what your child should learn (lower school)

  When A Child Enters 1st Grade, He/She Should Know:

• How to Speak in Complete Sentences to Explain Ideas Clearly
• Listening Skills (Following Directions, Listening to Stories Read Aloud, Engaging in Conversation)
• Letter Recognition and Sounds
• Use of Phonics to Decode Words
• Basic Sight Words (e.g. and, the, I, me, you)
• How to Use the Calendar (Days and Months of the Year)
• Recognition of Color Words/Number Words (One to Thirty)
• Print Awareness and Parts of A Book (Author, Illustrator, Cover, Title Page, Print is Read Left-To-Right)
• How to Re-tell a Story and Identify Characters (Beginning, Middle, End)
• That Writing Conveys Meaning (Speech Into Print)
• Have Motivation to Read

 Literacy Skills Taught in 1st Grade:

• Letter-Sound Correspondences Including Consonants and Short and Long Vowels
• Decode Grade Level Words Using Knowledge of Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes, Verb Endings, Plurals, Contractions and Compounds
• Identify Parts of a Book and Their Purposes Including Author, Illustrator, Title Page, Table of Contents, and Chapter Headings
• Sight-Read 300-500 Words Including Sight and Decodable Words
• Study Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms to Learn New Grade Level Vocabulary
• Use of a Dictionary To Learn the Meanings of Words
• Use Comprehension Strategies (Predict/Confirm, Reread, Self-Correct, Ask Questions) to Comprehend Text
• Summarize Main Ideas from Informational Texts
• Show Interest in Reading a Range of Grade Level Texts Including Stories, Folktales, Fairy Tales, Poems and Informational Text
• How to Write Compositions and Begins to Use the Writing Process
• Attend to a Listening Activity for a Specified Period of Time
• Speak for Different Purposes (Share Ideas or Information, Retell a Story, Dramatize an Experience or Event) Literacy

 When A Child Enters 2nd Grade, He/She Should Know:

• Letter-Sound Correspondences Including Long and Short Vowels
• How to Decode Grade Level Words Using Knowledge of Root Words, Prefixes, Suffixes, Verb Endings, Plurals, Contractions and Compounds
• Parts of a Book and Their Purposes Including Author, Illustrator, Title Page, Table of Contents and Chapter Headings
• Sight-Read 300-500 Words Including Decodable Words
• How to Use Antonyms, Synonyms, and Homonyms to Learn New Grade Level Vocabulary (Word Study)
• How to Use a Dictionary to Learn the Meanings of Words
• Use of Comprehension Strategies (Predict/Confirm, Reread, Self-Correct, Ask Questions) to Comprehend Text
• How to Summarize Main Ideas from Informational Text
• How to Write Compositions, and Begins to Use the Writing Process
• Attend to a Listening Activity for a Specified Period of Time
• Speak for Different Purposes (Share Ideas for Information, Retell a Story, Dramatize an Experience or Event)

 Literacy Skills Taught in 2nd Grade:

• Decode Grade Level Words Using Knowledge of Word Structure (Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes, Verb Endings, Plurals, Contractions and Compounds)
• Identify Book Parts and their Purposes Including Author, Illustrator, Title Page, Table of Contents, Index and Chapter Headings
• Sight-Read Grade Level and High-Frequency Words
• Study Antonyms, Synonyms and Homonyms to Learn New Grade Level Vocabulary
• Use of a Dictionary To Learn the Meanings of Words
• Compare and Contrast Similarities and Differences Among Characters and Events Across Stories
• Compare and Contrast Similarities and Differences in Information from More Than One Informational Text
• Summarize Main Ideas and Supporting Details, Both Orally and in Writing
  Read Independently and Silently
• Write Compositions Using the Writing Process (Write Sentences in Logical Order and Use Paragraphs to Organize Topics)
• Attend to a Listening Activity for a Specified Period of Time
• Use Grade Level Vocabulary to Communicate Ideas, Emotions, or Experiences for Different Purposes (Share Ideas about Personal Experience, Books or Writing)

