Family Curriculum Guides

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Themes - My School and Me and My Family and Friends
Thematic:

• Classmates & Teachers are members of the class and together they make a School Family
• Calming strategies can help control emotions and actions.
• A routine is a sequence of activities or tasks that are repeated.
• Healthy bodies can be different shapes, sizes and colors.
• Each body part has a different job and can move in different ways.
• Family members work and play together.
• Families can be alike and different.
• Pets are part of the family.
• Friends can be alike and different in many ways.

Literacy

• Stories can be true (informational) or make-believe.
• An illustrator draws the pictures in a book.
• Books that have true facts are called informational books.
• Letters of the alphabet have different lines and shapes.
• Words in a sentence are separated by spaces.
• Informational books have special features, such as a table of contents and glossary.
• Stories have characters and settings.
• Pictures and words can communicate idea and thoughts.
• A compound word is two smaller words combined to form a word with new meaning.

Writing

• Spoken and written words carry meaning,
• Concepts and ideas can be recorded using words, symbols, and illustrations.
• Spoken words are represented by written words.

Math

• Objects (including math manipulatives) can be sorted by attributes (shape, color, size).
• Location words describe mathematical attributes.
• Shapes can be identified by their straight or curved lines.
• Objects can be identified and compared by size (small, medium, big).
• Quantities can be compared using the words more, fewer and less.
• Charts and graphs can be used to organize information that can be “read”.
• One-to-one correspondence is a counting strategy.
• Frog-E is a programmable robot that represents STEAM.

Science

• Children’s awareness of nature can teach them to be conservators of the earth.
• A scientist asks questions, experiments, observes and describes results.
• Senses are tools our bodies use to gather information.
• The weather changes with the seasons.
• The natural world is extraordinary. We can learn what is safe and unsafe to touch and explore.
• Animals have needs that are specific to their species and breed.
• A veterinarian is a doctor for animals.

Social Studies

• Our body parts move in various positions as we get dressed.
• Identifying and respecting people’s feelings.
• A family is a community.
• A map represents a place.
• Relatives are extended family members beyond mother, father, sister and brother.
• Families share adventures.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Literacy

• Who is your special classmate?
• What is your word of the week?
• How is our family fabulous?

Math

• Can you name your shapes?
• How many colors can you identify in our house?
• Which shapes have curves and which shapes have lines?
• How many ways can you move your arms/hands/legs?
• How many relatives do we have? Can you name them?

Science

• Show me where your chin is? ( continue with other body parts.
• Which sentence do you use to understand what someone is saying to you?
• Which sense do you use when you are eating dinner?
• What’s the name of doctor that takes care of pets?

Social Studies

• Can you teach me how to S.T.A.R. breath?.
• How do families work and play together?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Literacy

• Read a story to your child every night.
• Review words from your family news letter.
• Play the game I spy with letters throughout the day as you travel, shop, or read at home.
• Read books about families, friends and pets.
• Have your child create letters using Play Doh, salt, or shaving cream.
• Sing the alphabet song with your child.

Math

• Sit with your child. Place a familiar object in different places on or near your child’s body.
• Look at a basket of socks. Ask your child choose a sock that looks small. Then compare others in the basket that look bigger.
• Play a game of Tic-Tac-Toe

Science

• Review the poem STOP, LOOK and LISTEN from the Week 3 newsletter. Point to each body part named,
• Play a pet guessing game with your child. Choose a pet and show how it moves. Take turns.

Social Studies

• Practice S.T.A.R. breathing: Take a deep breath by inhaling through your nose as if smelling a flower. Then pretend to blow out a candles as you exhale and let the air out.
• Have your child draw a self portrait and point out different body parts.
• Talk with your child about jobs in your home and who does them.
• Talk about your neighborhood.
• Share a snack with a friend.

What will my child be learning during the second nine weeks of school?

Themes - Safe, Healthy, Helpful Me and Compare and Contrast
Thematic

• Community workers keep people safe, healthy, and in touch with one another.
• Community workers use tools to do their jobs.
• A neighborhood is a place where people live.
• Kind people show compassion.
• Eating involves all of our senses.
• Our bodies need to be active to be healthy and strong.
• Living things can exist on the land, in the air, and in the ocean.
• Some living things are plants and some are animals.
• Comparing and contrasting is a strategy used to explore how things are alike and different
• If something is make-believe, it is not real.

Literacy

• Each sentence begins with an uppercase letter.
• Words in a sentence are separated by spaces.
• Each letter of the alphabet has a name.
• Words can be segmented and blended by syllables.
• Pictures can help readers infer meaning in a story.
• Words with rhyme have the same ending sound.
• A name begins with an uppercase letter.
• Retelling a story builds comprehension.
• Two words that mean something exactly different are called opposites.
• Nonfiction books have true facts that are real.
• Fiction books include make-believe elements that are not real.
• *In Spanish, each letter has a sound
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound

Writing

• Ideas (expressive thought) can be illustrated or written.
• Writing is one way to communicate ideas with others.

Math

• Numerals are composed of symbols called digits 0-9.
• The numerals on a horizontal number line are read left to right.
• Symbols such as numerals and tally marks, tell how many.
• The counting words we say follow the sequence of numerals.
• Patterns describe how something changes in a predictable way.
• Angles are formed when tow straight sides meet at an endpoint.

Science

• Eating nutritious food is a healthy habit.
• Food can be sorted into five groups
• Seeds become trees, plants, and flowers
• Some materials are easier to move with blowing air than other materials.
• The length, height, or width of one object can be compared to another by aligning both objects at the same starting point (baseline).
• Measuring tools, such as a ruler or tape measure, can show how long, tall or wide an object or person is.
• An object does not move unless a force is applied.
• Push and pull are opposite forces that can move objects.

Social Studies

• Helpful behaviors (walking feet, listening ears) keep a community (classroom) safe.
• We can show kindness to others in three ways: giving, helping and paying attention.
• Healthy food comes from places all over the world.
• Games and dances come from many cultures all over the world.
• Different measuring tools are used to measure different things. A ruler can help measure something straight.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Literacy

• What is the word of the week?
• What books did you read in class about healthy eating?
• What is a non-fiction book you read this week in class?
• What is a fiction book you read this week?
• Does your first name start with an uppercase letter or a lowercase letter?
• Compare and contrast two fair tales.
• Make up a fictional (make-believe) story with your child.

Math

• What is our address?
• Can you make a pattern with healthy food?
• Invite your child to assist you in putting up your groceries. As they take them out of the bag, talk about the shapes and compare and contrast.
• Challenge your child to find the tallest pencil around your house. Place the pencil in a cup. Throughout the week, have your child look for shorter pencils. Arrange them from the tallest to the shortest.

Science

• What are the main food groups?
• How can exercise make you healthier?
• Is a seed living or non-living?
• Encourage your child to find somethin in nature that is up/down (clouds/grass), hard/soft (seed pod/flower).

Social Studies

• Can you name five different community helpers and what their jobs do?
• Share a favorite children’s book from your childhood. Have your child select their favorite. Talk about why.

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Literacy

• Read to your child every day!
• Tell stories to and with your child.
• Take your child to your community library and check out books about community helpers, eating well, safety or spreading kindness.
• Brainstorm a list of kind and positive words.
• Recite the alphabet with your child. Try saying the letters in order together. Take turns, you say one letter and then your child says the next letter.

Math

• Invite your child to go to the mailbox with you. Point out the numerals on the mailbox and explain that they help the mail carrier know which homes is theirs. The possibilities with mail is endless.
• Before going through the express lane at a store, have your child count the items in your basket to be sure there are ten or fewer. Extend the activity by counting together and then ask: Is ___ (the number you counted to) less or more than 10?
• Go on a shape hunt around your house.

Science

• Using the website My Plate, build a healthy plate using pretend foods.
• Plant seeds in a garden with your child. Show your child the illustrations on the seed packet of the seeds will look like when they are grown.

Social Studies

• Bake cookies for the firefighters or police officers in your community.
• Research together different games and dances from your culture/family.
• Do something nice for a neighbor, friend or relative.

What will my child be learning during the third nine weeks of school?

Themes - Creative Me and On the Move
Thematic

• Builders use many kinds of construction vehicles to help them build
• It takes many types of workers (architect, engineer, builder) to plan and construct a building.
• Tools are instruments used to accomplish a task.
• Simple machines make work easier.
• Imagination can inspire creativity, such as acting out a story, creating art, or building a structure.
• Being creative is the ability to make new things or think if new ideas.

Literacy

• Alliterations is the repetition of the beginning sound in two or more neighboring words.
• Every sentence ends with a punctuation mark.
• Steps in a story or process can be sequenced to show their order.
• Nonfiction books have special features, such as a table of content.
• Imagination can inspire creativity, such as acting out a story, creating art, or building a structure.
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound

Writing

• Print has meaning and can be used to write stories, create an invitation, and write a recipe.

Math

• Lines are parallel when they are the same distance apart at both ends.
• Weight can be measured and compared.
• Real and make-believe objects and characters can be compared.
• A new shape can be formed by putting shapes together and taking them apart.
• The last number in a count tells how many objects are in a set.

Science

• Tools used to keep the playground groomed (lawnmower, clippers, weed eater) are simple machines that help us care for the earth.

Social Studies

• Children will explore self-expression and express creativity through art, music, stories and dance.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Literacy

• What is your word of the week?
• What books did you read about machines?
• What will happen next? And then? How will the story end? (Questions for the activity Make Up Story)

Math

• How will you put two shapes together to make a new shape? Which two shapes can you put together to make a big triangle? a parallelogram? a square? (Questions for the math activity below)
• Do you like to travel by car, by bike, or by bus?
• What are other types of transportation?

Science

• What tools are around our house?
• When we look up at a cloud what do you see? animals, machines, people?
• Does it float? Will it continue to float if you put a few small objects like paperclips inside? How might you make a stronger boat?

Social Studies

• What tools do we need to plant a garden?
• What tools can we use to paint a picture?
• When you dress up, where will you go? What will you do?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Literacy

• Read books about construction.
• Read the book Cloud Looking. (Activity is under science.)
• Make up a story filled with imaginary characters, and invite your child to help you decide what each character does. Connect a sequence of actions and give the story an ending.
• Go on an alphabet hunt around your house. Play the alphabet game on car rides. If you child is not ready to identify letters, have them look for familiar stores and restaurants like McDonalds and Walmart.

Math

• Provide craft sticks, toothpicks, straws or narrow pieces of paper. Have your child build a shape.
• Use small square crackers or cereal squares to measure the length of a spoon. Count the squares to see how long the spoon is. Compare the length of a spoon to the length of a fork.
• Cut three squares of paper. Divide one square into triangles by cutting it diagonally from corner to corner. Divide one square into rectangles by cutting it in half. Give the paper shapes to your child. Describe how the paper shapes are turned and moved to create the new shape. Add more paper shapes and enjoy the shape pictures that your child creates.

Science

• Lay on the ground outside and discuss the shapes of clouds.
• Try making a boat with your child. Mold a small square of aluminum foil in the shape of a fat-bottomed nest. Carefully place the “boat” in a bowl of water.

Social Studies

• Take your child to watch bulldozers and other machines at work. Visit the same place several times.
• Dress up with your child. Accessorize with jewelry, shoes, and hats.
• Encourage your child to dream and imagine. Share some of your dreams. Where the Wild Things Are is a great book to read before making up your own story about imagination.
• Be on the lookout for maps in your community. You and your child can make a game of spotting them. You may find maps in a mall or library. Check at a train station or an airport. Notice the map on your navigation system or app. Explain that a map is a special picture of a place. Talk about what it shows and why maps help us.

What will my child be learning during the fourth nine weeks of school?

Themes - Animals, Amazing Critters and Changes
Thematic

• Mammals are warm-blooded, have hair or fur, and feed milk to their babies.
• People are mammals
• Reptiles are cold-blooded, have scales or a shell, and lay eggs.
• Dinosaurs were reptiles that lived on Earth many years ago.
• The ocean is home to big and small animals.
• All birds have a backbone, a bill, feathers, and wings.
• Insects live everywhere on Earth.
• Insect have three body parts and six legs.
• Arachnids have two body parts and eight legs.
• Change takes place all around us.
• Everyone is responsible for taking care of the earth.

Reading

• Personal connections to vocabulary deepen understanding.
• Syllables in words can be segmented (taken apart) and blended (put together).
• Recognizing common, frequently-used words builds foundational reading skills.
• Informational books with true facts are called nonfiction.
• Two phonemes (sounds) can be blended to form a one-syllable word.
• The rotation of the earth creates night and day.
• There are four seasons.
• Changes takes place all around us.
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with vowel pattern Aa (casa, mapa, papá)

Writing

• Each letter of the alphabet has a unique shape.
• Each letter of the alphabet has an order of strokes to correctly draw its shape.
• Expressive ideas can be recorded with illustrations and words.
• Adding details to writing can make it better (editing).

Math

• Quantities can be ordered from fewest to greatest or greatest to fewest.
• Numbers 6-10 can be broken apart into smaller groups (3+5) so that they are easier to identify.
• Moving objects and arranging them in a particular way are strategies for keeping track of how many.
• Joining two quantities together makes a sum.
• A whole is the sum of two parts.
• the difference is the number of counts up )or down) from one number to the other.
• Time can be measured by minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months.
• A cycle is a repeating pattern.
• Patterns can be represented in a circle or in a line.
• Information on graphs can help answer questions, such as How many more?

Science

• Mammals move in different ways. Some swim, some fly, and some walk or run.
• Some mammals sleep during the day and some sleep at night.
• Some reptiles move fast and some move very slow.
• Many plants and animals make their home in coral reefs.
• Birds lay eggs
• Insects can be categorized by their characteristics.
• All living things have a life cycle.
• Some animals and insects are nocturnal (active at night).
• Insects communicate with each other.
• All living things have a life cycle.
• Spiders and scorpions are arachnids.
• All living things grow and change through a series of life stages.
• The sun warms the earth.

Social Studies

• Taking care of the ocean is everyone’s job.
• People need food, clothing, and shelter.
• The weather and seasons affect our clothing choices.
• recycling reduces trash and pollution.
• Experiencing nature and all of its beauty will make us more likely to become conservators of the earth’s resources.
• Each birthday celebrates another year of growth and change.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Literacy

• What is the word of the week?
• What mammals will you see on the way to school?
• Use the Word of the Week at home. Ask: Have you noticed any changes in our neighborhood?
• What is your favorite season of the year? Why?

Math

• How many times can your child complete a task in one minute?
• How far can you jump? Who can jump the furthest? How do you think that the length you can jump will change as you grow?

Science

• What mammals do we have living in our house? What reptiles do we have living in our house?
• What do you see when it is night? What do you see when it is day?

Social Studies

• How can you rearrange your room or play area?
• Do you like the new arrangement? Why or why not?
• Where have you seen trash in a place that it does not belong?
• What questions do you have about kindergarten?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Literacy

• Read to your child every day!
• Tell stories to and with your child.
• Choose an animal book from your home library or your neighborhood library. Explore the book with your child. Begin by looking at the photos or pictures and talking about the animals. Ask: Is this animal a mammal? How do you know? If your child is interested in a particular animal, read the text about that animal to learn some new facts.
• Look at the page of a familiar book. Suggest that your child point to and name one letter on the page. Ten see if the two of you can locate more examples of the letter in the book. Have your child tell whether each example you find is uppercase or lowercase.
• Children love to hear stories about when they were babies.
• Talk to your child about the season in which he or she was born.

Math

• Use your kitchen cupboards or pantry to create a one-less pattern. Find a group of stackable objects (plastic glasses, cans or boxes of food, plastic cereal bowls). Have your child build a stack of four. Build stacks for three, two, and one. Challenge your child to arrange the stacks from most to least.
• Practice counting to 20 with your child. Once your child masters counting to 20, count to 30. Increase by ten each time.

Science

• Some reptiles walk about on their legs and others slither or crawl. Invite your child to imitate the way that different reptiles move. Try many different movements. Ask: Which way do you think is fastest?
• Take a walk in the backyard or around the neighborhood in search of crawling insects.

Social Studies

• Encourage your child to help rearrange his or her room or a play area in the house. Talk about changes that could be made and try out a few. After a day or two, discuss the changes with your child.
• Talk about the earth’s beauty with your child. Call attention to sunsets, the smell of rain, the stages of the moon, spring flowers, fall leaves, and insects at work.
• Talk with your child about Kindergarten. Explain that this is the next grade of school. Point out that this is a place to learn many new things and meet new friends.

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Identify individual words in a spoken sentence (auditory only-no print)
• Identify syllables in spoken words
• Blend syllables to form multisyllabic words
• Segment multisyllabic words into syllables
• Blend spoken onset (beginning) and rimes (word endings) to form simple words
• Blend spoken sounds to form words
• Segment spoken words into individual sounds
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Demonstrate basic concepts of print. (Left-to-right, top-to-bottom, return sweep, holding a book correctly)
• Establish the routines and procedures for literacy stations
• Begin to gain an understanding of the difference between informational and literary text
• Begin to make connections to personal experiences
• Begin to identify and describe main characters
• Begin to describe the elements of plot development, including the main events, the problem, and the resolution for text read aloud
• Begin to create new understandings from information
• *In Spanish, ask questions about the text
• *In Spanish, listen to informational text read by teacher

Writing

• Establish the routines and procedures for Writing Workshop
• Generating ideas through sharing, listening, and writing about what they know
• Labeling with letters or words
• Writing left-to-right
• Share writing and explain writing and illustrations

Math

• Represent Numbers to 20

• Count forward and backward to 20 with and without objects
• Read, write, and represent whole numbers from 0 to 20 with and without objects or pictures
• Count a set of objects to 20 and I know the last number I say tells the total number of objects in that set
• Say a number that is one more or one less than another number up to at least 10
• Compare sets of objects and written numbers up to 10 in each set using phrases such as *greater than*, *less than*, and *equal to*

Science

• Identify and record observable physical properties of objects, including shape, color, texture, and material, and generate ways to classify objects
• Describe and predict how a magnet interacts with various materials and how magnets can be used to push or pull
• Communicate the idea that objects can only be seen when a light source is present and compare the effects of different amounts of light on the appearance of object
• Demonstrate and explain that light travels through some objects and is blocked by other objects, creating shadows

Social Studies

• What makes a good citizen?
• What are rights? What are responsibilities?
• How do we get along with others?
• What rules and laws do we follow?
• Who are our leaders?
• How do leaders make rules?
• How do we make decisions?
• What are our country’s symbols?
• What do we need? What do we want?

