Ashley Falls Second Grade and Third Grade 2015

Ashley Falls Second Grade and Third Grade 2015 -2016 Mrs. Sheffield Ashley Falls - Room 406 E-mail: asheffield@dmusd. org Phone: 259 -7812 ext. 3046

Thank you for coming! n Please n Read find your child’s desk. your letter and write back to your child using the provided paper.

A Little About the Teacher Education • 11 years; 3 in La Mesa Spring Valley and 8 in Del Mar • Bachelors in Liberal Studies, SDSU • Supplemental Authorization in English, SDSU • Masters Degree in Curriculum & Instruction, SDSU Philosophy of Education • Positive Learning Environment • Cooperative & Collaborative Learning • Independence/Organization • Problem Solving/Perseverance

What is a combo? n n n n Why does this occur? 10 Second graders & 8 Third Graders All students will be learning their own grade level standards Instruction will be differentiated to ensure your child’s needs are being met Flexibility- students will be moving around with other teachers, students, and classrooms throughout the day My job is to ensure your child has their best year yet in school! My promise to you and your child is to facilitate learning for each child at their grade level and provide the best education that I can!

How am I going to do it? n n n schedule, schedule! “Alone” time weekly! Small Group Instruction allowing for differentiation in every subject area! 3 rd Graders see Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Lee for Social Studies and Science Support!

Class Information Communication: Positive interaction and open communication between teacher and parents strengthens the feeling of support that all children need for success in school. It is for this reason that I encourage you to e-mail me, write me a note or call me at school whenever you feel a need or have a concern. To help keep you informed, we will have a class website. I will also send e-mails about general information and upcoming events, as well as reminders. If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, , I’ll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home. -Anonymous Teacher

Daily Reflection/Homework Sheets: Each day we will spend time reflecting on our learning and accomplishments. Students will create a brief bulleted list on the Reflection Sheet to use as talking points. I strongly encourage parents to have their children pick at least one item on the list to talk about. Homework, A Week at a Glance and Important Reminders can be found on the back of the Reflection Sheet.

Homework folders: Homework will be sent home every Monday through Thursday. Your child will write each night’s assignment on the homework assignment sheet. Please make sure your child brings his or her folder to school each day with their completed assignments. . Wednesday Folders: A folder with your child’s completed work, bulletins, and flyers will go home every Wednesday. Please look over your child’s work and enjoy seeing the progress made! Wednesday Folders should be returned by Thursday. Wonderfully Exciting Books (W. E. B. ) 2 nd Grade: Leveled books will be provided for each student to take home for independent reading. The books sent home would be at your child’s independent reading level. When your child is ready for a new book, he can turn the old one. Volunteers will pull students who turn books in to conference and guide children in the selection of a new book.

Morning Meetings: We will usually start the day with a Morning Meeting. The Morning Meeting schedule is as follows: Praise Notes, Greeting, Sharing, Group Activity and News & Announcements. The Morning Meetings set the tone for the day, and promote class bonding and communication. Star Student: To develop oral language and listening skills, your child will be assigned a week to be the Star Student. Your child will be creating a poster, and can also bring in anything special to share with the class during their week. The schedule will be posted on the website.

2 nd Grade Field Trips: San Diego Zoo, Carlsbad Flower Fields, and Legoland. 3 rd Grade Field Trips: RH Fleet Science Center, Carlsbad Wetlands *Each trip enhances a unit of study Birthdays: If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday on their actual birthday, please adhere to the District Wellness Policy (http: //www. dmusd. org/cms/lib 02/CA 01001898/Centricity/Domain /57/Wellness%20 Policy. pdf) and send in a non-food item. If you are having a private birthday celebration students are allowed to hand out invitations in class ONLY if all the students in their class are invited.

