2013 back to school parent handbook

Page 1

Welcome to Mrs. Yates’ 2nd Grade Classroom

Carrillo Elementary Phone # - 290-2900 Address - 2875 Poinsettia Lane Carlsbad, Ca, 92009 Website - http://www.carrilloelementary.org Mrs. Yates’ Classroom Phone # - 290-2900 ext. 3822 Email Address – carolynn.yates@smusd.org Website - http://www.mrsyatesclass.com

Classroom Website

Contact Information

Parent Handbook


Table of Contents About Mrs. Yates / Educational Philosophy

1

Daily Schedule

2

Daily C.A.F.E. Program

3-5

Six +1 Traits of Writing Program

6

Writing Tools

7-8

Revising vs. Editing

9-10

Spelling Program

11-12

Math Program

13-15

Building Character

16-19

Star Student

20

Homework

21-23

Homework Sheet

24

Scholastic Book Orders

25

SMUSD Calendar

26


About Mrs. Yates I have been teaching for the SMUSD for 16 years. My experience includes both the primary and upper grade classrooms. I have a Masters Degree in T.E.S.O.L. and I am a Key G.L.A.D. Trainer for the School District. I absolutely love my job! Everyday I look forward to waking up, eager to greet my students and facilitate a day full of new experiences and "ah ha" moments. It’s an extremely rewarding career! When I am not in the classroom, I spend time traveling, hiking, biking, and reading with my family and friends. I have been happily married for 16 years, and live right down the road off of Melrose St. My pride and joy are my two children; Parker,12, who attends Pacific Ridge Middle School, and Brooke, a busy little person, continuing her school career at Carrillo Elementary as an enthusiastic first grader. I’ve been blessed with an extremely supportive husband who understands my passion for teaching and inspiring our youth! Included as one of my hobbies is discovering new and innovative technology resources. I guess you could say that I am a techno geek who loves accessing any information I can through the world wide web and making the most out of what is now available for minds that are eager to learn!

My Educational Philosophy As an educator, I have distinct goals for what I wish to impart upon my students. There is first the state and national standards, now referred to as the Common Core Standards, that have been aligned for their grade level. In addition to that, I will teach my student other life lessons. These lessons will include helping them become critical thinkers and team players which are integral parts of living in the real world. I will instill in them the knowledge that learning is not just something that happens while they’re at school but every moment of their lives. I will help them find ways to accept what they cannot change in life but to find ways to rise above it. Just as Gardner believes, I feel that there are many types of learners. It will be my job to adapt my lessons which will be aligned to the state and national standards to fit the individual learning needs of my students. I will create varied lessons and activities that will engage all of the students in learning and will develop varied assessment tools that allow all students to demonstrate their mastery of a subject or skill. I will encourage students to use higher levels of thinking and reasoning. I will find ways to ensure material learned is meaningful and relevant to their lives. I believe that my role as a teacher is not to simply teach but to guide my students so that they will be explorers of knowledge by themselves. Together, we will develop a classroom environment, which will allow us to achieve the goals that we have set in place for ourselves. As a class we will build a community in which everyone feels safe and conducive to learning. I believe that we should all feel comfortable to make mistakes, take risks, and grow together in our failures and successes. We will accomplish this by setting the rules and procedures for the class together. We will also learn to work cohesively together in groups as well as independently. I will be fair but firm with my students and allow them the opportunity to be accountable for their own actions and work. Finally, I will model for my students what I expect of them. I will display my passion for learning and discovery, I will behave in a professional, respectful manner, I will reflect on my teaching practices to discover how I can become a more effective teacher and continue to participate in professional growth opportunities. My main goal will be that every student is not only prepared for the next grade level but also for the life and obstacles that lie ahead of them.


Mrs. Yates’ Weekly Schedule 2013 - 2014

Monday

Arrival ...

8:45 - 9:15

9:15 - 9:30

9:30 - 10:00

10:00 - 10:30

10:30 - 11:00

11:00 - 11:20

Tuesday

Wednesday

Star

Student Learning Target

Discoveries

Comprehension

Spelling

Strategy

Quiz

Spelling &

Comprehension

Grammar

Vocabulary

Six Traits of Writing Writer’s Workshop

W

Quiz

Learning Target

Lunch Daily Five Math Workshop

Star

P.E.

Letter

Daily Five Math Workshop

P.E. Math Quiz

Math Investigations

recess

1:20 - 1:50

2:30 - 3:00

Passport

Daily Five Reader’s Workshop

12:50 - 1:20

2:00 - 2:30

Friday

Friday Flag

Self-Start / Country Passport

11:20 - 12:05

12:05 - 12:50

Thursday

Library Social Studies / Science

Star

Book Share Computer

Lab

Spelling Pre-Test

Music

Teacher

Social Studies /

Collaboration

Science

Social Studies / Science

Arts

Attack

All times are subject to change! Please read the Newsletter / emails for updates.


Parents,

Daily Five Reader’s Workshop

This year I will be helping your child develop reading strategies that will benefit

reading comprehension in an enormous way. I've posted some of these strategies so you will be familiar with what your child is learning and how you can help at home. :)

• When reading with your child, you can focus your reading that day on one of these aspects. It is important that I guide each each student in being able to understand and communicate what goal he/she is working on: “I am working on my accuracy” and his /her strategy: “I am looking for small words inside big words to help me read new words”. • Research shows that when students know exactly what they need to work on, and why, they are much more successful in meeting their goals! You can do this at home too!  This is divided into 4 categories: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand Vocabulary. Comprehension- “I understand what I read.” •

• • • •

Check for Understanding: We have learned that it is very important to not only do our best reading, but to also do our best thinking! We know it is necessary to stop often during reading to make sure we have understood what we are reading. Practice this at home by stopping every so often during the story. Your child should be able to give a quick summary of what they just read. Who was the story about? What has happened so far? Go ahead and use the words, “Let’s check for understanding,” with your child. They know just what it means!  Back up and Reread: Have you ever read a page or two of a book and suddenly realized that you don’t have a clue what you just read? What do you probably do? You back up and reread it! This strategy is important for children to try when they have not understood something they just read. By backing up and reading a section or page over, they will hopefully take their time and focus in more which will lead to a clearer understanding! Name the setting: The setting is where the story is occurring and when it is happening. Know the title, author and illustrator:Your child should know how to recognize the title, author and illustrator (if there is one) in every book that they read. Retell the story: Tell what happened at the beginning, middle and end of the story. Making connections:We discussed 3 different connections that the student can make while reading. ◦ Text to Self: The student tells how he/she has something in common with the characters or the story. ◦ Text to World: The student makes a connection with the knowledge that he has with something in the book. ◦ Text to Text: The student makes a connection between two books (same characters, setting, etc.) Identify Fiction or Non-Fiction: The student can tell if it is real facts (non- fiction) or a made up story (fiction).


