Welcome to Grade 3

1. Wednesday 24th August 2011 Open House Welcome to Grade 3

2. Agenda: • Welcome and introductions • Grade 3 expectations • Our Classroom • Transdisciplinary Skills & Dispositions • Weekly Schedule • Specials, CMC, IT • Being Numerate • Being Literate • Units of Inquiry • Homework • Blog • Reporting • Looking forward • Help! • Questions?

3. The Grade 3 Team Travis O’Neel Janice Remoroza Amber Shortridge Michael Quinlan Anna Pagcaliwagan Ilana McGrath Kris Hamaguchi

4. …and our Teacher Assistants Clarisse Samera Elaine Faustino

5. We work very well together!

6. EXPECTATIONS OF GRADE 3 STUDENTS • Being responsible learners by taking initiative and participating positively • Being respectful members of our classroom community • Becoming inquiring, reflective problem solvers, and knowledgeable and skilled learners • Becoming more independent

7. TRANSDISCIPLINARY SKILLS • Communication • Connection & Collaboration • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving • Research • Personal Management & Reflection

8. DISPOSITIONS • Responsible • Self-Directed • Caring • Ethical/Fair • Creative • Balanced

9. SPECIALS • Each week, your child will receive specialized instruction in: Music (90 min) Art (90 min) Physical Education (135 min)

10. C.M.C.(Children’s Media Centre) • Flexible schedule for book borrowing (before or after school and at recesses with passes) • Increased opportunity to use the CMC for spontaneous personal inquiry or small group work • Parents are welcome to sign out books for family use

11. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY This year, your children will learn to: • Use digital editing technology to modify or create works of art or music • Research on the internet, using age appropriate resources and citing sources correctly • Use proper keyboarding skills to increase accuracy and speed • Use a variety of programs to share information with others

12. NUMERACY • The children will be encouraged to apply each of these concepts to real life situations. • *Place Value • *Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication & Division • *Money • *Time • *Measurement • *Geometry • *Data and Probability • *Fractions and Decimals • Each unit is supported and extended with various activities, investigations, manipulatives and games.  For example: • Everyday Mathematics Workbooks • Marcy Cook Activities • Computer / Internet based support games

13. Speaking and Listening (Formal and Informal) Literacy • Writing • Guided traits-based strategies • Writing Process • Recount • Explanation • Procedure • Persuasive • Narrative • Reports • Poetry • Reading • Guided strategy-based reading • Individuals • Small Groups • Whole Class • e.g. literature circles • author study • genre studies • to • with • by Integrated Word Study

14. Writing Process

15. INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

16. UNITS OF INQUIRY 1. CITIZENSHIP • Everyone is a citizen of the world and has a responsibility to it • A responsible citizen makes informed decisions (based on rights and responsibilities, needs and wants) and contributes to the overall betterment of the community • Most organizations are hierarchical and members have different roles and influences

17. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How does a citizen become a good citizen? • How do people make fair decisions? • How do hierarchies help groups of people stay organized? Does this matter?

18. 2. LOCATION • The understanding and interpretation of visual representations (ie. diagrams, maps, models) enables a better understanding of concepts, processes and the physical world • Where we live influences how we live

19. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How do visual representations help us understand our world? • Why is location so important? • How does where we live affect how we live?

20. 3. ENERGY • Energy comes from various sources and in various forms • Energy needs to be harnessed and transformed in order to be useful in our everyday life. • Various energy sources have positive and negative consequences

21. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • What is energy? • How does energy affect our everyday life? • What is the best energy source? Why?

22. 4. BIODIVERSITY • All living things are interdependent • Human actions and nature impact the environment

23. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • How are living things interdependent? • What causes an environment to change?

24. LEARNING JOURNALS • Examples of student learning, but not necessarily best work • May include reflections and teacher/peer feedback

25. HOMEWORK • Largely planned by your child in conjunction with personal goals • Includes a home reading program (all students are encouraged to read at home in English and/or their first language) 15 minutes nightly / 5 days out of 7 would be ideal. Reading responses should be done at least once a week. • May also include other activities directly related to what is being taught in class You can support your child by: • Establishing routines and expectations • Providing guidance and positive encouragement • Listening to your child read or reading to your child (in any language!) • Discussing the story and relating it to personal experiences Homework should not: • Ruin family time • End in tears!

26. DEAR MOM AND DAD • PURPOSE: • Reflection Tool • Learning Tool – ie. Paragraph writing • Communication Tool – both ways …which means homework for Mom and Dad • …but remember Homework should NOT end in tears!

27. BLOGS Means of communication between school and home For students and parents Provide information on the learning that is taking place at school May provide links to resources to support your child’s learning Accessed through the school website or link in emails

28. A variety of assessment tools will be used: • reflections • conferences • observations • peer assessments • self assessments • group projects • in-class projects • written assignments • individual inquiries • rubrics • checklists • anecdotal records • tests • diagnostic assessments

29. REPORTING Report Card – end of semesters 1 and 2 - no grades The report will comment on the following areas: Emerging Developing Proficient

30. Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences – October 10 & 11 Student Led Conferences – March6

31. Events to look forward to in Grade 3… Sports Day

32. Filipiniana

33. International Day

34. PTA Liaisons and Room Parents And our Room Parent? Malar Selvaraju Hansa Raj Mrs. McGrath’s Class Miss Remoroza’s Class • Remember: • PTA liaisons and Room parents can provide some basic information, support new parents and take part in event planning for the grade/class 2. They are not the local “complaint box” and do not involve themselves in discussing specific adults or children

35. WE NEED YOUR HELP • Keep a hard copy of current telephone tree • Respond legibly and regularly to “Dear Mom and Dad” • Help your children to become independent with homework responsibilities • Help your child to arrive at school on time • Contact the classroom teacher by emailor in person if you have any concerns or questions • Keep birthday treats to a minimum • Volunteer to be Room Parent  • Check blogs regularly

36. Questions?

37. Partnership Let’s work together in the education process. The heart of this effective communication, for both positive and negative issues You can email me at remorozaj@ismanila.org Or make an appointment to meet with me.

38. Please make sure you have checked the details on the telephone tree and indicated any changes you would like me to make on your info. Thank you for coming! Have a great evening!