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• Can you show me how to hold this book?
• Can you point to the front cover of this book? The back cover?
• Can you show me the title of this book?
• Who are the main characters in this book?
• What does this story remind you of?

Math

• Can you count to 20 forward & backward?
• How many objects are in this set of objects?
• Can you write the numbers from 0-10?
• Which number is less or more?

Science

• Discuss why it is useful to be able to describe the physical properties of objects.

• Have a family member guess whether an object is magnetic or not magnetic. Then, use a magnet to test the object.
• Explain how something would look with different amounts of light to a family member.

Social Studies

• Why do we have to have rules?
• What would happen if there was not a principal at school?
• How can you help make your school safe?
• What are important traits of a leader?
• What’s the difference between a need and a want?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read to your child every day!
• Tell stories to and with your child.
• Provide your child with a variety of paper, pens, markers, and pencils.
• Encourage your child to draw pictures to illustrate their ideas and stories.

Math

• Incorporate counting to daily routines (shopping, cooking, car rides, etc.).
• Have your child identify numbers on labels and signs.
• Read counting books with your child.
• Help your child practice writing numbers 0-10.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Go on a nature walk, and find objects outside that have the same textures.
• Have a magnet race with a family member by pushing magnetic objects with magnets.
• Look around your house for things that light does not travel through.

Social Studies

• Give your child responsibilities they can do at home to help them learn the importance of completing tasks and following the rules.
• Discuss the different roles each family member has in their household.
• Provide practical examples of wants and needs.
• Model civility when you disagree with others.

What will my child be learning during the second nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Identify and produce rhyming words
• Identify syllables in spoken words
• Blend syllables to form multisyllabic words
• Segment multisyllabic words into syllables
• Blend spoken onset (beginning) and rimes (word endings) to form simple words
• Blend spoken sounds to form words
• Segment spoken words into individual sounds
• Manipulate syllables within a word
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound
• Identify and match commons sounds to the letters they represent
• Begin identifying high-frequency words
• Identify upper- and lowercase letters
• Recognize the difference between a letter and printed word
• Identify and read high frequency words
• Use letter-sound relationships to read words
• Spells grade appropriate words correctly (VC words or vowel-consonant words like ‘at’, ‘in’, ‘up’)
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with vowel pattern Aa (casa, mapa, papá)

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Make and confirm predictions about texts read aloud
• Make inferences about text read aloud
• Identify and describe the main characters
• Describe the setting
• Describe the elements of plot development, including the main events, the problem, and the resolution for text read aloud
• Begin to generate questions about text
• Begin to retell text in a way that maintains meaning
• *In Spanish, determine the importance of the text read aloud
• *In Spanish, retell the important details of the text read aloud

Writing

• Demonstrate correct pencil grip
• Begin forming uppercase and lowercase letters
• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience opinion writing and personal narrative writing
• Share writing and illustrations

Math
Compare Numbers to 20

• Say a number, make a set, and draw a model of objects that is one more than or one less than another number up to at least 20
• Compare sets of objects and written numbers up to 20 in each set using phrases such as *greater than*, *less than*, and *equal to*
• Compose and decompose numbers up to 10 by using objects and pictures
• Draw pictures or use objects to show how to join and separate to represent addition and subtraction
• Solve addition and subtraction word problems by using objects and drawings to find sums up to 10 and differences within 10
• Explain strategies I used to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 by using words, models, and number sentences
• Comparing Numbers to 10
• Reads, writes, and builds numbers to 20
• Compares two numbers to 20
• Learn to look at numerals to recognize (read) and tracing (write)
• Use comparative language (greater than, less than or equal to), to describe the comparison of numbers represented using objects, pictures or numerals
• Compose (addition) and decompose (subtraction) numbers up to 10 using objects and pictures

Science

• Identify, describe, and predict the patterns of day and night and their observable characteristics
• Observe, describe, and illustrate the Sun, Moon, stars, and objects in the sky such as clouds
• Observe and describe weather changes from day to day and over seasons
• Identify evidence that supports the idea that air is all around us and demonstrate that wind is moving air using items such as a windsock, pinwheel, or ribbon

Social Studies

• How do we get what we need or want?
• How do we earn money?
• What are jobs that people do?
• How do we use technology to meet our needs?
• What are goods and services?
• Where are places located?
• What do maps show?
• What do globes show?
• What are landforms and bodies of water?
• What is weather like?

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What do you think will happen next in this story?
• Where did this story take place?
• What are the main events in this story?

Math

• What number is one more than/less than ____ (a number 0–20)?
• Which set of objects is greater than/less than/equal to the other set?
• Which written number is greater than/less than/equal to the other number?
• What are all the ways we can compose and decompose ____ (a number 0–10)?
• Can you draw a picture to illustrate what is happening in the word problem?
• How would you solve this addition/subtraction problem?
• What number sentence can we write to show how to add/subtract ____ and ____?

Science

• What object in the sky you would most like to be and why?
• Watch the weather report on TV and ask your student to draw a picture of what the weather will be tomorrow.

Social Studies

• Why do we celebrate Labor Day?
• What are some reasons why we work?
• How is technology helpful?
• Why do we need goods and services?
• How do we use globes and maps?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read to your child every day and tell stories to and with your child.
• Encourage your child to label their pictures with letters or words.
• Make sure that your child is articulating phonemes correctly and is not adding an /uh/ at the end as they sound out words in reading.
• While reading with your child, encourage them to find word parts inside tricky words to help figure out what that word could be. Example: What word part do you see in: trickster (trick), smart (art), stand (and)?

Math

• Math Manipulatives: Use counters, blocks, or beads to represent numbers and visually demonstrate addition and subtraction.
• Number Line: Introduce a number line and use it to visualize addition and subtraction. Start with simple problems like "What is 2 + 1?" and have your child hop or move along the number line to find the answer.
• Outdoor Math Activities: Take advantage of outdoor opportunities to practice addition and subtraction. For example, count objects like rocks or flowers in the garden, or create a hopscotch game with numbered squares for addition and subtraction practice.
• Encourage Problem-Solving: Present your child with puzzles and challenges that require addition and subtraction to solve. This could include arranging numbers in a sequence, finding missing numbers in a sequence, or solving simple word problems.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Make and hang a weather tool that will show how windy it is outside.
• Place different objects in front of a fan to see if they can be moved by wind.

Social Studies

• When holidays occur throughout the year, discuss their importance with your child.
• Talk with your child about your job and why its important.
• Ask students to decide what job they would have if they could have one today.
• Find examples at the grocery store or in the home. Decide which are wants and needs and why?
• Spend time with your child creating either a map of your house or of your neighborhood

What will my child be learning during the third nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Identify and produce rhyming words
• Identify syllables in spoken words
• Blend syllables to form multisyllabic words
• Segment multisyllabic words into syllables
• Blend spoken onset (beginning) and rimes (word endings) to form simple words
• Blend spoken sounds to form words
• Segment spoken words into individual sounds
• Manipulate syllables within a word
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound
• Use letter-sound relationships to read words
• Read words with consonant digraphs (two letters that represent one sound). For example: ch, sh, th, wh, ck
• Spells grade appropriate words correctly (CVC words or consonant-vowel-consonant words like ‘bed’, ‘top’, ‘fit’)
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with AEI vowel pattern (pepe, queja, mesa, papi, dice)
• *In Spanish, identify hard & soft sounds for /c/ & /g/

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Identify and read high frequency words
• Begin spelling high-frequency words
• Identify the central idea of an informational text
• Use titles and graphics in informational texts to gain information
• Use evidence from the text to support a response
• Create mental images to deepen understanding
• Re-read and use background knowledge to understand text
• Make inferences to support understanding
• Discuss the author’s purpose for writing text
• *In Spanish, use the illustrations to describe how they support text read aloud

Writing

• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience opinion writing and informational text writing
• Provide a written or illustrated response to a text

Math

• Recognize and name two-dimensional shapes, such as circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares
• Recognize and name three-dimensional figures, such as cylinders, cones, spheres, and cubes all around me
• Describe the attributes of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes by using my own everyday speech and also by using vocabulary related to geometry
• Create two-dimensional shapes by using a variety of materials and drawings
• Describe the two-dimensional shapes that are part of three-dimensional figures
• Classify and sort a variety of regular and irregular two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures
• Collect, sort, and organize data into two or three categories
• Use data to create real-object and picture graphs
• Draw conclusions from real-object and picture graphs

Science

• Describe and classify rocks by the observable properties of size, shape, color, and texture
• Observe and generate examples of practical uses for rocks, soil, and water
• Observe and identify the dependence of plants on air, sunlight, water, nutrients in the soil, and space to grow
• Observe and identify the dependence of animals on air, water, food, space, and shelter

Social Studies

• What are the seasons?
• How do we use the earth’s resources?
• What are other places like?
• How are people similar and different?
• How are families similar and different?
• What are our customs and traditions?
• Who are American folk heroes?
• What are different religions?
• How do families celebrate?
• What are national holidays?
• What is culture?

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What is this book about?
• Why do you think the author uses tables or graphs in this book?
• What do you think the author is trying to teach you?

Math

• What is this two-dimensional shape called?
• What are some attributes of a circle? A triangle? A rectangle? A square?
• How did you sort this group of two-dimensional shapes? How are they similar? How are they different?
• Can you draw a circle/triangle/rectangle/square?
• Can you create a new two-dimensional shape by using only a _______ (name a two-dimensional shape) and a _______ (name a different two-dimensional shape)?
• Can you find at least one cylinder, cone, sphere, and cube around (or outside) the house?
• How can we sort this group of three-dimensional figures? How are they similar? How are they different?
• What real objects or pictures can we use on our graph to represent our data?
• What does each single object or picture on our graph represent?
• Which category has more/less? How many ______ (pick any category)?

Science

• What words do you use to describe the size, shape, color, and/or texture of rocks?
• How do plants and animals use soil?
• How have you used water today?
• What do plants depend on to survive?
• What do animals depend on to survive?
• How do plants and animals depend on their environments to survive?

Social Studies

• Who is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
• How does the weather impact the way we live?
• How is culture shared?
• How are you alike and different from your friends?
• What can stories about folk heroes teach us?
• Why do we celebrate holidays?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read to your child every day!
• Tell stories to and with your child.
• Encourage your child to stretch out the sounds they hear in each word as they write.
• Encourage your child to add details to their writing in the form of words, sentences, and illustrations.

Math

• Shape Hunts: Go on a "shape hunt" around your home or neighborhood. Encourage your child to identify and name different 2D shapes (like squares, circles, triangles) and 3D shapes (like cubes, cylinders, cones) they see in everyday objects such as signs, furniture, or buildings.
• Shape Sorting: Provide a variety of objects or pictures representing different shapes and ask your child to sort them into categories of 2D and 3D shapes. You can use everyday items like toys, household objects, or printed images.
• Drawing Shapes: Have your child practice drawing various 2D shapes on paper. You can provide them with stencils or templates to trace initially, then encourage them to draw freehand. This helps improve their shape recognition and fine motor skills.
• Shape Art: Create art projects that involve using shapes. For example, make a collage using cut-out shapes from colored paper or create a picture using geometric shapes as building blocks.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take a nature walk and look for natural objects that resemble 2D and 3D shapes, such as leaves (2D) or rocks (3D). Discuss how these shapes occur in the environment.
• Tallying and Counting: Practice tallying and counting by recording data. For instance, ask your child to tally the number of red cars they see during a car ride or the number of times they hear a specific word during story time.
• Survey and Data Collection: Conduct simple surveys to gather data on preferences or opinions. Ask questions like "What is your favorite fruit?" or "Which season do you like the most?" Have your child ask family members or friends, record their responses, and discuss the results.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Collect soil from different places in your neighborhood. Notice how the different soils are alike and different.
• Plant a plant in a pot filled with soil. Place it in sunlight, and water it when it feels dry.
• Pick an animal. Make a recipe showing what the animal needs to survive.
• Call a family member. Share what plants and animals need to survive.

Social Studies

• Go outside or on a drive and identify landforms you see..
• Talk about, or keep, a journal of the weather and changes in the weather each day.
• Have conversations about your culture (food, dress, celebrations, language). Identify common characteristics you share with other cultures.

What will my child be learning during the fourth nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Recognize alliterations, or groups of words that begin with the same initial sound
• Identify and produce rhyming words
• Identify syllables in spoken words
• Blend syllables to form multisyllabic words
• Segment multisyllabic words into syllables
• Blend spoken onset (beginning) and rimes (word endings) to form simple words
• Blend spoken sounds to form words
• Segment spoken words into individual sounds
• Manipulate syllables within a word
• Use letter-sound relationships to read words
• Read words with consonant blends. For example: ‘swim’, ‘tilt’, ‘grab’
• Begin to read words with long vowels (VCe words or vowel-consonant-e words like ‘rake’, ‘kite’, ‘hope’)
• Identify and read at least 25 high-frequency words
• Spell words with common spelling patterns
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with all vowel pattern to read multisyllable words (maceta, tijera, camiseta)
• *In Spanish, recognize a group of words begin with the same initial sound

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Identify and read high frequency words
• Exposure to various genres like poetry, dramatic literature and persuasive text
• Discuss the author’s purpose for writing text
• Use illustrations and text to clarify word meanings
• Determine the most important details in a text to support an appropriate response
• Use text evidence to support
• *In Spanish, identify the characteristics of a drama text read aloud
• *In Spanish, compare and contrast the characters experiences of the text read aloud

Writing

• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience research and creative story writing

Math

• Give examples of attributes of a given object, including length, capacity, and weight
• Compare two objects with common measurable attributes to see which one has more/less of that attribute, and I can describe the difference
• Recognize and name pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters
• Name different ways to earn income
• Explain the difference between money I earn as income, and money I receive as a gift
• Explain the difference between wants and needs, and I know income is needed to meet my wants and needs

Science

• Identify and record the changes from seed, seedling, plant, flower, and fruit in a simple plant life cycle
• Identify ways that young plants resemble the parent plant
• Identify the structures of plants, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits
• Identify the different structures that animals have that allow them to interact with their environment such as seeing, hearing, moving, and grasping objects

Social Studies

• What is my personal history?
• How do we talk about time?
• How do we measure time?
• What is a timeline?
• How can we learn about history
• Who are explorers from the past?
• Who are American heroes from the past?
• How has school changed?
• How has the world changed?
• How has technology changed?

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What is the problem and resolution of this story?
• Why do you think the author wrote this book?
• What happened first, next, last?

Math

• Which object is longer/shorter?
• Which object has more/less capacity?
• Which object weighs more/less?
• What do you see on the heads/tails side of the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter?
• Can you show me a penny/nickel/dime/quarter?
• Can you sort these U.S. coins into groups of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters?
• What are several ways you (or your parents) could earn an income?
• Can you sort these pictures into wants and needs?

Science

• What is the life cycle of a plant?
• What stage of the plant life cycle makes seeds to grow new plants?
• How can you tell whether an adult plant is the parent of a young plant?
• What structures help animals move?
• What structures do plants have?
• Which plant structure makes food for the plant?

Social Studies

• How have you changed since you were a baby?
• How can you use words before and after to describe what happened at school today?
• How do we measure time on a calendar?
• How do you know what is true about the past?
• Why do explorers explore?
• What does someone do to become a hero?
• How has technology changed our lives?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read to your child every day!
• Tell stories to and with your child.
• Encourage your child to stretch out the sounds they hear in each word as they write.
• Encourage your child to capitalize the first letter of a sentence and name.
• Encourage your child to add a period at the end of each sentence.
• Allow your child to productively struggle when reading words in a text.

Math

• Comparing Sizes: Encourage your child to compare the sizes of objects around the house. Have them sort objects from smallest to largest or vice versa. Use terms like big, small, bigger, smaller, tallest, shortest, etc., to describe the sizes.
• Water Play: Use water play activities to introduce volume and capacity concepts. Provide containers of different sizes and shapes and encourage your child to fill them with water. Discuss which containers hold more or less water and compare their capacities.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take nature walks and explore the outdoors while discussing measurements. Have your child use non-standard units like footsteps or hand spans to measure distances or sizes of objects like trees, rocks, or leaves.
• Coin Sorting: Provide a variety of coins and ask your child to sort them into different groups based on their attributes such as size, color, or denomination.
• Coin Identification: Show your child each coin individually and help them identify its name, value, and features. Encourage them to look for distinguishing characteristics such as the images, numbers, and words on each coin.
• Coin Hunt: Hide coins around the house or in a designated play area, then invite your child to go on a coin hunt. As they find each coin, ask them to identify its value and describe its features.
• Allowance and Chores: Consider giving your child a small allowance in exchange for completing age-appropriate chores. This helps them understand the concept of earning money through work and teaches responsibility.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Fill each section of an egg carton with soil. Plant a seed in each section. Place the egg carton in sunlight, and water it when the soil is dry. Watch the plants grow!
• Draw your favorite stage of the plant life cycle. Explain to a family member why you chose that stage.
• Do you have a plant or pet? Take pictures of the structures that help it see, move, hear, and grasp.
• Put a celery stalk in water colored with food coloring. After two days, explain to a family member how the color got from the water to the leaves.

Social Studies

• Look at pictures with your child of them growing up and talk about change and continuity over time.
• Involve your child in using a calendar to plan routines, activities and celebrations.
• Have a conversation with your child about heroes. Tell them who your hero is and why. Ask them to think about who their hero might be.

