Come in and explore our room for a few minutes! When you find your child’s “Who Am I” poster, you may take it off of the wall to take home with you .

Please find your child’s desk and have a seat. Please make any corrections to the demographic form on the their desk and leave here.

Take some time to respond to your child’s letter. Leave it on their desk when you are finished so they can read it in the morning!

Welcome to

Curriculum Night!

Curriculum Night Agenda Curriculum Night Video Teacher Introduction Reading

Making Meaning Reader’s Workshop Spelling/Phonics

Writing Math Social Studies Science Specialist Schedule Classroom Management Homework Communication Miscellaneous

Curriculum Night Video

A little about Mrs. Quinton…

This is my 5th year at Cascade Ridge, but my 9th year teaching.

I’ve been married for nine years to my husband Elliot. I love to read, cook, make homemade ice cream, boogie

board, travel, and hike (we hiked over 300 miles this summer!)

I chose my profession when I was in first grade!

Reading Our literacy curriculum is called Making Meaning. This

curriculum is based off of the very latest research in reading comprehension.

We will be teaching the following comprehension strategies throughout the year:

RetellingUsing schema/Making ConnectionsVisualizingWondering/QuestioningMaking inferencesDetermining important ideasUnderstanding text structureSummarizingSynthesizing

Reader’s Workshop

In all first grade classrooms, Reader’s Workshop is used to manage literacy. Each student participates three 20 minute rotations of authentic literacy activities in which they have a “controlled choice” of what to do. Prior to each rotation of independent time, a brief mini lesson is taught with an explicit focus on comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and expanding vocabulary. Students will be engaged in literacy activities like:

Read to Self

Word Work

Read to Someone

Listen to ReadingDuring this independent work time, the teacher will be meeting with individuals and small groups to reinforce strategies and skills taught in our reading curriculum.

Spelling/ Phonics

Our goal as a first grade team is to have our students be able to use the phonics skills and high-frequency words correctly in their daily writing, rather than memorize a specific list for the week.

“Spelling is one of the fundamental sub-skills of effective written communication. The vast majority of spelling occurs in real life applications to achieve communication objectives.  The goal of spelling instruction should not be temporary memorization of words but rather the development of skills & strategies to be able to correctly represent our written language.” ~Word Matter, Fountas & Pinnell

Phonics lessons will be incorporated in mini lessons, journal writing and hands on activities during Reader’s Workshop to give students consistent practice and exposure to phonics skills.

Spelling Study

Our spelling instruction will start in October

A word study principle is introduced for a 5 day cycle.

Students/teacher select the words to study for the week.

Throughout the 5 days children are taught effective ways to study the words.

Assessment is on-going by children and a test is graded by the teacher.

Writing & Handwriting

Our writing curriculum is called Writing Pathways by Lucy Calkins.

Throughout the year, students will be taught the writing process by writing small moments stories, fiction pieces, non-fiction books, and reviews.

Each week, the students will be involved in Writer’s Workshop time. This may include directed mini lessons, peer feedback, teacher conferring, and sharing with the class.

We will be making class books as well as individual books. Love Notes are a correspondence between you and your

child that will provide them practice in letter writing. We will be using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum

to teach students correct letter and number formation.

MathEveryday Mathematics 75 minutes a day:

Calendar time Math Center Rotations: Seat Work, Teacher Time, Hands On & Computers

A family letter will be sent home at the start of each unit.

Home Links (homework) connected with the Everyday Math program will be sent after lessons taught. Please return homework the following day.

Unit assessments

Math journals and tool kits

Online Tools: EDM, IXL & Xtramath

Some adjustments have been made to the curriculum to align with Common Core Standards

In Everyday Mathematics you can expect to see… …a problem-solving approach based on everyday situations.

…an instructional approach that revisits concepts regularly.

…frequent practice of basic skills, often through games.

…lessons based on activities and discussion.

…mathematical content that goes beyond basic arithmetic.

Social Studies & Health

We will be using Scholastic News which covers current events, science, and social studies topics. These newspapers teach students to read captions and subtitles and are printed in a newspaper format.