• • •

Make predictions: Your child is practicing stopping in the story and thinking about what might happen next. It should make sense with what is happening in the story but doesn’t have to be correct. Know author’s purpose: Your student can determine what the author’s purpose was in writing the book (to inform, to entertain, etc.). Use text features: This is most important in non fiction text. The student can use titles, headings, captions, and graphics to understand more about what is happening in the book. Ask questions throughout reading: Your child is working on thinking and asking why while reading. They are realizing that good readers continue to ask questions throughout the reading process.

Accuracy- “I can read the words.” •

• •

• • • •

Cross-Checking: Your child has been learning to stop when they have just read a sentence that doesn’t make sense or if they get to a word that they just don’t know. After they find that tricky word, they ask themselves some questions: “Does the word I’m reading (or thinking it could be) match up with the letters or picture I see on the page?” “Does it sound right?” “Does it make sense?” Tap the word: This is a strategy that we emphasize in Fundations (our phonics program) and use to read and spell words. Your child should be able to use their fingers to tap out each sound (it is a tactile way to sound out words). Say it fast: Your child is working on reading the words after tapping the word. Your child should get their mouth ready to say the sounds, say and tap each sound, and then say the sounds fast to say the word. Know letters and sounds: We have to know the sounds of the words to read and the letter names to spell. Flip the sound- This is a strategy that the students use as they begin to encounter words with long vowels. We have discussed short vowels so it is natural for them to read the words with a short vowel sound. If that way does make sense in the story we say, “Flip the Sound.” They then say the long vowel sound (it always says its name). Example: If the word “cake” is in the story, your child may say “cak”. That does not make sense. So then, they should say the long vowel sound and say “cake”. That word should make sense with the pictures or rest of the sentence. Find Chunks in words: This means that the student is finding smaller words or parts in the larger word. Know trick words: Your child is practicing reading our trick words in stories. Your child should be able to recognize these words automatically while reading. Play with rhyming words: Students can see a word like “cat” and know the words, “mat, hat, bat, etc. Identify compound words: Students notice that there are smaller words in larger words. For example, cupcake is a compound word that students can read if they break the word into its two words. Skip the word and come back: The student can skip the word and then come back after reading the rest of the sentence. It might give context to what the word is and how to say it.


Fluency- “I can read smoothly, with expression.” •

Choose Good Fit Books: This is a BIG one in first grade! We have learned that it is SO important to spend time reading books that are good fit books for each of us (we used shoes to see how different people need different size shoes). It is very important for your child to be able to read books that they can read independently with very few to NO errors. We use the 3 finger rule- if they can’t read more than 3 words on a page then the book is too hard right now. This will help them become smooth (fluent) readers. I meet with each child often so that they can show me the just-right books in their book tote. After your child reads a book to you at home, ask them to share how they felt about the book. Did the book feel too easy, too hard, or just right? Why? Read and read it again: Your child is learning that when you are reading sometimes you need to read it multiple times to read it the correct way. We have talked about how it sounds to read so that people enjoy listening to it and not like a robot. Read and talk like the characters: This means that your child is working on expression and making the book come to life. Add emphasis on different characters and what they are saying. If there is something exciting going on in the story, make it sound exciting and how the characters really would sound. Read to the end of the sentence: It always sounds good to read a book and not read choppy or word by word. As adults, we know that a sentence means to pause in reading. That is how we want our students to read. So your child is working on reading the entire sentence without stopping. It may take a few times to get it right, but that is what practice is for.  Make it like a game and see how many sentences they can read without stopping in the middle of the sentence.

Expand Vocabulary- I know, find, and use interesting words.” •

• •

Tune into Interesting Words: We are excited to learn new words and figure out what words mean. When this happens at school, the word is explained and then added to our Word Collector. We refer back to the words often as this will deepen their understanding of them and expand their vocabularies. Perhaps you could keep a notebook at home to jot down interesting words that you and your child come across when reading. Voracious Reading: This is a strategy that we used to get excited about reading and finding new words while we read. Reading takes practice and is something we must do a lot to be able to read our best. We want to read as much as we can to get better in reading! Ask for help defining the word: Student can ask another person (adult or other student) if they come across a word they do not know. The student records the word and page number on a new words chart and then can ask when reading time is over (if it is silent reading time). Use a tool- dictionary, thesaurus, or glossary: The student can use a dictionary as a tool when they don’t know a word while reading. Use other words to help (context) and prior knowledge: Students can use words within the rest of the sentence or paragraph to know what a word means. ~ Carolynn Yates 2012


4 My ending will make you think about something important. What do you want your audience to think about? 4 I put everything in the best order. Are there any places where your audience might get confused?

4 I included lots of interesting details. Which details are the most interesting?

4 I wrote this for a good reason. Why did you write this piece?

´ SENTENCE FLUENCY

´ WORD CHOICE

4 I used words that sound good when you read them together. Which words sound the best? 4 My writing sounds good when I read it out loud. Is it easy to read with lots of expression?

COMPLETIONS

4 I used some interesting words that you’ll remember. Which words are the most interesting?

4 I used just the right words to say exactly what I wanted

COMPLETIONS

CRITERIA

CRITERIA

 Copyright 1997-2003 by Steve Peha. For more information, or for additional teaching materials, please contact: Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. • E-mail stevepeha@aol.com • Web www.ttms.org

different things you did to make your piece more correct.)

´ You can tell I edited my piece because… (Think about the ´ My piece is fun to read because… (The more fun you have

´ I chose these words because… (Why are some words better

reading it, the more fun your audience will have.)

´ The conventions I am learning are… (Make sure you try to correct these conventions; then get some help.) ´ The best sounding words in my piece are… (Think about the sounds in these words and why they sound so good.)

´ You’ll remember these words from my piece because… (Unusual words are often the easiest for people to remember.)

than other words?)

´ The conventions I know are… (Make sure all of these are correct in your published writing.)

COMPLETIONS

´ The best sounding sentence in my piece is… (Try to write other sentences that sound like this one.)

to check your spelling?

4 I did my best to spell each word correctly. What did you do

4 I used capitals for the word “I” and for the names of people and places. How did you know which words to capitalize?

4 I put capital letters at the beginning of each sentence and periods at the end. How did you know where to put the periods and capitals?

´ CONVENTIONS

write those feelings down.)

´ The feelings I have about this piece are… (Make sure you

´ I wanted to write about this topic because… (The best things to write about are the things you choose yourself.)

´ I like this piece because… (The more you like it, the more your audience will probably like it, too.)

COMPLETIONS

4 You can tell exactly how I feel. How do you feel about this topic? Did you write that down?

4 I really care about my topic. Why do you care about it so much? Did you put that in the piece?

4 I like this piece, and my audience will like it, too. Why do you like it? Why will your audience like it?

´ VOICE

´ The best words in my piece are… (Try to include at least one or two interesting words if you can.)

to say. Did you think about different ways to say what you wanted to say?

