Welcome to
Third Grade
Curriculum
Night!
Miss Barnhardt
Ms. Ferguson
Ms. Lee
Ms. Skolaris
Mrs. Desmond
Mrs. Hentz
Mrs. Marotz
Mrs. Wooten
It is our mission…
Caleb’s Creek Elementary School will provide each
student with challenging experiences, implement a
rigorous curriculum, and incorporate multi-media
instruction. This will ensure that we meet the
needs of diverse learners in an ever-changing
society. A variety of assessments will be used to
measure progress toward goals, and we will teach
our students to be responsible for their choices
while being respectful towards others. We will
promote continuous learning for staff, students,
and parents in a safe, nurturing environment.
Background about Common
Core/Essential Standards
•
For the past 25 years, WSFC/S curriculum has been The North
Carolina Standard Course of Study.
•
Beginning this school year (2012-2013) the curriculum will be The
Common Core Standards, which will cover English Language Arts,
Math and Literacy. North Carolina has chosen to examine
curriculum in all other subjects so there are Essential Standards in
Social Studies, Science, etc.
•
A major step was taken in setting clear, consistent academic
expectations for our students by adopting the Common Core State
Standards.
•
Common Core Standards are a first step to leveling the playing
field to allow equal access to an excellent education for all children.
Who else is using Common
Core?
• 45 states including the District of Columbia and the
Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted
the Common Core standards.
Why Common Core?
•
To provide a more rigorous curriculum (fewer goals & objectives in
ELA)
•
Aligned with college and work expectations
•
The standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what
students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared
for college and career.
•
To provide a deeper understanding of content
•
Each year builds on the next so that by high school, young people
are prepared for college or to enter the workplace.
•
To standardize curriculum across the country.
– -Students will be expected to apply and use the knowledge they acquire.
So, what’s different?
• New standards are fewer and clearer allowing teachers to
move students to a much higher level of understanding of
the material being taught.
• Provides more emphasis on the use of knowledge
• Less worksheets and more showing
• Greater focus on real-world application
• More open-ended questions
• Problem solving that requires students to evaluate and
determine best answers & solutions.
ELA Shifts
The study of Language Arts includes Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening.
Six Shifts
• Read as much non fiction as fiction
• Learn about the world by reading
• Read more challenging material closely
• Discuss reading using evidence
• Write non-fiction using evidence
• Increase academic vocabulary
What your child is learning
in…
ELA
• Working to identify and interpret story elements
• Good reader strategies
• Reading comprehension skills
• Growing as a reader with fluency and accuracy
• Respond to texts in a variety of ways.
• Critically analyzing a variety of text
• Create written texts using correct capitalization,
punctuation, sentence structure, and organization
• Create a good paragraph with a topic and closing sentence,
as well as lots of elaboration and detail
• Correct use of grammar and its elements
• Use strategies for spelling
• Learn to edit and revise.
Why
read
20-25
minutes
each
day?
What your child is learning
in…
Math
• Develop number sense for whole numbers
through 10,000
• Solve problems using multiple strategies
• Collecting and analyzing data through the use of
graphs
• Measurement (time, length, capacity, area,
perimeter)
• Basic foundations of algebra
• Fluency with multi-digit addition, subtraction.
• Fluency with multiplication and division
• Modeling fractions to explore relationships
• Geometric shapes
What your child is
learning in…
Science
• 1st Quarter
– Ecosystems: Growth and survival of plants and the basic
properties and components of soil
•
2nd Quarter
•
3rd Quarter
•
4th Quarter
– Solar System
– Earth’s Surface
– Matter: Properties and Change
– Energy: Transfer
– Forces and Motion: Speed, direction, and gravity
– Structures and functions of living organisms: Human body
systems (Protection, movement, and support)
What your child is
learning in…
Social Studies
• 1st Quarter
– Geography
• 2nd Quarter
– Economy-Understand how the location of a region affects
activity in an economy
– Local government
• 3rd Quarter
– History of local and regional communities
• 4th Quarter
– Understanding diverse cultures in local and regional
communities
Ways You Can Help at
Home
1. Talk with your child's teacher.
The standards define how students should progress in their knowledge and
skills as they move through each grade level. Read the standards and use them
to guide conversations with your child’s teacher about their mastery of
content and critical skills. Get started today by downloading the Common Core
Standards (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/)
and The NC Essential Standards
(http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-standards/) for your
child's grade.
2. Prepare to see more complex reading assignments.
Parents will notice that reading assignments under the new standards will
become more challenging. Students will be expected to read and learn from
more complex text. When reading, ask your child "why" and "how" questions to
spark their critical thinking and comprehension. For reading ideas, download
Appendix B (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf) at the
Common Core website.
3. Encourage your child to become a better problem solver.
The new standards include both content and practice standards.
The content standards are focused on what students are
responsible for learning at each grade level. The practice
standards explain how students engage in the content to solve
problems. Some concepts are introduced earlier and some have
been eliminated to allow students to explore mathematics at
deeper levels. Students should be encouraged to use multiple
representations and methods to solve problems. When working
with your child, ask him/her to explain and justify the process
used to solve problems. The use of short-cuts or tricks should be
limited to allow students to reason about the mathematics. To
support mathematical understanding, students will be expected to
explain concepts they are learning in their own words.
Available Resources
Common Core Standards
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/
K-12 Standards in Science
www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards
PTA Brochure for Parents
http://www.pta.org/4996.htm
Parent Roadmaps
http://www.cgcs.org/Domain/36 (Language Arts)
http://www.cgcs.org/Page/244 (Math)
Spotlight on Common Core
http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1106
Common Core website
http://www.corestandards.org/
It takes a community to
help raise a child, we just
want to say..
Thank you!!
Questions?