  When A Child Enters 3rd Grade, He/She Should Know

• How to Decode Grade-Level Words Using Knowledge of Word Structure
• How to Identify Book Parts and Their Purposes Including Author, Illustrator, Title Page, Table of Contents, Index and Chapter Headings
• Sight-Read Grade Leve and High-Frequency Words
• How to Use Antonyms, Synonyms and Homonyms to Learn New Grade Level Vocabulary
• How to Use a Dictionary to Learn the Meanings of Words
• How to Compare and Contrast Similarities and Differences Among Characters and Events Across Stories
• How to Compare and Contrast Similarities and Differences in Information From More Than One Informational Text
• How to Summarize Main Ideas and Supporting Details, Both Orally and In Writing
• How to Read Independently and Silently
• How to Write Compositions Using the Writing Process (How to Write Sentences In Logical Order and Use Paragraphs to Organize Topics)
• How to Attend to a Listening Activity for a Specified Period of Time
• How to Use Grade Level Vocabulary to Share Ideas About Personal Experience, Books or Writing

 Literacy Skills Taught in 3rd Grade:

• Decode Grade-Level Words Using Knowledge of Word Structure (Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes, Verb Endings, Plurals, Contractions and Compounds)
• Sight-Read Grade Level, High-Frequency Words and Content Words
• Vary Language According to Purpose (e.g. Conversation with Peers, Presentation to Adults)
• Use of Complete Sentences, Correct Verb Tense, Age-Appropriate Vocabulary
• How to Identify Book Parts and Their Purposes Including Author, Illustrator, Title Page, Table of Contents, Index and Chapter Headings
• Use a Dictionary to Learn the Meanings of Words and a Thesaurus to Identify Synonyms and Antonyms
• Use Knowledge of Story Structure (Character, Plot, and Events) To Comprehend Text
• Summarize Main Ideas and Details of Informational Text Orally and In Writing Process
• Explain the Difference Between Fact and Fiction (Reality/Fantasy)
• Read Independently and Silently, Including Longer Fiction and Non-Fiction Books
• Write Stories and Reports Using the Writing
• Take Notes to Record Data, Facts, and Ideas
• Write Literary Response Essays that Describe Plot, Setting and Characters, Personal Opinion, and Contrast/Comparison of Information from Various Literature
• Present a Short Oral Report Using at Least Two Sources of Information
• Use Logical Order In Presentation
• Attend to a Listening Activity for a Specified Period of Time

found this at http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-teacher-partnerships/teachers-tips-keeping-touch

Teachers' Tips for Keeping in Touch

Connect to your child’s classroom.

 

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LEARNING BENEFITS

Hover over each Learning Benefit below for a detailed explanation.

Attention and Focus

Problem Solving

Cooperation

Want to give your child the best experience possible? Team up with her teacher! Don't be discouraged from coming into class because "you're not educated enough" or because you don't feel you have anything to contribute — your child's teacher would love to strengthen the bond between school and home. How do you strengthen that bond? Read on for teachers' tips.

• Talk to your child every day about school — it's a great way to find out what he's learning and to identify potential problems that you might need to discuss with his teacher. Start a conversation with "What was your favorite activity today?" instead of "How was school today?" to avoid vague answers.
   
• Read everything that comes home. Most teachers send daily or weekly newsletters with info about class projects and field trips and requests for parent volunteers. But it's easy for your child to forget to pass them on to you, so check her backpack regularly, and find out if there's a particular day of the week when your teacher sends flyers home. Teachers can also post info on the Web using Scholastic's Class Homepage Tool — if your child's teacher does, check the site regularly.
   
• Communicate. Send a note or schedule a conference at the beginning of the year, and let your child's teacher know about anything unusual that's going on in your child's life that might affect him at school — from crises like illness and divorce to less drastic changes, like a grandmother moving in or a mother getting a new job. Mention any medication your child uses, even if he doesn't take it at school. But don't take problems to the principal unless you've already talked to your child's teacher.
   
• Be a cheerleader! Don't just focus on problem areas — let your child's teacher know about his strengths too. You'll help her to think of new ways to engage him.
   
• Respect the schedule. When there's an emergency, don't hesitate to call the school at any time. For more routine matters, it's smart to find out early in the year when the best times are to contact teachers. Ask at back-to-school night, or send a note or email in the first week.
   
• Spend time in the classroom. Not only are parent volunteers "worth their weight in gold" to teachers, paying regular visits to the classroom is also a great way for you to learn about your child's experience firsthand. Offer to tutor individual students or help with special projects. You can also chaperone on field trips, give a talk on your career or your cultural background, or teach the class how to make a special dish or art project.
   
• Bring learning home. Find ways to relate everyday activities at home to concepts your child is learning in school. For instance, explain percentages at breakfast using the nutritional info on the back of cereal boxes, or talk about the fat content of skim versus two-percent milk.
   
