1. Kindergarten Readiness Curriculum Night Caleb’s Creek Elementary School September 2012

2. Classroom Rules and Procedures Stay in your seat. Raise your hand. Keep your hands to yourself. Quiet when working. Listen to the teacher.

3. Homework Policy It should take you no more than 10-15 minutes to complete homework. This is a chance for you to see what we are working on in class and see how much support your child needs in completing assignments.

4. Take a Look at Our Daily Schedule 8:25-9:00Morning Work 9:00-9:45Big Group (Phonics/Math/SS) w/ Mrs. Ladd Bathroom 9:45-10:30Specials w/Mrs.Ladd Centers w/Mrs. Williams 10:35Snack/Bathroom 10:45-11:30ELA (English/Lang. Arts) 11:30-12:20Math 12:20-12:50Reading Mastery Bathroom 12:55-1:25Lunch 1:30-2:00ELA/SS/Science 2:00-2:30Recess 2:30-2:45Water/Bathroom 2:45-3:00Prepare for Dismissal

5. K-2 Assessment (Running Records, Retells) DIBELS Next Quarterly Writing Benchmarks – The Writing Process Assessments

6. Background: Common Core & Essential Standards  For the past 25 years, WSFC/S curriculum has been The North Carolina Standard Course of Study.  Starting this school year (2012-2013) the curriculum will be The Common Core Standards, which will cover English Language Arts, Math and Literacy. North Carolina has chosen to examine curriculum in all other subjects so there are Essential Standards in Social Studies, Science, etc.  A major step was taken in setting clear, consistent academic expectations for our students by adopting the Common Core State Standards.  Common Core Standards are a first step to leveling the playing field to allow equal access to an excellent education for all children.

7. Why Common Core? To provide a more rigorous curriculum (fewer goals & objectives in ELA) Aligned with college and work expectations The standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career. To provide a deeper understanding of content -Students will be expected to apply and use the knowledge they acquire. Each year builds on the next so that by high school, young people are prepared for college or to enter the workplace. To standardize curriculum across the country.

8. What’s Different About The Common Core Standards New standards are fewer and clearer allowing teachers to move students to a much higher level of understanding of the material being taught. Provides more emphasis on the use of knowledge Less worksheets and more showing Greater focus on real-world application More open-ended questions Problem solving that requires students to evaluate and determine best answers & solutions.

9. New State Testing Aligned to New Standards NC will continue to assess students annually – In Reading and Math for 3-8 – In Science for 5 th and 8 th More electronic tests All subjects will have an end-of-quarter OR end-of-grade assessment Test format will include multiple-choice, short answer, and performance tasks Demo of New Assessments http://go.ncsu.edu/nctdemo

10. English Language Arts or ELA The study of Language Arts includes reading, writing, speaking and listening. 6 Shifts in ELA/Literacy Read as much non fiction as fiction Learn about the world by reading Read more challenging material closely Discuss reading using evidence Write non-fiction using evidence Increase academic vocabulary

11. Math The Math Standards emphasize that every student can be good in math. They standards set good math habits and strategies as top priorities for all students. Students should be able to: -Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. -Reason abstractly and quantitatively. -Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. -Model with mathematics. -Use appropriate tools strategically. -Attend to precision. -Look for and make use of structure. -Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

12. Technology Smart board Computers

13. Proposed Field Trips Fire House- October Dixie Classic Fair- October Children’s Museum- January Children’s Farm- April Community Helpers- May

14. Staying Informed Wednesday packet Parent/Teacher Conferences Contact your child’s teacher via e-mail (lvwilliams@wsfcs.k12.nc.us) Newsletters School webpage School telephone: 336-703-6757

15. Ways You Can Help at Home 1. Talk with your child's teacher. The standards define how students should progress in their knowledge and skills as they move through each grade level. Read the standards and use them to guide conversations with your child’s teacher about their mastery of content and critical skills. Get started today by downloading the Common Core Standards (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/) and The NC Essential Standards (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new- standards/) for your child's grade.http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new- standards/ 2. Prepare to see more complex reading assignments. Parents will notice that reading assignments under the new standards will become more challenging. Students will be expected to read and learn from more complex text. When reading, ask your child "why" and "how" questions to spark their critical thinking and comprehension. For reading ideas, download Appendix B ( http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf) at the Common Core website. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf

16. Ways You Can Help at Home Continued 3. Watch for testing changes throughout the year. To make sure every child is on track to meet the new requirements, teachers will begin to use more formative assessments and benchmark tests. Feedback will be immediate from these assessments and will help teachers know when they need to change instruction to suit your child's growth and needs. Parents will continue to see end-of-grade and end-of-course tests. However the way these tests are delivered and how they are constructed will change over time as the state moves towards online testing and incorporates the new standards. 4. Encourage your child to become a better problem solver. The new standards include both content and practice standards. The content standards are focused on what students are responsible for learning at each grade level. The practice standards explain how students engage in the content to solve problems. Some concepts are introduced earlier and some have been eliminated to allow students to explore mathematics at deeper levels. Students should be encouraged to use multiple representations and methods to solve problems. When working with your child, ask him/her to explain and justify the process used to solve problems. The use of short-cuts or tricks should be limited to allow students to reason about the mathematics. To support mathematical understanding, students will be expected to explain concepts they are learning in their own words.

17. Available Online Resources Common Core Standards http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/ http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/ PTA Brochure for Parents http://www.pta.org/4996.htm K-12 Standards in Science www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards North Carolina DPI- “READY” http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/ready/

18. Questions?