Welcome to First Grade CATSMrs. Gearhart & Mrs. Kamper

2014-2015

Your CATS Teachers are…

Family Married with 3 children

4-year old twins (Gwendolyn and David)

2-year old son (Sammy) Pet turtle?

Mrs. Kamper Experience

13 years teaching Undergraduate degree in Early Childhood

Development and Marketing Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with a

Reading Endorsement

Your CATS Teachers are…

Mrs. Gearhart13 years teaching6 years with academically talented studentsGraduate of University of New Mexico Gifted Endorsement

CATS students are . . .

• “Tell me, I forget, show me, I remember, Involve me, I understand.” -Carl Orff

Often perfectionists and idealists Asynchronous Sequential or spatial Problem solvers

CATS Curriculum

Encourages students to apply critical-thinking skills and to become self- directed learners. It incorporates the regular curriculum but differs in content, process, product, pacing, and environment.

CATS Curriculum Goals

I: Acceleration

II: Integration

III: Inquiry and Motivation

IV: Critical Thinking

V: Communication and Collaboration

MathPlace Value and Number sense

2 and 3 Digit Addition w/wout regrouping

2 and 3 digit Subtraction w/wout regrouping

Measurement

Money

Time to the minute

Multiplication

Word Problems throughout

*Facts

Depth of Knowledge: Math

Students Will:

Make sense of problems and persevere

Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Model with mathematics

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Come up with multiple solutions

Use different mathematical strategies to solve a problem

Language Arts

6+1 Writing Conventions, sentence fluency, organization, voice,

word choice, ideas, presentation

Writer’s Workshop

Reader’s Workshop

Junior Great; Houghton Mifflin, Literature Studies

Words Their Way

Science

Digestive, Respiratory, and Circulatory Systems

Inventors and their Inventions

Laws of Motion

States of Matter

Plants and Animals

Earth Materials

Objects in the Sky

Social Studies

American History: Exploration and

Colonization

Government & Roles of Citizenship

American Symbols and Monuments

Ancient Civilizations

Grades

Grades

54321

What does CATS look like?

Whole Group

Small Group

Individual Work

How does it happen?Math & Reading Learning Groups

• 2 per teacher• Based on strengths and weaknesses identified

through pre-assessment

Science & Social Studies• Design Squad• Project Based Learning• Group, individual, and

whole class activities

Classroom Routines & Expectations• Expectations – Nature of CATS

• Class Store

• Snack / Snack Stash

• Arrival / Dismissal

• Communication (REMIND; FB; email)

• Daily Folder / Parent Communication

Communicationgearhart.leslie@cusd80.com

kamper.elizabeth@cusd80.com

Front Office: (480) 812-6100Website: http://www.cusd80.com//Domain/5534

Tax Credit Q & A

Q: Who can donate? A: Any Arizona tax payer. This includes…• Family • Friends • Any Community

Members• Aunts and Uncles

Fun Stuff• Class Parties• Birthdays• Field Trips

o Audubono Idea Museumo IMAX/ Play

• Me Stew/Talent Share• Room Parent

“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” – Sir Ken Robinson