4 I wrote my piece in sentences. Does each sentence sound right?

4 I used words that I know and understand. Are there any words in your piece that you don’t understand?

CRITERIA

´ The most important part of my piece is… (Make sure this

´ I wrote this because… (The end of this sentence often makes a good ending.)

CRITERIA

´ You should remember my piece because… (This can make a good ending.)

´ The most interesting thing about my topic is… (Sometimes it’s good to move this part up to the beginning of the piece.) part stands out.)

´ You’ll be interested in my story because… (Sometimes you can turn this into a good beginning.)

´ The one most important thing I want my audience to know is… (This is the main idea. Make it a complete sentence. )

COMPLETIONS COMPLETIONS

4 My beginning will make you want to find out more about my piece. What will the audience want to know about?

4 My writing has an important message. What’s the one most important thing you want the audience to know?

Why is this a good reason?

CRITERIA

´ ORGANIZATION

CRITERIA

´ IDEAS

The “What is Good Writing?” Organizer For Beginning Writers


Homework Cleaning my room All vegetables Math Spelling tests Rainy days Scary things Being bored Getting dressed up

Hate

My dog came running back with the frisbee.

• There was some construction on the other side, and I was worried my dog might get hurt.

The frisbee went over the trees and down a steep hill.

A few minutes later,…

• I tried to stop my dog from going after it, but it was too late. • He ran off. I couldn’t see him anymore.

I took out the frisbee and threw it hard and it took off over the trees.

I ran him around for a while, and then…

• He was all dirty. It looked like he’d been in the mud. • He had a cut on his ear.

• The wind was really blowing. • There was hardly anyone at the park.

My dog and I went to Andrews Park to play frisbee.

About a month ago…

Details

Action

Transition

Transition-Action-Details

Develop a narrative…

Regret/Proud Of Things you regret and things you are proud of.

Change/Stay the Same Things you want to change and things you want to stay the same.

Fun/Have To Things you do for fun and things you do because you have to do them.

Typical/Unusual Typical life experiences and unusual life experiences.

Like/Hate Things you like and things you hate.

Pizza Baseball My dog Cars Recess Disneyland David Letterman Money Fishing Paintball Staying up late

Like

Topic T-Charts

Pick a topic…

At the park we play frisbee. He catches it in his mouth and brings it back. He’s great with math. He has a little trouble holding the pencil, though. We were on David Letterman’s “Stupid Pet Tricks.” Disney just called about a movie deal.

He plays with me.

He does my homework for me.

He makes money for me.

It’s windy

Me

A Few Things to Think About • This is just a rough sketch, not a finished illustration. • Label everything you can think of. • In your caption, write down anything you think is important. • Each thing you identify in the picture is a detail you can use when you start to write. • Spending time on the picture makes you more familiar with the scene and helps you think of things to write about.

I’m playing frisbee with my dog at Andrews Park.

He’s excited

My dog

Big trees

Birds

Draw-Label-Caption

Capture a scene…

How do you know? These are the examples, evidence, descriptions, or reference citations that prove your opinion.

Why do you think it? These are the reasons that support your opinion.

What do you think? This is your opinion.

Whenever someone comes to the door he barks to let me know.

How

He protects me.

Why

What-Why-How My dog is the most amazing animal in the whole wide world.

What

Develop an idea…

Wagging tail

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2

At the park we play frisbee. He catches it in his mouth and brings it back.

Idea

He’ll only catch it if I throw it.

He can jump about 5 feet high.

People can’t believe how good he is.

He almost never misses.

Setting We’re up at Andrews Park. It’s really windy and cold. There aren’t many people around.

“It was cold and windy that day at Andrews Park, and there weren’t very many people around. I threw the frisbee hard into the wind and it just took off like I’d never seen before. Immediately, my dog started chasing after it. And as I saw it sail off over the trees and toward a big construction site, I started to get worried.”

WHY: I threw it too far and he’s going to run off into the trees where he might get hurt.

Feelings WHAT: I’m excited but also a little scared.

Action

Action-Feelings-Setting

Create a strong beginning…

I’ve just thrown the frisbee, and my dog is starting to go after it.

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Not every detail needs to be used. Often, writers will change things around a bit as they go along.

“Sometimes, my dog and I go up to the park to play frisbee. As soon as I throw it, he runs as fast as he can to catch it. He jumps high in the air and catches it in his teeth. He can jump about five feet high. People can’t believe how good he is because he almost never misses. But he’ll only catch it if I throw it.”

Show As I take out the frisbee, he starts to wag his tail. As soon as I let it fly, he tears after it as fast as he can. Just when I think he’s not going to get it, he leaps into the air, stretches out his neck, and snags it between his teeth like a wild animal capturing his prey.

What do you want your readers to do after they’re finished?

What does your audience want to know about your topic?

Questions

Do

What details will help your audience “unlock” your main idea?

Key Details

Purpose What you want your readers to thnk and/or do.

Content The main idea plus key supporting details.

Who are you writing to?

People

What do you want your readers to think about after they’re finished?

Think

What’s the one most important thing you want your audience to know?

Main Idea

Content-Purpose-Audience

Plan an entire piece…

Audience The people you are writing to and the important questions they have about your topic.

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• Think about your “telling” detail(s). • Close your eyes and make a picture in your mind. • Make a mental list of everything you “see” in the “picture.” • Now, in your writing, describe the scene that you’ve created in your mind.

How Do You Do This? Learning to create great “showing” details takes a lot of practice. For tunately, practicing is easy and fun. The best way to get started is to visualize a scene before you start to write. Try this:

He jumps in the air.

He jumps up in the air.

Tell

Tell-Show

Add “showing” detail…

He runs as fast as he can.

4

He runs as fast as he can.

Details

Idea-Details

Add detail…

Make a Paragraph With just a few changes, the idea and supporting details can easily be combined into a paragraph:

3

© 1995-2003 by Steve Peha. For more information, or for additional teaching materials, please contact: Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. • E-mail stevepeha@aol.com • Web www.ttms.org

Fill out the ACTION column first, the DETAILS column next, and the TRANSITION column last. Try to keep the number of ACTIONs between 3 and 7. Each row of the chart can be a separate paragraph. Or, several rows can be combined together. It depends on how many DETAILS you have. Not every row needs a TRANSITION.

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1

The Writing Strategy Organizer


Main Idea

Improve focus and develop a main idea…

Diligent Drafting

Draft effectively…

When Are You Finished?

Know when you’re finished…

Setting Every setting can be described in great detail. Readers like it when the writer “sets” the scene. Don’t forget to include a back story detail.

How long should my piece be? Your piece should be long enough to express your ideas in such a way that all your reader’s questions are answered— and not one word longer!