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Can orally blend sounds to form one-syllable words
• Can segment spoken one-syllable words into individual sounds
• Produce a series of rhyming words
• Recognize spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same initial sound
• Distinguish between short and long vowels in one syllable words
• Recognize the change in spoken words when a specific phoneme (sound) is added or removed
• Begin reading words with digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh)
• Read and spell words with closed syllables (cash, blot, fix etc.)
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with vowel pattern Aa & Ee
• *In Spanish, identify hard & soft sounds for /c/ & /g/
• *In Spanish, identify initial & middle sound for words with m, p, s, l, t, d, r & n

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Establish the routines and procedures for literacy stations
• Identify and use words that name actions, directions, sequences, and locations
• Establish a purpose for reading assigned and self-selected text
• Make and correct or confirm predictions
• Monitor comprehension by re-reading, using background knowledge, and visual cues
• Make connections to personal experiences and other text
• Make inferences and use evidence to support understanding
• Describe the setting of a story
• Retell the main events in the story in order
• Begin to describe the elements of plot development, including the main events, the problem, and the resolution for text read aloud
• *In Spanish, generate questions when reading an informational text
• *In Spanish, describe the sequence of events

Writing

• Establish the routines and procedures for Writing Workshop
• Develop handwriting by printing words and sentences with appropriate spaces between words
• Write brief comments in response to text
• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience narrative writing and informational writing
• *In Spanish, identify words written with orthographic patterns

Math

• Compose and decompose numbers up to 120 in different ways by using concrete and pictorial models
• Represent numbers up to 120 by using objects, pictures, expanded form, and standard form
• Determine a number that is 10 more and 10 less than a given number up to 120
• Generate a number that is greater than or less than a given whole number up to 120
• Compare whole numbers up to 120 by using place value and comparative language
• Represent the comparison of two numbers to 100 by using symbols
• Draw pictures to represent the joining, separating, and comparing of sets up to 10 to solve word problems
• Solve for an unknown in an addition or subtraction word problem by using concrete objects and pictorial models
• Explain my strategies to add and subtract word problems up to 10 by using spoken words, objects, pictorial models, and number sentences
• Use the strategy of making 10 to add or subtract numbers within 20
• Use the strategy of decomposing a number leading to a 10 to add or subtract numbers within 20
• Understand that an equal sign means that one side of an equation is the same value as the other side of the equation
• Use the properties of operations to add or subtract two or three numbers

Science

• Classify objects by observable physical properties, including, shape, color, and texture, and attributes such as larger and smaller heavier and lighter;
• Demonstrate and explain that a whole object is a system made of organized parts such as a toy that can be taken apart and put back together.
• Explain how pushes and pulls can start, stop, or change the speed or direction of an object’s motion; and
• Plan and conduct a descriptive investigation that predicts how pushes and pulls can start, stop, or change the speed or direction of an object’s motion.
• Explain and predict changes in materials caused by heating and cooling;
• Investigate and describe applications of heat in everyday life such as cooking food or using a clothes dryer; and
• Describe how some changes caused by heat may be reversed such as melting butter and other changes cannot be reversed such as cooking an egg or baking a cake.

Social Studies

• I am a good citizen.
• My rights and responsibilities
• I follow rules and laws
• My leaders
• My government
• Symbols of my country

• Celebrate freedom week

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• Can you tell me using your fingers what happened in the story at the beginning, middle, and end?
• How do you think the character felt in this part of the story? Why do you think that?

Math

• Can you compose/decompose ____ (number up to 120) using these tools?
• How can you represent ____ (number up to 120) by using pictures/expanded form/standard form?
• What is the number 10 more/10 less than ____ (number up to 120)?
• What is a number that is greater than/less than _____ (whole number up to 120)?
• Which digit justifies that the number is greater than/less than _____?
• Can you draw a pictorial model showing how to join, separate, and compare sets up to 10? Up to 20?
• What strategies can you use to solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of whole numbers up to 10? Up to 20?
• Can you explain what strategy you used to solve this problem (using words, objects, pictorial models, or number sentences)?
• How can you apply the strategy of making 10 to this addition/subtraction problem?
• Is the value on this side of the equation equal or the same as the value on the other side of the equation?

Science

• What words would you use to describe shape?
• What senses do you use to determine an object’s shape, size, color, texture, and weight?
• Why is a bicycle called a system?
• What is the difference between a push and a pull?
• What are things that can be both pushed and pulled?
• How can a pull or push stop a ball’s motion?

Social Studies

• What rules do we have at school? home?
• What things does a good citizen do?
• What’s the difference between a right and responsibility?
• Why are leaders important?
• Can you identify American and Texas symbols?
• What does it mean to have freedom in this country?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Make sure that your child is articulating phonemes correctly and is not adding an /uh/ at the end as they sound out words in reading.
• Practice High Frequency Words using the orthographic mapping technique (Resource: Map heart words).
• While reading with your child, encourage them to find word parts inside tricky words to help figure out what that word could be. Example: What part do you see in: trickster (trick), smart (art), stand (and)?

Math

• Number Hunts: Create a scavenger hunt where your child searches for numbers around the house or outdoors. Provide a list of numbers to find, and have them arrange the numbers in order once they've collected them all.
• Everyday Comparisons: Encourage your child to compare quantities they encounter in daily life, such as the number of items in a set of toys or the ages of family members. Discuss which quantity is greater, smaller, or equal to another.
• Story Problems: Create story problems that involve composing and decomposing numbers. For instance, "There are 32 apples. If 20 apples are red and the rest are green, how many green apples are there?" Encourage your child to represent the problem using drawings or manipulatives.
• Skip Counting: Practice skip counting by twos, fives, and tens. This helps children understand the relationship between numbers and supports composing and decomposing numbers. For example, skip counting by tens helps them see groups of ten within larger numbers.
• Real-Life Examples: Look for opportunities in daily life to practice composing and decomposing numbers. For instance, when counting money, groceries, or household items, discuss different ways to represent the total value using smaller numbers.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Take a trip to the grocery store, and see how they classify foods based on physical properties.
• When traveling in a car, call out “Starting,” “Stopping,” “Changing speed,” and “Changing direction,” depending on what the car is doing.

Social Studies

• Create and review rules at home.
• Discuss some of your favorite leaders and what makes them admirable.
• Practice the pledges and naming symbols.

What will my child be learning during the second nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Read words with consonant blends (crab, slid, snap, stuff, ramp, felt etc.)
• Read words with digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh, ck) and trigraphs (tch and dge)
• Begin reading and writing words with chunks (-all as in ball and call)
• Begin reading and writing two-syllable words with closed syllables
• Identify and read high frequency words
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with vowel pattern A, E, I & O
• *In Spanish, read words with silent h & gue, gui syllables

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Retell the main events in the story in order
• Use illustrations and text to learn or clarify word meanings
• Create mental images to deepen understanding
• Bring characters to life by examining how the characters feel, act, and think
• Describe the problem and resolution for texts read aloud and independent
• Recognize characteristics of dramatic literature
• Begin identifying the theme or lesson in a story
• *In Spanish, use text features (graphs, photographs, diagrams) to obtain information
• *In Spanish, with adult assistance identify central idea & important details in a text

Writing

• Write a clear beginning, middle, and end
• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience personal narrative writing and informational writing

Math

• Join, separate, and compare sets of concrete objects up to 20 to solve word problems
• Draw pictures to represent the joining, separating, and comparing of sets up to 20 to solve word problems
• Create and solve a word problem with multiple representations when given various number sentences
• Represent addition and subtraction word problems up to 20 by using appropriate strategies such as concrete objects, pictorial models, and number sentences
• Draw pictures to represent the joining, separating, and comparing of sets up to 10 to solve word problems
• Solve for an unknown in an addition or subtraction word problem by using concrete objects and pictorial models
• Explain my strategies to add and subtract word problems up to 10 by using spoken words, objects, pictorial models, and number sentences

• Use the strategy of making 10 to add or subtract numbers within 20

• Use the strategy of decomposing a number leading to a 10 to add or subtract numbers within 20
• Understand that an equal sign means that one side of an equation is the same value as the other side of the equation
• Use the properties of operations to add or subtract two or three numbers

Science

• Describe and record observable characteristics of weather, including hot or cold, clear or cloudy, calm or windy, and rainy or icy, and explain the impact of weather on daily choices.
• The student knows that the natural world has recognizable patterns. The student is expected to: describe and predict the patterns of seasons of the year such as order of occurrence and changes in nature.

Social Studies

• What we need, what we want.
• Goods and services.
• Why we make choices.
• Buying and selling.
• Spending and saving.
• Jobs people do.
• Where things are located
• Maps and globes

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• Tell me across your fingers what happened in the story at the beginning, middle, and end.
• How do you think the character felt in this part of the story? Why do you think that?
• Point to the punctuation at the end of a sentence (ex: exclamation mark). What is this mark called? How should you read this sentence?

Math

• Can you use concrete objects to show how to join/separate/compare sets up to 20?
• Can you draw a pictorial model showing how to join/separate/compare sets up to 20?
• How would you use concrete objects, pictorial models, or number sentences to represent addition and subtraction word problems involving whole numbers up to 20?
• Can you explain what strategy you used to solve this problem (using words, objects, pictorial models, or number sentences)?
• How can you apply the strategy of making 10 to this addition/subtraction problem?
• Is the value on this side of the equation equal or the same as the value on the other side of the equation?

Science

• What are some words you use to describe the weather?
• What is the weather like today?
• What type of weather do you like the most? Why?

Social Studies

• How do people get what they need?
• How do you now if something is a need or a want?
• How do you make a decision when you have a hard choice?
• What’s the difference between goods and services?
• What are some ways you get what you need?
• Why do people choose to do some jobs over others?
• What job would you like to have when you grow up? Why?
• Why do we need maps?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Make sure that your child is articulating phonemes correctly and is not adding an /uh/ at the end as they sound out words in reading.
• While reading with your child, encourage them to find word parts inside tricky words to help figure out what that word could be. Example: What part do you see in: trickster (trick), smart (art), stand (and)?

Math

• Math Talks: Engage in math talks with your child, discussing different strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems. Encourage them to explain their thinking and reasoning behind their solutions.
• Word Problems: Present real-life word problems that involve adding and subtracting numbers up to 120. Help your child identify key information, determine the operation needed, and solve the problem. For example, "Sara has 80 marbles. She found 35 more marbles. How many marbles does she have now?"
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Write a poem about your favorite type of weather. Include the activities you like to do during that weather.
• Divide a paper into four sections. Draw and color an activity you like to do in the rain, on a sunny day, on a cloudy day, and on a windy day.

Social Studies

• Make a list of wants and needs. Talk about the importance of knowing the differences.
• Talk about your job and why you chose to pursue that type of work.
• Read a book and identify the goods and services in the book.
• Play, “the guess job”.
• Using a paper map, a website or a device, find a location on a map.

What will my child be learning during the third nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Read and spell words with closed and open syllables (by, she, no, try etc.)
• Begin reading and spelling R-Controlled syllables (a vowel followed by the letter ‘r’) Example words: sort, shirt, star, fern
• Read words with digraphs (sh, th, ch, wh, ck), trigraphs (tch and dge), and doubles (ll, ss, ff)
• Read and spell words with the -ing chunk
• Use knowledge of base words to read words with contractions (can’t, wouldn’t)
• Identify and read high frequency words
• *In Spanish, identify & combine syllables with all vowel patterns

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Recognize characteristics of informational text (labels, captions, table glossary etc.)
• Describe the author’s purpose for writing a text
• Discuss the topic of a text and determine the theme or message
• Use evidence from the text to support a response
• Use resources such as picture dictionaries and digital resources to find words
• Respond to text using newly acquired vocabulary
• Synthesize information to create new understanding
• *In Spanish, with adult assistance create a summary of the text
• *In Spanish make connections to the text

Writing

• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Revise drafts by adding details in pictures or words
• Edit drafts for complete sentences, capitalization, punctuation, and proper grammar
• Experience informational essay including biography and procedural text

Math

• Classify and sort a variety of two-dimensional shapes based on their attributes
• Recognize the attributes of a two-dimensional shape and the attributes that do not define the shape
• Identify two-dimensional shapes, including circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares, as special rectangles, rhombuses, and hexagons
• Describe the attributes of a two-dimensional shape, such as sides, vertices, and faces
• Create two-dimensional shapes by using a variety of materials
• Join two, three, or four two-dimensional shapes in a variety of ways to create a target shape
• Identify three-dimensional solids, including spheres, cones, cylinders, rectangular prisms (including cubes), and triangular prisms
• Describe the attributes of a three-dimensional solid, such as edges, vertices, and faces
• Divide a two-dimensional shape into two and four equal parts
• Describe two and four equal parts by using words such as *halves* and *fourths*
• Recognize examples and nonexamples of halves and fourths
• Tell time to the hour by using an analog and a digital clock
• Tell time to the half hour by using an analog and a digital clock

• Use a given measuring tool to measure the length of an object

• Measure with a consistent unit from one end of an object to the other end
• Record a measurement by using a number and a unit of measure

Science

• Investigate and document the properties of particle size, shape, texture, and color and the components of different types of soils such as topsoil, clay, and sand.
• Investigate and describe how water can move rock and soil particles from one place to another.
• Compare the properties of puddles, ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans, including color, clarity, size, shape, and whether it is freshwater or saltwater.
• Identify and describe how plants, animals, and humans use rocks, soil, and water;
• Explain why water conservation is important;
• Describe ways to conserve water such as turning off the faucet when brushing teeth and protect natural sources of water such as keeping trash out of bodies of water.

Social Studies

• Land and water
• Continents and oceans
• Our environment
• Getting from here to there

• Holocaust Remembrance Week

• What is culture?
• Families are alike and different
• Sharing our cultures
• What are our celebrations?
• We come together
• We celebrate our nation
• Folktales and fables

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• Is this book fiction or nonfiction? How do you know?
• What do you already know and what questions do you have about this topic?
• What do you do when you read a word you don’t know?

Math

• Can you point to/show me a _____ (name of shape)?
• How do you know this is a ______ (name of shape)?
• How many sides/vertices/faces does that shape have?
• How can you use these materials to create a _____ (name of shape)?
• What new shape can you create by using these two/three/four shapes?
• How can you divide this two-dimensional shape into two/four equal parts?
• Can you point to/show me an example of halves/fourths?
• Can you point to/show me the hour/minute hand on the analog clock?
• Can you point to/show me the hour/minute hand on the analog clock?
• How can you find the time on the analog clock when the hour hand is between two numbers?
• What time is shown on the analog/digital clock?
• Can you use this measuring tool to measure the length of this object?
• Do you think the measurements would be different if you used two different units with different lengths?

Science

• What type of soil has the softest texture?
• What colors can sand be?
• What type of soil is best for growing plants? Why?
• What bodies of water have fresh water?
• How does water move rocks and soil?
• What is the size, shape, color, and clarity of the ocean?
• How have you used water today?
• What can you make or do with rocks?
• How do plants and animals depend on soil?

Social Studies

• How are globes/maps the same/different?
• What’s the difference between physical characteristics and human characteristics?
• How does where we live affect our home? clothes? food? activities?
• What is culture?
• What similarities do cultures share around the world?
• How are the historical heroes of our country similar?
• Why is truthfulness an important characteristic of being a good citizen?
• Why is it important to stand up for others if they are being treated unfairly?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read books with your child and discuss what is happening in the story as you read.
• When reading with your student:
  -Find text features, including table of contents, headings, bold words, labels, captions, etc.
  -Stop and ask your child, “What do you think will happen next and why?”

Math

• Shape Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt where your child searches for specific shapes around the house or outdoors. Provide a list of shapes to find, or draw pictures of shapes for them to match.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take nature walks and look for shapes in the environment. Encourage your child to identify shapes in natural objects like leaves, rocks, or clouds. Discuss how shapes are present in the world around us.
• Drawing Shapes: Practice drawing different 2D shapes on paper. Start with simple shapes like circles, squares, and triangles, then gradually introduce more complex shapes like hexagons and octagons. Use stencils or templates for guidance if needed.
• Shape Sorting: Provide a variety of 2D and 3D shapes (e.g., shape blocks, cutouts, or household objects) and ask your child to sort them into groups based on their attributes (e.g., number of sides, type of faces). This helps them understand the characteristics of each shape.
• Fraction Hunt: Go on a fraction hunt around the house or neighborhood. Have your child find objects or shapes that represent different fractions, such as a clock showing 1/2 past the hour or a pizza divided into fourths.
• Fraction Art: Create fraction art projects using shapes and colors. Provide paper cutouts of shapes divided into equal parts and have your child color different fractions with different colors. For example, color half of a square blue and the other half red.
• Make a Clock: Create a DIY clock using a paper plate, cardboard, or a paper printout. Label the hours and minutes, and attach movable hands using a brad or a paper fastener. Your child can use this clock for hands-on practice.
• Clock Practice: Give your child practice opportunities by asking them to tell you the time throughout the day. Use both digital and analog clocks to vary the practice.
• Use Non-Standard Units: Introduce non-standard units of measurement such as paper clips, blocks, or craft sticks. Have your child measure objects around the house using these units and compare their lengths.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Take a soil sample from your yard or neighborhood. Use its physical characteristics to help you identify what type of soil it is.
• Make salt water by mixing salt and water in a glass. Stir until the salt disappears. Fill another glass with water. Have a family member guess which glass contains salt water and which contains fresh water.
• Look at the items in your house. Identify the items made from natural resources

Social Studies

• Help students use cardinal directions on a kid-friendly map.
• Look at a map and use cardinal directions to locate places.
• Try food from other cultures and use it as an opportunity to investigate what similarities you share with that culture.
• Identify examples of good citizens in the media. Discuss what makes them good.
• Read a children’s book about a hero from the Holocaust who showed courage (Anne Frank).

What will my child be learning during the fourth nine weeks of school?

Reading/Language Arts
Phonological Awareness/Phonics

• Read high frequency words (100)
• Read words with Trigraphs (three letter combination that represents one sound) Example words: catch, school, right
• Read and spell words with Vowel Teams (two or more vowels that make one sound.) Example words: cloud, haul paint, flow
• Read words with the suffix -ed and understand the three different sounds
• Read words with a Vowel-Consonant-E pattern, where the E is silent (bike, late)
• Alphabetize a series of words to the first or second letter
• *In Spanish, read words with silabas inversas--words where the vowel is before the consonant. (ayer, isla, escalera)
• *In Spanish, read words with consonant blends (clase, fleco, glosa)

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Predict what will happen next based on gathered clues
• Read multiple genres
• Exposure to persuasive text and poetry
• Identify the meaning of words with affixes -s, -ed, and -ing
• Generate questions about text before, during, and after reading
• Evaluate details to determine what is most important
• Read with appropriate fluency (rate, expression, accuracy)
• Discuss the use of print and graphic features (graphs, captions, bold words)
• *In Spanish, use text features to locate information (graphs, pictures)
• *In Spanish, identify point of view

Writing

• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience writing opinion letter, poetry and descriptive essay
• General questions for research
• Develop a research plan with adult help
• Gather information and share research with others

Math

• Identify U.S. coins by value, and describe the relationships among them
• Describe the value of a U.S. coin by writing a number with the cent symbol
• Determine the value of a collection of pennies, nickels, and/or dimes by using skip counting by twos, fives, and tens
• Discuss the difference between money earned as income and money received as a gift
• Identify income as a means of obtaining goods and services
• Distinguish between spending and saving
• Discuss the definition of charity, types of charities, and the benefits of donating to a charity

• Collect data and record it by using tally marks

• Sort information into up to three different categories
• Create a picture/bar-type graph using data
• Generate a question to be answered by collecting, sorting, and organizing data

Science

• Classify living and nonliving things based upon whether they have basic needs and produce young
• Describe and record examples of interactions and dependence between living and nonliving components in terrariums or aquariums
• Identify and illustrate how living organisms depend on each other through food chains
• Identify the external structures of different animals and compare how those structures help different animals live, move, and meet basic needs for survival
• Compare ways that young animals resemble their parents.
• Record observations of and describe basic life cycles of animals, including a bird, a mammal, and a fish

Social Studies

• Measuring time
• Talking about time
• How we learn about history
• American heroes
• American inventors
• Life then and now
• Technology then and now

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• How has the character changed from the beginning to the end of the story?
• Have you felt similar to the character? What would you have done differently?
• What lesson did the character learn in the story?
• What are some techniques that the author uses in their book that you could try in your writing?

