Curriculum Night 2013-2014

Sowing the Seeds

Grand Prairie Elementary September 4, 2013

Welcome

• Curriculum Night will cover

– Homework

– Words Their Way

– Writer’s Workshop

• Teacher Presentations

• District and Community Organizations in Original

Lunchroom

• LW Transportation opportunity

• Repeat of this presentation at 8:00

Homework

We have included a letter which you will receive in your child’s

classroom to further explain our request for nightly support of your

child’s reading and math fluency goals.

• Fluency Bags

– 10-20 minutes of reading

• Rereading books in bag

• Practicing sight word ring

– 5-10 minutes of Math Fact Practice

– Brief responses in writing may be added at a later

date depending on grade level.

What is fluency?

• Fluency is the ability to translate letters-to-

sounds-to-words fluently, effortlessly.

• Fluency in oral reading includes additional

dimensions involving the "quality" of oral reading

including intonation and expression.

• The ability to recall basic math facts fluently is

necessary for students to attain higher-order

math skills.

“And the Research Says”

• Repeated and monitored oral reading improves reading fluency and overall reading achievement.

• Oral reading practice is increased through the use of audiotapes, peer guidance, or other means.

• Model fluent reading, then have child reread the text on their own.

• Have child repeatedly read passages aloud to anyone who will listen.

More Research

• Fluency researchers Stahl and Kuhn (2002) recommend that students be given opportunities to re-read sentences and encouraged to make their reading “sound like talking” as soon as they are making good progress with basic decoding, demonstrating an understanding of the act of reading, and showing some degree of confidence—whether that happens in kindergarten or in first grade.

• Research indicates that repeated readings lead not only to improvement in reading the passage but also to improvement in decoding, reading rate, prosodic reading, and comprehension of passages that the reader has not previously seen (Dowhower, 1994; Koskinen & Blum, 1986; Kuhn & Stahl, 2000; National Reading Panel, 2000).

WORD STUDY

Help me understand why?

Word Study

• Overall research remains the same since 1970s

“Spelling is developmental and is a subset of writing.”

– Letter knowledge

– Phonological Awareness

– High frequency words

• 33 % of words written are the first 50 on a Dolchlike list

• 50% of words written are in the first 100 on a Dolchlike list

– Visual Strategy – Resource used is Words Their Way

– Meaning/Word Structure Strategy

Back in the Day

• Workbooks

• Weekly lists

• Friday spelling test

• Write words 5xs each

• Memorizing content

words

• Pretests

• Spelling Bees

The Stages of Spelling

• Emergent

• Letter Name-Alphabetic

• Within Word Pattern

Possibly be exposed 1/2 at GP & 1/2 Chelsea

• Syllables and Affixes

Will be exposed to at Chelsea

• Derivational Relations

Spelling Strategies

• Listen for the sounds in the word

• Stretch the word out slowly

• Try it more than one way

• Think about what the word looks like

• Find the word in books

• Learn how to spell certain words

• Try to spell unknown words

Are spelling rules a thing of the past?

• “I before e except after c, or as sounded as a in

neighbor and weigh.”

• Double the final consonant before adding suffix

• Words ending in silent e – Drop the final e before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel

– Keep the final e when adding a suffix that begins with a consonant

• Several plural rules such as: – Change the y to i and add the ending

– Add es to nouns that end in s, ss, sh, ch, or x

– Add s to nouns that end in vowel y

– Change the f or fe to v and add es

Overall goals…

• Understand that the purpose of spelling is so others can read their writing

• Know that their writing is valued regardless of the stage of development

• Develop an interest in words and spelling and want to do their best

• Learn how to apply spelling strategies/generalizations that will help them to write

• Learn specific words that they use frequently and be able to spell these words automatically

• Know how to use a variety of resources

Writer’s Workshop

What is different about writing

instruction this year?

So, what all goes into the daily

Writer’s Workshop block?

•Mini Lesson •Teacher provides 10 minute focused lesson

•Write Time/Conferencing •Students write •Teacher conferences one on one and in small groups

•Share Time •Students share part of their work as a writer •Opportunity to celebrate •Share something a child is trying •Build literature culture

The Writing Environment

•Schedule - consistent •Materials

•Writing folders and pen/marker •Writing Center area (utilized for supplies):

•Date stamp •Scissors •Stapler •Scotch tape •Variety of paper choice

•Room arrangement •Gathering area

Why Use Pens? • Perfect Weight • Kids Can’t Erase • Use Other Colors

for Revision • Copy Beautifully • See Revisions • Fancy • Last a Long Time • Provide Ideal

Pressure and Thickness

Why is my child writing so much?

• GP has always taught writing across the curriculum and

will continue to support their growth in a learning life as a

writer, but we are also now teaching the art of writing to

communicate ideas effectively in a separate block.

• Common core standards for writing include: – W. 1 Write opinion pieces

– W. 2 Write informative/explanatory texts

– W. 3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events

– W. 4 Begins in third grade

– W. 5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed through the writing process

– W. 6 Use technology to produce and publish

– W. 7 Conduct short research projects

– W. 8 Gather relevant information from multiple print/digital sources.

“All learning is in the learner,

not the teacher.” -Plato