Kindergarten Curriculum Night Welcome Everyone!

Communication School Website – Examples of student work, strategies, what is going on in class Email – Reminders, what is going on in class Remind 101 – Allows you to receive a text message with brief information. You must sign up to receive the text messages. Nance PTA has a Facebook page you can join. Grade Level Teams: It is an expectation that your website is used for examples of student work, strategies for parents to help at home, and newsletter type information (even if you are not doing a traditional newsletter). Your team will need to discuss fully how you are using the website, where to find information, etc. You will also need to tell parents about how you use Email and how often they can expect to hear from you. Some teams do every week. Remind 101 is an expectation. Please share examples of how you will use it and encourage them to sign up: Don’t forget your field trip form for tomorrow. -We have a science test on Friday. Homework is due on … -Check out the newsletter on our class website! I just updated it. -I have added a video that shows a strategy to solve addition. Check it out! One idea discussed was to actually send out a remind right while parents are sitting in your curriculum night so that the parents who are not signed up will see how it works.

Speeding to Read What is it? This is a school-wide reading incentive program. Every student has a reading goal. There are specific guidelines for ever grade level about how to log and count books. How will we document our books? Every child has a reading log to document reading at home and a reading log to document reading at school. Teachers will work with students to be sure they are choosing books that are “JUST RIGHT” for them to read. Students must be reading books at their level for them to count.

Speeding to Read Why participate? There are many great incentives for students who reach their reading goal. There are additional prizes for the K-2 student and the 3-5 student who read the most book. There are also classroom and school-wide prizes for most books read. How can parents help at home? Just support your student and encourage them to read and log their books nightly. Ask them about the books that they are reading and the progress they are making toward their reading goal. http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login

Dismissal The dismissal process begins when the bell rings at 2:45. All students go to their lockers at that time. Students are then escorted to their dismissal location by one of the grade level teachers. Walkers and bike riders should be exiting the building by 3:00. If your child is a car rider, the person that picks them up in the back MUST HAVE A CAR TAG printed by our front office. If you need a car tag for yourself or someone else that has permission to pick up your child, please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible. Drivers without car tags will be asked to go to the front office to show identification before picking up their child.

Compare our list of what is important with the district’s Profile of a Graduate. Highlight similar words

What we are doing to make sure your child is future ready Goal setting-Each child sets specific skill goals What are your child’s hopes and dreams? We use the workshop model for reinforcing concepts and critical thinking

  Code of Conduct A color system is used in Kindergarten for students to monitor their daily progress. Students start off each day on GREEN! In the event the code of conduct is broken the following steps will be taken for a color change: change to Blue– indicating warning, then change to Yellow, and last step change to Red.   Every day teachers are working with students to develop and maintain positive behavior choices. Teachers will support students by talking to them about their choices. Questions the teacher may ask are– What are you doing?, What are you supposed to be doing?, Are you doing it?, and What are you going to do about it?. It is our goal to partner with parents to encourage and maintain positive behaviors from students. In the event misbehaviors occur frequently, teachers will contact parents to create a plan of action to support students.

Reading is taught in a Workshop format which looks likes this: Opening is a short 10-15 minute mini lesson where the teacher will present a concept or read aloud a book. Work period is 20-30 minutes. Students will be working independently and the teacher will be pulling small groups to work on specific skills. Closing is 10-15 minutes where the class comes back together as a group and discusses what they may have learned that day or clarifies any questions that student may have.

The assessments test beginning sounds, rhyming, letter identification, sound knowledge, and reading level. Beginning of the year identify 10 uppercase letters identify 10 lowercase letters produce 10 letter sounds write their name using primarily lowercase letters read a simple book with repeated text (Level A) Middle of the year identify 20 uppercase letters identify 15 lowercase letters produce 20 letter sounds read text level 3 End of the year identify 26 uppercase letters identify 26 lowercase letters produce 30 letter sounds read text level 6 (Goal 8)

Writing Workshop-What is it? *A daily component of balanced literacy. * Students write about topics as the teacher conferences one on one or pulls small groups of students who need the same kind of support.

What does Writer's Workshop look like in the Kindergarten classroom? Opening/Mini-Lesson: 5-10 minutes where the teacher teaches one new writing strategy, models the strategy and students practice Work Period/Independent Writing: 20-40 minutes where students work independently on writing Conferencing: during independent writing teacher checks in with students to direct and instruct students one-on-one or in small groups Closing/Share/Wrap-Up: 5-10 minutes when students get to share with each other

Beginning of the Year * Student selects random letters, letter-like shapes, or environmental print. * Students draw pictures to represent their words. * By October their goal is to record 10 letter sounds from a passage read by the teacher. * Picture matches the topic.

Middle of the Year * Student selects letters representing several dominant sounds in a word and may use some environmental print to convey meaning. * Uses letters that progress from left to right, top to bottom on the page. * Records 20 letter sounds.

End of the Year * Student links one action/idea to a picture or assigned topic. * Capitalizes ‘I’, spells using dominant vowel & consonant sounds, spells some words conventionally. * Uses upper and lower case letters more consistently and leaves spaces between words. * Records 30 sounds.

Fluency Block A short, daily, skill-building program designed to introduce, reinforce, and extend mathematical concepts regarding: calendar/grid measurement patterns money counting Data estimation Problem solving probability place value

Stepping Stones Students will understand the fundamental concepts of: number and operations geometry data measurement early algebra

Math Workshop A typical math workshop includes: Opening Work Period Closing example

Math Notebooks Most work created by a student will be recorded in a math notebook. This notebook will remain in the classroom in order to review, and expand upon, mathematical concepts throughout the year. Special Math Nights through the year. They will be scheduled through the year. Explain manipulative method vs. worksheet; used to map out and explain conceptual understanding

Assessment (in addition to concepts assessed from Investigations curriculum) Kathy Richardson – Mathematical Perspectives Beginning of Year Counting Objects Counting Out a Particular Quantity One More/One Less End of Year Changing Numbers

Science 5E Instructional Model The 5E model is a learning cycle, or sequence, that enables students to build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas.

5E Instructional Model The 5 stages are: Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate

Science Notebooks Most work created from the 5E model is recorded in a science notebook. This notebook will remain in the classroom in order to review, and expand upon, scientific concepts throughout the year. Also this year we have a fun new workbook to teach science skills. Explain manipulative method vs. worksheet; used to map out and explain conceptual understanding

PBL Problem Based Learning The district’s PBL Boards are completed in the spring. Whole classroom projects are entered, and they can all be viewed at a central location within the district. Explain manipulative method vs. worksheet; used to map out and explain conceptual understanding

Release of Student Information, photographs, and video. We use a great deal of technology including video and photography for daily lessons and to showcase students’ achievements. We assume that we have permission to utilize student names, pictures, and classroom videos for school purposes in the hallways, classroom, and school website unless you have filled out the Restrictions for Release of Student Directory Information Form. These forms were only available digitally through the on-line registration process. If you have questions about these forms or feel that you would like to restrict the use of your student’s name/pictures for school purposes, please talk to your child’s teacher or talk to the office to get a form.

Questions???