Welcome to 3 rd Grade

Welcome to 3rd Grade Curriculum Night Mrs. Magee’s Third Grade August 19, 2014

Morning Procedures • Please have your child here by 7:45. We do morning work at this time. When your child is tardy, they get behind from the very start of the day! • This is also time to turn in the previous night’s homework and folders, along with any notes from home.

Daily Schedule • 7:30-7:55 Morning Work/ Attendance • 7:55-8:40 Science/Social Studies • 8:40-9:45 Math • 9:45-10:10 Begin Language Arts • 10:10-10:50 Specials • 11:06-11:36 Lunch • 11:40-12:20 Finish Language Arts • 12:20-1:15 Reading • 1:15-1:35 Recess • 1:35-2:00 Enrichment/Cursive/Spelling/Sucessmaker/IXL • 2:05-2:15 Pack-up/Dismissal

Units of Study • Math- addition/subtraction with regrouping, multiplication, time, division with remainders, geometry, & place value • Reading- working on fluency, comprehension, retelling of story, & vocabulary • Writing- cursive handwriting, grammar skills, & writing a story with a good beginning, middle and end. We will also be introducing writer’s workshop and work on 3 types of writing-expository, narrative, and persuasive. • Social Studies- Greece, Biographies, government, and economics • Science- magnets, rocks, heat energy, pollution, and habitats/animals in Georgia

Accelerated Reader • AR is now up and running. Your child is working towards earning 10 points for the first 9 weeks. • Students should select books within their reading range. • After reading the books they can take a test. A website will soon be sent home so you and your child can look up books within your child’s specific reading range. • 3rd Grade Prize Day is once a month. Students will be rewarded when they reached certain point values. . • We will also celebrate meeting their AR goal at the end of every nine weeks.

Assignments • Your child will have weekly spelling and reading comprehension tests. Spelling test will be every other week on Thursdays and Reading comprehension test will be on Fridays. We will also be taking a Math 4 Today Quiz and a Daily Language Instruction Quiz each Friday • We will also be having time test on addition and subtraction facts on Wednesdays, these will be changing to multiplication facts as we learn them. • We will also be taking Social Studies Weekly Quizzes on Wednesdays. • Special projects and book reports will always count the same as a major test grade. Assignments that are turned in late will be penalized and graded accordingly. • Projects are supposed to be a way to get the family involved and learn together. Please do not spend money, use things you have at home or I can provide the needed materials.

Spelling -Differentiated Spelling Lists • Students took inventories during the first week of school. This determined his/her strengths and weaknesses in spelling patterns. • Based on the pre-assessment, students will work on spelling lists in the areas of weakness. • Another spelling inventory will be given in October to check for growth. -Spelling Homework • Spelling Choice Board • Every Two Weeks • Choose a minimum of 5 items • Students must turn in choice board and activities on the day of the test. -Spelling Tests • Every other Thursday on Spelling City

Math Facts • In 3rd grade, a major focus in math is mastery of addition, subtraction and multiplication facts (Xtra Math). • Weekly Facts Quizzes • Multiplication Fridays • PRACTICE DAILY!! • In the second semester we will begin to explore problem solving more. We will have problem solving Fridays with exemplars.

Success Maker & Edmodo Computer Programs • Success maker - A self-assisted computer program that tutors students and paces them individually • Edmodo – a computer program for discussion questions, polls, quizzes, etc. We will have a weekly reading discussion question each week and we will take our newspaper quiz on here every Wednesday.

Xtra Math, and VMath Live • Xtra Math - This program is used to help students memorize their math facts. • VMath Live –A self-assisted computer program that has games to assist with math learning. Students can work on this program at home! Teachers can also assign specific lessons for students to work on as we are learning the skills.

Videos • 3rd Grade will only watch 2 to 3 yearly videos with county approval only. • All videos will be related to chapter books 3rd grade has read and a writing activity will go along with the book and movie as a comparison activity. • GPB Video Streaming – computer clips of standards related material to enhance lessons and concepts will be used weekly.

Homework • Daily homework assignments will be written in the agenda. Agenda must be signed nightly. • Homework is due the following day unless otherwise stated. • Homework will be brought to and from school in the white notebook. • Every night students will need to write the amount of time they have read in their agenda with a signature as part of their homework. • Failure to complete homework will result in your child having to complete it at recess on certain days when we have homework checks. • Homework is not busy work it is used to practice and reinforce the skills we are learning.

Grading Scale • A - 90-100 - Above and Beyond • B – 80-89 – On Target • C – 71-79 – Almost There • D- 70 – Needs Help • F – Below 70 – Do it Again • Participation • S= satisfactory • N= Needs Improvement • U= Unsatisfactory • Please look over graded papers, and help your child with excessive errors. • Please sign the top paper in the Friday folder and return all papers on Monday. You will receive all of your child’s papers at the end of each semester. • Contact me if you feel your child needs extra help or you need ideas of how to help them Scores with a percentage are recorded grades!

ITBS • Iowa Test of Basic Skills – We will be taking this test in November. This is an ability test not an achievement test.

Georgia Milestones • Third grade students will take the GA Milestone Test in April. More information coming soon! -Item Types • Selected-Response [aka, multiple-choices] • all content areas • evidence-based selected response in ELA • Constructed-Response • ELA and mathematics • Extended-Response • ELA and mathematics

Georgia Milestones • Constructed response is a general term for assessment items that require the student to generate a response as opposed to selecting a response. • Extended-response items require more elaborate answers and explanations of reasoning. They allow for multiple correct answers and/or varying methods of arriving at the correct answer. Writing prompts and performance tasks are examples of extended-response items.