• Don't be afraid. Your child's teacher wants to hear from you. Of all people, teachers understand that there's no such thing as a stupid question, so ask away!

And so, here i am again. Will me writing about research based pedagogy, and my stand on education really make sa difference in the quality of education in Dagupan City? Will my writing about my political perspective actually change the course of development in our community? Will i actually make a difference by being proper and diplomatic? Or should we start being aggressive in this pursuit?

Continuation....

And so i cannot help but wonder if writing is enough to cotribute to change. If writing is indeed enough to make you a hero. Because when you really think about it, dr. Jose rizal's greatest contribution to our indepedence is his writing. We always say that he was able to instill the sentiment through writing. But is writing enough? Dont we need action men who ursued independence to actually chieve it? If filipinos just ended up ranting and writing during he spanish colonial days, wold we achieve freedom? Is rizal really worthy to be a hero because of his writing?

Writing has always been my outlet. When i feel like my mind is about to explode,  i just write and express everything i feel and it releases me. It helps me release all supressed feelins inside, makes me think about the situation through writing. But then, has everything i do just stop at writing. Sometimes i cannot help but accuse myself of inactivity because i just write about it. Am i just a coward - scared toreact and offend other people?

It's monday! Another week to be driven, to focus n change and development, another week to defend progressive education amidst traditional education , another week of dealing with people who doesnt understand research based, learner centered learning.
Have i told you that i have the hardest job in the world? Beng the only school that actually does up to date pedagogy in teaching nd learning and bing a pioneer in progressive education in the region, i feel like a scarificial lamb being prep for burnt offering. Seriously! But comes with his task is he idealism and passion to conibute to the next generaion of Filipinos. After my great talk with steve last week, i canot help but reminisce the reasons why we started Oakridge and the force that keeps us going everyday.
I remembered coming home from Manila amd seeing ow 'old' dagupan was, how chaotic trafic was, how people just crosses the streets , how people litter everywhere, how bad social servces was. And i was determined that my share in community bulding was education. If i can raise the next generatin of Dagupenos educated and cultured with classical progressive educaion, training them to think and make decision, we are facing a city that will have order and progress that will actually make ur city outstanding.
I remembered reading Bennet's Educated Child and reading about the role of the school, community, families in naion building. And the role of community and families in education. It does comes hand in hand.
And so, in the midst of parent's request for old debunkd pedagogy in education, i am reminded of my reasons why the Lord has driven me to start Oakridge. This is my stewardsip. If i compromise, i will not be faithful to God's call.

It's been ten days since I gave birth. I just want to share my first photo of our newly completed family! It's been such a struggle at the same time joy to go through birthing, nursing and being a mom to a newborn again. I forgot how hard it was to breastfeed, worrying about the amount of milk you produce, strugggling with people's comment about how you are not producing enough milk. It's been  tempting, tiring and even depressing ten days.

But today, I just felt the Lord calling me to go to Church. One thing is that I really deserve to go out. I havent had a decent sleep for ten days- waking every hour to feed. I deserve to go out. And what better thing to do- than go to Church. The Lord reminded me today that He is everything I need. I just need to walk with Him, be filled with Him and just trust Him. 

During the message, I just felt my agony turning into joy and celebration, my fear turning into peace. I just praise God that He is indeed everything we need. It's such a beautiful Easter. 

Before we go through the Holy Week, I just want to share great inspiration and speaking I had today. God is in control. God will take care of us. I am just amazed to listen to the story of JC Penny- about his rise, his fall and his turning to the Lord. Indeed, there is no need to be anxious. We just need to trust the Lord. :) Happy Holy Week!!!

It's that time of the year again when everyone celebrates their children's achievements, posts their children's "first honor" thing on facebook. Dont get me wrong! I actually appreciate achievements and conquests. But life is not all about their being first honor in second grade. life is about training the next generation to be problem solvers, resilient to change and competitive to face the real world. What we had seen all over the news for the past few days about the UP student who committed suicide because she was not given the financial grant (scholarship) is just a wake up call that we need to stop fooling our children, praising them too much on small conquests. We need to prepare them to face the realities of life- train them that life is difficult, and that the only thing you can do is find solution. Suicide by the way is not a solution. In fact, it manifests how weak the person is, how fragile her foundation was. Raising children and raising the nest generation of GREAT FILIPINOS should be about resilience to change, because there will be a lot of changes in our society if we really want progress.
Having a conversation with young great men who the government has tasked to fix some of the "internal" stuff in the system, I have seen how crucial it is that they were trained to be men of steel. Two of them were UP Law graduates, who got shouted at by professors after professors, ridiculed and even put to shame. But thats what we need. We need to train our kids to stand up on their own feet, be strong, be resilient and find solutions.
This March, Im celebrating my Oakridge kids' achievements. But its no big deal. No first honor, no  Magna Cum Laude in Grade 6 graduation. Those are just silly. This year, I celebrate their strengths- each one of them and their strengths, train them to face the complexities of life and prepare them for the future.

