The district follows a standards based education philosophy:
• Standards are a description of the knowledge, concepts, and skills children are expected to have mastered by the end of a particular grade level.
• Standards identify what all students should know and be able to do at each grade level K-12.
• The goal of standards based education is to increase the achievement of all students through the use of content and performance standards.
Differentiation at all levels and in all areas, is incorporated into the classroom. Differentiation does not mean a child who needs a challenge is given a 'packet' of more work. More work does not mean differentiation- it means more work. Students will be offered different and varying opportunities to show their knowledge or go further and deeper into a subject.
Students are also evaluated and assessed in the following ways:
• Observation
• Review of assignments done at school and at home
• Benchmarks - projects/investigations/assessments that tell what a student knows and can do in a particular unit of study
• Oral participation and presentation
• Reading / math logs
• Writing folders
By now you should be familiar with the Common Core State Standards. They are fully in effect, so you will see some differences if you've had a child go through 3rd grade before. I've included a link to the 3rd grade framework for the new standards. There is a big push for more expository (informational) text reading, and a much higher expectation for literacy in the subject areas (like science and social studies). Quality literature, including novels, short stories, and poetry are featured. All 3rd grade classes will be studying the same skills just not, perhaps, at the same time.
According to the ELA standards, students are expected to use academic language in all content areas. The standards call for students to "grow their vocabularies through a mix of conversation, direct instruction, and reading." (www.corestandards.org) Evidence from text is another important feature. Students will need to be able to point out their evidence when they make a claim about a certain character, the setting, or the plot. They will need to write their explanation by restating the question and citing the passage. In K-5, fulfilling the standards also requires a balance between informational and literary reading. Informational reading includes content rich nonfiction in history/social studies, science, and the arts. (www.corestandards.org)
Read more about the Common Core!
Some novels that we will be reading include: Freckle Juice, Badger Claws, Because of Winn-Dixie; The One and Only Ivan; Charlotte's Web; along with a variety of thematic pieces of literature and poetry.
Accelerated Reader - Starting in October, students will need to read at least 1-2 AR books, and successfully pass the comprehension quiz, each month. This will really help to build strong reading and comprehension skills through-out the year.
We will have a new math curriculum this year called i-Ready. This program has two volumes that contain all of the chapters, as well as an online digital site where students can practice and reinforce the skills being taught. The program is aligned with the Common Core Math Standards which provide clarity and specificity rather than broad general statements, stress conceptual understanding of ideas, and a return to organizing principles such as place value." (www.corestandards.org)
As we begin our dive into common core math, you will notice some significant changes. Our previous standards were a mile wide and an inch deep. Now we will be working on taking the students deeper and giving them more of an opportunity to explore. Students will be asked not just to memorize math facts, but they will be expected to apply those mathematical skills to real world problems. They will be exposed to logic and expected to do a lot of writing in math! Most importantly, they are expected to be able to explain their thinking. "I figured it out in my head" is not an option. The students must be able to explain each step in their problem solving. Often times, students will be faced with problems in which there is more than one correct answer.
The new curriculum is expected to take us 140 days into our 180 day year. That leaves a number of days mid year year to review any areas the students struggled with and prepare them for what is expected of them in the following year.