Features include: • inclusion of constructed-response items in ELA and mathematics, in addition to selected-response items • inclusion of a writing component (in response to text) at every grade level and course within the ELA assessment; • inclusion of norm-referenced items in every grade and content area to complement the criterion-referenced information and to provide a national comparison; and • transition to online administration over time, with online administration considered the primary mode of administration and paper-pencil back-up until transition is completed.

Depth of Knowledge • Some general distinctions can be made among the levels. • Level 1: Requires students to recall or recognize facts or to use simple skills or abilities. • Level 2: Requires students to engage in some form of mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. • Level 3: Requires students to reason, analyze, evaluate, or synthesize information. • Level 4: Requires students to explain, devise, analyze, evaluate, synthesize (real world/problem based learning) over a period of time.

Communication • The best way to contact me is through e-mail or a note in your child’s white notebook folder. I will do my best to get back to you the same day if at all possible. I will check my e-mail twice a day. • I will sometimes contact you by phone to keep you informed of your child’s progress. • Parent Connect: You are now able to access your child’s grades through the parent connect program. Grades will be updated over the weekend, so Mondays are the best time to check your child’s progress.

Rules and Regulations • Absences and Tardiness • Please try to have your child at school and on time every day. Your child misses valuable learning time when they are not “in class” everyday. Please send in a note when your child is absent. All absences will be unexcused until a note is received. • Students are responsible for class work/homework even when they are absent. Students will have the number of days that they were absent to return any missed work. • Rules: • Agendas - Your child’s agenda must be signed every night and brought to school everyday! • Visitors – All visitors must check in at the office before coming to the classroom or cafeteria.

Transportation • Be sure to fill out your child’s monthly transportation calendar. You may fill it out daily, weekly, or monthly. If it’s not filled out we will have to call you to verify how your child is going home. • The office will not except transportation changes through email. Please make sure that all transportation changes are written down on a separate piece of paper, not the agenda. Please do not just tell your student to let me know of transportation changes. I MUST have a note. • Parents may fax transportation changes along with a copy of their drivers license.

Discipline • The third grade behavior plan this year is a token system. Each student will receive 5 Tickets for the week that represent the 3 R’s (RRR – Respect, Responsibility, and Readiness). Along with the 5 tickets given for the week, students will receive a warning ticket. The purpose of this system is for the student to do their best and have at least 1 ticket by Friday. If the student does, in fact, have at least 1 ticket, they are eligible to earn a special Fun Friday Activity. The first time a student displays disrespectful, irresponsible, or not ready behavior, he/she will turn in the warning ticket as a reminder. The second time a student displays disrespectful, irresponsible, or not ready behavior; he/she will lose a regular ticket. When a regular ticket is lost they must turn in their ticket on my desk, sign the behavior clipboard, and sit out 5 minutes of recess.. They will be required to write their name, the date, and the reason they lost the coin on this clipboard. This is done to help them remember what problems they might have had during the day. They will also write in their agenda on days that they lose a ticket and write a letter to you at the end of the week if they have lost all of their tickets. The student will fill out a behavior note to inform you of why the tickets were lost and what your child will do to work on improving behavior for the next week. This will help to keep you informed of any problems.

Discipline

IKES Communities • Our Mission with the new House System: • To create a sense of community across grades among our students and staff. By incorporating the different houses at our school we are hoping to foster a sense of ownership within our school. • Each house will meet on a regular basis throughout the school year during the school day. They will work on different service projects that will benefit our school and the community around us. Our goal is to create more connections between all grade levels. Students will be placed in houses on Wednesday during specials. Our first House meeting will be August 29th. Look for your child to bring home a flyer introducing their House and opportunities for you as parents to be involved.

Birthdays/Parties -If you would like to send in a special treat for your child’s birthday, please make arrangements ahead of time to drop them off. We currently have 20 students. The best time to do Birthdays are during lunch. • If possible please let me know ahead of time where the treats are coming from or send them in the morning of the celebration, so I can verify all information with the nurse. – Example – Cupcakes from Publix, Cookie Cake from Kroger, etc. • Please no homemade goodies for treats due to allergies and other medical needs in the class -We have a winter party and an end of the year party.

Miscellaneous • Ice Cream (KONA Ice)– It is offered once a month and is $2.00-$5.00 depending on size. • Water Bottles are welcome daily to keep on their desk. • Field Trip – A field trip is in the works. We hope to visit the Tellus Museum sometime in October. Be on the look out for information about the upcoming field trip coming home soon. • We are not allowed to accept transportation changes by e-mail. If you forget to send a note in with your child you must fax a note to the office along with a copy of your driver’s license.

Remain “In the Know” • Parent Connect – Check grades online (Weekends or Mondays). • Get signed up through the office. • Link is on my website – Parents Access to Grades • Remind 101 • Text messages about important school related items. • Contact Mrs. Magee for more information.

Contact Information • I check my email (chelsea.magee@cherokee.k12.ga.us ) at least 2 times a day. This is the best way to contact me. • Always read newsletters for important information. August is the only month that I will be sending home paper newsletters. Please let me know if you would like to continue to receive a paper copy of the newsletter. • Our room mom is Alicia Collins Watson. • My website will also be updated weekly with important information: • http://mysite.cherokee.k12.ga.us/personal/chelsea_magee/site/default.aspx • Thank you very much for attending curriculum night!

Welcome to 3 rd Grade