Gearity PDS

Mr. Mc Nichols

Principal, Gearity Professional Development School

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District

• Kindergarten

  • Reading – Students identify the main topic and key details in informational text.

  • Writing – Students write realistic fiction with a clear event sequence.

  • Math – Students classify objects into categories and solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask your child to retell a story using beginning, middle, and end.

  • Encourage your child to draw and write a short story about something that could really happen.

  • Practice sorting toys or household items by color, size, or type.

  
  

  Grade 1

  • Reading – Students describe characters, settings, and events; understand story structure; and compare different stories.

  • Writing – Students are also introduced to poetry and explore rhythm and patterns in poems.

  • Math – Students solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask your child to describe the characters and setting in a story.

  • Encourage your child to explain how they solved a problem.

  • Have your child write 2–3 facts about a favorite animal or topic.

  Grade 2

  • Reading – Students determine the main topic of informational texts, identify the meaning of words and phrases, and understand text features such as headings or bold print.

  • Writing – focuses on realistic fiction with well-developed events.

  • Math –Students solve one- and two-step word problems using addition and subtraction.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask your child to identify the main idea of an informational text

  • Encourage writing a short story with a beginning, middle, and end.

  • Encourage drawing pictures or models to represent the problem..

  
  

  Grade 3

  • Reading – Students determine the central message of stories, understand figurative language and vocabulary, and identify how parts of a story contribute to the overall structure.

  • Writing – focuses on expository pieces with facts and clear organization.

  • Math – Students deepen understanding of fractions and measure and estimate lengths using standard units.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask: “What lesson did the story teach?”

  • Encourage writing an informational paragraph about a topic of interest.

  • Use rulers or measuring tape during everyday activities.

  
  

  Grade 4

  • Reading – Students determine theme and analyze how stories are structured (chapters, scenes, or stanzas).

  • Writing – Writing focuses on structured expository essays with clear introductions, facts, and conclusions.

  • Math – Students compare fractions, perform operations with fractions, and interpret measurement data.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask your child what theme or message a story teaches.

  • Practice comparing fractions using visual models.

  • Encourage writing about a topic using clear paragraphs and facts.

  Grade 5

  • Reading – Students determine main ideas in informational texts, analyze how texts are structured, and evaluate how authors support claims with evidence.

  • Writing – Write argumentative pieces supporting claims with reasons and evidence.

  • Math – Students understand place value relationships and perform operations with decimals to hundredths.

  Parent Tips

  • Ask your child to identify the main idea and supporting details in articles.

  • Practice adding and subtracting decimals during real-life situations such as budgeting or shopping.

  • Encourage your child to form an opinion on a topic and support it with evidence.