Dagupan City play a vital role in the revolution during the Spanish colonization. A couple of battles were fought in our very own city. But the sad thing is that today, no sign not even a statute or story can be found in the City.
The train station in the city was so important to commerce and trade - that British engineers came and stayed in Dagupan for the construction and opening of the station.

After writing about Old Manila, I want to write about my town, my city- Dagupan. Last month, i was tasked to finish a video on the history of Dagupan (well, the Chinese Migration in Dagupan City). And ended up learning more, falling in love with Dagupan heritage and history, and at the same time develop that kind of yearning to teach, preserve and pass on what I have learned and saw.

Dagupan used to play such a crucial part in trade and politics in the North. Not only is it strategically located to control Northern Luzon, businesses and trade are so progressive that it has the second most number of banking transaction in the country. 

Culturally, Dagupan plays a vital part as well. We have great cinemas and hosts premiere nights during the 60s. thats how great it is to be in Dagupan. Its the "it" place. 

I woke up today reading a surprising news- they're tearing Phil am Life Theatre down. I cannot help but be super affected on how we- Filipinos take care of our heritage. We don't restore our historical places, put value on our lineage and appreciate where we came from. Worst, we prefer building malls and condominiums. What does that tell us?
I always have a hard time planning field trip for Oakridge. One is that most of the "sites" are not worth visiting as its very commercialized. The places that are worth seeing are either unsafe, closed or torn down. Whats that??? Whats that tell about us?? Like for this school year, I wanted the students to ride the Pasig River cruise, see the beauty of old manila, know the importance of Pasig River in Pre-Colonial trade and development of Manila. But Pasig River cruise is now closed. Sad isnt it???
Since I've been waiting for my baby's birth, Ive been reading a lot about old manila - Escolta and its former role in trade, entertainment and culture. Now, Escolta is a den of robbers. Its former glory has faded, forgotten even by Manilenos and even government officials.

You know how amazed I am to find out that we had our tram before. Its such a feeling of pride that we actually had that kind of colonial experience. Escolta houses the building with the first elevator in the country.
Now, look at Escolta. How can we show our children the rich heritage we have if this is the environment they will see?? Sad

I really praise God for being the center and the goal of Oakridge International School. My stay away from Oakridge made me realize so many things - things that are the core and that are important to Oakridge. I've realized that Oakridge is not about great people working toward great things. We are all ordinary people working towards God's commission and purpose. And I appreciate that because we have nothing to boast. Being a graduate of a prestigious school doesnt made us worthy to prepare young leaders for God's move and purpose. We are just ordinary, simple people who are willing to be used by God. You know how often I wanna give up in this mission. How often I felt tired and restless (when I fight with the Principal), but at the end of the day, Its God's mercy and grace that makes us move forward because He has called us for this purpose. Thats why when I worry about the future, God hits me in the head with a gigantic rock to remind me of His faithfulness and purpose. That all I have to do is trust Him, be willing to serve Him and stay on the course (never deviate). I really praise God! The teachers- my co-workers and co-teachers are all ordinary people willing to be used by God.

Havent really slept last night. Been thinking, worrying about so many things. And then for a moment, I remembered how the Lord has been reminding me to trust His heart. I remembered a hymn that goes, "God is too wise to be mistaken, God is too good to be unkind. So when you don't understand, when you cant trace His plan, when you cant see His hand, Trust His heart." I just need to be reminded of God's faithfulness again and see the rainbow in this situation. I have been walking by faith for the past 6 years. But this is the time, I needed more grace to see His plan.

Its really amazing this time of the year how our Filipino brothers and sisters take time to spend with their family. dont get me wrong! i love this season. but i would have wanted people not iver dpending this season, really enjoy the f amily and do family traditions. like for example how crazy people can be over presents and shopping.thst part i dont really agree in.
anyway, i want to take this opportunity to give all thr gloy to God. thank Him for everthing He had given us this year. oakridge indeed is a product of faith, God's faithfulness and His sufficient Grace.
happy holidays everyone!

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs