Welcome to Equinox!Welcome to Equinox!

                                                           

Curriculum Night 2010Curriculum Night 2010

• Introduction to our Classroom Introduction to our Classroom CommunityCommunity

• Responsive ClassroomResponsive Classroom• Curriculum OverviewCurriculum Overview• Parent CommunicationParent Communication• VolunteeringVolunteering• Questions? Questions? • Ticket OutTicket Out

Who is Equinox?

• 84 Vibrant Learners• Classroom Teachers• TA• Paraeducators• Case Manager• Speech & Language

Pathologist• Guidance• Related Arts Teachers• Classroom Volunteers • FAMILIES!

                                                                                 

Responsive ClassroomResponsive Classroom * The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum. * How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and

content go hand in hand. * The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction. * To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of

social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

* Knowing the children we teach-individually, culturally, and

developmentally-is as important as knowing the content we teach. * Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them

as partners is essential to children's education.

* How the adults at school work together is as important as their individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.

From the Northeast Foundation for Children’s Responsive Classroom Guiding Principles

What is special about 3rd & 4th What is special about 3rd & 4th graders?graders?

The eight-year-oldThe eight-year-old

•Industrious but works quickly with Industrious but works quickly with limited attention spanlimited attention span•Full of energy that needs physical Full of energy that needs physical releaserelease•Highly social and gregarious; friendship Highly social and gregarious; friendship groups more inclusive than at seven but groups more inclusive than at seven but prefers same genderprefers same gender•Cooperative; works well in groupsCooperative; works well in groups•Overestimates abilities; often "bites off Overestimates abilities; often "bites off more than can chew"more than can chew"•Resilient; bounces back quickly from Resilient; bounces back quickly from mistakesmistakes• Listens attentively but is so full of ideas Listens attentively but is so full of ideas cannot always recall what has been said cannot always recall what has been said •Likes to explain ideas in detailLikes to explain ideas in detail•Tends to exaggerateTends to exaggerate•Beginning to master basic academic Beginning to master basic academic skills and to feel a sense of competence skills and to feel a sense of competence with cognitive skillswith cognitive skills

The nine-year-oldThe nine-year-old

•Industrious but impatient•More physically coordinated than at eight but pushes self to physical limits, fatigues easily, and is prone to injury•Can be aloof; tends towards exclusive friendship groups and prefers same gender•Competitive; wants to choose work partners•Critical of self and others, anxious•Easily discouraged•Sees adult inconsistencies and imperfections; complains about fairness issues•Loves vocabulary and language play; baby talk may re-emerge•Tends to state things as negatives: "I hate it," "I can't," "boring," "yeah, right"•Still a concrete learner, but increasingly able to deal with multiple variables

Adapted from Yardsticks by Chip Wood

To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social

skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-

control.• School & Classroom rulesSchool & Classroom rules• Student Entry/DismissalStudent Entry/Dismissal• Logical ConsequencesLogical Consequences• Student Work ExpectationsStudent Work Expectations

BBalanced alanced LLiteracy iteracy IInstructionnstruction• Independent ReadingIndependent Reading• Guided Reading Guided Reading • Shared ReadingShared Reading• Word Study/Spelling/FundationsWord Study/Spelling/Fundations• Handwriting Handwriting • Read AloudRead Aloud• Independent WritingIndependent Writing• Guided WritingGuided Writing• Shared WritingShared Writing

ThemesThemes 2010-20112010-2011

• Community Building• Weekly Inquiry Science• VT Government/Election• VT Geography & History• Systems of the Human Body• United States

Geography/Geology• Earth & Environment (Landforms

& Earth Materials)

MathematicsMathematicsMath instruction is aligned with Math instruction is aligned with

Best Practices in Teaching Best Practices in Teaching MathematicsMathematics

• Number SenseNumber Sense• OperationsOperations• Computational FluencyComputational Fluency• Data and chanceData and chance• PatternsPatterns• GeometryGeometry• MeasurementMeasurement

Homework•Math connected to your child’s program•Spelling practice•20 minutes of reading each night•Reading Log due weekly

Home-School Communication

• Weekly Update• Monday Folders• Progress Report

Conferences • E-mail & Phone• Website & Blogs

Important Messages

• Please contact our TA, Amanda DeCarlo at ext. 5814 with any urgent messages (dismissal changes, etc.)

• If you cannot reach Amanda, please call Carmen Portelli at ext. 5805

VolunteeringVolunteering• Contact your core teacher for in-class

Volunteer Opportunities• School Wide/Equinox House Activities• Field Trip Chaperones• FAP = Families as Partners

– Equinox FAP Representative to the Advisory Council needs to be elected via ballot

QUESTIONS?

COMMENTS?

Ticket OutTicket Out

On a small piece of colored paper, On a small piece of colored paper, please write ONE thing you please write ONE thing you

learned about Equinox!learned about Equinox!

Thank you for coming tonight!Thank you for coming tonight!