What to Expect in 3 rd Grade Ms. Urban & Ms. Reyes (3-305)

1. What to Expect in 3rd GradeMs. Urban & Ms. Reyes (3-305) Future Topics: Social growth and development Shifts in academic expectations Purposes of homework New and special programs for third grade Curriculum outlines Individual teacher routines for the classroom Standardized testing Looking at grade level work Tonight’s Topics:

2. Independence in 3rd Grade!TRANSITIONING FROM LOWER TO UPPER GRADES When second graders go to third grade, they need to become more independent. This year we will spend time talking about what independence really means and what it looks like. As students students transition from the “lower” to the “upper” grades, they will be expected to hold more responsibility. • Responsibility in… • Relationships • Speaking and listening to others in our class, school, and greater community with patience and respect • Taking responsibility for one’s actions as a way to earn trust and gain independence • Organization • Completing work on time • Coming to lessons prepared • Keeping notebooks and folders neat and organized • Prioritizing schoolwork responsibilities alongside our out of school commitments (time management) • Academics (taking responsibility for your own learning) • Actively participating in lessons • Thinking about what was taught and applying that to the task with available support tools, before asking for help • Starting work quickly and remaining on task

3. 3rd Grade Expectations We know incoming third graders will need reminders about classroom and academic routines, but we also know that students will bring everything they know about being a strong student with them. Students will be expected to practice strategies to transition quickly and independently between subjects. Students are expected to: • Be prepared for each subject area • Learn routines for copying their own homework and getting ready for the day as well as packing up with independence • Learn TIME MANAGEMENTskills through planning for classwork, as well as homework and independent projects

4. 3rd Grade Homework Purposes: • Practicing a skill or strategy learned at school Examples: Math assignments, independent reading, reading responses and writing work • Previewing or preparing information and assignments for instruction the next day Examples: Reading informational articles and stories, note taking, and homework from the writing workshop • Communicating with parents about what work is being done at school, and how your child understands this work Looking at your child’s assignments, and noticing how prepared he or she is to complete assignments is a great way to informally assess how well your child is doing in school • Developing strong work and organization habits This is especially relevant in third grade as students prepare for an increased workload in the upper grades and learn to balance homework assignments, projects, and afterschool activities

5. Special Programs for 3rd Grade • New York Philharmonic This is the first year students will participate in the NY Philharmonic program. Students will be introduced to the recorder and learn to play simple melodies. By the end of the year they will compose their own pieces. A teaching artists from the NY Philharmonic will instruct classes regularly. • Poetry Outreach The Poetry Outreach program is run by City College. Each class will have 6 teaching sessions with Mardi Jaskot. At the end of these sessions, the children’s poetry will be submitted and have the potential to be published and presented at City College in May.

6. Communication You may contact me with further questions about any topics presented tonight at eurban@schools.nyc.gov