1. Curriculum Night 2015 Presented by 1 st Grade/Mrs. Ursitti Christa McAuliffe Elementary

2. Journeys Reading Series Journeys Reading Basal Series Leveled readers allow for students who are above grade level Selected workbook practice books are used for reinforcement of skills we are learning Weekly Assessments – Basal Story Comprehension, Vocabulary, Phonics (not all are done every week) – Phonograms, Spelling, Writing

3. Phonograms Spalding Phonics 70 Phonograms Tested Weekly – study flashcards Use hand motions with sounds Used with reading, writing, and spelling Video Website: http://curriculum.leeschools.net/words/words_ main.htm http://curriculum.leeschools.net/words/words_ main.htm

4. Guided Reading Students will participate in a combination of literacy centers and independent activities for one hour each day while I work with small reading groups. Each reading group will meet with me for about 15 minutes to practice reading specific leveled text and to complete extension activities related to the focus skills of the week. These books may be at a slightly lower level than where your child reads. This is to help us work on comprehension skills. Students will bring home Guided Reading books home in their YELLOW GR folder. After practicing the books at home with your child, please make sure they are returned to school every day.

5. AR Program/ STAR Tests Students have the opportunity to take AR (Accelerated Reader) tests on certain books in order to earn points. Most books are 0.5 pts. There are 3 ideal times to take tests throughout our day: after morning work, during snack, and during centers. Each child will be given a specific “point goal” that they should try to meet each quarter based on needs & abilities. Every quarter, your child will take the STAR test, which is a computer-based reading assessment. It will indicate your child’s current reading level.

6. How can I check on my child’s progress in AR? Renaissance Home Connect This logon info went home today.

7. Writing This year we will place an even greater emphasis on writing. First grade will be using the 6 Traits Writing Program: Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Voice. During the 1 st quarter, we focus on sentence writing (capital letters and punctuation) and writing complete sentences to answer questions. Quarter 2: Informative/Explanatory Quarter 3 : Narrative Quarter 4: Opinion

8. Math Series Go Math! math program Mid-chapter quizzes and end of chapter tests Save papers that come home for review for tests and quizzes. Practice pages may come home and are always optional homework. Addition facts need to be practiced at home. During the second semester we will introduce Rocket Math! We take 1 minute timed math facts practices.

9. Science

10. Social Studies Geography- Continents, Oceans, & Maps Early Civilizations- Mesopotamia & Ancient Egypt World Religions- Christianity, Judaism, Islam Early Exploration- Christopher Columbus, Discovery of the Americas, Conquistadors, Quest for gold Early Settlement- Jamestown, Pocahontas, Thanksgiving, The Lost Colony From Colonies to Independence- 13 Colonies, The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, Declaration of Independence, American Symbols Exploring the West- Daniel Boone, The Wilderness Road, Louisiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark Culture: Mexico- Geography, Language, & Traditions

11. Grading Policy Daily Assignments – weight of 1 Quizzes – weight of 2 Tests – weight of 3 Language Arts – Reading -Vocabulary – Phonics -Phonograms – Grammar -Writing – Spelling Core subject area grades: A, B, C, N, U Specials:S, N, U Info to access FOCUS coming home tomorrow.

12. Halloween Festivities A parade will take place Friday, October 30 th at 8:45am Parents will be able to watch the parade from the breezeway area. Each class will need a couple of volunteers to help kids with costume changes after.

13. Thanksgiving Feast Tuesday, November 24th beginning at 11:45. Each class will have a feast in the classroom to celebrate the holiday. Each student will be assigned an item to bring in to class Kids will wear Pilgrim Hats/ Native American headdresses during the feast. We will need 2-3 volunteers per class to help serve food, etc.

14. Winter/Spring Events December 9 1 st Grade Holiday Program Week of December 14 World Religion Centers Wednesday, March 23 Circus, Circus musical production

15. Cinco de Mayo Fiesta ! May 5, 2016 This a BIG first grade event for students in which they get to experience the culture, food, and celebrations of Mexico. Please sign up to help with this event!

16. Field Trips We will be planning to visit the following attractions: 1.The Kleist Center at FGCU – December 4 2.Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium - January 3.Broadway Palm – April 22, 2016 James and the Giant Peach 4. Rotary Park AR Celebration – May, 2016

17. SNACK Each class has a designated “snack time.” All first graders should bring a healthy snack to school every day. Please do not pack chocolate, candy, or other snacks high in sugar. Thank you so much for helping your child remember to bring a snack every day! (Even on the days they choose to have hot lunch!) Snack donations are appreciated!

18. What is Gifted? Accelerated/BrightGifted Learns with easeAlready knows Answers questionsDiscusses in details, elaborates Grasps the meaningDraws inferences Is pleased with learningIs highly self-critical Good memorizerGood guesser/innate knowledge Is receptiveIs intense

19. Our Accelerated Class How Are We Different? Beyond level lessons in reading and math Faster pace of instruction Cooperative learning Science experiments Author studies and paired literature Creative writing More challenging spelling words Brain Teasers and Critical Thinking Valuable Vocabulary

20. The Talented and Gifted Student http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O mx_iLtMjZA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O mx_iLtMjZA

21. How Can I Support My Gifted/Accelerated Child Allow your child to fail ! Help your child with their need for perfectionism and how that relates to their self - image. Be a good example to them by modeling your own attempts and your acceptance of mistakes. Help your child set realistic standards for themselves and to understand how unfair it is to hold others to their standards. Intellectually stimulate your child by exposing them to libraries, travel, theater, museums, and historical sites. Support their uniqueness. They often learn, act, and socialize differently.

22. Our Classroom Website www.mrsursitti.com Weekly newsletters Parent Resources Kids Resources Links to textbooks

23. C.M.E. First Grade RULES! We are selling our exclusive First Grade Spirit Shirts for $12 each! These shirts can be worn to school on Fridays, to field trips, and on other special “spirit’ shirt days. Kids AND adult sizes are available! Order forms will be going home soon! 1 st Grade Spirit Shirt Fundraiser! Back Front

24. GREAT We are going to have a GREAT year! Thanks for coming! Early dismissals – please let me or the office know in advance if your child is going home early Class Directory A sign-up sheet will be by the mailboxes for event sign- ups. Last minute odds and ends…..

25. Questions Asked/Answered Can my child take AR tests on books from home or the public library? Yes. Send in the book or the book title with the author name on a note. How can I get my child motivated to read? Books in a series are often a great motivator. Once a child likes a character, they want to read more books within that series. Mrs. Ursitti will send out a list of recommended books. Do you use volunteers in the classroom? We definitely need you for holiday events, but if you are interested in coming in and running a center one day, please let me know in advance and I’ll make sure and have something planned. Do parents need to email the teacher if they are joining their child for lunch? Not necessarily, but it is nice if you wait for us in the breezeway so that I see you and know that your child will need to be picked up from the outside eating area.