After reading the ending... Will my readers understand the one most important thing I wanted them to know? Will my piece feel finished and give my readers something to think about? Will my readers feel that they had fun or that they learned something new?

After reading the middle... Will my readers think I included enough details to help them understand my main idea? Will my readers have enough information so that they don’t have a lot of questions? Will my readers think I included just the right amount of information?

After reading the beginning... Will my readers know what my paper is about? Will my readers think my piece is going to be fun to read? Will my readers want to find out more?

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Attributes Every person, place, or thing in your story has attributes: shape, size, color, anything you can think of to describe anything in your piece.

Feelings Every “who” in your piece has feelings. YOUR feelings will usually be the most important. Strong feelings make for a strong piece.

First,… Then,… Next,… etc… For more details, break the action down into smaller “events.” Plan out the sequence of events using Transition-Action-Details.

Action

Spend most of your time thinking about what you want readers to “see.” Make use of the other senses only rarely.

Spend more time answering the “Why” and “How” questions. The answers almost always produce the most interesting details.

5 Senses See? • Hear? • Touch? Smell? • Taste?

Who? • What? • When? Where? • Why? • How?

5Ws+H

“A detail is the answer to a question a reader might have.”

Find details…

Where Do Details Come From?

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The 5 Facts of Fiction

Write great fiction...

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Motivation

Plot

Main idea

Setting

Something your audience will feel was worth reading? What will your audience get from reading your piece? Will your audience learn something new? What will make your audience want to follow your piece all the way to the end?

Something your audience will be interested in? Who is your audience? Why will they be interested in your topic? What will interest them most?

Something you can describe in great detail? What are some of the details of your topic? Why are these details important? How do these details help the reader understand your message?

Something you know a lot about? What are the main things you want to cover? What’s the most important part of your piece? What’s the one thing you want your audience to know about your topic?

Something you have strong feelings about? What are those feelings? How will you communicate those feelings to your reader? Is there a key moment or a particularly important detail you want to emphasize so your reader will understand exactly how you feel?

Is your idea…

Do You Have a Good Idea?

Make sure you have a good idea…

Main character

Fiction is all about a world that you create. What kinds of people, places, and things does the world of this story contain? What successes, disasters, and conflicts arise in this world? Complete this sentence: “This is a world where…”.

Fiction is all about how your character changes. How does your character change as a result of what happens? How is your character at the beginning? At the end? What does your character learn?

Fiction is all about how your character gets or does not get what he or she wants. Is your character successful? Or does your character’s quest end in failure? What obstacles does you characterter encounter?

Fiction is all about what your character wants. What one thing does your character want more than anything esle in the world? Why does your character want it? The more important something is to someone, the more he or she will do to get it.

Fiction is all about character. Who is the main character? Can you describe his or her personaly? How did your character get to be this way? The more you know about your characters (especially about why they do the things they do), the better your story will be.

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What Makes a Good Lead?

Write a good lead…

What Makes a Good Ending?

Write a good ending…

Thanks to Mrs. Goffe’s 3rd graders at Sunrise Elementary School for giving me these great ideas about endings.

How you feel about the piece. Sometimes, a thoughtful reflection makes the perfect ending.

Your purpose. Telling the reader why you took the trouble to write it might help them feel good about why they took the trouble to read it.

A recommendation or some advice. Everyone loves good advice. Of course, everyone hates bad advice. And some people don’t like getting any advice at all. But I still think this is a great way to end a piece.

How the piece might affect the reader’s life. This kind of ending can help you get the reader’s attention.

Your main idea. One way to make sure you audience doesn’t miss your message is to put it right at the end.

Endings are tough, no doubt about it. And what seems like a good ending to some people can be a real let-down for others. And yet, endings are important. After all, the ending is the last thing your audience will read, so it’ll probably be something they’ll remember. Here are some ideas for things you can try:

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Make the reader want to read on. If a lead doesn’t make the reader want to continue reading, then what comes after the lead will never get read.

Promise the reader a good experience. A reader has to make a big investment of time to read your writing. What would make someone want to spend an afternoon reading your work instead of doing something else?

Hint at the topic. You don’t want to give away your whole idea, you want to save some of the best stuff for later. But you have to give the reader something.

Have immediate impact. Some leads are funny, some are surprising, some are just plain weird. But good leads make the reader feel some emotion right away.

Get right to the point. There’s no rule about how short a lead needs to be. In most cases, however, the lead is contained in the first one or two sentences. Remember, you don’t have much time to hook your reader.

What’s the best way to start a piece of writing? No one really knows. Each piece of writing is different because writers have different ways of introducing themselves to their readers. Every writer must consider his or her audience, and try to decide what few words will be most likely to keep the reader reading. In general, good leads:

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© 1995-2003 by Steve Peha. For more information, or for additional teaching materials, please contact: Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. • E-mail stevepeha@aol.com • Web www.ttms.org

• Go back to your pre-writing and look for new material. Or, do some new pre-writing. • Share your writing and ask your audience if they have any questions or any thoughts about what you could write next. • Read your piece from the beginning. New ideas often occur to writers when they read over their entire piece. • Put the piece aside and work on another piece for a while.

If you get stuck… Every writer gets writer’s block. Here are four smart things you can do about it:

Write on one side of the paper only. This makes it easier to keep track of pieces that span many pages. It also allows you to cut your writing into pieces if you need to move things around.

Number, date, and save everything. With all those pages, you’ll need to keep them in order. You should also put the date on each page. When you go back over previous drafts those dates could make the difference between being finished and being confused. And save everything you write—at least for a while.

Write on every other line. Skip a line between lines. It’s so much easier to make changes during revision when you have all that space to write between lines. And besides, it’ll make you feel like you’re getting twice as many pages written.

13

Something to think about. The main idea is probably the most important thing about a piece of writing. If you make sure you have a good main idea, and that the details in your piece support it, you’re almost guaranteed to have a successful piece.

(A good main idea has all three of these qualities.)

Is your main idea: A complete thought; a complete sentence? Something that is important to you? Something that is important to the audience?

What is your main idea? What’s the one most important thing you want your audience to know? It’s like this... Imagine taking an entire piece and scrunching it down into a single sentence that still said more or less the same thing. That’s kind of what a main idea is. Most pieces,are built on a single thought. That thought is the main idea and everything else in the piece is there to help the audience understand it. The simplest way to think about the main idea of a piece is to think of it as the one most important thing you want the audience to know. If you had to write just one sentence to represent everything you wanted to say, that would be the main idea.

9

The Writing Strategy Organizer


writing

of the

the quality

Improving

Helping the reader read along smoothly

vs. (Making it look better)

Editing

paragraphs

Indenting

. ! ? ,

Adding, deleting, or changing punctuation

Correcting misspelled words

Changing letters to CAPITAL or lowercase

Created by Sarah McMurrough

Organizing ideas in an order that makes sense

Adding specific descriptions, explanations, and details!

