Welcome To The Fifth Grade
Mrs. Kathy O'Rourke- Classroom Teacher
Grade
5 ~ Room 111
2009-2010
Dear Families,
Welcome to Fifth Grade! We have a challenging curriculum and a very full year ahead of us. Below you will find a bit of what our time together will look like and our focus for units of study this year. I am excited to share all of this with you and your children.
Fifth grade is a wonderful year to see a tremendous amount of growth and maturity. Students are expected to be responsible for themselves and their own behavior. They are also responsible for the care of their school and materials. There are expectations which are reinforced through a social curriculum I use known as The Responsive Classroom. This approach helps to build a classroom into a learning community where high social and academic goals are both attained. We work together each day to reinforce positive behaviors through classroom organization, morning meeting, rules and logical consequences, academic choice and assessment. Our "Road to Good Character" is also a reminder of the attributes we need to be respectful, responsible and caring citizens. Your help and support will make a great deal of difference to your child as he/she develops the maturity needed to succeed as a fifth grader.
5th grade website links...
 SCIENCE |
|
EARTH/PHYSICAL SCIENCE |
|
| Light | |
Sound |
|
Water |
|
Geology |
|
Weather |
|
LIFE SCIENCE |
|
 MATH |
|
|
|
| Geography | |
History
|
|
ENGLISH |
|
SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM
INFORMATION...
Union
#38 Science Curriculum (in-school
link)
Union
#38 Science Curriculum (home link)
Union
#38 History & Social Sciences Curriculum
5th Grade Rubrics
Science, Social Studies & Math
Please see our district curriculum...there will be many opportunities to expand these skills and concepts through field trips, guest speakers, special performances, and of course the work in our garden.
Language Arts
The literacy program (reading/writing/speaking/listening) is taught using an integrated approach. Each child will be following the stpes of the Writing Process: brainstorming (webbing), drafting, conferencing, revising, editing and publishing. Using feedback, students revise and edit independently. Grammar, mechanics, style and techniques are taught through daily teacher directed minilessons. We are using "The Traits of Good Writing": ideas, presentation, sentence fluency, conventions, organization, word choice and voice as guidelines. The children have also been introduced to the attached rubric as a guide for expectations. Throughout the year there will be many opportunities to practice different forms of writing such as fiction, personal narratives, poetry, letters, research reports and persuasive pieces. The students iwll learn to consider their audience and purpose for writing.
Our reading program has a framework where I use read alouds, shared reading , SSR (self-selected reading) and guided reading. These activities are embedded into our day. During fuided reading, small groups are formed to focus on comprehension skills, fluency, and strategies good readers use. These groups are dynamically grouped and based on assessment. All of these skills will help the children to become life-long readers and prepare for MCAS in the spring. We are using "Spelling for Writers" program. It provides managable ways for students to learn how words work in our English language. Monday is pretest day, Tuesday is hands-on and active with a sorting activity, Wednesday and Thursday they apply their words to the weekly spelling principle and use them in a writing activity and on Friday is posttest and some word play activity. Understanding how words work will allow them to develop stratagies to unlock unknown words.
Homework
Homework is an important part of your child's academic
program. It is assigned Monday through Thursday. Students should expect
to spend 50 minutes per evening on their assignments. This time frame
can vary depending on your child's work habits. All assignments are posted
in class and students are expected to copy these into their assignment
books. It is essential that homework completion become a positive, regular
habit. I will make comments on their homework and will expect them to
read them. They will usually be given another opportunity to redo an
assignment if necessary. Reading evey day at home should become part
of the homework routine as well. The children should be reading at least
15-20 minutes each day independently, but of course, much more can be
done. A weekly chart, kept at home, may be helpful to record their time.
GRADING FOR ASSIGNMENTS
Nature's Classroom
Nature's Classroom offers a unique educational experience to students and their teachers. The goal of Nature's Classroom is to create a living-learning community that integrates the social development of that community with academic experiences. Common goals that are woven throughout the experience are for the student to imporve his/her self-concept; to work together with others for the positive benefit of all members of the community; to recognize that the community is comprised of individuals with their own individual needs; to appreciate the individuality and uniqueness of each other; and to gain an understanding of what education can offer him/her. The process begins when teachers volunteer to bring their students to Nature's Classroom. Each Nature's Classroom program is developed in consultation with the classroom teachers in order to create an experience that is connected to the school's curriculum and goals.
Your children are off to a great start and I am looking forward to a great year. Please feel free to contact me here at school (665-7826) or email orourkek@wes.whately.ma.us with any questions or concerns. I only check my email weekly, so if it is a timely message, a call or note is great.
Sincerely,
Kathy O'Rourke