Curriculum
Salem-Keizer School District has been fully implementing Common Core State Standards since year. This allows students, parents, teachers and staff to develop a deeper understanding of Common Core prior to statewide assessment in spring 2015 with Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC). Practice tests can be found at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/
Your Child & Common Core State Standards
Information and links to help you better understand CCSS and how your child will be learning these new standards.
Curriculum in the Classroom
READING
Purposeful instruction, modeled, shared; guided and independent reading and word study are essential to effective reading instruction and will be used daily in our classroom. Small-group guided instruction is based on clusters of students that change with the students' needs. The use of close reading strategies deepen comprehension and higher level thinking. The curriculum will be aligned to CCSS using a variety of resources including Making Meaning, Comprehension Toolkit, School Wide and many others. Through the use of close reading, read-alouds, partner work, discussions and daily independent reading, students learn comprehension strategies that help them make sense of texts. Online literacy resources
SPELLING – Word Study – Language
To improve performance in writing conventions, the third grade team is using a combination of resources to develop a spelling program. This will include spelling patterns and rules, grammer, sentence frames and use of academic language. Each week we will focus on one spelling pattern and one grammar concept. Spelling lists will come home with homework on Thursday. If your child gets 80% or more on the pretest, they will create their own list of words from reading and writing. Spelling tests will be given in dictation format as well as list format.
WRITING
Writing instruction will be aligned to CCSS using a variety of resources including, TQW (Teaching the Qualities of Writing, Schoolwide) and Being a Writer curricula. I use a Writer’s Workshop model that is divided into 4 main components: 1.) A mini-lesson that teaches a specific writing concept to the whole class. 2.) A Writer’s Notebook where students practice fluent daily writing and also keep records of previous lessons 3.) A writing and conferring portion that allows students to try out the previously learned concept in their own writing. 4.) A sharing time that gives students the opportunity to share and discuss how they used the particular strategy in their writing. Online literacy resources
MATH
Investigations math curriculum, Engage New York, Number Corner and other research based supplemental support will be utilized for math instruction. Investigations provides engaging, hands on approach to problem solving and building math concepts. Number Corner gives students daily time to learn and practice math skills. Small group instruction will be used for students where specialized instruction is needed to enrich and assist.
Parent resources for math can be found at:
http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/content/math/math-elementary
SCIENCE
We will be using the Naturescape and garden curriculum as well as the McGraw Hill Science Curriculum. I use many online resources to align my instruction with the CCSS. In third grade we will begin to more independently use the scientific inquiry process to explore the natural world using evidence from observations and investigations. Online Science resources
SOCIAL STUDIES AND CIVICS
In order to achieve the OLE Charter School goals in civics, students will participate in projects throughout the year. These projects will include a school improvement project, Heifer project, canned food drive, Kettle Chip sales to support our adopted raptors, and Down by the Riverside.
Students will also study the democratic process, government, mapping and Salem History. Online Social Science information
HEALTH
The Great Body Shop newsletters and activities will be used to teach health and safety.
http://www.thegreatbodyshop.net/
Purposeful instruction, modeled, shared; guided and independent reading and word study are essential to effective reading instruction and will be used daily in our classroom. Small-group guided instruction is based on clusters of students that change with the students' needs. The use of close reading strategies deepen comprehension and higher level thinking. The curriculum will be aligned to CCSS using a variety of resources including Making Meaning, Comprehension Toolkit, School Wide and many others. Through the use of close reading, read-alouds, partner work, discussions and daily independent reading, students learn comprehension strategies that help them make sense of texts. Online literacy resources
SPELLING – Word Study – Language
To improve performance in writing conventions, the third grade team is using a combination of resources to develop a spelling program. This will include spelling patterns and rules, grammer, sentence frames and use of academic language. Each week we will focus on one spelling pattern and one grammar concept. Spelling lists will come home with homework on Thursday. If your child gets 80% or more on the pretest, they will create their own list of words from reading and writing. Spelling tests will be given in dictation format as well as list format.
WRITING
Writing instruction will be aligned to CCSS using a variety of resources including, TQW (Teaching the Qualities of Writing, Schoolwide) and Being a Writer curricula. I use a Writer’s Workshop model that is divided into 4 main components: 1.) A mini-lesson that teaches a specific writing concept to the whole class. 2.) A Writer’s Notebook where students practice fluent daily writing and also keep records of previous lessons 3.) A writing and conferring portion that allows students to try out the previously learned concept in their own writing. 4.) A sharing time that gives students the opportunity to share and discuss how they used the particular strategy in their writing. Online literacy resources
MATH
Investigations math curriculum, Engage New York, Number Corner and other research based supplemental support will be utilized for math instruction. Investigations provides engaging, hands on approach to problem solving and building math concepts. Number Corner gives students daily time to learn and practice math skills. Small group instruction will be used for students where specialized instruction is needed to enrich and assist.
Parent resources for math can be found at:
http://www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/content/math/math-elementary
SCIENCE
We will be using the Naturescape and garden curriculum as well as the McGraw Hill Science Curriculum. I use many online resources to align my instruction with the CCSS. In third grade we will begin to more independently use the scientific inquiry process to explore the natural world using evidence from observations and investigations. Online Science resources
SOCIAL STUDIES AND CIVICS
In order to achieve the OLE Charter School goals in civics, students will participate in projects throughout the year. These projects will include a school improvement project, Heifer project, canned food drive, Kettle Chip sales to support our adopted raptors, and Down by the Riverside.
Students will also study the democratic process, government, mapping and Salem History. Online Social Science information
HEALTH
The Great Body Shop newsletters and activities will be used to teach health and safety.
http://www.thegreatbodyshop.net/