1. Ms. Swanson’s 3rd Grade Class
Welcome to Room 246!
Ms. Swanson’s 3rd Grade Class
Please have a seat and write a letter to your child on the back side of the letter they wrote to you.
Take a look at the volunteer opportunities sheet located on the back table.

2. Overview Meet Ms. Swanson Curriculum Classroom Management
Communication
Important Dates
Odds & Ends
Before you go…

3. A Little Something About Me…
Personal:
Background
Graduated from Issaquah High School
Professional:
BA in Elementary Education from Washington State University
2nd year at Grand Ridge and in third grade

4. Curriculum: Reading
Making Meaning: Whole-group lessons focused on comprehension strategies (visualizing, making connections, inferring, questioning, etc.)
Readers’ Workshop Format: Whole-group focus lesson followed by independent reading, responding to reading, and sharing
During Readers’ Workshop: Teacher-led guided reading groups and individual reading conferences
Fountas and Pinnell Reading Assessment will be used to assess each child’s independent and instructional reading levels

5. Curriculum: Writing Writing Pathways by Lucy Calkins
Focus Lesson – learn a new skill
Independent Work
Conferring
Sharing
Focus on 3 Types of Writing
Narrative
Informational
Opinion
Cursive
Handwriting Without Tears

6. Curriculum: Math Eureka Math: A Story of Units Fully aligned with CCSS
First year in Issaquah School District

7. Eureka: A Story of Units
A comprehensive curriculum written by a team of teachers and mathematicians who took great care to present mathematics in a logical progression, preparing students to understand advanced math
Developed specifically to meet the math standards adopted by our state
Connects math to the real world in ways that take the fear out of math and build student confidence
Teaches math as a “story” to build students’ mathematical knowledge logically and help them achieve deep understanding
This approach can be unfamiliar to those of us who grew up memorizing mathematical facts and formulas

8. Eureka: How Parents Can Help
Understand that students are learning math in a way that will prepare them for the higher demands of college and careers today and in the future – focused math skills and real-world, challenging problems
Read the Parent Roadmap for your child’s grade level
At the beginning of each module, read the Parent Tip Sheet to get an overview of the topics your child will be learning and how you can support this learning at home
Recognize that Eureka Math lessons can be customized by teachers to meet the varying needs of students

9. Curriculum: Sci & SS Science Animal Life Cycles (Salmon)
Slick Solutions
Weather
Rocks & Minerals
Social Studies
Democracy & Government basics
Native Americans of the PNW
Pioneers

10. Curriculum: Other Health Nutrition Control and Prevention of Disease
Personal and Physical Safety
Word Work
Vocabulary: Students are taught how to learn words and how to remember words
Strategies for learning vocabulary include: context clues, root words, prefixes and suffixes
Spelling
Spelling will be integrated with writing instruction, with an emphasis on application in students’ daily writing
Intermittent checks and observations of daily work conducted throughout the year to assess

11. K-5 Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Second Step
Builds Positive Social, Emotional and Behavior Skills
+ Self management +Self Awareness
+ Relationship Skills +Social Awareness
+Responsible Decision Making
This year at Grand Ridge, we are implementing a Social Emotional Learning Curriculum called Second Step. The goal of Second Step is to proactively teach positive social, emotional and behavior skills, which positively impact students’ social, emotional and academic success. This is done through classroom teachers teaching lessons throughout the month, skill practice, reinforcement activities and parent communication called Home Links.
Research has shown that children with social emotional skills can have empathy, manage strong emotions, solve interpersonal problems, make friends, get along well with others, and persist at tasks and follow directions.
The Second Step curriculum is one way that we are building these skills in our students.

12. Social Emotional Learning Curriculum
K – 3rd Grade Units
Unit 1: Skills for Learning
Listening • Focusing attention •Using self-talk •Being assertive
Unit 2: Empathy
Identifying one's own and others' feelings •Taking others' perspectives
Showing care and concern for others
Unit 3: Emotion Management
Understanding strong feelings •Identifying and managing strong feelings
Calming down strong feelings
Unit 4: Friendship Skills and Problem Solving
Making and keeping friends •Calming down and using Problem-Solving Steps
What Is the Program?
TALKING POINTS
1. Discuss the program's skills and topics in more detail:
There are four main program topics—Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving—are divided into units at each grade level..
Unit 1, Skills for Learning: The goal of this unit is to build foundational skills necessary for successful participation in learning. Specifically, students learn to listen effectively, focus their attention, use self-talk, and be assertive.
Unit 2, Empathy: The goal of this unit is to build students' ability to have empathy and express compassion. Specifically, students learn how to identify and understand their own and others' feelings, begin to take others' perspectives, and show compassion for others.
Unit 3, Emotion Management: The goal of this unit is to develop students' ability to identify and manage their own strong feelings. Specifically, students learn how to understand and recognize their own and others' strong feelings, and how to calm down strong feelings by saying "Stop," naming the feeling, then doing belly breathing, using positive self-talk, and/or counting. 
Unit 4, Problem Solving: There are two main goals for this unit. The first is to build students' ability to solve problems in safe and respectful ways. The second is to build students' skills for making and keeping friends.