Math

• What is the value of this coin?
• How many _____ have the same value as a _____? (For example, 5 pennies have the same value as a nickel.)
• What can you write with that number to represent the value of these coins?
• Can you find the value of these coins by using skip counting by twos, fives, or tens?
• How do you know the difference between income and gifts?
• What is the difference between a good and a service?
• What is the difference between a want and a need?
• What is the difference between spending and saving?
• Can you create a picture/bar-type graph based on the data you have collected?
• What can you infer from the information represented in this picture/bar-type graph?

Science

• How can we classify living and nonliving things?
• What are basic needs for living things to survive?
• How do characteristics of animals help us determine where they live?
• What are the parts of plants?
• What characteristics do young animals have that resemble their parents?

Social Studies

• How do we use clocks and calendars to measure time?
• How can you help your country?
• Why do people invent things?
• What technology have you used today?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Have your child retell the story including all of the story elements.
• Have your child retell the story by acting it out and considering character voices and feelings.
• While reading with your child, study the techniques the author uses to convey the meaning of the text. (ex: bold words) How do these techniques help convey the meaning?

Math

• Counting Coins: Practice counting coins with your child. Start with identifying each coin and its value, then move on to counting groups of coins together. Use real coins or play money for hands-on practice.
• Role-Playing Scenarios: Act out real-life scenarios involving money, such as going to the bank, paying bills, or making purchases at a store. This helps your child understand the practical applications of money management.
• Survey and Graph: Conduct simple surveys at home on topics of interest to your child, such as favorite colors, animals, or foods. Have your child ask family members or friends their preferences and record the data. Then, help them create a bar graph or pictograph to represent the survey results.
• Tallying and Counting: Practice tallying and counting by recording data from everyday activities. For example, tally the number of red cars passing by the window or count the number of times a specific word is said during story time. Discuss the results together.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Watch and listen to There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Discuss why the animals were eaten in that order, what other animals could the old lady eat and where would they fit into the song?
• Use a wire hanger and yarn to make a mobile of a bird’s life cycle. Draw a picture of each stage, and attach yarn to each picture and to the hanger.

Social Studies

• Watch a video or read a book about inventors: Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver Thomas Edison, or Garrett Morgan.
• Look at pictures with your child on a social media site like Facebook or on your phone and discuss what things have changed and what have stayed the same.
• Practice telling time on an analog clock.
• Discuss the concept of AM and PM

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
Phonological Awareness / Phonics

• Identify, blend, segment, and manipulate short and long vowel phonemes
• Identify sounds of schwa
• Read and spell single syllable words with digraphs (cash, chip) and 2-3 sound blends (black, patch)
• Read and spell 1-4 syllable words with open and closed syllables
• Read and spell words and syllables with VCe (side, parade)
• Read and spell words with common vowel team spellings (ai/ay, ee/ea, ow/oa)
• *In Spanish, read words with multiple sound spelling patterns (c, k & q)
• *In Spanish, read words with diphthongs (a sound formed with two vowels in a single syllable) For example: baile, peine, oigo

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Read self selected text for a sustained period of time
• Demonstrate knowledge of children’s literature
• Describe a characters internal and external traits
• Describe the setting in a story
• Describe plot elements including conflict, main events, and resolution
• Retell texts in ways that maintain meaning
• Discuss the author’s purpose for writing a text
• Determine a stories theme (message) with adult assistance

Writing

• Establish the routines and procedures for Writing Workshop
• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience with and oral narrative writing and informational writing essay

Math

• Represent Numbers to 1,200
• Compare and Order Numbers
• Numbers on a Number Line

Science

• Classify matter by observable physical properties, including texture, flexibility, and relative temperature, and identify whether a material is a solid or liquid
• Conduct a descriptive investigation to explain how physical properties can be changed through processes such as cutting, folding, sanding, melting, or freezing
• Demonstrate that small units such as building blocks can be combined or reassembled to form new objects for different purposes and explain the materials chosen based on their physical properties
• Explain how objects push on each other and may change shape when they touch or collide
• Plan and conduct a descriptive investigation to demonstrate how the strength of a push and pull changes an object’s motion

Social Studies

• My Community, My Country

• We are good citizens.
• Our rights as citizens.
• We follow rules and laws.
• Our government.
• Our leaders.
• Our country’s symbols.
• Celebrate Freedom Week
  Working to Meet Our Needs
• Needs and wants
• Making good choices
• Producing and consuming goods
• Service workers and their jobs

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• If students are reading a word that they don’t know, ask: What do you see in the word that you know? Let’s try each sound.
• If students are trying to spell a word, ask: What do you hear in the word that you know? Let’s break it into sounds.
• After reading a literary story (fiction) ask: What do you think about the main character? When and where does the story take place? What was the problem/resolution? Can you tell me what happened in the story? Why do you think the author wrote that story? What do you think the message of the story is?

Math

• Can you read, write, and represent ___?
• Can you compare and order these numbers?
• I have ___ and ___, what is my total? (within 20)
• I have __ I gave away __, what is my total? (within 20)

Science

• What physical properties of matter identify objects as being solid or liquid? (ex. Texture, relative texture)
• How do food items like ice cream change when they are heated? Cooled?
• What effect do missing parts have on the physical properties of matter?

Social Studies

• What makes someone a good citizen?
• Can you recite the pledge of the United States? Texas?
• How do American symbols represent freedom?
• Which documents guarantee the rights of citizens?
• What is the purpose of government?
• How do people get what they need?
• How do people make choices about things they need and want?
• Why are service jobs important to a community?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Encourage students to read for 20 minutes daily.
• Encourage them to problem solve by using phonics knowledge to read and spell words.
• Expose students to different genres.

Math

• Practice reading, writing, and representing numbers to 1200. Also practice comparing and ordering numbers to 1200.
• Practice adding and subtracting within 20 with automatic recall.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Have your child describe objects at home using the physical properties of matter.
• Build a tower out of household items with different sizes and shapes. Ask your student why they chose the specific items.

Social Studies

• Watch your favorite television show and point out examples of good citizenship.
• Recite both pledges.
• When you go to the store, identify wants and needs with your child.

What will my child be learning during the 2nd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
Phonological Awareness / Phonics

• Read and spell words with 1-3 syllables containing r controlled vowels (or, ar,ore, oar, er, ir, ur, etc.)
• Reading and spell words with /oo/ spelled oo, u, u_e, and ew
• *In Spanish, read words with diphthongs (a sound formed with two vowels in a single syllable) For example: diamante, agua
• *In Spanish, read words with hiatus (two adjacent vowels that do not belong to the same syllable) and Triphthongs (three vowels pronounced in one syllable). For example: linea, creer, frío

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Understand characteristics of fables
• Understand characteristics of informational text
• Make connections to text
• Identify if a text is written in 1st or 3rd person
• Synthesize information to create new understanding

Writing

• Write a clear beginning, middle, and end
• Experience with imaginative story and personal narratives.

Math

• Addition and Subtraction Strategies and Algorithms
• Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving

Science

• How do vibrations cause sound?
• How does sound cause vibrations?
• Why do emergency vehicles like fire trucks use loud sirens?
• How does the Sun help life on Earth?
• Where does the Moon get its light from?
• What are telescopes used for?

Social Studies

Working to Meet Our Needs

• Trading for goods and services.
• Making choices about money
  
  The World Around Us
• Talking about location
• All about maps
• Our earth
• Landforms and bodies of water
• Weather and Climate
• Our environment
• Where people choose to live
• Earth’s resources
• Moving ideas, people, and things

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• If students are reading a word that they don’t know, ask: What do you see in the word that you know? Let’s try each sound.
• If students are trying to spell a word, ask: What do you hear in the word that you know? Let’s break it into sounds.
• Expose students to fables. Ask what lesson does this fable teach us?

Math

• Can you read, write, and represent ___?
• Can you compare and order these numbers?
• I have ___ and ___, what is my total?
• I have __ I gave away __, what is my total?
• What do you know about fractions?
• What does a half, fourth, or eight look like?
• Can you add or subtract a two digit number from this two digit number?

Science

• What physical properties of matter identify objects as being solid or liquid? (ex. Texture, relative texture)
• How do food items like ice cream change when they are heated? Cooled?
• What effect do missing parts have on the physical properties of matter?

Social Studies

• Why are some things cheap and other things expensive?
• Why do people save money?
• How do you know where you are in the world?
• How does weather affect people, plants and animals?
• How do people affect the environment?
• What’s the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Encourage students to read for 20 minutes daily.
• Encourage them to problem solve by using phonics knowledge to read and spell words.
• Expose students to informational text (nonfiction). Ask: What do you learn from this text?
• After reading, ask your child what new thoughts they have from what they read?
• Ask your child questions before, during, and after reading a book.

Math

• Practice reading, writing, and representing numbers to 1,200.
• Practice comparing and ordering numbers to 1,200.
• Practice adding and subtracting with and without objects.
• Practice adding and subtracting with and without regrouping using pictures, objects, and equations.
• Expose your child to fractions from recipes as you cook.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Go outside at three different times of the day, and stand in the same place. Do not look directly at the Sun, but point where the sunlight is coming from. Draw a picture of you and the Sun in three different places in the sky.
• Watch a sports game that uses a ball. See how the players use different push strengths to make the ball go where they want.

Social Studies

• Create a plan to save money for something of choice.
• Find a blank map of North America and identify Texas, the United States, Mexico and Canada.
• Also, discuss how the climate affects these places differently.
• What are the seven continents and major oceans? Locate them on a map or globe.
• What are our neighboring countries?
• What is the capital of the US and Texas? Can you locate them?

What will my child be learning during the 3rd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
Phonological Awareness / Phonics

• Read and spell words with oi, oy, ou, ow, oo, au, and aw.
• Read and spell words with chunks (-ang, -ing, -ank, ink, etc.)
• Read and spell words with consonant -le
• Read and spell words with latin chunks (-tion, -sion, -ture, -cial, etc.)
• *In Spanish, transfer skills in reading Spanish words ending with -ción to read cognates in English with -tion (Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation) vacación-vacation

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Discuss elements of drama
• Understand characteristics of biographies
• Recognize structures of informational text (chronological order, cause/effect, description, sequential order)
• Discuss descriptive, literal, and figurative language
• Use resources to determine the meaning of unknown words
• Make inferences
• *In Spanish, identify text structures for persuasive and cause & effect texts.
• *In Spanish, compare & contrast characters & story themes

Writing

• Practice utilizing all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
• Experience with informational essay including biography and procedural text

Math

Multiply and Divide

• Model, create, and describe real-world multiplication situations in which equal sets of concrete objects are joined
• Model, create, and describe real-world division situations in which a set of concrete objects is separated into equal sets

Area

• Use concrete models to find the area of a rectangle by covering it with square units and leaving no gaps or overlaps
• Count to find the total number of square units
• Describe the area using a number and a unit

Length

• Find the length of an object by using concrete models for standard units of length
• Describe the relationship between the size of the unit and the number of units needed to equal the length of an object
• Use measuring tools to find the length of an object to the nearest marked unit

2D and 3D Shapes

• Create two-dimensional shapes by using a given number of sides and vertices
• Identify two-dimensional shapes by using the number of sides and vertices
• Classify and sort polygons with 12 or fewer sides according to attributes
• Classify and sort three-dimensional solids, including spheres, cones, cylinders, rectangular prisms (including cubes as special rectangular prisms), and triangular prisms, based on their attributes

Science

• Investigate and describe how wind and water move soil and rock particles across the Earth’s surface such as wind blowing sand into dunes on a beach or a river carrying rocks as it flows
• Distinguish between natural and manmade resources
• Describe how human impact can be limited by making choices to conserve and properly dispose of materials such as reducing use of, reusing , or recycling paper, plastic, and metal
• Describe how the physical characteristics of environments, including the amount of rainfall, support plants and animals within an ecosystem

Social Studies

• Celebrating Our Traditions

• Culture is our way of life.
• Cultures in our community.
• What we celebrate.

• Holocaust Remembrance Week

  Our Nation Past and Present

• Life then and now
• Learning about the past
• The First Americans
• America’s Early Settlers
•  
• American stories.
• Two cultures.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• If students are reading a word that they don’t know, ask: What do you see in the word that you know? Let’s try each sound.
• If students are trying to spell a word, ask: What do you hear in the word that you know? Let’s break it into sounds.

Math

• Can you describe a real-world situation in which you used multiplication/division today?
• Can you skip count by 2, 3, 4, 5's?
• Can you count the square units to find the area of this rectangle?
• Can you use this ruler, yardstick, meterstick, or measuring tape to measure the length?
• Can you create a two-dimensional/three-dimensional shape with ____ sides and ____ vertices by using these materials?
• What shape has ____ sides and ____ vertices?

Science

• How are sand dunes formed?
• What natural processes can move rocks, soil, and sand?
• Why do rocks that are in the ocean change their shapes?
• What is a natural resource?
• What is a human-made resource?
• What are ways we can conserve natural resources?
• What is an ecosystem?
• How does the amount of rainfall support plants in different ecosystems?
• How do the temperatures of different ecosystems support the plants in them?

Social Studies

• What does it mean to be a good citizen?
• How does diversity contribute to the richness of our culture?
• What makes someone a hero?
• What important ways are cultures alike?
• What does it mean to be an upstander?
• How does life change throughout history?
• How are primary and secondary sources different?
• What do different American Indian cultures have in common?
• Why did Europeans want to colonize the Americas?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Encourage students to read for 20 minutes daily.
• Encourage them to problem solve by using phonics knowledge to read and spell words.
• Expose students to plays and drama.
• Encourage students to learn about people they are interested in through biographies.
• Help students use a dictionary or online resource to look up the meaning of words they don’t know.

Math

• Multiplication Arrays: Use everyday objects like buttons, coins, or stickers to create arrays. For example, arrange 4 rows of 3 buttons to demonstrate the multiplication expression 4 x 3 = 12. Encourage your child to count the total number of objects in the array to find the product.
• Skip Counting Songs: Teach your child skip counting songs for numbers such as 2s, 5s, and 10s. Singing along to catchy tunes can help them memorize multiplication facts more easily. You can find skip counting songs on educational websites or streaming platforms.
• Division as Sharing: Use objects like candies or cookies to model division as sharing. For example, if you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 3 friends, how many cookies does each friend get? Help your child understand that division is about partitioning objects into equal groups.
• Square Tile Grids: Create square tile grids using graph paper or square tiles. Ask your child to count the number of squares inside different shapes and calculate the total area. This activity helps them understand the concept of area as the number of unit squares that can fit inside a shape.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take a walk around your neighborhood or backyard and look for different areas, such as the area of a garden bed or the surface area of a patio. Help your child measure and calculate the area of these outdoor spaces.
• Shape Hunt: Go on a shape hunt around the house or neighborhood. Encourage your child to identify and name different 2D shapes (like squares, circles, triangles) and 3D shapes (like cubes, cylinders, cones) they see in everyday objects such as books, furniture, or household items.
• Shape Art: Create art projects that involve using 2D and 3D shapes. Provide materials like construction paper, scissors, glue, and craft sticks. Encourage your child to make collages, mosaics, or sculptures using various shapes and colors.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Draw and design a model that protects a flower garden from being washed away
• Take a walk around your neighborhood. Point out natural and human-made resources to a family member
• Research monarch butterflies and the path they follow when they migrate.

Social Studies

• Look at technology used around the house and research who the inventor was. Think about what life was like before the invention.
• Read a book about a Civil Rights hero with your child. Try A Ride to Remember by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan

What will my child be learning during the 4th nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
Phonological Awareness / Phonics

• Read and spell words with hard and soft c and g
• Read and spell words with consonant suffixes (-s, -less, -ment, -ful, -ly)
• Read and spell words with vowel suffixes (-es, -ing, -er, -est, -able, etc.)
• Read and spell words with prefixes and suffixes
• Read and spell words with the 3 sound suffix -ed
• *In Spanish, identificar palabras aumentativas y diminutivas (casa-casona, casa-casita)

Reading Behaviors and Skills

• Monitor comprehension when understanding breaks down
• Evaluate details to determine key ideas in text
• Recognize characteristics of persuasive texts
• Explain patterns and structures in a variety of poems
• Create mental images to deepen understanding
• Explain the meaning of antonyms, synonyms, idioms, and homographs
• *In Spanish, identifying primary resources in informational texts & drawing conclusions
• *In Spanish, compare & contrast informational texts

Writing

• Utilize all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share.
• Experience with writing opinion letter, poetry and descriptive essay

Math

• Fractions

• Split objects into equal parts, and name the parts, including halves, fourths, and eighths, by using words
• Explain how, the more fractional parts used to make a whole, the smaller the parts will be
• Explain how, the fewer the fractional parts used to make a whole, the larger the parts will be
• Use models to count fractional parts beyond one whole by using words
• I can recognize how many parts it takes to equal one whole

• Time

• Read and write time to the nearest one-minute increment by using an analog clock and a digital clock
• Distinguish between a.m. and p.m

• Money

• Add the values of a group of coins up to one dollar.
• Use the cent symbol, the dollar sign, and the decimal point to name the value of a collection of coins

• Personal Financial Literacy

• Explain that saving is an alternative to spending
• Tell the difference between a deposit and a withdrawal
• Identify examples of borrowing and lending
• Tell the difference between producers and consumers

Science

• Create and describe food chains identifying producers and consumers to demonstrate how animals depend on other living things
• Explain and demonstrate how some plants depend on other living things, wind, or water for pollination and to move their seeds around
• Identify the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds of plants and compare how those structures help different plants meet their basic needs for survival
• Record and compare how the structures and behaviors of animals help them find and take in food, water, and air
• Record and compare how being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes
• Investigate and describe some of the unique life cycles of animals where young animals do not resemble their parents, including butterflies and frogs

Social Studies

• Our Nation Past and Present

• A growing nation.
• Technology then and now.
• American heroes.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• If students are reading a word that they don’t know, ask: What do you see in the word that you know? Let’s try each sound.
• If students are trying to spell a word, ask: What do you hear in the word that you know? Let’s break it into sounds.
• After reading a literary story (fiction) ask: What do you think about the main character? When and where does the story take place? What was the problem/resolution? Can you tell me what happened in the story? Why do you think the author wrote that story? What do you think the message of the story is?

Math

• How can you split this whole into halves/fourths/eighths?
• Would you rather share a pizza that was cut into four or eight equal parts?
• What are some examples/non-examples of halves, fourths, and eighths?
• What is the time to the nearest minute on the analog/digital clock?
• Can you write the time to the nearest minute by separating the hour and minutes with a colon?
• What are some activities that happen in the a.m./p.m.?
• Can you identify the name and value of the coins in this collection?
• How can you use skip counting to find the value of this group of coins?
• What is the total value of the group of coins?
• Why is it better to save your money than to spend it?
• What is an example of responsible/irresponsible borrowing?

Science

• Where do plants get their energy from?
• What do the arrows in a food chain show?
• How does energy move through a food chain?
• What structures do plants have?
• What is the function of each plant structure?
• What do most fruits and seeds have in common?
• Why do animals have different structures and behaviors?
• How do animals’ structures help them survive?
• How do animals adapt to changes?
• What are the stages of the butterfly life cycle?
• What are the stages of the frog life cycle?
• What stage are a butterfly and frog in when they lay eggs?

Social Studies

• What is the difference between science & technology? Give examples.
• In what ways does science improve the quality of life?
• How did civil rights leaders make a difference?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Encourage students to read for 20 minutes daily.
• Encourage them to problem solve by using phonics knowledge to read and spell words.

Math

• Fraction Manipulatives: Use everyday objects like cookies, fruit slices, or LEGO blocks to demonstrate fractions. For example, cut a pizza or a cake into equal parts and discuss fractions like halves, thirds, or fourths.
• Fraction Pizzas: Create fraction pizzas using paper plates or construction paper. Divide the pizza into equal parts and label each slice with a fraction. Have your child color or decorate the slices to represent different toppings.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take nature walks and look for opportunities to discuss fractions in the environment. For example, observe flowers with different numbers of petals and discuss fractions like one-half, one-third, or one-fourth.
• Clock Crafts: Engage your child in creating crafts related to telling time. For example, make a paper plate clock by drawing numbers and clock hands on a paper plate. Your child can practice moving the clock hands to represent different times.
• Clock Practice: Provide opportunities for your child to practice telling time throughout the day. Encourage them to read the time on analog and digital clocks in various contexts, such as during daily activities, while watching TV, or playing games.
• Grocery Shopping: Take your child grocery shopping and involve them in the process. Have them help you compare prices, estimate costs, and count out money at the checkout counter. Encourage them to participate in decision-making based on budget constraints.
• Counting Coins: Practice counting coins with your child. Start with identifying each coin and its value, then move on to counting groups of coins together. Use real coins or play money for hands-on practice.
• View at home activities HERE
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•  

Science

• Go on a scavenger hunt to find a plant that looks like it is not getting the things it needs to survive. Examine the plant’s structures to see if you can find out why
• Tell a family member what structure you feel is most important to an animal to help it survive.
• Draw a picture of frog eggs and butterfly eggs. Write how they are alike and different.

Social Studies

• Watch your favorite television show and point out examples of good citizenship.
• Recite both pledges.
• When you go to the store, identify wants and needs with your child.

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
 

Reading

• Read and spell words with patterns such as -eigh, -ough, and -en
• Read and spell words with vowel teams (ee, ea, ai, ay, igh, ow, oa, ou)
• Identify high frequency words from a research based list
• Learn and understand the structure of literary text and how it has a forward progressing order
• Analyze the sequence of events; including the conflict and resolution
• Describe the major and minor characters in the text
• Identify theme by noticing the actions and dialogue of the main character
• Explain how the setting is important to the text
• Analyze how the sequence of events, conflict, resolution are important to the text
• Describe personal connections to a text
• Generate questions before, during, and after reading
• Explain the author’s purpose for writing a text and how the text structure contributes to the purpose

Writing

• Learn to write personal narratives
• Write descriptive pieces that centers around a particular event
• Revise sentences by adding, subtracting, or moving sentences to organize the text
• Edit sentences to check for capitalization, usage, and punctuation

Math

• Place Value Relationships

• Compose and decompose numbers up to 100,000, using objects, picture models, and expanded notation
• Describe the mathematical relationship in the base-10 place value system

• Compare and Order Numbers

• Compare three or more numbers up to 100,000.
• Put numbers up to 100,000 in order
• Use symbols to represent the comparison of numbers

• Estimation and Compatible Numbers

• Represent a number on a number line and describe its location relative to another number
• Round numbers to estimate solutions of addition and subtraction problems
• Use compatible numbers to estimate solutions of addition and subtraction problems

• Addition and Subtraction Models and Fluency

• Represent one-step and two-step addition and subtraction problems, using pictorial models, number lines, and equations
• Add and subtract to solve problems, using appropriate and efficient strategies

Science

• Measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float in water
• Demonstrate that materials can be combined based on their physical properties to create or modify objects such as building a tower or adding clay to sand to make a stronger brick and justify the selection of materials based on their physical properties
• Describe and classify samples of matter as solids, liquids, and gases and demonstrate that solids have a definite shape and that liquids and gases take the shape of their container
• Predict, observe, and record changes in the state of matter caused by heating or cooling in a variety of substances such as ice becoming liquid water, condensation forming on the outside of a glass, or liquid water being heated to the point of becoming water vapor (gas)
• Demonstrate and describe forces acting on an object in contact or at a distance, including magnetism, gravity, and pushes and pulls
• Plan and conduct a descriptive investigation to demonstrate and explain how position and motion can be changed by pushing and pulling objects such as swings, balls, and wagons

Social Studies

• Our Communities

• What makes a community?
• Where communities are located.
• Three types of communities.

• Celebrate Freedom Week

  Our Environment

• Land and water.
• Weather, climate, and forces of nature.
• Using Earth’s resources.
• Interacting with the environment.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• When reading a story with your student:
• How can minor conflicts impact the plot?
• How are the sequence of events important to the story?
• How is the main conflict connected to the resolution?
• Who is the major character and who is the minor? How do you know?
• What can we learn from the main character or conflict?

Math

• What objects were attracted to a magnet?
• What objects were not attracted to a magnet?
• What objects sank in water?
• What objects floated in water?
• What causes liquid water to become solid?
• What causes liquid water to become gas?
• Why are magnetic objects attracted to refrigerators?

Science

• What physical properties of matter identify objects as being solid or liquid? (ex. Texture, relative texture)
• How do food items like ice cream change when they are heated? Cooled?
• What effect do missing parts have on the physical properties of matter?

Social Studies

• Why do people start communities?
• Why do we have maps?
• What’s the difference between rural, urban and suburban? (Which one is Crandall?)
• What is a constitution and why is it important?
• How do we interact with our planet?
• How does weather and climate affect how and where people, plants, and animals live?
• How does the human use of resources impact the physical world?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Ask questions centered around the characters (including traits and feelings).
• Have your child write about their day. Ask what is the highlight of your day? Have them describe it, then write about it. Encourage them to add details to build mental images.
• Have your child consistently read every day.
• Discuss interests with your child. Then connect reading with the ability to discover more about subjects they would like to learn about.

Math

• Comparing Numbers Game: Play a game where your child compares pairs of numbers. Provide number cards or write numbers on sticky notes, and ask your child to determine which number is greater or less than the other.
• Place Value Bingo: Create a bingo game with number cards representing multi-digit numbers. Call out numbers randomly, and have your child mark the corresponding numbers on their bingo card. This game reinforces place value understanding and number recognition.
• Math Scavenger Hunt: Hide math problems around the house or outdoor area for your child to find. Once they locate a problem, they must solve it and record their answer. Offer a small prize for completing the scavenger hunt.
• Math Challenges: Present your child with math challenges or puzzles that require them to use addition and subtraction to solve. For example, create a "Math Challenge of the Day" where your child must solve a problem using mental math or written strategies.
• View at home activities HERE
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•  

Science

• Fill a sink up and predict whether household and food items will sink or float, then test those items
• Build a structure with objects that have different textures, sizes, or mass

Social Studies

• Talk about the community you grew up in and talk about the similarities and differences.
• Spend some time finding places on maps.
• Look around your house, Find examples of using the earth’s resources.

What will my child be learning during the 2nd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
 

Reading

• Read and spell compound words, contractions an abbreviations
• Read and spell words with uncommon vowel spellings (ie, ey)
• Alphabetize a series of words to the third letter
• Use print or digital resources, and context clues to determine meaning
• Read with appropriate fluency (rate, expression, accuracy)
• Generate questions before, during, and after reading
• Learn the structure of multiple informational texts
• Understand the author’s purpose of the text
• Find the central idea of a text
• Learn to use the text features to understand the text they are reading

Writing

• Learn how to write with purpose using information they have gathered
• Revise essays to include detail and clarity
• Edit essays to check for capitalization, punctuation, and usage

Math

• Multiplication Models and Strategies

• Use arrays, repeated addition, area models, number lines, and skip counting to represent multiplication
• use mental math, partial product, commutative property, associative property, distributive property, and standard algorithm to multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit number.

• Division Models

• Determine the number of objects in each group when a set is partitioned equally
• Identify odd and even numbers, using divisibility rules

• Multiplication and Division Problem Solving

• Use objects, properties of operations, recall facts, use arrays, strip diagrams, and equations to solve multiplication and division problems.

Science

• Identify everyday examples of energy, including light, sound, thermal, and mechanical
• Plan and conduct investigations that demonstrate how the speed of an object is related to its mechanical energy
• Construct models and explain the orbits of the Sun, Earth, and Moon in relation to each other
• Identify the order of the planets in Earth's solar system in relation to the Sun

 

Social Studies

Communities Build a Nation

• America’s First Peoples.
• Early explorers.
• Early Spanish communities.
• Early French communities.
• Early English communities.
• Creating a new nation.

U.S. Government

• Our Constitutional Republic.
• Branches of government.
• Levels of government.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What is the author trying to teach you?
• How do you think the author feels about the topic he/she is writing about?
• What is the main idea of that paragraph?
• What did you learn from reading the text?

Math

• What is multiplication, and how can we model it?
• How is multiplication helpful?
• What different strategies can I use to multiply large numbers?
• How are the different strategies helpful when multiplying?
• How can we know if a number is even or odd?
• How do we divide, and why is it useful?
• How are multiplication and division related?
• How can I use multiplication and division to solve problems?

Science

• What objects produce similar types of energy?
• What objects produce different types of energy?

• How long does it take Earth to orbit the Sun?

• How long does it take the Moon to orbit Earth?

• What are the limitations of models of our solar system?

Social Studies

• How does our past affect our present?
• How does geography influence a community?
• Why do people explore?
• Why do people fight?
• Why do we have government?
• Why do we need three branches of government?
• What are the responsibilities of each branch of government?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Find text that interests them.
• Take them to the local library.
• Have them read to you about a topic of their choice.
• Have them write and explain what they just read.
• Have your child tell you the central idea of their informational text.

Math

• Multiplication Arrays: Use everyday objects like buttons, coins, or stickers to create arrays. For example, arrange 4 rows of 3 buttons to demonstrate the multiplication expression 4 x 3 = 12. Encourage your child to count the total number of objects in the array to find the product.
• Skip Counting Songs: Teach your child skip counting songs for numbers such as 2s, 5s, and 10s. Singing along to catchy tunes can help them memorize multiplication facts more easily. You can find skip counting songs on educational websites or streaming platforms.
• Multiplication Wheels: Create multiplication wheels by drawing circles with numbers around the edge. Write a multiplication fact in the center of each wheel, and have your child spin the wheel to find the product. They can then check their answer by counting around the circle.
• Division as Sharing: Use objects like candies or cookies to model division as sharing. For example, if you have 12 cookies and want to share them equally among 3 friends, how many cookies does each friend get? Help your child understand that division is about partitioning objects into equal groups.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Walk around the house and find examples of mechanical, thermal, sound and light energy.
• Build a model with household items of the solar system.

Social Studies

• Have conversation about how space exploration is similar/different to European exploration.
• Watch the School House Rock video three ring circus about the three branches of government and have a conversation using the questions above.

What will my child be learning during the 3rd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts

Reading

• Read and spell words with vowel teams
• Read and spell words with chunks (-ang, -ing, -ong, -ung, -ank, -ink, -onk, -unk)
• Analyze structural elements and characteristics of informational text including central idea with supporting evidence, text features, and informational text structures
• Understand structural elements and characteristics of argumentative text including claim, audience, and distinguishing fact from opinion
• Understand the structural elements of drama
• Discuss the elements of folktales, fables, fairy tales, and legends
• Understand the difference between argumentative and persuasive text
• Understand how a claim is important to an argumentative text
• Understand who the intended audience is when we read and argumentative or persuasive text
• Explain the use of print and graphic features (graphs, tables, captions, bold words)

Writing

• Respond to informational text that demonstrates understanding
• Revise essays to include detail and clarity
• Edit essay to check for capitalization, punctuation, and proper grammar
• Develop drafts into focused, structured pieces of writing
• Publish written work for appropriate audiences

Math

Representing Numerical Relationships

• Use a table to show relationships between pairs of numbers

Area & Perimeter

• Determine the area of rectangles, using multiplication
• Determine the area of a composite figure
• Determine the area of composite figures with missing side lengths
• Determine the perimeter of a polygon
• Determine the missing length of a side of a polygon

2D and 3D Shapes

• Classify and sort two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures based on their attributes.
• Use attributes to recognize quadrilaterals and triangles

Fractions

• Represent fractions, using concrete objects, strip diagrams, and number lines
• Solve problems involving partitioning, using pictures
• Name fractions as points on a number line
• Represent fractions as distances on a number line
• Compose and decompose a fraction

Science

• Compare and describe day-to-day weather in different locations at the same time, including air temperature, wind direction, and precipitation
• Investigate and explain how soils such as sand and clay are formed by weathering of rock and by decomposition of plant and animal remains
• Model and describe rapid changes in Earth's surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides

Social Studies

• Citizenship

• Good citizens, good deeds.
• Taking actions for our rights.
• Taking action for a cause.

• Holocaust Remembrance Week

  A Growing Nation

• New ways to travel
• A new home in America
• New ways to communicate
• New ideas

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What opinion did the author have?
• What is the main message in the text?
• Why does an author include text features?
• What is the main idea?
• How is the text organized?
• What is an example of a fact?
• What is an example of an opinion?

Math

• How can we organize number patterns that come from applying a rule?
• How do I find the area if some sides’ lengths are missing?
• What is perimeter, and how can we measure it?
• What are the characteristics of two-dimensional & three-dimensional shapes, and how are these useful?
• What are fractions, and how can we model them?
• Where do fractions belong on a number line?
• What parts make up a fraction?

Science

• What was the weather like in your hometown?
• What was the weather like in the second location you picked?
• What types of soil are there?
• What happens to the earth’s surface when there is an earthquake?

Social Studies

• How can we help others?
• What are ways you can respect people’s rights?
• What ideas would you stand up for?
• How does life change throughout history?
• How do ways people travel impact the way they live?
• Why do people move to new lands?
• How have changes in the way we communicate changed the way we live?
• How can we stand up for those who are being treated unfairly?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Have your child play "would you rather" and then give examples and explanation.
• Have your child pick two topics and compare their similarities and differences.
• Have your child find facts and opinions. Discuss who the targeted audience is and explain with evidence.

Math

• Real-Life Applications: Explore real-life scenarios where understanding area and perimeter is useful, such as planning a garden or painting a room. Have your child measure the dimensions of the area and calculate the amount of paint or soil needed.
• Shape Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt where your child searches for 2D and 3D shapes around the house or in the backyard. Provide a list of shapes to find, such as squares, circles, triangles, cubes, spheres, and cylinders.
• Geometry Art Projects: Encourage your child to create art projects using 2D and 3D shapes. For example, they can make a collage using cutout shapes, create a sculpture using clay or playdough, or draw a picture using geometric shapes as inspiration.
• Fraction Art Projects: Create art projects that involve fractions, such as making a collage using different shapes cut out from construction paper. Ask your child to represent fractions by using different colors or patterns for each part of the collage.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Keep a weather journal.
• Explore the types of soils that are in your yard.
• Discuss ways a volcano will change an earth’s surface.

Social Studies

• Think about ways you can help your community and involve your child (ie collect food for a canned food drive).
• For Holocaust Remembrance Week, read Bartali’s Bicycle by Megan Hoyt and Iacopo Bruno
• Have your child pick out some places in the US/world to which they’d like to travel. Ask them how they would get there. Have a conversation about methods of travel and how they have changed over time.

What will my child be learning during the 4th nine weeks of school?

Language Arts

Reading

• Read and spell words with Latin chunks (-tion, -sion, -ture, -cial, -tial, cious, -tious)
• Read and spell words with suffixes (s, less, ness, ment, ful, ly)
• Read and spell words with prefixes and suffixes
• Explain the author’s purpose and message within a text
• Analyze plot elements in the text
• Explain there are major and minor characters and their relationships
• Recognize the central idea (main focus) of the text
• Different ways texts are organized in non-fiction
• The impact of different text features
• Distinguish between fact and fiction

Writing

• Utilize all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share.
• Experience with writing opinion letter, poetry and descriptive essay

Math

• Equivalent Fractions

• Represent fractions with objects, models, and number lines
• Explain why two fractions are equivalent

• Comparing Fractions

• Compare two fractions with the same numerator or denominator and justify my conclusion, using symbols, words, objects, and models

• Add and Subtract Time

• Use tools and models to add and subtract intervals of time to solve problems

• Weight and Capacity

• Determine when to use units of weight or liquid volume

• Money and Budget

• Count money
• Explain the connections between work and income, education and income, and effort and income
• Explain why and how credit is used
• Determine when financial decisions involve income, saving, spending, and credit
•  
• Determine the weight of an object

Science

• Explore and explain how humans use natural resources such as in construction, in agriculture, in transportation, and to make products
• Explain why the conservation of natural resources is important
• Identify ways to conserve natural resources through reducing, reusing, or recycling
• Explain how temperature and precipitation affect animal
• growth and behavior through migration and hibernation and plant responses through dormancy;
• Identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain and predict how changes in a food chain such as removal of frogs from a pond or bees from a field affect the ecosystem;
• Describe how natural changes to the environment such as floods and droughts cause some organisms to thrive and others to perish or move to new
• Identify fossils as evidence of past living organisms and environments, including common Texas fossils.
• Explore and explain how external structures and functions of animals such as the neck of a giraffe or webbed feet on a duck enable them to survive in their environment; and
• Explore, illustrate, and compare life cycles in organisms such as beetles, crickets, radishes, or lima beans

Social Studies

• Working in Our Communities

• Meeting our needs and wants
• Producers and consumers

• Celebrating Our Communities

• People and cultures
• Culture through the arts
• Cultural celebrations
• Our nation’s diversity
•  
• Exchanging goods and services
• Spending and saving
• Many different jobs

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What kind of book is this? (type of genre)
• Why did the author characterize the character in such a way?
• What is the order of events?
• What are the different conflicts in the story?
• Which conflict connects to the resolution?
• What are the key details in the text?
• What is important and how does it connect to the subheading?
• Why do you think the author wrote this text?

