1. Welcome to Back-to-School Night Mrs. Parkinson-Math/Science/Health Mrs. Griffin- Language Arts/Social Studies

2. Tonight’s Agenda 1. Introductions ~ who are Mrs. Parkinson and Mrs. Griffin? 2. Daily Schedule 3. Homework, Planners, and Folders 4. Grading and Report Card 5. Third Grade Expenses 6. Classroom Rules and Behavior Management 7. A peek at the curriculum areas…science, math, and language arts 8. STAAR! 9. Wrap up and Questions! The mission of Cowan Elementary is to educate every student every day.

3. Back To School Night!!! 3RD Grade The one thing we hope you learn about us this year is that we LOVE teaching children! We hope you will take comfort in knowing that we will treat the children in our classes as if they were our own. This means a lot of things: showing respect, treating them fairly, praising where it is earned, and holding very high expectations – both behaviorally and academically. Here are some of the things we expect from every child every day! *We expect them to come to school every day ready to learn! * We expect them to work hard every day! *We expect them to follow all the rules every day! *We expect them to be kind to each other! *We expect them to treat me with respect! *We expect them to become incredible readers, writers, scientists, and mathematicians! All of these things will happen this year, and much more! We hope that we will ALL work together to help your child be a successful third grader and to work on becoming a life-long learner!

4. Class Websites We update our websites every Monday. Make sure to check them weekly for information on what we’re teaching and any important upcoming dates We also post forms that you might need extra copies of (permission slips, book project information, etc.)

5. TEACHER *Be in the dining room by 7:25 every day. *Create meaningful learning experiences daily. *Provide students with strategies to become better readers and writers. *Communicate daily with families. *Hold at least 2 conferences per year. STUDENT *Be in the dining room by 7:25 or classroom by 7:45 every day. *Make one year’s progress in reading, writing, and math. *Follow all classroom and school rules. *Actively participate in classroom activities. *Do homework on time. *Do the very best possible on every assignment every day! FAMILY *Make sure your child is in the classroom by 7:45 every day. *Listen to your child read EVERY night. *Check homework, sign planner, and check and read papers in folder every night. *Attend parent/teacher conferences! Classroom rules Be kind! Be safe! Always do your best! Please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions at any time! Mrs. Griffin 841-2757 Mrs. Parkinson 841-2756 Schedule 7:25 – Morning Assembly 7:45 – Morning Meeting 8:00- Block 1 9:30 - Recess 10:45 – Block 2 12:05 – LUNCH 12:40 – Special Areas 1:25 – Block 2 2:25 – End of Day Activities 2:45- Dismissal (purple) WOW! I did something that went above and beyond!!! 4 (green) I am making good choices today! 3 (yellow) I need to reflect on my choices and make a change. 2 (red) I may need to visit with Mrs. Warnken in the office to discuss my behavior. 1

6. Homework, Planners, and Folders Homework… Read 30 minutes each night Language Arts- 2 worksheets a week Math- weekly packet (review of skills learned in class) *Homework is designed to last 30-45 minutes for the typical 3 rd grader! *We will not grade homework in class… We’re counting on you to check over your child’s homework and have your child make any necessary corrections before turning homework in the following day!

7. Planners and Folders LOOK for homework assignments! LOOK for reminders and what’s coming from the mailbox! CHECK your child’s behavior and sign EVERY night!! Look for a weekly goal and this week’s spelling words!! *LOOK in your child’s folder EVERY night…that is where homework is stored and Papers coming home from student’s mailboxes to be read and/or signed and returned!

8. GRADING! Assessments/Projects35% Quizzes/Check-ins30% Daily Practice20% Participation/Homework15% 100 – 98 A+89 – 88 B+79 – 78 C+ 97 – 94 A87 – 84 B77 – 74 C 93 – 90 A-83 – 80 B-73 – 70 C- Below 70 F

9. Report Card

10. Third Grade Expenses A one time payment of $45.00 is due on October 1 st, 2014. These fees are collected for: All field trips and travel arrangements… Scholastic News weekly magazines Third grade class t-shirts End of year celebrations **We would love to have you join us on most field trips! If you think you might be interested in attending a field trip, please register ASAP at: www.austinpartners.org/volunteerwww.austinpartners.org/volunteer

11. Classroom Rules/ Management We have four big school and classroom rules and they pretty much cover EVERYTHING! 1.To respect myself. 2.To respect others. 3.To respect property. 4.To respect learning. If your child has to move to yellow or red, please take it seriously. It means they were given verbal warnings and chose to continue the behavior!

12. Curriculum Sneak Peek (math) *Math: math makes sense…it’s not just about memorizing (although this is important too)…it’s also about THINKING and understanding different strategies to solve different problems. Typical Math Block: ~math problem-solving and number work ~mini-lesson – usually in our math journals and includes something to get kiddos thinking and excited about what we will learn today ~small group lessons and centers– small groups work with Mrs. Parkinson based on need while students work in centers that include games, computer work, paper/pencil practice, numerical fluency practice, etc. ~wrap-up – share and discuss learning and strategies from math block

13. Curriculum Sneak Peek (science) Science in THIRD grade is about asking questions, being curious, and trying things out! We do lots of hands-on activities, go outside to find real-world examples of what we are learning, conduct research to learn more, and regularly implement the scientific process skills! Science Fair is in January and is optional.

14. Curriculum Sneak Peak (language arts) Typical L.A. Block: D.E.A.R. Time(independent reading) Reading Warm-up (focus on comprehension) Shared Reading/ Read Alouds Literacy Tasks (students work in independently or in partners on various tasks that focus on developing their skills as readers and writers) Book Clubs/ Guided Reading (while students are working on literacy tasks) Writer’s Workshop SPELLING: 5 patterned words, 5 high – frequency words, 5 vocabulary words, and 5 unknown words (that match that week’s spelling pattern)

15. Monthly Book Projects The first book project will be coming up in October. Students will be responsible for reading their book and completing the book project based on the given criteria. Assignment and criteria will go home at the beginning of each month. Students will present their project on the due date. Grades are given based on the rubric given.

16. Monthly Book Projects

17. STAAR TEST The STAAR test has proven to be extremely rigorous and assesses student skills at a deep level of cognitive complexity. In reading, emphasis is given to critical analysis rather than literal understanding. In math, students are expected to show their understanding of math concepts through multi-step word problems. Students must be fluent in their reading and math skills because there is a four-hour time limit for completing the test. We will be working hard all year to prepare students for success on the STAAR test. You can help at home by listening to your child(ren) read and asking them inferential, comprehension questions, checking their homework and talking about/having them correct mistakes, and by utilizing resources that I make available to you! We need to be on the same page with high expectations and holding students accountable!

19. Questions from the STAAR Math Released Test (2014)

20. Question from the STAAR Reading Released Test (2014):

21. What We Need *Help sharpening pencils from home. *Help with cutting out materials

22. THANK YOU!! What questions do you have for me?? Together, as a team, will work very hard to make this the best year yet and to help your THIRD grader be as successful as he/she can be!!