Cultures, families and holidays from around the world will be explored throughout the year.

Science This Fall we will study Observing the Sun and Moon. In the

Winter we will study Motion and Magnets, and in the Spring we will cover Habitats. All year long, we will have an ongoing unit on Classifying Plants and Animals.

We will be using the district provided curriculum as well as other supplementary activities and materials.

Students will participate in 2 “Science to go” hands on activities led by a science expert from the community. Habitats Living & Nonliving

Specialist Schedule & Snack

Specialist Times: Monday: PE @ 2:25-2:55

Tuesday: Music @ 2:25-2:55Wednesday: Music @ 9:10-9:40Thursday: PE @ 2:25-2:55Friday: Library @ 1:55-2:25

Drama: Spring 2016

Snack:Please pack a snack for your child everyday, except Wednesday. Our snack will take place in the afternoon, around 1:05. Please place your child’s snack in their backpack for easy access. Please try to send in healthy, easy opening snacks (crackers, small baggie of fruit or veggies, etc.) that shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to eat.

Classroom Management

Behavior:

Ticket System: Students will be rewarded for positive behavior and the good choices they make through collecting tickets. Students earn stickers to decorate their mailboxes each week according to how many tickers they earned

Table Points: Table groups earn points for positive choices & behaviors

Coyote Coins: School wide behavior system

*Students who have trouble following our class rules will be given warnings/reminders to make better choices. If the behavior continues, students may spend some of their afternoon recess or Fun Friday time to talk to me about the behavior and ways to make better choices.

Homework Math :

Home Links: Sent home with corresponding lessons and due the following day

IXL: Spend at least 20 minutes on Wednesdays practicing an assigned skill (skills will be announced in weekly newsletters)

Reading:

Please make sure you are encouraging your child to read (or listen to someone read) at least 20 minutes a day.

Raz-Kids

*Please feel free to use the optional reading log provided on our classroom website to record your child’s daily reading minutes.

Optional Monthly Homework

Communication Newsletters:

Newsletters will be sent home via email every Friday, as well as posted on our classroom website.

Classroom Website:

Weekly newsletters, EDM Family Letters, Volunteer schedule, links, optional homework, classroom policies and other helpful information will be posted there. The website will have a schedule of upcoming events and reminders that will be updated weekly. Let’s take a look!

Classroom Website!!!!

Miscellaneous Star Student:

Starts on Monday! The Star Student of the week will get to fill out and decorate a poster all about themselves. A letter will be attached to the poster outlining the different activities your child will get to participate in each day of the week.

Love Notes:A collection of letters from student to parent. At the end of the year all letters will be bound into a special book. We will start this tomorrow!

Book Orders: Monthly book orders will be sent home with your child. This is a great

opportunity to build your child’s home library. Our class also receives points for all books ordered, which I get to redeem to purchase books for our classroom library. First one comes home tomorrow!

More Miscellaneous

Field Trips

Toymaker “In-house” field trip: March 11 from 8:45-10:15

Parties:

Halloween – Friday, October 30th

Winter Holiday Celebrations – Week of December 14th

Valentine’s Day – Friday, February 12th

End of Year – June (exact date will be announced later)

Volunteers:

Classroom volunteers will start October 5th Directions will be left outside the classroom and I’ll try to meet with you as

soon as I can! Please sign up if you are interested (back table for PTSA)

Report Cards Report Cards:

This year report cards will be posted online. Report cards are based on a 4-3-2-1 scale.

4-consistently exceeds standard (above grade level work)

3-meets standard (grade level work)

2-approaches standard (needs some teacher guidance)

1-below standard (area of concern)

Conferences (Beginning of December) Sign up for conferences via Skyward

Thank you for coming! Take a look at our Giving Tree!

Don’t forget our Volunteer Sign-Up on the back table! Box Tops Party Coordinator Room Coordinator Yearbook Photographer

Don’t forget to reply to your child’s letter!

Please remember to fill out your demographic form(s) and leave them here!

Please call or email me with any questions or concerns.