Math

• How can I compare the value of two fractions?
• What does it mean if two fractions are equivalent?
• How can we know for sure which of two fractions is greater?
• How can we use our knowledge of the parts of a fraction to compare them?
• How can we solve problems about time?
• When should I use units of weight?
• When should I use units of volume?
• How can we know how much money we have?
• How can I earn money, and what can affect how much I earn?
• What things do I need to think about to make good financial decisions?

Science

• How do the physical characteristics of an environment support populations and communities of plants and animals in an ecosystem?
• How do droughts affect where some organisms thrive?
• What is the impact on polar bears if seals disappear from the Arctic food chain?

Social Studies

• What’s the difference between producers and consumers?
• How do supply and demand influence the price of goods?
• Why is it important to make a budget and save money?
• How are specialization and division of labor beneficial?
• What are the biggest influencers of culture?
• How do people share and express their culture?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Ask your child what kind of book they are reading.
• Model reading online or paperback.
• Have them create something that shows their understanding of the books they have read at home.

Math

• Fraction Circles: Create fraction circles using paper or cardstock. Cut out several circles and divide each into different fractions (e.g., halves, thirds, quarters). Have your child compare pairs of fractions by placing the circles side by side and visually determining which fraction is greater.
• Fraction Line Plot: Create a number line or line plot with fractions marked along the line. Ask your child to place fractions on the line and compare their positions to determine which fractions are greater or smaller.
• Clock Activities: Use a clock or a toy clock with movable hands to practice adding and subtracting time. Create time-based scenarios, such as "If it's 3:45 PM now and you have a 30-minute activity, what time will it end?" Encourage your child to manipulate the clock hands to find the answer.
• Cooking and Baking: Involve your child in cooking or baking activities that require following recipes with specific cooking times. Encourage them to calculate the total preparation and cooking time by adding together the individual time intervals for each step.
• Cooking and Baking: Involve your child in cooking and baking activities that require measuring ingredients by weight or volume. Use kitchen scales to weigh ingredients like flour, sugar, or fruits, and measuring cups or spoons for liquids. Encourage your child to read the measurements and follow the recipe accurately.
• Comparing Weights and Capacities: Provide a variety of objects with different weights and capacities, such as toys, books, containers, and household items. Ask your child to compare the weights of objects by lifting and holding them or compare the capacities of containers by pouring water or rice into them.
• Grocery Shopping: Take your child grocery shopping and involve them in the process of budgeting. Give them a set amount of money and help them create a shopping list within that budget. Encourage them to compare prices, make decisions based on value, and keep track of their spending.
• Pretend Store: Set up a pretend store at home using items from around the house. Assign prices to different items and provide your child with play money. Let them "shop" for items within a budget and practice making transactions as both the shopper and the cashier.
• View at home activities HERE
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Science

• Take a walk in the neighborhood and look for different physical characteristics that provide organisms with food, water, and shelter.
• Grow a tomato from seeds at home. Monitor and water the plant. Document the process in a journal.

Social Studies

• Help create a budget for a party or family trip.
• Read the book about culture Same, but different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
 

Reading

• Learn and understand the structure of literary text and the forward progressing order
• Analyze rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
• Explain the interactions between characters and the changes they undergo
• Identify theme(s) by noticing the actions and dialogue of the main character
• Analyze how different parts of text are important to the story
• Read with appropriate fluency (rate, expression, accuracy)
• Recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including biographies and autobiographies
• Explain figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification in poetry
• Read and spell words with:
  • -ed, -ing, -e, er, -est
  • -ty, -ty, -ic
  • Vowel-consonant-E patterns
  • Vowel teams and digraphs
• Understand Grammar:
  • Subjects/Predicates
  • Compound subject/predicate
  • Synonyms & Antonyms
  • Complete sentences, fragments
  • Common/proper nouns

Writing

• Write a personal narrative
• Write a descriptive piece that centers around a particular event
• Revise sentences by adding, subtracting, or moving sentences to organize text
• Edit sentences to check for capitalization, usage, and punctuation

Math

• Number and Operations

• Explain the relationship between the digits of whole numbers
• Represent the value of whole numbers, using expanded notation
• Use symbols to compare whole numbers
• Round numbers to estimate solutions to problems

• Decimals

• Represent the value of decimal numbers, using expanded notation
• Represent decimals, using models
• Explain the relationship between decimals and fractions
• Compare and order decimals.
• Name a decimal on a number line
• Add and subtract decimals and whole numbers, using the standard algorithm

• Fractions

• Decide if fractions are equivalent or not
• Use symbols to compare fractions
• Represent a fraction as a sum of fractions
• Use a model to decompose fractions
• Record a decomposed fraction in a number sentence

Science

• Classify and describe matter using observable physical properties, including temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density (the ability to sink or float in water), and physical state (solid, liquid, gas)
• Investigate and compare a variety of mixtures, including
• Solutions that are composed of liquids in liquids and solids in liquids
• Demonstrate that matter is conserved when mixtures such as soil and water or oil and water are formed.
• Plan and conduct descriptive Investigation to explore the patterns of forces such as gravity, friction, or magnetism in contact or at a distance on an object.

Social Studies

• The Geography of Texas

• Locating Texas.
• Texas resources.
• Texas climate.

• Celebrate Freedom Week

  The Geographic Regions of Texas

• The mountains and basins region.
• The great plains region.
• The north central plains region.
• The coastal plains region.
•  
• Texas plants and animals.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• When reading a story with your student:
• How can minor conflicts impact the plot?
• How are the sequence of events important to the story?
• How is the main conflict connected to the resolution?
• Who is the major character and who is the minor? How do you know?
• What can we learn from the main character or conflict?

Math

• How is expanded notation used to represent the value of whole numbers?
• How are whole numbers compared?
• How are comparisons represented?
• How can rounding be used to solve problems?
• How are decimals represented with models?
• How are decimals and fractions related?
• How do you know if a decimal is greater than another?
• How are decimals named on a number line?
• How can the standard algorithm be used to add and subtract whole numbers and decimals?
• When are fractions equivalent?
• How do you know if one fraction is greater than the other?
• How can fractions be represented?
• How can fractions be decomposed?

Science

• What are some examples of mixtures and how can they be separated? Ex. use physical properties like magnetism, sink/float to separate mixtures.
• How did you know the object was a solid?

• How did you know the substance was a liquid?

• How do you see friction at work in your life?

Social Studies

• In what part if the United States is Texas located?
• How does geography affect our lives?
• Why are natural resources important to our communities?
• What are the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence?
• What are the four geographic regions of Texas and what makes them unique?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• While watching a movie. ask questions about the characters?
• Ask what we can learn from the characters in movies, or stories.

Math

• Number Comparisons: Provide pairs of numbers and ask your child to compare them using comparison symbols (<, >, =). Use physical objects like blocks or counters to represent the numbers visually, and encourage your child to explain their reasoning for each comparison.
• Number Hunt: Create a number scavenger hunt around the house or outdoors. Write various numbers on index cards or sticky notes and hide them in different locations. Challenge your child to find the numbers and arrange them in order when they've found them all.
• Grocery Store Math: Take your child grocery shopping and involve them in calculating the total cost of items with decimals. Have them add up the prices of different items, including those with decimal values, and estimate the total cost before reaching the checkout counter.
• Fraction Challenges: Present your child with challenges involving comparing fractions. For example, ask them to find equivalent fractions for a given fraction and compare them, or give them two fractions and ask them to determine which one is closer to 1 whole.
• Kitchen Math: Involve your child in cooking or baking activities that require adding or subtracting fractions. For example, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup of flour and you need to double the recipe, ask your child to calculate how much flour you'll need in total.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Have your child compare and contrast the physical properties of common household items.
• Have your child pick their favorite foods (ex. Chocolate chip cookies) and talk about what components are mixed together (milk, sugar, flour, butter, chocolate chips...).
• Give 3 examples of how an object is impacted by a force on it. (ex. Pulling on the refrigerator handle)

Social Studies

• Sing or recite “Texas, Our Texas”.
• Look at a Texas map and locate the physical regions of Texas.
• Create a Texas Map Puzzle: Print out a map of Texas and cut it into pieces to create a puzzle. Have your kids assemble the puzzle while discussing different geographical features such as rivers, mountains, and cities.
• Texas Geography Bingo: Create bingo cards with various geographical features of Texas such as the Rio Grande, the Gulf Coast, major cities like Houston and Dallas, landmarks like the Alamo, and natural features like the Big Bend National Park. Call out descriptions and have the kids mark the corresponding places on their bingo cards.
• Virtual Field Trips: Use online resources to take virtual field trips to different regions of Texas. Explore the diverse landscapes, wildlife, and cultural landmarks from the comfort of your home.
• Texas Geography Trivia: Test each other's knowledge of Texas geography with a trivia game. Create questions about the state's physical features, major cities, historical landmarks, and cultural aspects.

What will my child be learning during the 2nd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts
 

Reading

• Recognize the structure of multiple informational texts
• Understand the author’s purpose of the text
• Locate the central idea of a text
• Use the text features to understand the text they are reading
• Analyze rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution
• Explain the author’s purpose and message within a text
• Read and Spell words with:
  • Greek and Latin Prefixes
  • Suffixes: able, -ible
  • Prefixes: im-, in-, -ir
  • Homophones
• Understand Grammar:
  • Subject-verb agreement
  • Prepositions and phrases
  • Subject-Verb agreement
  • Irregular verbs
  • Progressive verb tense
  • Auxillary verbs

Writing

• Write with purpose using information they have gathered
• Compose a response to informational text that demonstrates an understanding of text
• Revise essays to ensure clarity and details
• Edit essays to check for capitalization, usage, and punctuation

Math

• Rational Numbers on a Number Line

• Identify a decimal point on a number line
• Represent fractions and decimals as distances from zero on a number line

• + - Fractions

• Represent and solve addition and subtraction of fractions, using objects and pictorial models
• Use benchmark fractions to estimate sums and differences of fractions
• Represent multiplication, using arrays, area models, and equations
• Use properties of operations and place value to multiply a number by 10 or 100 such as mental math, partial products, and standard algorithm

• Division

• Represent division, using arrays, area models, and equations
• Use my knowledge of place value to estimate and find quotients (the answer to a division problem)
• Use algorithms to find quotients(the answer to a division problem)

• Multiplication

Science

• Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process
• Model and describe slow changes to Earth’s surface caused by weathering, erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice
• Differentiate between weather and climate
• Collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in seasons such as change in temperature and length of daylight; and
• Collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in the observable appearance of the Moon from Earth

Social Studies

The Early History of Texas

• The first Texans.
• American Indians of the Coastal Plains.
• American Indians of the Mountains and Plains.
• Other Civilizations of the Americas.

Exploration and Colonization of Texas

• Europeans Explore Texas.
• Spanish Settlements in Texas.
• Mexican Texas: A New Era.
• Empresarios and New Settlers.

Revolution and the Republic of Texas

• Conflict Leads to Revolution.
• The Battle of the Alamo.
• Victory at San Jacinto.
• The Republic of Texas.

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What is the author trying to teach you?
• How do you think the author feels about the topic he/she is writing about?
• What is the main idea of that paragraph?
• What did you learn from reading the text?

Math

• How can distance be represented on a number line with fractions?
• How can distance be represented on a number line with decimals?
• How can fractions be added and subtracted?
• How can benchmark fractions be used to determine reasonableness?
• How can multiplication be represented?
• How is a number affected when multiplied by 10 or 100?
• What is division?
• How can division be represented?
• What strategies can be used to solve a division problem?

Science

• What types of material are good conductors? (ex. Most metals) Good insulators? (ex. rubber)
• Discuss with your student how they could model energy being transferred through objects in motion, waves in water, or sound.
• During which season did we experience the hottest temperatures? Why?

Social Studies

• Can you identify the ways of life of American indigenous groups of Texas?
• What were the reasons for exploration and settlement
• Why did the Spanish establish missions and to what extent were they effective?
• What were the most important motivations of the new settlers to Texas?
• Why was there conflict between the Texans and the Mexican government?
• Why was the battle of the Alamo important even though the Texans lost?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Find text that interest your child.
• Take them to the local library
• Have them read to you about a topic of their choice.
• Have them write and explain what they just read.

Math

• Multiplication Hopscotch: Create a hopscotch board with multiplication problems in each square. Have your child solve the problem before hopping to that square.
• Division Bingo: Create bingo cards with division problems instead of numbers. Call out division problems for your child to solve and mark off the answers on their bingo card.
• Division Scavenger Hunt: Hide division problems around the house or yard for your child to find and solve. Each correct answer leads them to the next clue.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Think about common items in the kitchen that are used to let heat or electricity through (conductors). What are some examples? (ex. Pots and pans)
• Think about common items in the kitchen that are used to stop heat or electricity from coming through (insulators). What are some examples? (ex. Potholder, cooler)
• Have your student set up a journal in a notebook where they can keep track of data from observing nature. To observe the changes in seasons, guide your student to construct a table in their notebook in which they can record high and low temperatures and the sunset and sunrise times for one year.

Social Studies

• Look at a Texas map and locate places that still have influence from American indigenous groups.
• While looking at the map, identify famous places in Texas history such as San Antonio, Austin, Nacogdoches, and San Jacinto. Discuss why those places are important.

What will my child be learning during the 3rd nine weeks of school?

Language Arts

Reading

• Analyze structural elements and characteristics of literary text including: interactions among characters, character change, theme, and plot elements
• Understand structural elements and characteristics of informational text including: central idea with supporting evidence, text features, and informational text structures
• Distinguish structural elements and characteristics of argumentative text including: claim, audience, and how the author uses facts
• Explain the author’s purpose and message
• Demonstrate knowledge of literature such a folktales, fables, legends, myths, and tall tales
• Read and spell words with:
  • Greek and Latin prefixes
  • Suffixes: -able, -ble
  • Syllable Patterns
  • Prefixes: im-, in-, -ir
  • Latin roots: gener, port, dur, and ject
  • Suffixes: -en, -ent, and -ence
• Understand Grammar:
  • Pronouns
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs
  • Comparative adjectives
  • Relative adverbs

Writing

• Compose a response to argumentative text that demonstrates an understanding of the text and the student’s opinion
• Revise essays to ensure clarity and details
• Edit essays to check for capitalization, usage, and punctuation

Math

Multiplication and Division Problem Solving

• Solve contextual multiplication and division problems
• Interpret remainders

Number Patterns

• Represent a number pattern in an input-output table

Problem Solving using the Four Operations

• Represent multistep problems with strip diagrams
• Represent multistep problems with equations

Area and Perimeter

• Solve problems involving area and/or perimeter

Points, Lines, and Angles

• Identify a point, line, line segment, ray, angle, perpendicular and parallel lines
• show how an angle is part of a circle.
• Measure angles
• Draw an angle
• Find the measurement of an angle by using other known angle measurements

2D Shapes

• Identify and draw lines of symmetry in two-dimensional figures
• Use benchmark angles to identify acute, right, and obtuse triangles
• Classify two-dimensional figures

Measurement System

• Identify relative sizes of customary units
• Identify relative sizes of metric units

Science

• Describe and illustrate the continuous movement of water above and on the surface of Earth through the water cycle and explain the role of the Sun as a major source of energy in this process;
• Model and describe slow changes to Earth’s surface caused by weathering, erosion, and deposition from water, wind, and ice
• Differentiate between weather and climate.
• Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas; and
• Explain the critical role of energy resources and how conservation, disposal, and recycling of natural resources impact the environment and modern life.
• Determine the physical properties of rocks that allow Earth’s natural resources to be stored there

Social Studies

• Holocaust Remembrance Week

• The Road to Statehood

• The rise of the Lone Star State.
• The Mexican War

• New Challenges for Texas

• Texas and the Civil War
• Reconstruction
• The Indian Wars

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• How do the characters change from the beginning to the end of the story?
• What is an example of a fact? An example of an opinion?
• Why is the rising and falling action important to the text?
• How are the character interactions important to the text?

Math

• What is the best way to solve contextual multiplication and division problems?
• What do you do with a remainder?
• How can patterns be represented by an input-output table?
• How does an input-output table work?
• How are strip diagrams used to represent multistep problems?
• How are equations used to represent multistep problems?
• How is area determined?
• How is perimeter determined?
• How are points, lines, line segments, perpendicular lines, and parallel lines related?
• How are points, rays, and angles related?
• What are angles, and how are they described?
• How are angles measured?
• How are angles drawn?
• How is the symmetry of shapes determined?
• How are triangles classified based on angles?
• How are two-dimensional figures classified?
• How would you describe the size units of length, capacity, and mass within the metric system?
• How would you describe the size units of length, capacity, and mass within the customary system?

Science

• What are examples of nonrenewable resources?
• What are examples of renewable resources?
• How can you sort different types of soil?
• How does water move through the water cycle?
• How can you make predictions about weather changes?

Social Studies

• Who were the leaders of the Republic of Texas?
• Why did the United States annex the Republic of Texas?
• Why did Texas secede from the Union?
• Why was Sam Houston against secession?
• What part did Texas play in the Civil War?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Read a sports article and discuss facts and opinions. What text features are in the article?
• Discuss the different parts of drama.
• Explain the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution of their fiction books.
• Read non-fiction texts together. Discuss what the text is mostly about. What are the supporting details?