Coming up with an interesting lead that hooks the reader and a conclusion that sums things up

Turning worn out words into vivid words

Adding, changing, or deleting parts of the piece to help the writing flow

(Making it sound better)

Revising



Mrs. Yates’ Spelling Program! Dear Families of Room #22, I know how varied each teacher’s spelling program can be from year to year, so in an effort to make my program more comprehensible, I drafted a document explaining my rational and procedures for my spelling program. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Words Their Way Elementary Inventory: I administer the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory during the first week of school. I like this inventory because it provides me with specific information about each student’s knowledge and application of specific orthographic features. For example, in the inventory below, I can tell if your child has mastered short vowels and consonant blends, but needs more work on "within word patterns," etc. This student falls in the "within word pattern" developmental stage of spelling. I use the information from this assessment to plan strategy groups and also to determine where to begin with our whole class instruction/yearlong spelling program. (If I find that most students have already mastered initial consonant blends, I will skip that unit and address it in strategy groups with the few students who need more practice.)

High Frequency Word Inventories: While the Words Their Way assessment is great for obtaining knowledge about your child’s ability to apply common spelling patterns, it does not provide information about his/her ability to spell words outside of common spelling patterns and words that he/she will likely use in his/her everyday writing. During the first two weeks of school, I administer high frequency word inventories using the list 1200 high utility words. (The words are listed in the order of their frequency of use in everyday writing.). When I correct their tests, I highlight only the words that your child was able to spell correctly on a recording sheet in his/her word study folder. Your child will use this list throughout the school year to create weekly individualized high frequency word lists containing the words he/she spelled incorrectly on the assessment. Their individual lists are then placed on top of their desks for instant access. They also can add their own words as they see fit.


Putting it all into Action! Twenty Assigned Pattern Words: All students are given ten words to study for the week that follows the weekly patterns. However, I create both a challenge list and a regular list. The regular list contains ten words that follow the patterns in a basic way. The challenge list contains words that follow the patterns, but are more complex. For example, when studying long a words, the regular list might have the word brake, and the challenge list might have the word hesitate. Both words have the "magic e" pattern, but they fall into different stages of spelling development.

Ten New Pattern Words: I also choose ten pattern words that the students are not given ahead of time to study. These words are unknown to the students until the day of the test, but they have been exposed to them during the lesson and during word study center activities. This part of the test shows whether or not students are truly able to apply the weekly spelling pattern to new words that they were not just able to memorize.

Wednesday: Before a new pattern is introduced, students take a pretest on Wednesday to assess their ability to apply the pattern to ten teacher-selected words. All students are then given ten pattern words to study at home. Students who score a 90% or better on the pretest are given more challenging words (that follow the same pattern) for their study list. On Friday, they get a word study homework packet that explains the new spelling pattern to parents and describes the related word work activities. Students have all week to work on the packet at home and are asked to return it to school on the following Friday, the day of the weekly test.

Friday: This is the day of the weekly spelling test and when the weekly word study homework packet is to be returned. The tests are corrected and returned to students so that they can record any misspelled words on their "Words to Learn" list and highlight any high frequency words that they spelled correctly.

2011 By: Carolynn Yates Adapted from: Beth Newingham


Mrs. Yates’ Math Program Could you explain that to me another way?

What I heard you say is …

I disagree with the results because …

!

During our math block, students will internalize new skills through a variety of modalities. Students will play math games, work cooperatively to solve mathematical equations, take notes in their math journals, use the ipad to practice as well as to demonstrate their understanding of new math concepts, and receive small group instruction to meet individual needs. Students will be asked to explain their thinking and use academic language to communicate effectively with others.

How do you know your answer is correct?

I don’t What is another understand strategy we could use to check … your results?

I agree with the results because…

My strategy is like yours because…

Here are a few examples of frequently used activities: Name: __________ Date: _________

Today’s #: ______

1. Write the number of the day in word form:

2. Write the number of the day in expanded form:

_____________ =

___________

4. Value of the digit in the tens place?

3. Odd or Even?

__________

________

5. Value of the digit in the ones place?

7. How many hundreds? _________ How many tens?

_________

How many ones?

_________

9. Show this number using dollars and coins: __________ or __________

6. Value of the digit in the hundreds place?

8. Rounded to the nearest 10 is:

_________

Rounded to the nearest 100 is: _________ 10. Ten less than this number is:

_________

Ten more than this number is:

_________

11. Write a fact family that uses two digits from today’s number:

12. Show this number as time on a clock:

14. Show a subtraction problem using today’s # and the # of days we’ve been in school so far using an open number line:

13. What is the sum of today’s # and the # of days we’ve been in school using the partial sums strategy?

Equation: Carolynn Yates 2011

interactive problem solving

Math Mania Week

by

Week

MATHEMATICS

Essentials

Let’s Write

4 1 3

Write a story about how you would measure a hallway or sidewalk at your school. (2.01a)

Count nine objects. Is nine an even or an odd number?

2.

Count 24 objects. Is 24 even or odd? Show your partner how you know.

3.

4.

Count 18 objects. Is 18 even or odd?

WEEK

1

Mathematical Emphasis Investigation 1 - Composing and Decomposing Shapes •Sorting, describing, and identifying shapes by various attributes •Composing and decomposing two-and three-dimensional shapes •Describing spatial and numerical relationships found among shapes

Investigations

Investigation 2 - What is a Rectangle? •Identifying triangles and rectangles based on the number of sides, the number of corners, and the number of square corners •Visualizing, constructing, and drawing rectangular arrays •Using numbers to compare rectangular arrays

Extension: After everyone has had a turn, send home a different size jar. (1.01e)

Investigation 3 - Fractions of Geometric Shapes •Constructing arrays to represent numbers and identifying halves of the arrays •Investigating halves of three-dimensional solids •Constructing two-dimensional arrays that are divided into thirds and fourths •Describing fractional parts of an array as fractions of a rectangular region •Describing fractional parts of an array as fractions of the set of tiles used to construct the array •Designing and constructing a rectangular region that is divided into halves, thirds, or fourths

$¢$¢$¢$¢

Count 15 objects. Is 15 even or odd?

Place six pennies on the overhead. Have the children write or tell the amount.

Extension: Show additional amounts using pennies.

(1.06)

(1.01a)

What Do You Think?

ipad interactive whiteboard

Investigation 4 - Symmetry •Finding and describing objects that have mirror symmetry •Making two-dimensional symmetrical designs •Building three-dimensional symmetrical structures.

Patterns, Patterns, Patterns

There were four children on the playground. How many legs were there? Draw a picture.

Penny, Nickel, Penny, Penny, Nickel, Penny, Penny, Penny, Nickel, Penny, Penny, Penny, Penny, Nickel . . . How much money so far?