Book Orders: Scholastic book orders are an excellent way to motivate your child to read and build their personal library, as well as buy books at discounted prices. Catalogues will be sent home in the Wednesday Folder at the beginning of each month, and orders will be due back the following Wednesday. You may order on-line using our class code, or fill out the book order and write a check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. If ordering from more than one club, you can write just one check for the entire amount of all orders. NO CASH PLEASE. Memory Books: Your child’s special school projects will decorate the walls of the classroom, and you will have many opportunities to come and enjoy them. When they are taken down, we will put the projects in a memory book for safekeeping, and on the last day of school your child will receive his/her completed book. It’s a special memory of their school year. Parent Volunteers- Sign Up September 2 nd! • Everyone a Reader • Lunch duty • Room Parent • Clerical • WEB

Daily Schedule- *See Hard Copy

A Little About the Curriculum Reading Students should be able to know and apply grade level phonics and word analysis to decode and read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension of grade appropriate literature and informational text. Read Aloud – Reading aloud is seen as the single most influential factor in young children’s success in learning to read. Shared Reading - Shared reading is a situation where the learner sees the text, observes an expert reading it with fluency and expression and is invited to read along. Guided Reading - In guided reading, the teacher and a group of children or individual child, talk, think and question their way through a book. The teacher guides and supports the exploration of a book. The teacher will choose books that are slightly above a student’s independent level, thus labeled, the instructional level. Independent Reading - During independent reading, students are in charge of their own reading. Students are responsible for choosing books at an independent level and work through the challenges of the text.

Writing Students will write opinion pieces, expository/informative text and narratives. With guidance, students will strengthen their writing by revising and editing. They will demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, as well as the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Graphic Organizers - Consistent use of graphic organizer per genre of writing. Graphic organizers are made using pictures and words. Verbalize - As graphic organizer is developed, students verbalize ideas prior to writing the first draft. First draft - Using graphic organizer as a guide, the students transfer their thoughts into coherent and well developed sentences. Revision/Edit - Revisions and editing will based on the needs of the student and the Common Core State Standards.

Word Study involves “doing” things with words – examining, manipulating, comparing, and categorizing – and offers students the opportunity to make their own discoveries about how words work. We give students a practical, hands-on way to study words and create tasks that focus student’s attention on critical features of words – sound, pattern, and meaning. 2 nd- Words Their Way 3 rd- Rebecca Sitton Spelling Program • Developmental approach to phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction. • Students do not receive a pre-test • The Word Families studied during the week are assessed on Friday. Students are tested on their knowledge of the patterns, not just individual words. This means that the Friday spelling test may have a few different words than the ones sent home on Monday. This type of testing will teach your child to think like a good speller, not to memorize. • Students examine words in order to reveal the logic and consistencies within our written language system and help students achieve mastery in recognizing, spelling, and defining specific words.

Math Students are expected to extend their understanding of base-ten notation, build fluency with addition and subtraction, use standard units of measure and describe and analyze shapes. In addition, students must demonstrate use of the Standards of Mathematical Practice. Math Warm Ups Activities that promote relational thinking and build on algebraic reasoning. District provided materials Investigations & toolkit Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) A research-based professional development model that focuses on developing a deep understanding of mathematical concepts through word problems. Math Games Used to build on math facts and memorization. Centers Activities that spiral to reinforce math strands.

2 nd Grade Curriculum Overview Taught by Mrs. Sheffield Science • Motion of Objects • Life-Cycles of Plants and Animals • Rocks, Soil, and Fossils Social Studies • Compare and Contrast People Today with People from the Past • Map Skills • Rules, Laws, and International Diplomacy • Basic Economic Reasoning • Good Citizenship

Third Grade Curriculum Overview Social Studies Concepts- taught by Ms. Lee: • Geographical Regions /Map Skills • Community/Native Americans (Kumeyaay) • Government/Economy- AF Café • Scholastic News/ Time For Kids Science Concepts- taught by Mrs. Johnson: • Energy and Light- (Science Fair in November) • Biomes/Adaptations • Solar System. Life, Physical & Earth Science (using Next Generation Science Standards in Science Lab) • STEAM+ Design & Planning Chrome Books: All of third grade across the district received Chrome Books last year. Students mostly use them for Dreambox, Raz Kids, and writing. However, we are learning new ways to incorporate them daily, while maintaining a balance of students using paper/pencil to develop fine motor skills and reading actual books. Second graders get to use them too!!

How can you help at home? • • Each day, check and sign Daily Reflections to promote consistent communication between home and school. Ensure your child brings his or her Homework Folder to school daily. Attend the Everyone a Reader training Participate in our WEB Program and Raz. Kids Play LOTS of math games Ask qood questions that keep them thinking (How did you solve that? Can you find evidence to support your answer? ) Avoid teaching your child shortcuts that interrupt his or her conceptual understanding of mathematics. Encourage and praise your child’s success.

Thank you so much for attending! I look forward to an amazing year! Don’t forget to sign up for a Parent Teacher Conference! Check out our Wish List!