August 26, :00-7:30 PM I am a wife and mother my son, Braeden, is a first-grader at Kyffin. I have two dogs, two cats, & one gecko. I have five siblings three sisters & two brothers. I like to read, watch movies, be outdoors, and spend time with my family. This is my second year teaching at Kyffin. I was also a Kyffin Cougar and am a proud Jeffco graduate. As a class, we have established a set of classroom rules and expectations that align with Kyffins systemic set of classroom & school wide values PRRS. We will... D Failure to adhere to class rules may result in warnings, behavior reflections, calls/ s home, and/or referrals to administration. 8:10-8:30 Morning Meeting 8:30-9:30 Writing 9:30 Snack 9:30-11:00 Reading 11:05-11:50 AMP 11:50-12:30 Lunch/Recess 12:30-2:00 Math 2:00-2:45 Science/Soc. Studies 2:45-2:55 Stack & Pack Writing Kyffin systemically and systematically uses the Writing Alive curriculum implemented last year. This allows for a common language used school wide and the ability to effectively build on skills learned in previous grades. Skills are taught in a strategic manner to build upon one another. We will use this curriculum to explore the use of figurative language, narrative storytelling, writing to explain, opinion writing and nonfiction writing. We will also be learning cursive. Reading We will be using the Daily 5 (4) model during our literacy block, during which time students will practice the following: Read to Self Read to Someone Work on Writing Word Work During this time, students will also be meeting with teacher either individually or in small groups to work on reading comprehension, accuracy, and fluency. Specific units will focus on exploring characters, nonfiction texts, uncovering main ideas & details and examining the human experience through literature. Math Kyffin systemically uses the Math Expressions curriculum implemented last year. This allows for a common language used school wide and the ability to effectively build on skills learned in previous grades. We will use this curriculum to explore place value and multi-digit addition & subtraction, multiplication & division with whole numbers, equations with word problems, fraction concepts & operations, fractions & decimals, measurement and geometry. We will also be using Moby Max as a tool for evaluating our understanding and identifying any potential gaps. Students that have a Body of Evidence (BOE) that demonstrates mastery & in-depth understanding of grade-level math standards may be recommended for acceleration by one year. This BOE may include: 80% or above on current grade level EOY assessment Advanced scoring in math on TCAP, TOMAGS, or quantitative reasoning on CogAT Continuously scoring 90% or higher on grade- level unit tests Additional assessments including Acuity, Moby Max, etc. Students receiving math instruction at a grade level above will receive a progress report, created by the classroom teacher, at the end of each unit. This will need to be signed by a parent and returned. Students in the accelerated math program are expected to receive 70% or above for an overall unit grade. Social Studies 3 rd graders tackle four social studies concepts throughout the school year: Roles, Rights & Responsibilities The Big City Living & Working in the City The Cultural Regions & Interactions of First Americans Two of our grade-level field trips will focus on our social studies units: Day in Denver Native Americans Science 3 rd graders tackle three science concepts throughout the school year: Life Cycles Earths Materials Matter The central focus of each of these concepts is change. One of our grade-level field trips will focus on our science units: Butterfly Pavilion Monthly Science Experiments We plan to have a monthly whole- class science experiment that will reinforce critical thinking skills while integrating literacy skills. Magic Science At the end of the school year, each student will need to identify and practice a magic trick that can be performed for his/her classmates. Students will be expected to discuss and explain the science behind his/her chosen magic trick. More details to come... GT Tech Challenge The Tech Challenge is an opportunity for students to create a 5-minute digital presentation through which they address an essential question of their choosing. i.e., How does music influence mood? We collaborate with our teacher librarian, the GT resource teacher, and peers from the GT vertical team. Presentations in February Passion Projects Passion Projects allow students to participate in an in-depth investigation of a topic of their choosing. Presentations in April Field Trips We will be taking three field trips this year with our grade-level team. We also plan to take a field trip or two with a class (or classes) from our vertical GT team. Junior Achievement Volunteers from a nonprofit organization come to teach about economics, local businesses and career opportunities. ELF Monthly science taught by parents. If you have any ideas and/or connections for other field trips or in-class enrichment opportunities, please share! Each week, one student will be selected to create and share an All About Me poster. This is benefits our learning environment in multiple ways: Students are given the opportunity to feel acknowledged and important Our classroom community is strengthened I get to learn things about students that I may not otherwise get to know We will gladly be inviting volunteers into our classroom to share in our learning experiences beginning in October. Volunteer opportunities include: Coordinating classroom parties & celebrations Helping with ELF Providing content-specific resources from the public library Stuffing Friday Folders (?) Leading field trip groups And more... Students can expect daily math homework. This serves to reinforce new and previously learned concepts. Students can also expect a weekly Brain Buster to be downloaded from the classroom website and turned in every Friday. Additionally, students are expected to read nightly. All 3 rd graders are responsible for turning in homework on assigned due date. Missed homework that is unexcused can result in the loss of extra recess. 4 Advanced 93% and above Exceeding the standard 3 Proficient 75-92% Meeting the standard 2 Partially Proficient 65-74% Making progress toward the standard 1 Unsatisfactory 64% and below Lacking adequate progress toward the standard Open and frequent communication is integral to our success in the classroom. Expect an update sent viaat the end of each month.s will be responded to within 48 hours (excluding weekends) Our classroom website will be updated regularly with the following information: Monthly communications Major due dates & deadlines Volunteer opportunities Important documents and links Etc. Important communications will also be sent via Friday Folders Our FLEX testing days will be held on Friday, September 11 and Monday, September 14. We tentatively expect our reading assessment to take 30 minutes, but are awaiting further instruction from administration before scheduling. A Sign-Up Genius link will be sent out. Please feel free tome with any questions you have from tonight or at any point in time throughout the school year. Thank you for your time and support!