Math

• Skip Counting: Practice skip counting by twos, threes, fives, or tens with your child. This can help them recognize patterns in numbers.
• Guess the Rule: Create a number pattern and ask your child to guess the rule or pattern used to generate the sequence. This encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Math Scavenger Hunt: Hide math problems around the house or yard that require the four operations to solve. Your child can find and solve each problem to uncover the next clue.
• Room Measurement: Have your child measure the dimensions of rooms in your house and calculate the area and perimeter of the floor space. This activity can make the concepts more tangible.
• Geometric Art: Encourage your child to create geometric art using a ruler, protractor, and drawing tools. Ask them to identify points, lines, and angles in their artwork.
• Angle Hunt: Go on an "angle hunt" around the house or neighborhood. Have your child identify different angles (acute, obtuse, right angles) in everyday objects or structures.
• Outdoor Exploration: Take a nature walk and look for examples of 2D shapes in the environment, such as circles in tree rings, squares in window panes, or triangles in roof designs. Discuss the properties of these shapes together.
• Measurement Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt with measurement tasks. For example, ask your child to find and measure items of different lengths, weights, or volumes around the house.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ
•  

Science

• Name an outfit and have your child do a weather report that matches the outfit.
• Ask your child to make up a story of what happens to the water after it rains.
• Talk about plants in locations that grow in different types of soil (ex. Cactus, bamboo).

• Nonrenewable and renewable resources provide you with the energy, food, and products you need to live. Work with your student to create a survey that asks the people around you how they use Earth’s resources.

Social Studies

• Review cause and effect with your child (does not need to be historical examples).
• Create a Timeline: Work together to create a timeline of key events in the history of the Republic of Texas and the Civil War. Include significant dates such as the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Battle of the Alamo, Texas joining the Confederacy, and the end of the Civil War. This helps kids understand the sequence of events and their significance. Ask students to tell the story of the Texas Revolution or the Republic of Texas.

What will my child be learning during the 4th nine weeks of school?

Language Arts

Reading

• Explain the author’s purpose and message in a text Infer themes (message learned) within the text
• Analyze the different parts of the plot
• Explain the interactions between characters and how they change throughout the story
• Explain how the features in informational text help the reader understand the information in text
• Recognize the central idea (main idea) of the text
• Understand the different ways non-fiction texts are organized such as compare and contrast
• Recognize the characteristics and structures of argumentative text and identify the claim and intended audience
• Read and spell works with:
  • syllable patterns VCCCV
  • Prefixes: dis-, over-, non-, under-
  • Word parts: sub-, inter-, fore-
• Understand grammar:
  • Title capitalization
  • Comma rules
  • Punctuation for dialogue

Writing

• Utilize all components of the writing process: plan, draft, revise, edit, and share.
• Write poetry and arrange stanzas
• Publish writing and share with an audience

Math

• Unit Conversions

• Convert measurements within the customary and metric system
• solve problems that deal with length, intervals of time, liquid volume, mass, and money

• Elapsed Time

• Solve problems involving elapsed time

• Data/Graphs

• Represent data in a frequency table, dot plot, stem-and-leaf plat

• Money/Budget

• Distinguish between fixed and variable expenses
• Calculate profit
• Compare various saving options
• Describe how to use a weekly allowance
• Describe the purposes of financial institutions
• Solve problems, using data in a frequency table, dot plat, stem-and-leaf plot

Science

• Investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter
• Describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers
• Identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils.
• Explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment; and
• Differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms.

Social Studies

• A Growing State-Late 19th Century

• The Texas Cattle Industry
• The Texas Railroad Boom
• Texas Gold!
• Changes and growth

• Hard Times at Home and Abroad

• World War I and the 1920's

• Texas Today

• The Economy of Texas
• Texas Cultural Expressions
• Life in Texas Today

• Texas Government

• Governing Texas
• Active Citizenship in Texas
•  
• Difficult Times
• World War II and Changes Ahead

Questions to Ask Your Child

Language Arts

• What kind of book is this? (type of genre)
• Why did the author make that character that way?
• What is the order of events?
• What are the different conflicts in the story?
• What are the key details in the text?
• What is important and how does it connect to the subheading?
• Why do you think the author wrote this text?
• What changes do the characters undergo?

Math

• How are measurements converted in the customary system?
• How are measurements converted in the metric system?
• How can you solve problems involving measurement?
• What is the best way to determine how much time has elapsed?
• How can data be represented?
• How can data be used to solve problems?
• How are expenses different?
• How is profit calculated?
• What is the best way to save money?
• How can an allowance be used?
• Why are financial institutions important?

Science

• How did ranching change life in Texas?
• In what ways did railroads bring economic opportunities to Texas.
• How did the discovery of oil in Texas impact its economy and way of life?
• What were the causes of World War I and World War II?
• How did the United States overcome the Great Depression?
• What is unique about Texas’ culture and economy today?
• What does it mean to be a good citizen?

Social Studies

• What’s the difference between producers and consumers?
• How do supply and demand influence the price of goods?
• Why is it important to make a budget and save money?
• How are specialization and division of labor beneficial?
• What are the biggest influencers of culture?
• How do people share and express their culture?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

Language Arts

• Ask your child what kind of book they are reading.
• Model reading online or paperback.
• Have them create something that shows their understanding of the books they have read at home.
• Challenge them to compare two books or authors

Math

• Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt where your child has to find objects around the house that require converting units of measurement. For instance, ask them to find items they can measure in both meters and centimeters.
• Cooking or Baking Challenge: Involve your child in cooking or baking activities where they need to keep track of elapsed time for different steps of the recipe, such as rising time for dough.
• Survey and Graph: Conduct a simple survey at home or with family members on a topic of interest (favorite color, animal, food, etc.). Help your child create a graph to represent the data collected, such as a bar graph or pictograph.
• Tracking Expenses: Help your child track their expenses for a week, whether it's small purchases or money given for chores. At the end of the week, review and discuss where their money went.
• View at home activities HERE
• Ver actividades en casa AQUÍ

Science

• Google 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill or tsunami. How were the organisms that live near these events be affected?
• Talk about traits that are inherited by different family members. Talk about learned behaviors of humans and different animals.

• Have your student interview a relative who is known to you, such as a parent, grandparent, or sibling who is biologically related to them. In what ways are you and the relative alike? Which of these features are inherited, and which are acquired?

Social Studies

• Take a day trip to Spindletop.
• Read or watch a video about NASA in Houston. .
• Railroad Construction Model: Using materials like cardboard, popsicle sticks, and glue, build a model railroad to illustrate the expansion of railroads in Texas during the late 19th century. Discuss the impact of railroads on transportation, trade, and economic growth in the state.
• Oil Exploration Experiment: Conduct a simple oil exploration experiment using household materials like water, vegetable oil, and sand. Kids can simulate the process of drilling for oil and learn about the discovery of oil in Texas in the early 20th century, which transformed the state's economy.
• World War I Poster Design: Research World War I propaganda posters and discuss their purpose and impact. Then, have kids create their own posters promoting patriotism, conservation efforts, or war bond drives, reflecting the role of Texans in the war effort.
• Great Depression Scavenger Hunt: Create a scavenger hunt around your home with clues related to the Great Depression era. Include items or tasks that highlight the hardships faced by Texans during this time, such as finding pictures of Dust Bowl conditions or learning about New Deal programs.
• WWII Victory Garden: Plant a small vegetable garden in your backyard or in containers on your balcony to replicate the Victory Gardens popular during World War II. Discuss how these gardens helped supplement food supplies and boost morale during wartime.

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Language Arts

Reading

• Understand the structure and organization of informational text
• Analyze the central ideas and supporting evidence
• Explain the author’s purpose and message
• Understand plot elements of historical fiction
• Demonstrate knowledge and characteristics of poetry
• Confirm or correct predictions
• Read and spell words with:
  • Suffixes: -ic, -ism, -ive
  • Greek roots
  • Vowel teams
  • Suffixes: -able, -ible
  • Final stable syllables: -le, -tion, -sion
  • R-controlled vowels
  • Prefixes il-, in-, im-, ir-
• Understand Grammar:
  • Simple sentences
  • independent and dependent clauses
  • Compound and complex sentences
  • Analogies
  • Perfect verb tenses

Writing

• Write personal narratives to vividly describe a particular event or observation
• Learn how to extend personal narrative writing by revising and editing work
• Analyze informational articles to begin developing informational writing

Math

Number Relations

• Use expanded notation to represent the value of a digit in a decimal
• Round decimals
• Use symbols to compare decimals
• Order decimal numbers

Multiplication and Division

• Multiply a three-digit number by a two-digit number, using the standard algorithm
• Divide a four-digit number by a two-digit number, using strategies and standard algorithm
• Identify prime numbers and composite numbers
• Use objects and pictorial models to represent multiplication of decimals
• Use my understanding of place value, properties of operations, and my understanding of multiplication to multiply decimals
• Represent quotients of decimals, using models
• Use strategies and algorithms to divide decimals

+ - Fractions

• Represent addition and subtraction of fractions, using models and properties of operations
• Solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions, using models and properties of operations

Science

• Compare and contrast matter based on measurable, testable, or observable physical properties, including mass, magnetism, relative density (sinking and floating using water as a reference point), physical state (solid, liquid, gas), volume, solubility in water, and the
• Ability to conduct or insulate thermal energy and electric energy.
• Demonstrate and explain that some mixtures maintain physical properties of their substances such as iron filings and sand or sand and water;
• Compare the properties of substances before and after they are combined into a solution and demonstrate that matter is conserved in solutions; and
• Illustrate how matter is made up of particles that are too small to be seen such as air in a balloon.
• Investigate and explain how equal and unequal forces acting on an object cause patterns of motion and transfer of energy
• Design a simple experimental investigation that tests the effect of force on an object in a system such as a car on a ramp or a balloon rocket on a string

Social Studies

The First Americans

• Ancient American Civilizations
• Adapting to Different Places
• American Indian Cultures

Age of Exploration

• Technology Shapes Exploration
• Explorers for Spain
• The Columbian Exchange

Celebrate Freedom Week

Settlements Take Root

• The Spanish Colonies in the Americas
• The English Colonies in the Americans
• Pilgrims and Puritans in New England
• The French and Dutch in North America

Life in the Colonies

• New England, Middle and Southern Colonies
• Daily Life in the Colonies
• Slavery in the Colonies
• The French and Indian War

 

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR)

• Read a variety of genres with a focus on literary text characteristics, characterization, and plot development
• Respond to reading using text evidence through writing and discourse
• Plan, draft, and publish a story that includes the characteristics of fiction
• Revise and edit texts with a focus on simple sentence structures, capitalization, and commonly confused words

Math

• Classifying whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers
• Identifying a number and its opposite
• Identifying a number and its absolute value
• Extending representations for division to include fraction notation
• Determine with and without computation, whether a quantity is increased or decreased when multiplied by a fraction, including values greater than or less than one
• Multiply positive rational numbers fluently
• Divide positive rational numbers fluently
• Represent ratios and percents with concrete models, fractions and decimals
• Using equivalent fractions, decimals and percents to show equal parts of the same whole.
• Solving real world problems using concrete models, pictorial models: given part and percent, or whole and percent.
• Using number lines to locate, compare and order integers and rational numbers
• Add and subtract integers
• Multiply and Divide Integers

Science

• Compare solids, liquids, and gases in terms of their structure, shape, volume, and kinetic energy of atoms and molecules
• Identify elements on the periodic table as metals, nonmetals, metalloids, and rare Earth elements based on their physical properties and importance to modern life
• Investigate the physical properties of matter to distinguish between pure substances, homogeneous mixtures (solutions), and heterogeneous mixtures
• Compare the density of substances relative to various fluids
• Identify the formation of a new substance by using the evidence of a possible chemical change, including production of a gas, change in thermal energy, production of a precipitate, and color change.

Social Studies

North America

• Geography and history of the United States.
• The United States, Canada. and Mexico today.
• Geography and history of Canada.
• Geography and history of Mexico.

Celebrate Freedom Week

Central America and the Caribbean

• Geography and history of Central America and the Caribbean
• Central American and the Caribbean today.

South America

• Geography and history of Caribbean South America
• Caribbean South America today
• Geography and history of the Andes and the Pampa

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR)

• Read selections that express various points of view about different generations, and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary words related to narrative nonfiction.
• Recognize elements of different genres, especially realistic fiction, informational text, and poetry.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts.
• Write a focused, well- organized personal narrative.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Prepare and present a personal narrative.

Math

• Extend previous knowledge of sets and subsets using a visual representation to describe relationships between sets of rational numbers.
• Add and Subtract rational numbers fluently
• Apply and extend previous understanding of operations to solve problems using addition and subtraction.
• Multiply and divide rational numbers fluently
• Apply and extend previous understanding of operations to solve problems using multiplication and division
• Represent constant rates of change in mathematical and real world problems
• Calculate unit rates from rates in math and real- world
• Determine the constant of proportionality ( k-y/x)

Pre-Algebra Advanced Math

• Extend previous knowledge of sets and subsets using a visual representation to describe relationships between sets of rational and irrational numbers.
• Convert between standard decimal notation and scientific notation.
• Write and solve one-variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.
• Identify functions from a table, mappings, and graphs
• Using similar right triangles to find the slope of a line.
• Determine the rate of change of a proportional function from a table, graph, or word problem.
• Solve problems involving direct variation.

Science

• Compare and contrast elements and compounds in terms of atoms and molecules, chemical symbols, and chemical formulas;
• Use the periodic table to identify the atoms and the number of each kind within a chemical formula;
• Distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter
• Describe aqueous solutions in terms of solute and solvent, concentration, and dilution; and
• Investigate and model how temperature, surface area, and agitation affect the rate of dissolution of solid solutes in aqueous solutions.
• Calculate average speed using distance and time measurements from investigations
• Distinguish between speed and velocity in linear motion in terms of distance, displacement, and direction
• Measure, record, and interpret an object’s motion using distance-time graphs
• Analyze the effect of balanced and unbalanced forces on the state of motion of an object using Newton’s First Law of Motion.

Social Studies

• Natural Texas and its People
• Historians at work
• Texas Geography
• The American Indians of Texas
• The Age of Contact
• Spain Begins to Explore
• Cultures Meet in Texas
• French Explorers
• Celebrate Freedom Week
• The Spanish Colonial and Mexican National Eras
• Spanish Rule in Texas
• Turmoil in Texas
• Mexico Wins Independence

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

• English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR)
• Read selections that express different points of view about the challenges of growing up, and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary words related to narrative nonfiction.
• Recognize elements of different genres, especially realistic fiction, poetry, and blogs.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts.
• Write a focused, well- organized personal narrative.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Prepare and present a nonfiction narrative.

Pre-Algebra

• Extend previous knowledge of sets and subsets using a visual representation to describe relationships between sets of rational and irrational numbers.
• Convert between standard decimal notation and scientific notation.
• Write and solve one-variable equations and inequalities with variables on both sides.
• Identify functions from a table, mappings, and graphs
• Using similar right triangles to find the slope of a line.
• Determine the rate of change of a proportional function from a table, graph, or word problem.
• Solve problems involving direct variation.

Algebra 1

• Write, solve, and interpret an equation to model a real-world situation
• Solve multi-step inequalities
• Solve literal equations
• Identify relations and functions in tables, diagrams, and graphs
• Determine domain and range of functions
• Write linear equations given a table, graph or verbal description
• Calculate rate of change in real-world problems

Science

• Describe how energy from the Sun, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact and influence weather and climate;
• Identify global patterns of atmospheric movement and how they influence local weather;
• Describe the interactions between ocean currents and air masses that produce tropical cyclones, including typhoons and hurricanes.
• Use scientific evidence to describe how natural events, including volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts, abrupt changes in ocean currents, and the release and absorption of greenhouse gases influence climate;
• Use scientific evidence to describe how human activities , including the release of greenhouse gases, deforestation, and urbanization , can influence climate.
• Describe the carbon cycle.

Social Studies

The Early Americas and European Exploration

• The Early Americas
• Early Europe, Africa and Asia
• European Exploration in the Americas

European Colonization of North America

• Spanish Colonization and New Spain
• The First French, Dutch and English Colonies
• The New England Colonies
• The Middle Colonies
• The Southern Colonies
• Colonial Society
• Colonial Trade and Government

The Revolutionary Era

• The French and Indian War
• Tensions with Britain
• Taking up Arms
• Declaring Independence
• Winning Independence

A Constitution for the United States

• A Weak Confederation
• Drafting a Constitution

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Note: There may be two units visited in the same 9-weeks. Information has been allocated based on closest dates of unit exposure.

English 1

• Read texts that explore different ways of thinking about survival and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to argumentative texts.
• Recognize and analyze  elements of different genres, including fiction and poetry.  
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent argumentative essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective multimedia presentation.

English II

• Read texts that explore the attraction of fear in art and in life and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to explanatory texts, such as personal essays.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including Gothic Literature and Magical Realism.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused and structured personal essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective formal presentation.

English III

• Read texts that explore the meaning of American independence and nationhood, and develop my own perspective.

• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to arguments. 
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including speeches, historical writing, and myths.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent argumentative essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, offer purposeful ideas and judgments, ask relevant and insightful questions, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective speech.

English IV

• Read texts that explore the idea of heroism in literature and in life, and develop my own perspective.   
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to argumentative texts. 
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including epic poetry and speeches.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused and structured argumentative essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, set meaningful goals, offer purposeful ideas, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective, well-argued speech.

Questions to Ask Your Child

English 1

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What qualities help us survive?
• Is luck most important in all survival situations? In which situations might it be more important to be smart or strong?
• Why do you think survivor stories are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English II

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What is the allure of fear?
• Does scaring ourselves in a controlled situation help us prepare for more perilous situations?
• Why do you think stories related to fear are so common in media and books?

English III

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What makes a nation?
• If you were starting your own country, what do you think would be the most important rules to put in place?

