Back to School Night Mrs Underwood Mrs Tsang
Back to School Night! Mrs. Underwood Mrs. Tsang 2015 -16
ABOUT MRS. UNDERWOOD Background Starting 39 th year of teaching this year! In 1980, I began teaching here in South Pasadena where I continued to teach in the sciences. In my 35 years in this district, I have taught at pretty much every grade level teaching just about every subject! In 2015, I was honored with the Oneata Teacher of the Year award. Philosophy In my classroom, we strive to become a community of life-long learners. I truly believe you can never have too much fun learning. I never hesitate to incorporate fun into the lessons I teach, instilling a love for learning in all of my students.
ABOUT MRS. TSANG Background Masters of Arts in Teaching from USC Starting my 6 th year teaching Worked at San Mateo-Foster City School District 4 th and 5 th grade gifted classroom teacher Worked at Papillion-La Vista School District (in Omaha, NE) High Ability Learner Facilitator (3 rd-6 th grade) Started at SPUSD in 2014 -15 Philosophy In my classroom, I motivate and encourage students to become lifelong learners. I believe in teaching scholarly attributes and teaching children to ask questions and to work collaboratively through project-based learning.
CONTACT INFORMATION E-mail: kunderwood@spusd. net ktsang@spusd. net (*starting in December) MARENGO 4 THGRADE. WEEBLY. COM
ROOM 18 CLASSROOM RULES Respect Yourself and Others Keep your hands, feet, and body away from others (no contact games or tag) Be safe. Walk in hallways and play safely. Protect school buildings and keep our campus clean. Respect the property of others. Be Ready to Learn Be where you belong. Arrive at class on time. Have your materials ready. Follow directions Be Responsible for Your Learning Make good use of your time Work quietly so others around you can learn. Do your assignments on time and neatly. Do your best.
BEHAVIOR COMMUNICATION Team Table points Students work as a team in their tables to be prepared for learning Classroom Economy Mrs. Tsang Bucks (starting in December) More on this later. . Stellar Student One person is secretly chosen daily Captain Character Awards Awarded each month at Friday assembly Peaceful Playground Second Step Bullying Prevention Unfortunately, positive reinforcement is not always successful. In such cases, these steps may be taken: 1. Verbal Warning 2. Behavior Reflection 3. Tsang Bucks/Table Points taken away 4. Student Reflection/Note or call home to parents 5. Sent to principal
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Instruction to fit individual needs. Created to engage students through different learning modalities. Assignments contain varied degrees of complexity. Variety of ways for individuals to learn as deeply as possible. Honors Work Opportunities Learning Contracts Differentiated Weekly Homework Menus
EFFECTIVE WORK HABITS AND GRADING Students are expected to turn in work on time. While adequate time is given in class, incomplete class work will be taken home to do as homework. Work is graded using rubrics. Students are handed them out before they begin a project/writing assignment, so they know what to expect. Grading Scale: 4 - 90 -100 –Thorough and Consistent Understanding 3 – 80 -89 – Proficient Understanding 2 – 70 -79 – Approaching Understanding 1 – Below 69 – Minimal Understanding
IMPORTANT WEBSITES Marengo Elementary School http: //marengo. spusd. net For Test and Event Dates, along with photos, projects & podcasts. Online resources and homework can also be found the class website: http: //marengo 4 thgrade. weebly. com/ Math Expressions Think. Central http: //wwwk 6. thinkcentral. com Connect. Ed http: //connected. mcgrawhill. com/connected/login. do News. ELA https: //newsela. com
HOMEWORK BLOG MARENGO 4 THGRADE. WEEBLY. COM
HOMEWORK Reading Read at least 20 minutes nightly. Math Assigned nightly. Homework Menu Students are required to complete at least one item per column, but are encouraged to do more. Monday-Monday Homework Blog
READING EVERY NIGHT No longer using Accelerated Reader. SRA & Lexile is the measure of a text’s readability. Students should choose an age level appropriate book at their lexile level. The average 4 th grader should have a lexile score be between 740 - 875
Curriculum
LANGUAGE ARTS Reading Core Literature Shiloh, By the Great Horn Spoon, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Number the Stars Writing Multiple-paragraph compositions: Narrative Literature Circles Information Poetry, Vocabulary Development, Grammar Opinion Major Projects Novel Study Projects Battle of the Books Book Report/Book Blog § **Rubrics posted online. These are integrated throughout contentareas specifically Science and Social Studies.
MATH Core Curriculum: Math Expressions Major Projects: Classroom Economy § Common Core aligned **Starting in December § Leveled and Differentiated • § Conceptually based instruction Year long economy simulation, emphasis on financial responsibility, • Students paid weekly and earn money for completed assignments, good behavior, and student jobs • Fines issued for missing assignments and poor behavior. • Students pay rent for their desk and have opportunity to buy “property. ” § Math Talks and focus on explaining your thinking § Think Central-online resource
SOCIAL STUDIES Geographic Features that define California Native Tribes Tribe Study Exploration & Colonial History Explorer Cubes Missions, Ranchos & Mexican War for Independence Mission Projects Gold Rush Simulation Modern California Local, State & Federal Governments *All projects funded through Wish Night.
Hands on lessons and experiments: * SCIENCE Life Science – Food Chain, Food Web, Ecosystem, Adaptation, Ecological Relationships, etc. Earth Science – Properties of Rocks & Minerals, Rock Cycle, Method of Formation, etc. Physical Science – Magnetism and Electricity, Simple Circuitry, Application in Everyday Life, etc. Life Science: Plants, Venus Fly Traps, The World Through a Microscope Earth Science: Rocks and Minerals Plate Tectonic Models, Volcano Models and Core Sampling Investigation & Experimentation Physical Science is embedded in each unit. Magnetism, Circuits, Electric Car Unit *All projects funded through Wish Night.
ART, DRAMA, MUSIC Rotations 1 st quarter- Art Volunteers Needed! 2 nd quarter-Drama 3 rd quarter- Music Classroom Art Projects-Year Round* Art Inspired by different cultures Tied to different content-areas *All projects funded through Wish Night
FIELD TRIPS AND EVENTS Pi-Day Celebration Valentines Party Holiday Party Dominguez Rancho Autry Museum Field Trip End of the Year BBQ *Field trips and Events are dependent on event availability & Wish Night Funding.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Art Volunteers (1 st quarter) Making copies Media Center Volunteers Literature Circle Groups Writing Editors Class projects and parties Special projects/guest speaker Field Trip chaperones
Thank you for coming! Looking forward to working together to make this a fantastic year! kunderwood@spusd. net ktsang@spusd. net (Starting in December)
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