A Note from The Teacher

 

January Notes

2012 is here, ushering in resolutions for a fantastic New Year.  The Year of the Dragon is also about to begin and with it, as legend has it, the potential for a mythical, magical time!  I can't wait.  

SNOW DAY HOMEWORK INFORMATION

As I write this, snow is falling and I hope the students are enjoying some time to play!  When they come in for a cup of cocoa, perhaps they will pull out the work they received on Tuesday before heading home.  Tucked away in their folders you will find 2 pages of Logic/Imagery stapled together, a copy of The Watson's Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (see more on this below) and a sheet for them to neatly record notes as they go, and some spelling.  We did not have time to take a pre-test this week so I assigned everyone the SRA list this week.  If the list is too easy, students may build their own list from THIS LIST (used to support the National Spelling Bee) by simply choosing 20 challenging words from the list and completing the spelling menu.  If your child chooses this option, do be sure he or she knows what the words mean so some extra dictionary work would be a good accompanying task.  This snowy weather is also the perfect time to spend pouring over recipes for our healthy and attractive lunch project!

***Updated Friday, January 20th

In spite of the forecast, there still seems to be plenty of snow for constructing a quick igloo, developing a small army of snowmen, and possibly even taking a few sled runs.  When the rain takes over and you are finished with your snow day fun...

 So we don't fall too far behind, here are a few tasks to work on:

Math:  My math group has been assigned 2 review assignments on Mathletics.  Also, be sure to keep practicing math facts on live mathletics!

Reading: Read chapters 2 and 3 in The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963.  On a sheet of paper, record the top 5 events from each chapter you have read so far (including chapter 1).

Writing:  Add a draft of an Introduction and a Conclusion paragraph to your MLK, jr. essay. Check out the following link called 10 Steps to a Successful Essay for a description of what we have been practicing in class.  Step 6 is a refresh on writing an introduction and Step 7  will remind students how to write a conclusion:  Essay Tips

Science:  Keep working on that Nutrition Project!

Curriculum Update

Math

Mathletics is up and running for all St. John students!   Please make time to visit the site as often as possible--every day would be great!

My group is working on Coordinate Planes and gearing up for World Maths Day 2012 which will be held on March 7 this year.  Kids are practicing for this big competition over at Mathletics by participating in the live games.  Our goal is to solve at least 40 problems a minute at each level. 

LO: I will plot ordered pairs in a coordinate plane

SLE:  Meet or exceed curriculum standards

Reading 

We have begun reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis.  This novel tells us about the Watsos, an African-American family, who leave their home in Flint, Michigan to visit Grandma Sands in Birmingham Alabama during the summer of 1963.  They hope the visit will have a positive effect on their teen-age son, Byron, who is showing strong signs of becoming a "juvenile delinquent."  The book is packed with humor, even while describing some of the difficulties African-Americans experienced during the Civil Rights Era in the south. 

While continuing to read with the Big 4 in mind, we are reading to develop the skills of imagery and inference.  This novel is rife with figurative language so we will delve into decoding that as well.

LO:  I will sketch images of main ideas from the novel to develop the skill of imagery.

SLE:  Read with proficiency

Writing

We are honing our essay writing skills again.  This time our topic is Martin Luther King, Jr. and his I have a dream speech.  Final copies of these essays will be on display for Catholic School's Sunday.

LO:  I will write about the effect Martin Luther King, Jr. had on the Civil Rights Movement.

SLE:  Write with Proficiency

Social Studies

We're stepping out of our "timeline" of American History to focus on Civil Rights through our novel study. 

LO:  I will identify causes of positive change in our country resulting from the Civil Rights movement.

SLE: Live gospel values

Spelling

Each week we will have an SRA pre-test and differentiated spelling groups based on the results.

Religion: 

LO:  I will describe the different parts of the mass

SLE:  Knowledge of scripture and teaching

Science: 

We are building knowledge of Nutrition through the Foss Science Kit.  Our unit of study includes using the scientific process to test levels of  fats, acids and sugars in foods while reading about nutrients necessary to good health.  We are looking at various nutrition paradigms, including My Plate and various incarnations of the Food Pyramid and analyzing each for content.  Students are also learning to read food labels and talking about ways to make healthy food choices. 