1

more Investigations

Math Journal

Grade 2

Fill in a plastic jar with objects for students to estimate “how many.” Do this early in the week then send a plastic jar home with the letter in the To The Teacher section for next week’s estimation.

Seeing Math 1.

2

daily math review

online math practice

Tips for Helping at Home •Questions to ask: -What is it that you don’t understand (have the student be specific)? -What information do you need? -What strategies are you going to use? -Can you guess and check? -Does this make sense? -What can you do to explain your answer to show others what you are thinking? -Does your answer seem reasonable? •Look for different shapes in the environment. Where do you see rectangles and squares? Are there some shapes within other shapes, such as panes in a window? •Look for arrays - for example, in floor tiles, calendars, and window panes. •Look for patterns in fabric, wallpaper, flags, or other places that are half one color and half another. How can your child tell that the patterns are half and half? •Look for designs that are symmetrical.

GAME Turn Over 10 •Materials: One deck of Number Cards 0 - 10 (four of each) plus four wild cards •Players: 2 to 3 •How to play: 1. Arrange the cards face down in four rows of five cards. Place the rest of the deck face down in a pile. 2. Take turns. On a turn, turn over one card then another. A wild card can be made into any number. *If the total is more than 10, your turn is over and the cards are turned face down in the same place. *If the total is 10, take the cards and replace them with cards from the deck. You get another turn. 3. Place each of your card combinations of 10 in separate piles so they don’t get mixed up. 4. The game is over when no more 10’s can be made. 5. At the end of the game, make a list of the number combinations for 10 that you made.

0 •Have fun exploring these ideas with your child!

Periodical Parent Brochure

wild

2

8


Mrs. Yates’ 2nd Grade Math Curriculum How does our number system work? How can noticing and figuring out patterns in math help us to see how numbers are related and connected to each other? How can we use what we already know about math to help us make connections and build upon our understanding of math? How is math useful beyond the classroom, and how can it help us in our every day lives? Number and Operations: Developing an understanding of the base ten numeration system and place value concepts. Number and Operations & Algebra: Developing quick recall of addition facts and related subtraction facts and fluency with multi-digit addition and subtraction. Mathematical Reasoning: Determining how to use tools, materials and strategies to approach and solve problems and to share mathematical thinking using Math Journals.

Number and Operations How do I know a quantity of a number instantly? How do we make useful groups to help us count easier? What does recognizing patterns on a hundreds chart help us understand math? How does grouping in tens and knowing about tens help us? How does skip counting help us count an amount more quickly to find out how much is there? What is addition? What is subtraction? What does difference mean and how does it help us in subtraction? Discovering patterns and relationships between numbers using the hundreds chart. Counting and adding using a number line or tallying. Building numbers using base 10 blocks to reinforce understandings about place value and number quantity up to 1,000. Developing an understanding of place value using place value games and the Place Value Menu. Finding number equations using addition and subtraction to 20. Learning addition using decomposing and branching strategies, identifying coin values and bills using the classroom economy. Developing mental math strategies using math games, white boards and technology.

Statistics, Data Analysis and Probability How can we learn to organize information in order to make data more accessible? How does analyzing data help us answer questions? What makes a mathematical occurrence more likely or unlikely to happen? Understanding range and mode through the study of climate around the world. Identifying important information in graphing activities. Learning how to interpret and record data on graphs such as: birthdays, letters in their names, etc. Integrating class projects to demonstrate understanding. Solving number riddles based on relevant clues to see what is likely or unlikely to happen.


Geometry and Measurement How can we identify more complex patterns, and then how can we predict what happens next based on what you know? What are the features of different shapes and how are they related? What tools do we need to measure a line? How do we measure circumference? How many different ways can we say the time on an analog clock? How do we measure elapsed time? How many different ways can we show one whole when using fractions? How do we write the parts of a fraction? Finding patterns and building spatial relationships using the geometric shapes in tangrams, pattern blocks and geoboards, and using children's stories such as Grandfather Tang's Story. Understanding how to tell time using clocks. Estimating and checking measurement ideas using activities such as finding out the wingspan of bats. Exploring the difference between inches, centimeters and non-standard units by finding the length of our arms and legs, finding the heights of classmates and measuring objects in the room. Comparing the length or height of animals using information from our simple machines research project. Exploring concepts of less, more and equivalency using the Hershey Game, websites and iPad apps to explore and practice.

Algebra and Functions How can we understand the relationship between patterns, numbers and how they are used (functions)? How do we use algebraic symbols to represent a problem? How do we solve for a missing variable? How can we use what we see to help us think about what is missing? What is the problem really asking us to solve? Solving number puzzles for a variable using Marcy Cook Weight Logic problems; Mystery Numbers and Cuisinaire Rod algebra puzzles; Finding multiple solutions and algebraic thinking strategies using activities from Nimble with Numbers and TERC; Figuring out missing quantity between two numbers on a hundreds chart.

Problem solving/Mathematical Process and Communication How can talking about our own strategies help us further understand our mathematical thinking? How can talking and sharing math ideas with others help us discover a variety of useful ways to approach and solve problems? How do we listen to comprehend ideas that others are sharing? Making decisions about how to set up a problem using games. Sharing different ways to solve problems; creating and solving problems designed by students. Describing how to decide on which tools to use (such as manipulatives or sketches) to solve addition and subtraction problems. Sharing strategies to reach more favorable outcomes in math games. Working together to share ideas, engage in math-related discussions and to gain multiple perspectives on mathematical approaches; Group Solutions Puzzles. Investigations in Number, Data and Space by TERC; Nimble with Numbers; Making Math Real; Marcy Cook; Marilyn Burns; Box It or Bag It; Groundworks: Algebraic Thinking; Mathland; teacher created materials.


Building Character

7 Habits of Happy Kids Bucket Filler Star Behavior Yates Bucks “Team Work” Strategies We will study three important character traits throughout the year to develop the “whole child”. We will practice “Being Respectful”, “Making Good Decisions”, and “Solving Problems” on a daily basis. “Catching students being good is the philosophy here at Carrillo and I too believe it is important to recognize students for making good choices. !

!

Positive Rewards! !

!

!

Consequences

!

!

Verbal Praises!!

!

!

1. The “Look”

!

!

Yates Bucks (Classroom Economy)

!

2. Verbal Warning

!

!

Team Points! !

!

!

!

3. Move Clip to Yellow (5 min. from recess)

!

!

Warm Fuzzies!!

!

!

!

4. Move clip to Orange (entire recess)

!

!

Move Up the Rainbow Chart!!

!

5. Move clip to Red (Possible detention)

!


7 Habits of Happy Kids The 7 Habits of Happy Kids is based on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In Room 12, we read about and practice the 7 habits in order to help students gain the skills and confidence to be leaders in the 21st century.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

You're in charge of yourself! I am a responsible person. I take initiative. I choose my actions, attitudes, and moods. I do not blame others for my wrong actions. I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking.

