Sun Valley Elementary School, Second Grade Course Syllabus
1010 18th Avenue Northwest
Birmingham, Alabama 35215
Phone, 205- 231-5740
Third Grade
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The Birmingham City School System offers a curriculum based on national, state, and local standardsthat guide classroom instruction and assessment. These standards articulate the skills; knowledge and understanding all students need to become productive, educated citizens. Within the parameters of identified standards, the Birmingham City Schools System offers a broad range of academic curriculum designed to meet the individual needs of all students from early childhood to college preparatory.
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. “The Standards” are the culmination of an extended, broad-based effort to fulfill the charge issued by the states to create the next generation of K–12 standards in order to help ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school (Birmingham City Schools, K-5 Language Arts
3rd grade provides a safe, unique, and nurturing, learning community that offers students an “Out of the box of traditional learning” experiences that are filled with excited, exploration, and discovery of one’s self as a 21st Century classroom learner. That results in producing young competitive marketable 21st Century students that are intellectually, socially, and academically equipped and prepared for student achievement as life-long learners.
GOALS:The overarching goal of Birmingham City Schools is to continuously refine classroom instruction and professional practice in order to keep pace with the ever-evolving expectations of the 2lst century.
Math- Third Grade is organized into four domains of focus structure, the grade three domains are Operational and Algebraic Thinking, Numbers and Operational in Base Ten, Measurement and Data, and Geometry. (J.B. Morton, State Superintendent of Educaiton, Alabama State Department of Education, 2010). In Grade 3, instructional times will focus on four critical areas. These areas are (1) extending understanding of base-ten notations (2) building fluency with addition and subtraction (3) using standards units of measurement and (4) describing and analyzing shapes.
Reading/Language Arts – Read and respond to both literature of high quality and informational text. The foundations of reading are laid in print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency. Through extensive reading of stories, poems, and myths from diverse cultures and different periods, students gain literary and cultural knowledge as well as familiarity with various text structures and elements.
Writing Standards K–5, the following standards for K–5 offer a focus for instruction each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Each year in their writing, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development and organization of ideas, and they should address increasingly demanding content and sources.
Students also learn to use writing as a way of offering and supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and imagined experiences and events. They are learning to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular task. Students must also gain control over many conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics and use language to convey meaning effectively. They must be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered through listening, reading, and media use and expand their vocabulary in the course of studying content.
Grammar - Students must also gain control over many conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics and use language to convey meaning effectively. They must be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered through listening, reading, and media use and expand their vocabulary in the course of studying content. The Implementation of DEW, its Drop Everything and Write, is a District-wide Initiative and Sun Valley’s Elementary School CCIP 30/60/90 Day Plan: DEW will occur district-wide, each Monday, following morning announcements and will last 15 minutes.
CCRS- To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate and relevant information and respond to what others have said. Students must also gain control over many conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics and use language to convey meaning effectively. They must be able to determine or clarify the meaning of grade-appropriate words encountered through listening, reading, and media use and expand their vocabulary in the course of studying content.
Science - Third-grade’s curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop awareness of simple machines and changes in the states of matter. Students identify characteristics of plants and animals and become aware of the impact of weather on society. The curriculum integrates scientific processes with technology as a basis for inquiry. It pairs a dynamic classroom environment with a challenging curriculum designed to extend the natural curiosity of students and encourage the development of scientific knowledge and skills.
The classroom environment stimulates the natural curiosity of students. Investigating materials and situations, asking questions, communicating findings, and seeking meaning from everyday activities and experiences are vital instructional components for all students in Grade 3.
The district will require all science teachers and professional staff members, K-12, to implement the inquiry-centered, standards-based science curriculum consistently.
Social Studies - The focus of the K-2 Social Studies curriculum introduces young students to basic social studies concepts, skills, and generalizations that enable them to make connections to their environments. Instruction focuses on five areas of essential development: physical, emotional, social, moral, and cognitive. The importance of providing an interactive learning environment that lends itself to exploration as well as the establishment of positive relationships with adults and peers is crucial at this developmental level. The four strands (economics, geography, history, and political science) provide a framework through which students construct knowledge
The current standards for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade extend the prior knowledge of students and increase their understanding of the world in which they live. Students in Grades K-3 are naturally creative, imaginative, and inquisitive. They learn most effectively by being actively engaged and challenged by a variety of multisensory instructional activities. The incorporation of play-based literacy development, art, theatre, movement, music, literature, and other hands- and minds-on activities characterizes classrooms that reflect the most effective learning communities.
ATTENDANCE: Alabama State Law 16-28-3, Code of Alabama, 1975 requires all children between the ages of seven (7) and seventeen (17) to attend school regularly. Alabama State law states that each child who enrolls in a public school, whether or not the child is required by law to enroll, is subject to the school attendance and truancy laws of the state.
STUDENT DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOR: We believe that all students have a right to learn in a safe and orderly environment based upon the principles of respect and consideration for the right of others. The board also believes that students learn best when behavior and student conduct are maintained on a regular basis. To that end, the board adopts policy number 8111. Birmingham City Schools’ Code of Student Conduct, as its policy on student discipline and behavior. NO STUDENT HAS A RIGHT TO BE UNRULY IN HIS OR HER CLASSROOM TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISRUPTON DENIES FELLOW STUDENTS THEIR RIGHT TO LEARN.
Grading Policy: We Believe, that all children must be presented opportunities to learn and to be successful. Successful learning is the result of quality instruction. Failing grades are indicative of failing teachers, students, and parents. Everyone must be accountable and responsible to ensure success. Teachers must use report cards, progress reports, and every other means available to communicate with parents. Teachers must communicate to both parents and students the academic progress of each student in a timely and effective manner.
Grades: A 100-90, B 80-80, C 79-70, D 69-60, F 59 and below. Numerical grades are recorded for each marking period in grades 1-12.
PROGRESS REPORTS: Mandatory progress reports for all students will be issued midpoint in each nine-week period.
ASSESSMENT may include daily assignments, homework, test, quizzes, and varied writing assignments, as well as portfolios, products, performances, research papers, or other projects. Further, teachers should have a minimum of one grade per week per subject (homework, daily assignments, test, etc...) for each student in each nine-week grading period, which is to be recorded in a grade book for that child.
HOMEWORKis a requirement; therefore; all homework assignments must be completed. All assignments, projects, homework, and modifications for students are included as part of the initial enrollment packet from their zoned school. A reasonable amount of homework will be assigned to extend, reinforce, and enrich the school program. An increase in homework could be the result of time that is not used wisely in school.
PROMOTION AND RETENTION Placement, promotion, or retention shall be made in the best interest of the student after careful evaluation of all factors relating to the student’s total development with special emphasis on academic competence.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE: Call the office at 205 231-5740 and leave a message with the secretary. An appointment with the principal may be scheduled in the same way. In both instances, an advance notice will be required to schedule conferences.