Kindergarten Curriculum Night

1. Kindergarten Curriculum Night Welcome Everyone!

3. What we are doing to make sure your child is future ready • Goal setting-Each child sets specific skill goals • What are your child’s hopes and dreams? • We use the workshop model for reinforcing concepts and critical thinking

4. Code of Conduct A color system is used in Kindergarten for students to monitor their daily progress. Students start off each day on GREEN! In the event the code of conduct is broken the following steps will be taken for a color change: change to Blue– indicating warning, then change to Yellow– 5 min. off recess, and last step change to Red– 10 min. off recess. Every day teachers are working with students to develop and maintain positive behavior choices. Teachers will support students by talking to them about their choices. Questions the teacher may ask are– What are you doing?, What are you supposed to be doing?, Are you doing it?, and What are you going to do about it?. It is our goal to partner with parents to encourage and maintain positive behaviors from students. In the event misbehaviors occur frequently, teachers will contact parents to create a plan of action to support students.

5. Reading Reading is taught in a Workshop format which looks likes this: Opening is a short 10-15 minute mini lesson where the teacher will present a concept or read aloud a book. Work period is 20-30 minutes. Students will be working independently and the teacher will be pulling small groups to work on specific skills. Closing is 10-15 minutes where the class comes back together as a group and discusses what they may have learned that day or clarifies any questions that student may have.

6. The assessments test beginning sounds, rhyming, letter identification, sound knowledge, and reading level. • Beginning of the year • identify 10 uppercase letters • identify 10 lowercase letters • produce 10 letter sounds • write their name using primarily lowercase letters • read a simple book with repeated text (Level A) • Middle of the year • identify 20 uppercase letters • identify 15 lowercase letters • produce 20 letter sounds • read text level 2 • End of the year • identify 26 uppercase letters • identify 26 lowercase letters • produce 30 letter sounds • read text level 4

7. Writing Workshop-What is it? • *A daily component of balanced literacy. • * Students write about topics as the teacher conferences one on one or pulls small groups of students who need the same kind of support.

8. What does Writer's Workshop look like in the Kindergarten classroom? • Opening/Mini-Lesson: 5-10 minutes where the teacher teaches one new writing strategy, models the stratetgyand students practice • Work Period/Independent Writing: 20-40 minutes where students work independently on writing • Conferencing: during independent writing teacher checks in with students to direct and instruct students one-on-one or in small groups • Closing/Share/Wrap-Up: 5-10 minutes when students • get to share with each other

9. Beginning of the Year • * Student selects random letters, letter-like shapes, or environmental print. • * Students draw pictures to represent their words. • * By October their goal is to record 10 letter sounds from a passage read by the teacher. • * Picture matches the topic.

10. Middle of the Year • * Student selects letters representing several dominant sounds in a word and may use some environmental print to convey meaning. • * Uses letters that progress from left to right, top to bottom on the page. • * Records 20 letter sounds.

11. End of the Year • * Student links one action/idea to a picture or assigned topic. • * Capitalizes ‘I’, spells using dominant vowel & consonant sounds, spells some words conventionally. • * Uses upper and lower case letters more consistently and leaves spaces between words. • * Records 30 sounds.

12. Number Corner A short, daily, skill-building program designed to introduce, reinforce, and extend mathematical concepts regarding: • calendar/grid • patterns • counting • estimation • probability • place value • measurement • money • data

13. Investigations • Students will understand the fundamental concepts of: • number and operations • geometry • data • measurement • early algebra

14. Math Workshop • A typical math workshop includes: • Opening • Work Period • Closing example

15. Math Workshop • Example Work Period: • “Toss the Chips” • Students toss a fixed number of counters and then find the different combinations of that fixed number.

16. Math Notebooks Most work created by a student will be recorded in a math notebook. This notebook will remain in the classroom in order to review, and expand upon, mathematical concepts throughout the year.

17. Assessment(in addition to concepts assessed from Investigations curriculum) • Kathy Richardson – Mathematical Perspectives • Beginning of Year • Counting Objects • Counting Out a Particular Quantity • One More/One Less • End of Year • Changing Numbers

18. Science5E Instructional Model The 5E model is a learning cycle, or sequence, that enables students to build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas.

19. 5E Instructional Model • The 5 stages are: • Engage • Explore • Explain • Elaborate • Evaluate

20. ScienceNotebooks Most work created from the 5E model is recorded in a science notebook. This notebook will remain in the classroom in order to review, and expand upon, scientific concepts throughout the year.

21. PBLProblem Based Learning The district’s PBL Boards are completed in the spring. Whole classroom projects are entered, and they can all be viewed at a central location within the district.

22. Communication • There are several ways to communicate with us. You can email or call us in our room. We have a web page you can find on our Nance website. It has important dates, newsletter, and a letter to school template. • Nance PTA has a Facebook page you can join.

23. High Flying Fridays * Every Friday morning we have an assembly called “High Flying Friday” were we recognize 2 students from our classroom. *Parents are welcome to join us in the gym.

24. Release of Student Information, photographs, and video. • We use a great deal of technology including video and photography for daily lessons and to showcase students’ achievements. We assume that we have permission to utilize student names, pictures, and classroom videos for school purposes in the hallways, classroom, and school website unless you have filled out the Restrictions for Release of Student Directory Information Form. These forms were only available digitally through the on-line registration process. If you have questions about these forms or feel that you would like to restrict the use of your student’s name/pictures for school purposes, please talk to your child’s teacher or talk to the office to get a form.

25. Ok….just one more thing….Dismissal Starting next week your car must have a car tag on the windshield or you will be directed to go to the office to pick up your child. This is for safety and security of the kids and we know which pick ups are authorized. If you need more car tags please sign up tonight.