Welcome to Curriculum Night

1. Welcome to Curriculum Night Mrs. Perks 4th grade Gifted Self-Contained Kyrene Monte Vista

2. Tonight’s Topics • Characteristics of Gifted Learners • Self-Contained Class Description • Goals/Expectations • Reading • Writing/Spelling • Mathematics • Social Studies • Science • Technology • Classroom Management • Communication • Homework Responsibilities

3. Characteristics of a Gifted Learner • Asks the questions • Is mentally and physically involved • Has wild, silly ideas • Plays around, yet tests well (vs. Works hard) • Discusses in detail, elaborates • Shows strong feeling and opinions • Already knows • 1-2 repetitions for mastery • Constructs abstractions • Draws inferences • Initiates projects (Vs. Completes assignments) • Is intense • Creates a new design (vs. copies accurately) • Enjoys learning (NOT school) • Manipulates information • Good guesser • Is keenly observant • Is highly self-critical

4. Self-Contained Class Description In our class the core curriculum will consist of Kyrene’s grade-level curriculum in all subject areas. Kyrene’s gifted language arts curriculum will provide the basis for more challenging learning in reading, writing, and vocabulary for students advanced in those areas. The grade-level science, social studies, and health curriculums will be supplemented by enrichment experiences and by the in-depth learning to which this unique grouping arrangement lends itself. I will follow Kyrene’s philosophy of continuous progress—particularly in language arts and in math—so that students may be challenged at an appropriate level of difficulty. At the same time, opportunities will be provided to apply and extend content knowledge and skills. Student workload will be designed to be the same in amount as for other students in 4th grade, but it will be different in content. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I will provide opportunities for students to learn and practice the interpersonal skills so critical to success. Presentation skills, public speaking proficiency, and the various skills involved in polite and intelligent discussion will be emphasized. Issues related to differences and giftedness will be explored in a safe setting. Kyrene Gifted Program Self-Contained Classroom Model

5. Goals • Becoming responsible for their own learning • Understanding that mistakes are a way of learning • Becoming thinkers and problem solvers

6. Educational Philosophy • High Expectations • Support • Consistency • Accountability • Responsibility

7. Quality Work • Proper Heading on Pager (Name, Number, Date, Assignment) • Erase Completely • Write Within Margins of Paper • Read Directions Before Beginning • Follow Multi-Step Directions • Check Work Carefully • Write Legibly (Print and Cursive) • Take Time to do Personal Best

8. Expectations What You Can Expect From Me: • My very best in teaching • Open communication • A love for your child • Meet your child’s individual needs • Follow through • Endurance • Patience • Creativity • Respect • Honesty • Fairness

9. Expectations What I Expect of Your Child: • Communicate to you about what we do in class • Complete homework on time • Eyes on the speaker • Initiate learning • Think creatively • Participate a lot • Follow directions • Listen

10. Expectations What I Expect From You: • Trust in my professional decisions and opinions • Make sure they eat a good breakfast • Help get your child to school on time • Make sure they get good sleep • Ask your child about school • Flexibility • Openness • Patience

11. Reading • Research Based Core Reading Program • Focus on strategies and skills, comprehension and vocabulary • Reading topics include, but are not limited to: Literary Elements and Author Study • Whole group/small groups • On going assessments

12. Reading • Harcourt Trophies • Junior Great Books • Nonfiction • Research/Project Based Reading • Kyrene Adopted Trade Books

13. SpellingVocabularyGrammar • Wordly Wise and WordSmith (Groovy Bob) • Testing every 2 to 3 weeks Usually on a Thursday • Regular practice of grammar, parts of speech, and punctuation

14. Writing • Narrative, Descriptive, Expository Text, Research Reports, and Poetry • Writing Process (prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, publishing) • Thinking Maps: Organizational tool for organizing thoughts and information • Six Traits • Handwriting (D’Nealian manuscript and cursive)

15. Math • Adopted Math Series: Investigations II and Scott Foresman • Common Core State Standards • Instructional Focus Groups • Hands-On-Equations • Cognitive Guided Instruction (CGI) • Number Talks/Number Strings/Project Based Learning • DreamBox and SmartMath (Internet) • Regular Pre-Post Assessments

16. Sample Problem Lizard and Beetle Problem Lizzie collects lizards and beetles. She has 8 creatures in her collection so far. Altogether they have 36 legs. How many of each kind of creature does she have in her collection?

17. New Approach • Consider own reasoning and the reasoning of others • Communicate about math orally, written, and by using pictures, diagrams, and models • Use more than one strategy to check work • Use of manipulative and other materials

18. Helping Your Child at Home • Relax • You are a “guide” • Don’t take over for your child • Expect your child to work hard to learn • Have your child explain the problem and his thinking out loud • Show all work • Examine why solutions are correct and incorrect • Help your child connect math with daily life • Point out your own activities that involve mathematics • Ask questions

19. Social Studies • Geography and Mapping Skills • Arizona Studies • Economics of Arizona • Explorers and Missionaries • Prehistoric and Modern Day Native Americans

20. Health • Being Healthy Curriculum • Human Growth and Development (Permission only to participate)

21. Science (Inquiry Based) • Animal & Plant Science • Magnetism & Electricity • Weather & Water • Renewable & Nonrenewable Energy Note-taking skills EXPERIMENTS

22. Technology • Project Base Learning and Research • Electronic Portfolios • Word (word processing, inserting clipart, saving files, and printing) • PowerPoint & Frames (Slideshows) • Excel (Collecting data and graphing) • Publisher (Card and brochure making) • Inspiration (Presentations, organizing data) • Internet searching and safety

23. Homework • Kyrene 4th grade: 40 minutes nightly • Vocabulary/Spelling: study and practice – nightly. (Flashcards – 5 to 10 minutes) • Math homework: DreamBox/SmartMath – Computer • Reading/writing homework – usually due in 2 or 3 days, will vary • Math fact practice – nightly (If your child needs it)

24. Classroom Management • The 3 B’s • Character Counts • Ron Clark’s “The Essential 55” • Character Clips and “Doubloons” • Team Points • Mr. Potato Head

25. Communication • ‘Back’ Folder: Papers stay home • Agenda: Homework, Behavior, Goals, Reading and Math min. • Webpage: Monte Vista Webpage http://www.kyrene.org/staff/jperks/ • Perks’ FYIs • Student phone calls

26. Thank you for Coming this Evening! Any questions?