Room 3B Class Syllabus 

Teacher: Rachel L. Marcotte
rachel.marcotte@cojowa.edu.co
Website: Coming Soon!

Course Description
The curriculum will cover Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science and Values. The goal is to accomplish standards though whole class, small group, and independent work.

Room 3B is a peaceful place where each student is treated fairly, has access to learning, and has equal opportunities. Students will be asked to voluntarily take risks with the support of the community. Students will each learn to take ownership of their actions and solve conflicts in productive ways.

Resources
Social Studies: Our Communities MacMillan McGraw Hill
Science:  Science McGraw Hill
Math: Everyday Mathematics Student Reference Book, Everyday Mathematics Student Journal 1 and 2, Everyday Mathematics Math Masters
English: Grammar Practice Book, Words Their Way, Scholastic Children’s Dictionary, Cursive Writing booklet

Evaluation Procedures
Students will be evaluated weekly in the areas of reading, writing, word knowledge, math, social studies, and science. Students will be assessed through in class assignments such as tests, reader’s responses, and participation. Students will be graded both with rubrics and percent correct.

Grading will follow the COJOWA academic rubric:

• A Superior Performance (90-100%)
  The student completed the proposed basic standards and exceeded performance expectations.
• B High Performance (80-89%)
  The student demonstrates a satisfactory completion of the proposed basic standards.
• C Basic Performance (70-79%)
  The student shows a minimum completion of the proposed basic standards.
• F Low Performance (0-69%)
  The student does not demonstrate completion of the proposed basic standards.

Homework
Students will be assigned homework daily in both reading and math. Each day, students are required to read 20-30 minutes and then fill out the Reading Log. Students also have 1 math handout per night. In addition, students will have homework to develop vocabulary, practice grammar, and learn spelling patterns.

Homework is checked daily. If a student’s homework shows he/she needs additional time to understand a homework assignment, the student will work with the teacher or instructional aide.

If a student cannot complete homework because he/she does not understand the assignment, a parent should write a note. The student will then receive extra help in class.

If a student cannot complete homework because of an emergency, a parent should write a note. The student will be able to make up homework the next night.

Attendance
Good attendance is essential to children’s success in school. It is important to be in school everyday. While make up work can be given when a student returns after an absence, it can never make up for a day of missed school.

If a student is sick, it is understandable to keep him/her home to get better. However, families should schedule vacations during school breaks. Routine visits to doctors should be scheduled after school or during breaks whenever possible.

Class Schedule

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thurs	Fri
1 7:30-8:20	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts
2 8:20-9:10	Language Arts	Spanish	Language Arts	Language Arts	Language Arts
9:10-9:25	SNACK
9:25-9:45	1ST Rec
3 9:45-10:35	Math	Library	Math	Religion	P.E.
4 10:35-11:25	P.E.	Math	Religion	Math	Colombian S.S.
11:25-11:45	LUNCH
11:45-12:05	2nd Rec
5 12:05-12:55	Drama	Art	Spanish	Spanish	Math
6 12:55-13:45	Spanish	S.S/Science	S.S/Science Values	Music	S.S/Science Values
7 13:45-14:35	S.S/Science Values	S.S/Science Values	Technology	S.S/Science Values	Extension

Projects
Students will have projects at the end of the social studies and science units.

Major Course Content Covered
Language Arts: Language Arts will include reading, writing, and word knowledge. The curriculum will primarily follow The Daily Five framework.

• Reading: Students will learn and practice comprehension skills and strategies through whole class read aloud stories, guided reading, shared reading, and independent reading.
• Writing: Students will learn and write in a variety of narrative and non-narrative genres. Through writing, students will develop grammar skills.
• Word Knowledge: Students will study word patterns, high frequency words, and vocabulary. Students have weekly leveled spelling assessments taken from the program Words Their Way.

Math: Students learn from the research based Everyday Math curriculum. It is a spiral curriculum covering the areas of: Algebra; Data and Chance; Geometry; Measurement; Numeration and Order; Patterns, Functions, and Sequences; and Operations.

Social Studies and Science:
Social Studies and Science will alternate throughout the year. The class will be begin the year with a Social Studies unit that will be followed by a science unit. The emphasis of the units will be on how to learn while at the same time covering the content of the third grade standards.

Social Studies:
The theme for the year will be Communities Through Time. Students will study units on:

• How Communities Are Governed
• People Who Make up Our Communities
• Mapping Our Communities

Science:
The Science units will be:

• Earth Science: Rocks, Minerals and Fossils
• Life Sciences: Life Cycles of Plants and Animals
• Physical Science: Forces and Motion

Values:
Students will develop and practice conflict resolution skills. We will be using a school-wide curriculum called Second Step to teach and discuss the positive social skills of empathy, anger management, impulse control and problem solving.

Parent Communication

Working collaboratively with parents is very important. I welcome questions, concerns or suggestions anytime. Please feel free to communicate with me via email, notes or by phone. My preferred mode of communication is via email as it is quick and direct. If you send me an email, I will respond to your email within 24 hours unless it is during the weekend or a holiday. My email address is rachel.marcotte@cojowa.edu.co.

Class Rules
Room 3B brainstormed, wrote, and agreed to the following rules:

• Be kind: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
• Take care of materials and the classroom.
• Try your best. Always be ready to work.
• Be safe.

If students break a classroom rule, they are asked to “change their color” from green to yellow, red, or blue. All students begin each day on green. The colors mean the following:

• Green:  Keep up the great work.
• Yellow:  Warning. Think about your behavior.
• Red:  Stop! Your behaviors have gone too far.
• Blue:  Take home a “Get Back on Track Form”

If your child brings home a, “Get Back on Track Form,” take time to discuss how he/she got to blue and how he/she can do better the next day.

For students who need more than “changing their color,” additional ways to improve behavior may be used. These options include detentions, daily parent notes, missed recess, or meeting with Mr. Glab.

Remedials and Conferences
Mondays 9:25-9:45am and 11:45am-12:05pm

Ideas and Suggestions for Success

• Provide a quiet area of your home for homework and study.
• Set aside a specific time for your child to do his/her homework.
• Homework should NOT be the last activity of the day.
• Children need 10 hours of sleep each night to be alert the next day.
• Show an interest in your child’s education by encouraging them to do their best and asking questions about their day.