Open House 2015

WelcomeWelcome to Third to Third Grade!Grade!

WelcomeWelcome to Third to Third Grade!Grade!

Meet Your Teacher

• Mrs. Pinkhamhttps://mrspinkhamspage.pbworks.com

Please visit my wiki page nightly for homework assistance!

Instructional Time

• Be on time (8:05) if you drive your child to school. The first part of our day is for getting organized, and due to our schedule, our day starts promptly at 8:15!

• Make every effort to make appointments after the school day or during our recess/lunch time to minimize loss of instruction time.

• Make sure your child is prepared with all the materials they need. No phone calls will be allowed for forgotten materials.

Homework Expectations

• Check https://mrspinkhamspage.pbworks.com daily for updates• Homework will be assigned 5 days per week (Math practice sheet and Reading

comprehension activity: Students should follow model reviewed in class. Reading hw should be completed with adult support with adult and child partner reading.)

• Quality of work is stressed/ neatness counts• Point system is used/no excuses accepted (no name/no points)• Set routines/have a designated work space and necessary supplies• Reading 20 min per day/ ”Just Right Books” • Word sorts/ prepare for spelling tests• Practice math facts EVERY DAY- addition and subtraction early/multiplication

and division later/check our wiki pages for math links to help out• Math homework should be done independently. It is fine to get them started

but then allow your child to work on his/her own to have an opportunity to practice and reinforce skills. Please check over when completed.

• Written assignments should be scanned for neatness and accuracy. • Please be sure your child’s full name is on all assignments.

•

TESTING DATES!• The following dates are important testing dates. Please avoid scheduling doctor/dentist/ortho appointments on these dates.

• NYS ELA assessments (reading & writing) April 5-7• NYS math assessments April 13-15

• All other tests and quizzes will be announced a week in advance, so look in the planner often! Thank you for your cooperation.

Curriculum

Language Arts: Reading Workshop: Interactive Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Independent Reading, Guided Reading, and Book Clubs and THOUGHTFUL responding Writing Workshop: process approach/ various text structures independent writing projects writing notebook/ poetry on-demand writing inquiry/research (media and reference skills) Language/word study: high frequency word wall spelling & vocabulary, word chunks listening/speaking conventions of print/grammar, usage, and mechanics

Ways to Support your child’s reading at home

1. Create a space for reading and keep it free from distractions.2. Take advantages of the programs and books offered at the public library.3. Make sure your child reads 20 minutes a day including weekends (make this a priority: practice makes progress).4. Show an interest in the book selections your child is making.5. Model fluent and expressive reading for your child.6. Listen to and enjoy your child’s reading.7. Ask questions and talk about the book your child is reading.8. Make your child’s reading time enjoyable through praise & encouragement.

Ways to Support your child’s writing at home

1. Encourage them to write for fun.2. Keep a journal or diary.3. Send letters to a family member or a pen

pal.4. Encourage your child to re-read their

writing looking for mistakes and capitalization and punctuation errors.

5. Encourage your child to take a “snippet” or snapshot of an experience to write about.

6. Encourage your child to add detail and adjectives to his/her writing.

MathOur math curriculum is aligned to the common core

standards.

70% 20% 10%

Our focus is on developing a DEEP understanding of concepts and strategies. We will be using real world applications and problem solving in every lesson.

Ways to Support your child’s math at home

1. Take your child to the store with you. Let your child estimate how much your items will cost. Allow them to pay the clerk with real money.

2. Practice math facts every night. You do not have to use flashcards. You can practice with your child on the way to baseball practice, in the morning, or even when setting the dinner table.

3. When a test is announced, begin practicing a little bit every night so your child is not overwhelmed with material the night before a test.

4. Start thinking about numbers as fractions! When making a pie or ordering a pizza, talk about how how much has been eaten or how much is left.

5. Measure at home! Be hands on and use a yard stick, a ruler, a scale, or even make a pitcher of lemonade to show the measurement of something.

Social StudiesCommunities Around The

World• Geography• The United States (Washington, D.C.)• Other countries around the world (including a research project)

The emphasis is on geography, culture, economics, government and social issues/current events (i.e. deforestation, natural resource depletion, etc.). Some history of each world community is also covered.

Ways to support your child: discuss current events, looks at maps, follow news about elections, etc.

Science• Motion and matter: forces • Life cycles and animal/plant relationships

Ways to support your child: observe and discuss the world around you, ask questions and experiment to find the answers.

Health• communicable diseases• mental health-feelings & communication (Pumsy)

• personal safety• fire prevention and safety• social health-character educationSupport your child: Reinforce healthy habits and good hygiene.

Computer Keyboarding and

Research• Instruction through google classroom/laptops and chrome books

• to develop reasonable “touch” keyboarding skills through a comprehensive program designed at the third grade reading level.

• Internet research on content area topics

Behavior Management• “Bee”-havior System: Rainbow, Green, Yellow, Red

• Point system- class rewards• Positive notes and emails home• Raffle: Donations are welcomed!• Catch a Compliment

Supplies

• 4 composition notebooks

• Five vinyl folders: red, purple, blue, green, and yellow

• #2 Ticonderoga or Dixon yellow pencils

• Binder with dividers (5) and reinforcement holes

• 2 packages of wide ruled loose leaf paper

• 4 dry erase markers and 1 highlighter

• old sock

• 3 jumbo glue sticks

• Scissors

• a box of 24 crayons, colored pencils, and markers

• Hand held eraser

• headphones

**please monitor your child’s supplies throughout the year and replace consumable materials as necessary

Cursive Formations

Miscellaneous• Contact me by e-mail: [email protected] rather

than leaving voicemails• Completed papers: gone over together in

class/child’s responsibility to follow along and make corrections. Please remove all completed papers (NOT reading and math logs) and leave at home.

• Unfinished papers need to be completed and returned• Reading Log/math facts for accountability• Label all extra clothing-coats, sweaters,

sweatshirts etc• Nut allergies/snacks• Notes: send them via email or mark them READ NOW!!• Absences-requests for work-before 10:30/written

excuse & phone call • lunch money: labeled envelope- name, 3P and amount• Replenish consumable supplies as needed

Questions & Answers I look forward to our future partnership in working to provide your child with the best education possible. If you have any questions, please email me and I will get back to you ASAP!