Ms. Walter’s Third Grade
Class 3-328(321)
Welcome
to the
2014-2015
school year
PS 165’s Instructional Focus:
Assessment of Learning
• We will do this through..
• 1. Questioning
• 2. Entry Points
3. Strengthening
• Teacher Practice Surrounding
Assessment
Welcome to Third Grade!
 I will introduce you
to what your child
will learn in third
grade and to our
classroom.
 If you have any
questions, please jot
them down.
All About Me
 My background
 I have lived in Flushing NY on the same block for
50 years
 I attended Queens College (Bachelor’s/Master’s
Degrees)
 My experience
 I’ve been teaching for 27 years, all here at PS 165
 I have taught first grade and second grade, now
third grade
 I love anything DISNEY and Broadway
My Family
 My husband
 Danny, school
custodian
 Our child
 daughter, Liana is a
senior at Francis
Lewis High School.
My Goals
 To give your child the academic and
social skills they need to progress to
fourth grade.
 To provide a supportive and fun
classroom environment.
 To discover new interests.
 “It is kind of fun to do the impossible.”Walt Disney
Parent-Teacher
Conference Dates
 Tuesday, September 16th—Parent Night—no
individual conferences
 Thursday, November 13th 2014 from 5:00pm to
8:00pm—individual conferences
 OPEN SCHOOL WEEK-TBA
 Thursday, March 19th 2015 from 5:00pm to
8:00pm—individual conferences
 May 2015—Parent Time---TBA
 “It is kind of fun to do the impossible.”-Walt Disney
Class Subjects
 The subjects we cover during third
grade are:
 Reading/Writing Workshop
 Math Workshop—using laptops to take
assessments
 Science and Social Studies
 Test Sophistication
 Organizational/Study Skills
Reading
 Every day we have Reading Workshop. (using
Ready Gen as an instructional resource)
 Students follow rules and procedures during the
mini-lesson.
 There is ample time given for independent
reading (annotating while reading) and
discussions daily in class.
 Your child is expected to read nightly and log
weekly.
 ELA exam: April 14 - 15 - 16 New York State
They will be assessed in Reading three times a year.
Here at PS 165 we use the Fountas/Pinnell Benchmark
Assessment System.
Math
 You must read the problem, maybe
draw a picture, write a complete
number sentence, and always finish
an explanation of “HOW” you solved
the problem.
 GO MATH! is the program that we
use.
 This year your child will be taking
their assessments online in class
and be given work daily on
thinkcentral.com. We will learn how
to use it properly.
 MATH exam: April 22 - 23 - 24 New
York State
Please check TEN MARKS/XTRAMATH each evening.
Language/Spelling
 Each week your child will get
new SPELLING WORDS from
her/his own reading.
 They must complete three
weekly activities based on the
words from their reading.
 It is important for them to study
their words as often as possible.
 They will have a weekly practice
test that you administer at home
and correct.
 All of this is completed in the
HW notebook.
Science
 We will learn many interesting
and exciting concepts in
science.
 We will study measurement,
physics of sound and
structures of life.
 You are encouraged to bring
things from home, which relate
to the topics we are discussing.
 Our school’s science specialists
and I will work together to get
our scientists minds going.
Here at PS 165 we use the FOSS program.
Social Studies
 We will learn about World Geography and
World Communities, as well as a few Case
Studies of a Community in Africa, Asia,
South America, The Caribbean, Middle
East, Europe, Southeast Asia, and/or
Australia.
 Again, you are encouraged to bring things
from home, which relate to the topics we are
discussing.
 If you have taken any trips to interesting
places here in the city, please share with us.
Classroom Community
 Our classroom is a community. In our
community, we have rules to help us get
along with each other.
 Our basic class rules are:




Always listening to classmates.
Bodies still while learning.
Never touching another classmate.
Never judging others opinions.
Homework
 Your child is responsible for completing his/her
homework each night.
 Homework is always copied in their planner.
 I will assign about 90 minutes of homework every
night. This should include at least an hour of reading
for now. This will increase as the year progresses.
 Their homework is due every morning.
 If homework is not completed, he/she will get a misconduct letter and I will record it for data purposes.
 Homework may not be limited to just MondayThursday. It may also be given on Friday.
Tardiness
 School starts at 8:20 A.M.
 Morning work is assigned each day. If your child is
late, he/she must come in and know what to do. If
he/she does not complete it, he/she will take it to
lunch and complete it there.
 If you aren’t in the classroom by the time the bell
rings, please check in at security desk for a late pass
before coming to class. (BUS students do not have
to do this)
Resources
• http://mrswalterswonderfulworldoflearni.weebly.com/inde
x.html
• http://www.tenmarks.com/index.html
• www.xtramath.org
• www.studyladder.com
• www.thinkcentral.com GO MATH account
• www.edmodo.com
• www.corestandards.org
• ELA exam: April 14 - 15 - 16 New York State
• MATH exam: April 22 - 23 - 24 New York State
Let’s Have a Great Year!
EXIT SLIP
• Help me learn more about your child by
telling me…
• 3 interests your child has…
• 2 facts about your family…
• 1 piece of information that will help me as
your child’s teacher…