Welcome to Third Grade!

1. Building a community of thinkers and learners. Welcometo Third Grade!

2. Learning Expectations • Students will take responsibility for their own learning. • Instruction geared toward facilitating independence, supported by teacher modeling. • Expectations will be clearly communicated. • Time management and organizational skills are necessary for student success.

3. Behavior Expectations • Students will take responsibility for their behavior and recognize that their actions have consequences. • Classroom rules and behavior expectations will be clearly communicated to students. • Positive reinforcement in the way of verbal praise and rewards will be used throughout the year. • There are clear and consistent consequences to help students manage their behaviors.

4. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports • As a team, we support the school-wide implementation of our PBIS management plan including: • daily communication of behavior choices in agendas (1-4 scale), • receiving PBIS tickets, weekly, monthly, and quarterly drawings, • and participation in the end of quarter academic choice time. Your child will need to earn 100 tickets every quarter in order to participate.

5. Think Time Steps • Step 1: verbal warning • Step 2: in class refocus • Step 3: out class refocus • parent contact (Think Time) • Step 4: sent to office

6. Arizona College and Career Readiness Standards • The standards involve deeper understanding and comprehension of concepts. • Students will be required to think, reason, and analyze to achieve higher level understanding.

7. MOWR(Move on When Reading) • The law (A.R.S 15-701) now states that when a 3rd grade student scores far below the 3rd grade level on the state assessment, they will not be promoted to the 4th grade. • There are some special allowances for students who have received less then 2 years of English instruction and for some students with disabilities. • Using district assessments and considering academic progress overtime, within the next month we will identify students who may be at-risk of falling far below. Together, we will create an Individual Intervention Plan (IIP) to support optimal learning.

8. Reading-Listening and Speaking • Core Knowledge (CKLA) is the foundation of our reading curriculum. CKLA connects engaging topics within and across grades, building knowledge and connected vocabulary for deep comprehension. • Through listening and speaking students are exposed to higher text complexity and vocabulary. • Students practice the routine of asking and answering questions about what they hear which is an important part of reading comprehension instruction. • When answering questions, students will be expected to answer in complete sentences that restate the question in both speaking and writing. (Response to Text)

9. Reading • Students must read widely and deeply from among a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts and demonstrate skills including: • Key Ideas and Details - What did the author say? • Craft and Structure of Text – How did the author say it? • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas - How to evaluate, use, go beyond what the author said. • Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity Our goal is for students to become critical readers and thinkers.

10. Enhancing Your Child’s Reading Skills • Keep reading to your child even after he/she learns to read. • Ask your child questions about what was read. Language & thinking skills develop when children discuss what they have read. • To become a fluent reader, your child should be reading 20 minutes a night.

11. Writing • Students will be able to organize information, develop ideas, and support them with facts, details, and reasons. • 3 Text Types: • Argument/Opinion • Informative/Explanatory • Narratives • Conventions, Grammar, and Spelling

12. Mathematics • Emphasis on explaining why to develop a deeper understanding of math concepts. • The standards place emphasis on reaching the solution using different strategies and less on rote memory. • Students are expected to know their addition and subtraction facts fluently through 20. • Instruction will focus on these domains: • Operations and Algebraic Thinking- Multiplication & Division • Number and Operations in Base Ten  • Number and Operations—Fractions • Geometry & Measurement   • Measurement and Data  • Mathematical Practices (behaviors that lead to fluency, application, and a deep understanding of the standards)

13. Enhancing Your Child’sMath Skills • Please do not teach your child the traditional algorithm. This strategy will be taught in fourth grade. • Ask them to show you their mathematical strategies. • Give them the opportunity to justify their answers.

14. Reading and Math IFG (Instructional Focus Groups) • Students will be in flexible groups for math and reading to enhance, review and strengthen specific 3rd grade standards. • Student performance and need determine how groups are formed. • Teachers rotate between different level skill groups throughout the year.

15. Social Studies • World History - Ancient Rome & Vikings • American History – Native Americans & Early North American Explorers • Geography - Maps

16. Science • Living Things – Animal Classifications & Ecosystems • Matter & Energy - Light & Sound • Astronomy • Coding Exploration • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) In Science we will use: • Hands – on instruction • Research projects • Problem solving, scientific process, and vocabulary development

17. Technology • Technology on Demand-Students have access to laptops in all pods. • Promixa and Document Camera for class viewing • Smart Board to enhance classroom learning and student involvement • Projects will be created that integrate technology

18. Parent Communication • Open communication is key to student success. • Agenda Notebook • Sent home every day and returned the following day with parent signature. • Email and phone • Weekly Newsletters • Friday Folders will be sent home with all of your child’s work for the week. • Quarterly Assessment forms, Report card • Grading System • Proficient: 85% or above • Developing: 70% - 84% • Area of Concern: 69% or below • Parent/ Teacher conferences

19. Daily Homework • Third graders will have nightly homework due the following day. • Monday and Wednesday will be reading/grammar practice. • Tuesday and Thursday will be math practice. • There will be a quarterly writing assignment. During that week students will not have nightly homework. • Spelling words will be listed in the newsletter each Friday prior to the weekly assessment. • Homework will begin on August 13th.

20. Brisas PTSO ALL are welcome and encouraged to attend the first PTSO meeting. August 20 6:30 -7:30 PM PTSO EVENTS • Kinder Meet & Greet • Spring Carnival • Ice Cream Social • Pumpkin Walk • Turkey Trot • Decades Dance • Field Day • Student Store • Staff Meals • Book Fair and more!

21. Building A Brighter Future … One Book at a Time! September 5th – 14th Every student participates! • Great incentives and prizes for students, for reading and for fundraising. • 100% of all money raised goes directly to Brisas PTSO to support our school! • If we meet our annual goal of $30,000, this will be our onlyfundraiser for the year. • Our goal is have 100% of students participate, so we can fundraise AND increase the love of reading! • No gift wrap or candy to sell! • There is no minimum amount required to participate. • Information will go home the week of August 27th.

22. Thank you for coming this evening! If you have any questions, please email me at nmendoza@kyrene.org