English IV

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How important are heroes to the world?
• Is heroism more about the sacrifices a hero makes, or about what he or she accomplishes?
• Why do you think heroism is such an enduring theme in media and books?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

English I

• Review academic vocabulary:
• Evidence, credible, valid, formulate, logical, craving, supplication, pleading, beseeching, pestered, insisted, desperate, entranced, hallucination, premonition, profound, meditative, burden, culpability, remorse, entrusted, empathetic
• Choose a family read:
  • To Build a Fire - Jack London
  • The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connell
  • “Seven Steps to Surviving a Disaster”
  • “Problems with Hurricanes”
  • “Children Walk on Chairs to Cross a Flooded Schoolyard”
  • “Titanic vs. Lusitania: How People Behave in a Disaster”

English II

• Review academic vocabulary:
• motivate, dimension, manipulate, psychological, perspective, annihilate, antiquity, fissure, dissolution, rending, tumultuous, spacious, footnotes, data visualization, icons, symbols

English III

• Review academic vocabulary: abode, confluence, harmony, assemble, council, deliverance, confirm, demonstrate, establish, conviction, unalienable, constrains, tyranny, assent, acquiesce.
• Choose a family read:
  • Speech: Reflections on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, Thurgood Marshall (1330L)
  • Political Document: from the Iroquois Constitution, Dekanawidah, translated by Arthur C. Parker (1510)
  • Essay: A Quilt of a Country, Anna Quindlen (1310L)
  • Short Story: The Devil and Tom Walker, Washington Irving (1100L)
  • Autobiography: from Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup (1020L)

English IV

• Review academic vocabulary: purport, credible, assertion, presume, contradictory, lair, stalked, gorge, gruesome, writhing, loathsome, palette, composition, perspective, panel, angle, lightning, color, resonance, hypnotic, enthralling, ecstasy, ubiquitous
• Choose a family read:
  • Media: Interactive Website: How Did Harry Patch Become an Unlikely WWI Hero, BBC/Wonder 
  • Science Article: The New Psychology of Leadership, Stephen D Reicher, Michael J. Platow, S. Alexander Haslam (1360L)
  • Speech: Speech Before Her Troops, Queen Elizabeth I (1150L)
  • Poetry: The Battle of Maldon • The Charge of the Light Brigade, translated by Burton Raffel • Alfred, Lord Tennyson (NP)
  • Essay: Accidental Hero, Zadie Smith (830L)
  • Speech: Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Thucydides, translated by Rex Warner (1240L)

What will my child be learning during the second nine weeks of school?

English I

• Read texts that explore efforts to create a better, more just world and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to informational texts.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. 
• read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent research report in response to a formal question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective podcast.

English II

• Read texts that explore the various perspectives on belonging and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to argumentative texts.
• Recognize and analyze elements of short stories, poetry, and multimodal texts.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent argumentative essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and present an effective advertisement.

English III

• Read texts that explore the idea of individualism and develop my own perspective about its role in American society. 
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to personal essays.
• Recognize and analyze American literary movements, including Transcendentalism.
• Read a selection of my choice and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a personal essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare for and participate in a panel discussion.

English IV

• Read texts that explore the idea of social roles in art and in life and develop my own perspective.
• Answer a thematic question about social roles by using vocabulary from my reading.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to explanatory texts.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including poetry and argumentative essays.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused and structured explanatory essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Integrate visuals and text into an effective formal presentation.

Questions to Ask Your Child

English I

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How can words inspire change?
• How important was literature to the civil rights movement? Is it still important to issues we face today?
• Why do you think this time in American history is of great interest in the media and in books and film?

English II

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question Do people need to belong?
• What do these selections suggest about being different? What can we learn from people who are different from us?
• Why do you think stories about outsiders and outcasts are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English III

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What role does individualism play in American society?
• What do these selections suggest about individuality? Is it more important to fit in or stand out?
• Why do you think stories about individualism are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English IV

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How valid are social roles?
• What do these selections tell us about social reform? Do criticisms of society do more harm or help?
• Why do you think stories of social revolution are so popular in the media and in books and film?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

English I

• Review academic vocabulary: Disrupt, coherent, notation, aggregate, express, backgrounder, B-Roll, downstream, prosperity, hallowed, tribulations, redemptive, oppression, exalted
• As a family, try reading:
  • Media: Newscast:  Before “Brown v. Board,” Mendez Fought . . . , Shereen Marisol Meraji
  • News Article: How the Children of Birmingham …, Lottie L. Joiner (1040L)
  • Narrative Nonfiction: Sheyann Webb, Frank Sikora (900L)
  • Memoir: Traveling, Grace Paley (820L)
  • Media, Video: Fannie Lou Hamer,  BBC

English II

• Review Academic Vocabulary
• As a family, try reading:
  • Criticism: How Maurice Sendak’s “Wild Things” Moved Children’s Books Toward Realism, Gloria Goodale (1420L)
  • Explanatory Nonfiction: Sleep Paralysis: A Waking Nightmare, (1090L)
  • Short Story: The Feather Pillow, Horacio Quiroga, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden (990L)
  • Newspaper Article: Stone Age Man’s Terrors Still Stalk Modern Nightmares, Robin McKie (1180)
  • Short Story: Mrs. Vargas and the Dead Naturalist, Kathleen Alcala (950L)

English III

• Review academic vocabulary: Significant, incident, unique, sequence, impact, ampler, teeming, vast, breadth, prolific, multitudes, emperor, imperial, treason, sovereign, captivity, sanctity, transcendent, redeemers
• As a family, try reading:
  • News Article: Sweet Land of … Conformity?, Claude Fischer (1310L)
  • Short Story: Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne (1210L)
  • Magazine Article: My Name is Casares, Oscar Casares (1310L)
  • Short Story: Hamadi, Naomi Shihab  Nye (790L)
  • Literary Criticism: Reckless Genius, Galway Kinnell (1400L))

English IV

• Review academic vocabulary: annotation, theoretical, prescribe, conviction, tenacious, valiantly, personable, sincerity, eminent, discreet, diligent, deformity, anguish, crone, wallowed, delivery, gesture, audience, reaction, demagogue, animosity, provoke, fancy, wits, taste
• As a family, try reading:
  • Argument: What We Mean When We Say the People, Edmund Burke (1240L)
  • Novel Excerpt: from Candide, Voltaire (990L)
  • Interview/Poetry: from An Interview With Benjamin Zephaniah •  The British • Who’s Who, Eric Doumerc  (990L • NP)
  • Novel Excerpt: Chapter V: Children on the Road, William Morris (980L)
  • Mock Epic: from The Rape of the Lock, Alexander Pope

vWhat will my child be learning during the third nine weeks of school?

English I

• Read texts that explore the meaning of true love, and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to argumentative texts.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including drama and poetry.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent argumentative essay in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver a persuasive advertisement.

English II

• Read texts that explore materialism and develop my own perspective.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to informative texts.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including fiction and poetry.
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a focused, structured, and coherent research report in response to a formal question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Give and follow oral instructions.

English III

• Read texts that explore the words of leaders and visionaries and form my own perspective about how they have changed our world.
• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to informative writing.
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including speeches.
• Read a selection of my choice and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas.
• Write a research report in response to a thematic question.
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence.
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively.
• Prepare and deliver an effective presentation.

English IV

• Read texts that explore the influence of the past on the present and develop my own perspective. 

• Understand and use academic vocabulary related to argumentative texts. 
• Recognize and analyze elements of different genres, including drama and poetry. 
• Read a selection of my choice independently and make meaningful connections to other texts and ideas. 
• Write a focused and structured argumentative essay in response to a question. 
• Complete Timed Writing tasks with confidence. 
• Collaborate, build on others’ ideas, develop consensus, and communicate effectively. 
• Prepare and deliver an argument as an effective formal presentation.

Questions to Ask Your Child

English I

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What is true love?
• How did Romeo and Juliet’s actions bring about their dire fates? Should we always listen to others when making important choices?
• Why do you think stories of ill-fated romances are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English II

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question What do our possessions reveal about us?
• What do these selections suggest about materialism? How do we strike a balance between what we want and what we need?
• Why do you think stories about material wealth are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English III

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How do words change the world?
• What do these selections suggest about social change? Is it important to listen to the voices of those who feel unequal?
• Why do you think stories about visionaries are so popular in the media and in books and film?

English IV

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question How much does the past determine the future?
• What do these selections tell us about people’s relationships with the past? How can the past inform the future?
• Why do you think stories from the past are so popular in the media and in books and film?

How Can I Help My Child at Home?

English I

• Review academic vocabulary: endure, pathos, compelling, propose, recurrent, mutiny, transgression, heretics, cunning, counterfeit, confidence, exile, banishment, lamentable, melancholy, distressed, desperate, meager, misery, penury, forbidden, tryst, intrigued, credulity, indignation, infatuated, enthralled, elation, pursue, strive, propagate
• As a family, try reading:
  • Nonfiction: What’s the Rush? Young Brains Cause Doomed Love, Lexi Tucker (1100L)
  • Short Story: The Voice of the Enemy, Juan Villoro (700L)
  • News Article: If Romeo and Juliet Had Cell Phones,  Misty Harris (1450L)
  • Poetry Collection: Music • An Extraordinary Woman • Annabel Lee, Elizabeth Acevedo • Jez Burrows • Edgar Allan Poe

English II

• Review academic vocabulary: paradox, refinement, suppleness, exquisite, gallantries, resplendent, homage, inestimable, blessings, amenable, influence, surrender, windfall, inestimable, marauding, intemperate, despoiled
• As a family, try reading:
  • Media, Informational Graphic: The Gold Series: A History of Gold, Jeff Desjardins
  • News Article: Ads May Spur Unhappy Kids to Embrace Materialism, Amy Norton (1250L)
  • Short Story: A Dose of What the Doctor Never Orders, Ihara Saikaku, translated by G.W. Sargent  (1300L)
  • News Article: Heirlooms’ Value Shifts From Sentiment to Cash, Rosa Salter Rodriguez (1110L)
  • Short Story: The Three-Piece Suit, Ali Deb, translated by Alice Copple-Tošić (1100L)

English III

• Review academic vocabulary: Obdurate, stolid, disparity, denounce, equivocate, conceded, verbatim, deduction, specific, dedicated, consecrate, hallow
• As a family, try reading:
  • Poetry Collection:  Douglass • The Fifth Fact • Speech to the Young . . . ,  Paul Laurence Dunbar • Sarah Browning • Gwendolyn Brooks (NP)
  • Essay: What a Factory Can Teach a Housewife, Ida Tarbell (1210L)
  • Speech:  Speech at the United Nations,  Malala Yousafzai (1260L)
  • Personal Essay: Giving Women the Vote, Sandra Sleight-Brennan  (1070L)

English IV

• Review academic vocabulary: proficient, justify, diverse, assertion, catalyst, revolt, captivity, assault, flout, treasons, allegiance, stealthy, equivocate, breach, rancors, foully, malevolence
• As a family, try reading:
  • Poetry Collection: Ozymandias • Faithful Forest • Man’s Short Life . . ., Percy Bysshe Shelley • Alberto Ríos • Margaret Cavendish (NP)
  • Media, Graphic Novel: from Macbeth: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by John Haward; script adapted by John McDonald
  • Short Story: The Lagoon, Joseph Conrad (1000L)
  • Science Articles: What’s Your Time Perspective? • Does Time Pass? Jane Collingwood • Peter Dizikes  (1110L • 1150L)

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Algebra 1

• Write, solve, and interpret an equation to model a real-world situation
• Solve multi-step inequalities
• Solve literal equations
• Identify relations and functions in tables, diagrams, and graphs
• Determine domain and range of functions
• Write linear equations given a table, graph or verbal description
• Calculate rate of change in real-world problems

Algebra 2

• Write the domain and range of a function in integral notation, inequality and set notation.
• Graphing and identifying parent functions
• Add, subtract and multiply polynomials
• Graph and write the inverse of a function
• Solve and graph absolute value linear equations
• Analyze the effects of transformations on absolute value functions.
• Formulate system of equations consisting of three linear equations with three variables.
• Formulate and solve systems of at lest two variables
• Determine the possible solutions in systems of two or more equations and inequalities.

Geometry

• Identify, describe, and name points, lines, planes, line segments, rays, angles, angle pairs and parts of circles using correct notation
• Use the distance formula to find lengths of segments
• Develop and use geometric and algebraic arguments based on deductive reasoning
• Verify theorems about angles formed by the intersection of lines and line segments including vertical angles, Pythagorean theorem, etc.
• Apply the Segment Addition Postulate, definition of midpoint, Angle Addition Postulate and definition of angle bisector to find lengths of segments and angles
• Determine the equation of lines that are parallel and perpendicular in a coordinate plane

Financial Math

• Students will make a 10 year life plan including but not limited to academic choices, financial options, personal hobbies, and career pathways.
• Discuss social mobility and the American Dream concept
• Students discuss types of workers- contracted/ at will and income types including wages, nonexempt and salaried
• Students explore FICA, benefits, and retirement options
• Students discuss and explore their future financial goals and what actions can benefit or hinder their future financial situations.

Pre-Cal

• Defines, describes characteristics and translates functions among verbal, numerical, graphical and symbolic representations.
• Describes parent functions symbolically and graphically
• Determines the domain and range of function using graphs, tables, and symbols
• Describe the symmetry of graphs of even and odd functions
• Recognize and use connections among significant values of a function, points on a graph of a function and the symbolic representation
• Use properties of functions to analyze and solve problems and make predictions.
• Determine and represent the inverse of a function and prove if a function is an inverse of the original
• Use the composition of two functions to model and solve real-world problems.

 

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

Biology

• Relate the functions of different types of biomolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, to the structure and function of a cell
• Investigate and explain the role of enzymes in facilitating cellular processes
• Compare and contrast prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, including their complexity, and compare and contrast scientific explanations for cellular complexity
• Investigate homeostasis through the cellular transport of molecules
• Compare the structures of viruses to cells and explain how viruses spread and cause disease.
• Relate disruptions of the cell cycle to how they lead to the development of diseases such as cancer.
• Explain the importance of the cell cycle to the growth of organisms, including an overview of the stages of the cell cycle and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication models
• Explain the process of cell specialization through cell differentiation, including the role of environmental factors

Chemistry

• Explain the development of the Periodic Table over time using evidence such as chemical and physical properties;
• Predict the properties of elements in chemical families, including alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogens, noble gases, and transition metals, based on valence electrons patterns using the Periodic Table
• Analyze and interpret elemental data, including atomic radius, atomic mass, electronegativity, ionization energy, and reactivity to identify periodic trends.
• Construct models using Dalton’s Postulates, Thomson’s discovery of electron properties, Rutherford’s nuclear atom, Bohr’s nuclear atom, and Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle to show the development of modern atomic theory over time
• Describe the structure of atoms and ions, including the masses, electrical charges, and locations of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons in the electron cloud;
• Investigate the mathematical relationship between energy, frequency, and wavelength of light using the electromagnetic spectrum and relate it to the quantization of energy in the emission spectrum
• Calculate average atomic mass of an element using isotopic composition
• Construct models to express the arrangement of electrons in atoms of representative elements using electron configurations and Lewis dot structures.

IPC

• Investigate, analyze, and model motion in terms of position, velocity, acceleration, and time using tables, graphs, and mathematical relationships
• Analyze data to explain the relationship between mass and acceleration in terms of the net force on an object in one dimension using force diagrams, tables, and graphs
• Apply the concepts of momentum and impulse to design, evaluate, and refine a device to minimize the net force on objects during collisions such as those that occur during vehicular accidents, sports activities, or the dropping of personal electronic devices
• Describe the nature of the four fundamental forces: gravitation; electromagnetic; the strong and weak nuclear forces, including fission and fusion; and mass-energy equivalency
• Construct and communicate an explanation based on evidence for how changes in mass, charge, and distance affect the strength of gravitational and electrical forces between two objects

Physics

• Analyze different types of motion by generating and interpreting position versus time, velocity versus time, and acceleration versus time using hand graphing and real-time technology such as motion detectors, photogates, or digital applications
• Define scalar and vector quantities related to one- and two-dimensional motion and combine vectors using both graphical vector addition and the Pythagorean theorem
• Describe and analyze motion in one dimension using equations with the concepts of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, frames of reference, and acceleration
• Describe and analyze acceleration in uniform circular and horizontal projectile motion in two dimensions using equations
• Explain and apply the concepts of equilibrium and inertia as represented by Newton’s first law of motion using relevant real-world examples such as rockets, satellites, and automobile safety devices;
• Calculate the effect of forces on objects, including tension, friction, normal, gravity, centripetal, and applied forces, using free body diagrams and the relationship between force and acceleration as represented by Newton’s second law of motion;
• Illustrate and analyze the simultaneous forces between two objects as represented in Newton’s third law of motion using free body diagrams and in an experimental design scenario
• Describe and calculate, using scientific notation, how the magnitude of force between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between their centers, and predict the effects on objects in linear and orbiting systems using Newton’s law of universal gravitation.
• Use scientific notation and predict how the magnitude of the electric force between two objects depends on their charges and the distance between their centers using Coulomb’s law

Environmental

• Identify native plants and animals within a local ecosystem and compare their roles to those of plants and animals in other biomes, including aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra;
• Explain the cycling of water, phosphorus, carbon, silicon, and nitrogen through ecosystems, including sinks, and the human interactions that alter these cycles using tools such as models
• Evaluate the effects of fluctuations in abiotic factors on local ecosystems and local biomes
• Measure the concentration of dissolved substances such as dissolved oxygen, chlorides, and nitrates and describe their impacts on an ecosystem
• Use models to predict how the introduction of an invasive species may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem
• Use models to predict how species extinction may alter the food chain and affect existing populations in an ecosystem
• Predict changes that may occur in an ecosystem if genetic diversity is increased or decreased

Astronomy

• Demonstrate the use of units of measurement in astronomy, including astronomical units and light years, minutes, and seconds;
• Model the scale, size, and distances of the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and identify the limitations of physical models; and
• Model the scale, sizes, and distances of the Sun and the planets in our solar system and identify the limitations of physical models.
• Evaluate and communicate how ancient civilizations developed models of the universe using astronomical structures, instruments, and tools such as the astrolabe, gnomons, and charts and how those models influenced society, time keeping, and navigation;
• Research and evaluate the contributions of scientists, including Ptolemy, Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, as astronomy progressed from a geocentric model to a heliocentric model; and
• Describe and explain the historical origins of the perceived patterns of constellations and the role of constellations in ancient and modern navigation
• Relate Newton's law of universal gravitation and Kepler's laws of planetary motion to the formation and motion of the planets and their satellites
• Explore and communicate the origins and significance of planets, planetary rings, satellites, asteroids, comets, Oort cloud, and Kuiper belt objects
• Compare the planets in terms of orbit, size, composition, rotation, atmosphere, natural satellites, magnetic fields, and geological activity
• Compare the factors essential to life on Earth such as temperature, water, gases, and gravitational and magnetic fields to conditions on other planets and their satellites

 

What will my child be learning during the first nine weeks of school?

World Geography

• Physical Patterns and Processes
• Human Geographic Systems
• United States and Canada

World History

• Origins of Civilization
• The Ancient Middle East and Egypt
• Ancient India and China
• The Americas
• Ancient Greece

U.S. History

• Review: Colonies to Reconstruction
• Industry and Immigration: The Gilded Age
• Challenges in the Late 1800's: The Gilded Age Continued
• America Comes of Age: Progressivism and Imperialism

Government/Economics

Government

• Foundations of government
• Types of government
• The Constitution
• The Legislative Branch
• The Executive Branch
• The Judicial Branch
• Protecting Civil Liberties

Economics

• Fundamentals of Economics
• Supply and Demand
• Market Structures
• Business Organizations