Who am I?
My name is Elvira Padron, and at least for the 1st quarter, I will be your child’s English Language Arts teacher. The District has designed a new Reading program in which students are placed in a classroom according to their academic needs. The teacher will provide a certain curriculum to meet the child’s needs. The child will take the STAR Reading test by October 6th, and based on the results, the child may be moved to a different classroom to help meet their needs.
About the Curriculum
We will be using the Florida Common Core Language Arts standards. We will have a Literacy Block that includes: Reading, Writing, Grammar, and Spelling. In the report card, you will see Literacy. We will use many sources including Reading Street and Florida Ready. Assessments will NO longer be weekly, instead they will follow the school pacing range, which varies according to the concept. To keep informed, read the student planner and view the class website. Assessment dates depend on students’ mastery of the concept, which means not every class will be taking the assessment at the same time. There will be opportunities for reteaching and reassessment for items that are formative assessments, including Grammar. A letter will go home with the assignments that were not proficient. It will provide resources and practice as well as the retest date. Children must bring the test itself signed so I know that you have viewed the assignment.
Homework
Students will receive a CHOICE BOARD on Monday. They have till the following MONDAY to complete the activities on the CHOICE BOARD.
The choice board has 3 sections: Reading, Writing, and Spelling/Vocabulary.
Students MUST complete 2 assignments from the Reading section, 1 assignments from the Writing section, and 2 assignments from the Spelling section. They choose which assignments they complete, and they can do the assignments using their AR books.
It is not intended for students to have homework over the weekend. Students get two additional days to turn it in, in case they can’t complete their homework during the week.
Students earn $20 Class dojo points for completing this assignment.
Accelerated Reader
Students will be taking the STAR Reading and Math this week. Once their Reading level is assigned, a letter will go home next week with their Reading level and colors, and their goal for the quarter. The expectation is that they are reading a MINIMUM of 10 minutes each day so that they then have time to complete their CHOICE BOARD activity in the following 5-10 minutes.
Students earn a prize (donut) for achieving milestones: 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of their goal with 80% or more accuracy. They will also earn another prize (donut hole) weekly if they meet their weekly goal (this varies depending on the student’s total goal).
My expectation is that they check out at least 1 fiction book and 1 nonfiction book a week, in addition to the 3rd book which is Student Choice. Students must check out books within their range to help them develop the vocabulary and background knowledge required to be successful.
A weekly print out will be provided with the AR tests taken, students’ scores on each test, and the book level.