetic level. Your child’s spelling group will be indicated in the spelling notebook on the back side of the front cover. Students can move up or down groups depending on their performance on tests and using the words in their writing. This allows for growth and refinement in all levels. It is important to know which group your child is in so you can get the correct spelling list online. Spelling Words

AR Reading Program We use the A.R. (Accelerated Reader) program. The program tests comprehension on books read. Tests are taken at school during AR time or when they finish their work. Students will be given AR goals. With class time and nightly reading, every child should make his/her AR goal. Required reading is 15+ minutes nightly with an AR chapter book. Students should bring the book with them to school daily to read when they have finished work and for AR reading time after lunch. Please sign up for Home Connect to monitor your child’s AR Tests. Information will be sent home by email and located on our class website once this has been set up for our school.

Reading The overall goal of reading is to create a balanced literacy environment where children become independent readers. This is done through: GUIDED READING: Students will get the opportunity to read in a small group of 4-6 children books that are at their instructional level. They will learn strategies, phonics, and comprehension skills. Students will also experience literature studies at their levels. READ ALOUDS: Students will be read fiction and non-fiction stories each day. They will hear how a fluent reader sounds as well as respond to literary elements such as character, plot, setting, problem, and solution. CENTERS: Students will work cooperatively with hands-on activities reinforcing various skills taught throughout the year. Each center is aligned with the Arizona State Standards. INDEPENDENT READING: Students will read independently from the teacher. They will get the opportunity to practice the skills they are learning in other aspects of the reading program. We use AR (Accelerated Reader) to test comprehension skills.

Writing Students will learn basic types of writing such as personal narratives, story writing, friendly letters, and more. We will focus on the six traits of writing which include: IDEAS/CONTENT ORGANIZATION VOICE WORD CHOICE SENTENCE FLUENCY CONVENTIONS Students learn how to write using the 4Blocks method and Write from the Beginning. It is simple to use and every child is successful at it. Children will experience writing through: MODELED WRITING- Observing the teacher write and model the writing process out loud. Journals- Students will have the opportunity to freely write in their journals on a topic of their choosing. This is a place for students to do some personal writing, write poetry, create lists, etc. Publishing- Students will use the six traits of writing and publish work by creating their own masterpieces.

Math Students will work on the state standards for math through daily activities. We use Saxon Math

Kid’s College Students can go online at home and use Kid’s College. It is a game that asks standard based questions to students. Visit online at www.kclogin.com Class code kcc84890 The password is your child’s lunch number. Game Links The Kid’s College curriculum contains 39,000 skills assessment items covering 3,700 skills strands, all aligned to state standards in Math and Reading/Language Arts for grades K-8. All skills assessment items were created by Publishers Resource Group, a panel of educators with expertise in content development and state alignments, and are designed in a multiple-choice format that is consistent with what students see on state and national standardized tests. Kid’s College curriculum is also highly customizable, as teachers can select which skills and state standards are taught to the entire class or an individual student.

Please ask if you have questions! Thank you for all your help and support! I appreciate that you are willing to take the time to be here. I look forward to a wonderful year! Please ask if you have questions! pena.april@cusd80.com