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind

Have a plan! I plan ahead and set goals. I do things that have meaning and make a difference. I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my school’s mission and vision. I look for ways to be a good citizen.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Work first, then play! I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Think about how both people can win from a situation! I balance courage for getting what I want with consideration for what others want. When conflicts arise, I look for a win-win solution.


Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Listen to others before you speak! I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their viewpoint. I listen to others without interrupting. I listen with my ears, my eyes, and my heart. I am confident voicing my ideas.

Habit 6: Synergize

Work together! I value other people’s strengths and learn from them. I get along well with others, even people who are different than me. I work well in groups. I seek out other people’s ideas because I know that by teaming with others, we can create better solutions than any one of us can alone.

"

"

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Exercise your mind and body! I take care of my body by eating right, exercising, and getting sleep. I spend time with family and friends. I learn in lots of ways and lots of places, not just at school. I take time to find meaningful ways to help people. I balance all four parts of myself.

Parent’s Guide [[[ 8LI0IEHIV-R1I SVK


Name: ________________

Star Behavior Star Color Key: Parents, please check and initial nightly.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Purple

Week

Mon.

Tues.

Wed.

Thurs.

Fri.

Created by: Carolynn Yates 2013


Dear Parents,

EXAMPLE!!!!

Next Week Your Child will be a Star! While your child is the Star, each day of the week will consist of an exciting event or activity to honor him or her and to help us get to know our special classmate.

*Monday: Sharing Sack:

Please help your child collect a few special items from home to share with classmates. Try to encourage your child to choose items that have some sort of meaning rather than just a collection of toys. On the Star of the Week bulletin board, there is a photo holder that can display twelve 4 x 6 pictures. If possible, have your child pick 12 of his or her favorite pictures to display for the class. The pictures will be returned at the end of the week with no harm done.

*Tuesday: Favorite Book: Your star student brings one of his or her favorite picture books to read to the class (or have the teacher read to the class) after recess.

*Wednesday: Parent Piece: Parents, you will write a letter, poem, story... to the class telling us how special your child is to you. Send your document in a sealed envelope to school with your child, and I will read it to the class. The content of the your piece is up to you, but you may want to choose from one of the following ideas: describe special or funny stories about your child for the class to hear, write a silly or serious poem about your child, tell us some neat things we may not know about your child, send silly or special pictures with a letter describing the pictures, or write a short story with your child as the main character. You may also send a special video for the class to watch if you choose. (Sometimes parents have taped messages or choose to send in a funny baby video for the class to see.)

*Thursday: Lunch Buddy: If possible, join your child in the cafeteria for a special lunch on this day. You may also choose to invite a sibling or a favorite relative to be your child’s lunch buddy. You can have the buddy be a surprise or let your child know ahead of time. If you are unable to make it during our lunch period (11:20 –12:10) please let me know, and I will plan a special lunch for your child instead. You can bring lunch from a favorite restaurant to the cafeteria, or you can order lunch at school. Please let me know ahead of time if you are planning to order a school lunch so that I can place your order.

Friday: Favorite Tunes:

Your star student may bring in a CD or MP3 Player with TWO of his/her favorite motivational music pieces. Please preview the contents first to make sure it is appropriate…thank you!!! We will play it at the end of the day!! * The events planned for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday can be swapped in order to accommodate your personal schedules if you are planning to be a lunch buddy during the week.


2nd Grade Homework Information Dear Parents, ! The purpose of homework is to reinforce concepts necessary for success in school. Our District guidelines are to assign approximately thirty minutes of nightly homework. In trying to design the most effective homework program, I sought to make that time the most profitable for your child. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Mrs. Yates

Online Homework! Every Friday (sometimes Saturdays), I will update the homework website page (mrsyatesclass.com) to be downloaded at your convenience. The first item on the page is a newsletter full of important information. The weekly homework assignments will follow. Along with downloadable assignments, there will also be an assigned 10 minute “Website Visit” each day. Just one simple click and it will take your child right to the site…no surfing the Internet necessary! These sites will directly correlate to the curricular focus or unit of study for that week/month. They are intended to offer your child more opportunities for practice and enrichment. Many of these sites are also included on our class “SYMBALOO”~an easy way to bookmark safe sites. The downloaded homework assignments along with the “Homework Check-off Sheet”are to be attached to your child’s clipboard and turned in on the following Friday. Although an assignment may be assigned on a specific date, your child may complete it prior to that date. The children will be asking you to complete a “Homework Check-Off” sheet to be turned in with their homework folder. These can be found on the “Homework” page. You can download them at your convenience. !

Reading Research has shown, in numerous studies, that the most effective academic work parents can do with their child is to read to them. Several studies point to the fact that students who have been read to an average of twenty minutes a night come their first year of school having experienced well over 2,000 books. These studies also show that it is these children that are not only ready to learn how to read, but how to comprehend grade level and above grade level text. ! Because of this, the most important homework activity you can do with your child is to read to them. Even if children are able to read stories on their own, the importance of being read to cannot be overstressed. This year, your child’s homework begins with the expectation that they will read to someone and be read to for 20 !


minutes each and every day. The balance of the homework time will be spent on required assignments. ! A reading log will be attached to the homework Clipboard for you to record the time at home spent on reading. I will check it periodically. I have also included a few very valuable comprehension stems that you can use during this time.

Spelling Your child will be given a spelling sheet including 10 phonetic words and 5 individualized words for a total of 15 words per week. Inside of your child’s homework folder, you will find a list of spelling activities, journal, and directions. You can also have them practice on a website called SpellingCity.com Please review the included Spelling Program overview for detailed information. !

Word Club Words This program consists of 10 sight words on each page. They will come home once a week until they complete all 800 words. They can pass multiple levels at a time depending on how much they study at home. The entire list of words is in their Homework Folder so that they can look ahead as well as use them during homework time for spelling. Highlighting frequently misspelled words is a good idea so they can use this as resource page. This list is passed on from year to year, therefor, your child will begin where she left off. Once all 800 words are read, the program is complete. It is possible that they have already completed this program. !

Phonics Club !

This program consists of 24 words that come home on colored paper. The purpose is for students to practice their ability to apply phonic rules and sounding out words. Students will work with a volunteer each week and when they pass a page, they go on to the next. The program is complete once they have mastered all 26 pages. It is possible that they have already completed this program. !

Math My math program requires students to explain their thinking, therefor, we will be working in our math journals frequently, jotting down explanations, questions, and strategies. On Fridays, these journals will come home along with a word problem for you and your child to complete and !


discuss together. These must be returned on Monday as they are used daily. You may not see very many math worksheets coming home due to this approach. However, you will see family games that may require printing as homework and bi-monthly quizzes as well as weekly math warm-up sheets that are designed to cover all math strands and increasingly become more challenging as the year progresses. Online-math programs are a big part of our math homework as well as targeted online math games. I will also be including video examples presented by students and myself to explain the strategies we use in class. These will be found on the class website under the “Homework” Page. I hope you find these helpful.

