Marking Period- ONE: Sept./Oct.
Language Arts... taught by Mrs. Mattson... homework is to read 20 minutes nightly
Mathematics: We use the Go Math Series. Students will have a workbook they work out of daily in class. Students will be given time daily to work on independent practice. If they are struggling, wasting their time, or absent, they may have homework at night to finish up these assignments. Occasionally, there may be a specific "Homework" assignment to be completed at home. All math grades will be based on a "point system" with the TESTS being worth the most points.
We will be working on Place Value for the first full month of school and covering Chapt. 1. We really take our time on this chapter as it is so important for the rest of the year's success. In October, we will move on to a traditional long multiplication and division.
Science: I will start out the year teaching Science to both groups of 5th graders. Our school uses an on-line program called Mystery Science which really coordinates well with the new Standards and the M-Step. Students will watch videos, work with partners and small groups, complete activities, journals,and be responsible for a test at the end of each unit. No book is provided for this program, so the students notes and a provided study guide will be very important to prepare for the test. Students really enjoy the program and so do I! :)
Our first unit will be on food chains the interdependence of the ecosystems. It is called Web of Life. Students will be deciding what plant and animal life they would take with them if they were to start a colony on Mars.
Writing: I will be using the 6 + 1 Writing Traits for Effective Writers Program to teach writing skills. Students will be graded on daily participation, their writing notebooks, a few writing assignments, and their use of the writing skills in their Science, Spelling, and Social Studies' work.
We will start out the year working on the parts of speech such as verbs, adjectves, prepositions and adverbs. Students will use these to create fluent sentences. We will also work on taking a summer event and turning into a climatic story using our senses and the writing traits practiced in class.
Our Writing grades will be based on a "point system". Students will always be given a RUBRIC (checklist) to follow for their writing assignments showing them the areas being graded. Their writing assignments CAN ALWAYS be fixed or improved and receive a better grade. Writing is a process and we are never done improving our work!
Spelling: Spelling will not happen every week. We will do about 5 units per marking period and the other weeks spent on Writing. There just isn't time for both! They will have a mini lesson on Mondays, a short practice assignment to be done independently and due on Wednesdays. There will then be a TEST on Fridays. Students will concentrate on using their spelling words in their Writing Assignments. Spelling Grades will be based on "points" with homework and tests being equal.
READ ALOUDS: We are reading Number the Stars to begin our year which deals with WWII and the Holocaust. Students might want to discuss that time in history further with you at home.