Our Healthy Meal Nutrition Project is a way to bring all this learning to life!  Your child will research and design a healthy and attractive lunch to bring to school on JANUARY 27th to present at lunchtime to the third, fourth and fifth graders.  Then your child will get to enjoy eating that fantastic lunch!  Along with the meal itself, students will record the meal's nutritional value, describe why eating healthy is important, and prepare a presentation of their learning.  Each student has a project packet describing everything in detail.  If you would like to read/print a copy for yourself, here it is:  Nutrition Project.

LO:  I will study the effects of nutrition on health

SLE:  Think Critically

Homework

In general, you can expect your child will be assigned 50 to 60 minutes of homework a night on Monday through Thursday.  All assignments (daily as well as long term) are recorded in student assignment notebooks each afternoon.  St. John fifth grade teachers feel this is a critical year for students to learn independence and self-management skills necessary for middle school.  One of the ways we help students prepare is by having them carefully recording work, test dates and important events in their assignment notebooks at the end of each day.  Then we take time to make sure everyone has the necessary materials to do the homework assigned.  To help students focus on their assignment notebooks and learn to rely upon their own organizational skills, daily homework is not posted on our teacher pages.  Please keep yourself appraised of your child's work by reading the assignment notebook each night and signing to indicate that all makes sense.  Feel free to write notes to the teacher in the box on each day's page.  Notebooks are checked by the teacher each morning.

Do check this section for more detailed information on long-term projects.  Due dates and helpful links will be posted for those. 

Homework typically consists of the following:

• Math practice sheet
• 20-30 minutes silent reading
• A weekly spelling assignment and test
• Work that was not completed in class

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I print out the math homework if my student forgets to bring his/her workbook home?A: please visit www.eduplace.com (see link above). Click on "Mathematics," and then choose the 2007 edition of the Houghton Mifflin math book (one of the blue ones). Then choose the grade five circle.  From there, select "leveled practice." This takes you to the page that lists lessons and worksheets from each of units in our math book.  Students record their math book homework by chapter and number in their assignment planners each day.  For instance if they record their assignment as: homework 3.1, that means their work is from chapter 3 lesson 1.  Each unit in our book is generally comprised of 2 chapters...so you may have to do a bit of searching to find the correct unit on the website.  

Once you find the correct unit, chapter and lesson, you must next select your child's assignment category (ie; homework, practice, reteach, problem solving, etc.)  This information should be recorded in your child's assignment notebook.  Then, click GO and you should have what you need!

Q: What is the fifth grade birthday celebration policy?A: We look forward to celebrating birthdays as a class!  Birthday children are honored by getting to sit in the comfy teacher swivel chair on their special day and we enjoy sending our good wishes in the form of a rousing rendition of the Happy Birthday Song.  If birthday kids would like to share a treat with the class, please make sure it is of the non-edible variety.  Small trinkets are permissible.  Other ideas, however, might include bringing in a CD with a favorite song to share (appropriate lyrics, please), a story to be read aloud, or anything else along those lines.  Keep in mind that birthdays are celebrated in the last 15 minutes of the day.  Summer birthday kids are welcome to celebrate their 1/2 birthday with the class if they'd like.

Q:  When is the Family Life unit taught?A:  These lessons are presented in the spring.  Prior to the start, parents will be invited to a program overview meeting to preview materials and learn more about content.

Q:  Do fifth graders need to write in cursive?

A:  Absolutely!  Every assignment must be completed in Zaner-Bloser cursive with the exception of math papers.   The cursive rule also applies to all headings on student work, no matter the subject.

Q:  Can I download Type To Learn 4 at home so my child can do additional practice?

A:  Sure!  Just follow the directions here

Educational Links

Houghton Mifflin Math Book

Accelerated Book Finder

Washington State Standards

Prayer Book

Take an AR Quiz