Writing ! There will be a lot of writing with an emphasis on descriptive vocabulary (painting picture for the reader), using voice, and new mechanics. They will be practicing their writing skills everyday and in a variety of modalities. They will also be expected to complete a weekly writing assignment for homework. These writing assignments, as an option, can then be typed onto our Classroom BLOG for important typing practice! The children will also become VERY familiar with the writing process, emphasizing revision: enhance, enhance, enhance! A crucial skill for young writers to embrace! Suggestion: At first, your child can start with typing one sentence while you type the remaining piece and, over time, increase. You will be amazed at how they will grow over the year if they practice every week via our classroom BLOG!!! We also hope to incorporate a “Student News Team” created by students. THe password is room22.

Enrichment Opportunities Menu Traditionally, parents and students are eager to do homework beyond the required assignments. To support this effort, I have designed the Classroom Website to facilitate this learning community. A few examples may include but are not limited to: Items noted on the website calendar, Symbaloo Projects, Geography and Math Family Extensions, The Classroom Blog, Workbooks, Classroom Papers, classes and lessons taken outside of school, reports on family field trips & Projects created outside of school brought in to share with others as experts, ie. posterboards, reports, powerpoints, prezis, Glogster, Storybird, videos and the list goes on! There is a Project Tab on the class website to facilitate sharing! !


Homework Check-Off List

Name: _____________ Date: _____________

Parents: Please check your child’s homework assignments. Your initial indicates that you have reviewed it for ACCURACY and NEATNESS. Speller’s Choice: Please use the back side of this sheet to complete the Speller’s Choice activities.

My child completed the homework using neu+ annotate and sent it to their personal dropbox account.

Monday Parent’s Initial ____________ My Child completed the Website Visit Yes!

Tuesday Parent’s Initial ____________ My Child completed the Website Visit Yes!

Wednesday Parent’s Initial ____________ My Child completed the Website Visit Yes!

Thursday Parent’s Initial ____________ My Child completed the Website Visit Yes!


Dear Parent, At Scholastic, we believe that literacy – the ability to read, write and understand – is the birthright of every child, as well as the pathway to succeed in school and to realize a complete life. And we know that for kids, summer can be a season full of learning opportunities...or learning losses. Research confirms that students who don’t read over the summer typically score lower on reading comprehension tests when they return to school. Many teachers tell us that every fall, they can see the results of the “summer slide.” Did you know that students who score in the 90th percentile read almost two million words per year outside of school? That’s more than 200 times more words than a student at the 10th percentile, who reads only 8,000 words outside of school per year.* Reading, like any skill, requires practice, and it’s important that students take the time to read over the summer in order to keep their skills sharp. Reading together also strengthens the connection between you and your child – here are a few ways you can promote summer reading in your own home: •

Share the books that you loved as a kid with your own child

Start a Family Book Club, and enjoy the same book together

Encourage your kids to choose the books they want to read This summer, we invite your children to join the Scholastic Summer Challenge, a free reading program dedicated to stopping the “Summer Slide” and inspiring kids to read more books this summer. Now in its fifth year, the Summer Challenge invites kids to log the minutes they spend reading as they Read for the World Record, and the 20 schools with the most minutes logged will receive recognition in the 2012 Scholastic Book of World Records. Kids can participate in weekly challenges, earn digital rewards, enter sweepstakes to win fabulous prizes, find great books to read, and more. Younger readers can participate with their families on the Summer Challenge Family Playground, where they can also log minutes to earn prizes and enter sweepstakes. You can get involved too!

Discover ways to use the Summer Challenge at home with the Family Participation Guide

Find expert tips to encourage your child to read more this summer

Download summer reading book lists

Print activity sheets, reading certificates, and more

Receive email alerts on your child’s weekly reading success Visit scholastic.com/summer to learn more about the Scholastic Summer Challenge. For more tips on raising a reader, please visit scholastic.com/parents. Have a great summer, and happy reading! Francie Alexander Chief Academic Officer Scholastic Inc.

* Cunningham, A. & Stanovich, K. (1998). What reading does for the mind. American Educator. New York: American Federation of Teachers.


San Marcos Unified School District Student Calendar 2013/2014 School Year

S 7 14 21 28

S 6 13 20 27

S 5 12 19 26

M 1 8 15 22 29

JULY / JULIO T W T 2 3 H 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30 31

F 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

OCTOBER / OCTUBRE M T W T F 1 2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11 14 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 30 31

S 5 12 19 26

JANUARY / ENERO M T W T F H 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 H 21 22 23 24 27 28 29 30 31

S 4 11 18 25

S

M

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

APRIL / ABRIL T W T 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30

F H 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

Aug. 14-16 Teacher Prep Days-Non Student Days

S 4 11 18 25

AUGUST / AGOSTO M T W T F 1 2 8 9 5 6 7 12 13 TP TP TP 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30

S 3 10 17 24 31

NOVEMBER / NOVIEMBRE M T W T F S 1 2 7 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 H 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 H H 30

S 1 8 15 22 29

FEBRUARY / FEBRERO M T W T F

S

M

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

S 1 8 15 22 29

JUNE / JUNIO M T W T F 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30

S

S 2 9 16 23

3 10 H 24

S

M

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 H

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

MAY / MAYO T W T 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29

7 H 21 28

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 1 8 15 22

S 3 10 17 24 31

Independence Day

Nov 18 - Non Student Day (K - 8)

Labor Day

July 4, 2013 September 2, 2013

Nov 19-22 - Parent/Teacher Conf. Early Release K-5

Veterans Day

Dec 17-19 - High School Minimum Days (Finals)

Thanksgiving Recess

Dec 20 - Non Student Day (Hgh School)

Winter Recess Dec. 23, 2013 - January 10, 2014

June 6, 9 & 10 - High School Minimum Days (Finals) June 10 - Last Day of School - Minimum Day (K-12) Graduation

DECEMBER / DICIEMBRE M T W T F 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 H H 26 27 30 31

MARCH / MARZO T W T F 4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

S 7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

S 7 14 21 28

Holidays and Breaks: (H- Holidays)

Aug 19 - 1st Day of School

Dec 20 - Minimum Day K-8

SEPTEMBER / SEPTIEMBRE S M T W T F S 1 H 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

November 11, 2013 November 25 - 29, 2013

Martin Luther King Jr Day Lincoln's Birthday Presidents Day Spring Recess Memorial Day

January 20, 2014 February 14, 2014 February 17, 2014 March 31 - April 4, 2014 May 26, 2014


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