13. Social Emotional Learning Curriculum
4th and 5th Grade Units
Unit 1: Empathy and Skills for Learning
Using self-regulation skills to succeed in school
Developing the ability to have empathy
Expressing compassion
Unit 2: Emotion Management
Identifying and managing strong feelings
Using strategies to calm down strong feelings
Unit 3: Problem Solving
Solving problems on one's own
What Is the Program?
TALKING POINTS
Describe the 4–5 Units:
Empathy and Skills for Learning, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving.
Unit 1, Empathy and Skills for Learning: There are two main goals for this unit. The first is to continue building on the Skills for Learning from previous grades. Specifically, students learn how these self-regulation skills both help them succeed in school and help them make and keep friends. The second goal is to develop students' ability to have empathy for others and express compassion.
Unit 2, Emotion Management: The goal of this unit is to develop students' ability to manage their own strong feelings before they escalate and result in negative consequences. Deep, centered breathing—a calming-down technique called belly breathing in previous grades—is taught in this unit.
Unit 3, Problem Solving: The goal of this unit is to develop students' ability to solve problems on their own.

14. Home Links Simple, fun activities sent home after many lessons
Give your child another chance to practice program skills
Show you what your child is learning
How Can You Help Strengthen Your Child’s New Skills?
Many Second Step lessons provide a Home Link that will be sent home for families to see what their child in learning in class. It is optional to do with your child.
They’re simple, fun activities that give your child another chance to practice the Second Step skills he or she has been learning in the lessons.
Home Links are also a great way for you to find out more about what your child is learning.
Home Links can be ed to you, and they’re also available in Spanish.

15. Online Family Resources
SSPK FAMI LY70 = Kindergarten
SSP1 FAMI LY71 = First Grade
SSP2 FAMI LY72 = Second Grade
SSP3 FAMI LY73 = Third Grade
SSP4 FAMI LY74 = Fourth Grade
SSP5 FAMI LY75 = Fifth Grade
About a _______ ago, you should have received a family letter introducing the Second Step curriculum. At the bottom of the page is a family access code to access family resources online for our grade-level. Here are the codes again:
Log in at and enter this code

16. Curriculum: Special Events
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery – Fall
Native American Potlatch – Winter
Fairy Tale Play – Spring
Pioneer Farms – Spring
Thanks to PTSA for funding these events!

17. Technology Computer lab (A week) Activeboard / ActivExpressions
Type to Learn – password will be sent home
Research
Microsoft Word, Publisher, and Powerpoint
Activeboard / ActivExpressions
Technology engages kids and promotes participation

18. Policies – Homework Purpose
Reinforce and review skills learned in class
Develop study habits and responsibility
M-Th Homework will include:
Math homework (10 minutes)
Reading (20 minutes)
Some Projects…
Please try not to exceed the 30 minutes of daily homework. The math worksheets will often have more than is necessary to complete. After ten minutes of work, they are not required to do more.
If you wish your child to do more work at home than what is given at school, there are many resources available online to help you.

19. Class Expectations Arrive at school on time and ready to learn
Participate
Work cooperatively
1. Show Respect
2. Solve the Problem
3. Make Good Choices
We make grand choices that don't cause a problem for anyone!

20. Students agree to: Great Attitudes Respectfulness Acts of Kindness Never Give Up Do Our Personal Best

21. Behavior Management Positive Reinforcement: Consequences:
Praise and encouragement
Chance Cards
Great Kid with Mrs. Otley
Consequences:
Natural consequences
Two minute reflection
If a concern or repeated behavior, the child will home…

22. Communication Preferred form of communication is email
Classroom website:
Classroom newsletters ** My website **
Important dates
Parent resources
Specialist schedule
Please contact me anytime with a concern or question

23. Important Dates
December 7-8: Conferences (No Students) December 21-January 2: Winter Break
February 20-24: Second Winter Break
March: SBA
April 10-14: Spring Break
May 16: 3rd Grade Music Concert
May-June: Pioneer Farms
June 16: Last Day of School *
*subject to change due to snow days

24. Odds & Ends Office Policies Birthdays Family Access
All absences must be checked with the office
Mrs. Otley must review and approve planned vacations
Parent helpers must check-in at the office prior to visiting the classroom
Birthdays
Each child is recognized on their birthday
Summer birthdays at the end of the year
No treats are allowed
Family Access
Conference and Report Cards

25. Fueling Success for every student, every school
Special Thanks to…
Fueling Success for every student, every school

26. Curriculum Night Video
Special Thanks to…
Curriculum Night Video

27. Before you go…
Finish writing the letter to your child (leave it on your child's desk)
Please verify the information and fill out the Emergency Dismissal section of the Student Information form, sign, and leave on desk
Take a look at the volunteer opportunities on the back table if you have not yet done so
Please have your child bring a plain white t-shirt to school no later than September 26th
Thank you for coming this evening!