Announcements:
THANK YOU. All of the handwritten cards from my students this week have me on Cloud 9. I love my job. STATE TESTING DATES The CST (California Standards Test) will be administered to students in grades 2-11 across California. The 5th and 6th graders at Stone Creek will complete the tests during these dates and times: WEEK 1 Tuesday, May 8 = Science #1 (5th) Thursday, May 10 = Science #2 (5th) / Language #1 (6th) WEEK 2 Monday, May 14 = Language #1 (5th) Tuesday, May 15 = Language #2 (5th & 6th) Wednesday, May 16 = Math #1 (5th & 6th) Thursday, May 17 = Math #2 (5th & 6th) Boomers! essay: click here Congratulations to the 2012 Math Team members!!
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A 5th grade/6th grade combination classroom...
This year, our classroom will function as a combination classroom consisting of 15 fifth graders and 20 sixth graders. Through carefully thought-out planning and scheduling, most curricular grade-level standards will be taught independently to each group of students. Most importantly, the student-centered teachers in 5th & 6th grade allow this type of schedule to work. Thank you! WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Many parents and students have been asking, "How can a teacher cover all of the curriculum for two different grade levels in the same classroom...while still challenging the students to work toward high expectations?"
I have attached the weekly schedule below. Read each day of the week from the top (8:10am start) to the bottom of each column. Both grade levels of students will always be engaged in a learning activity; sometimes this will occur in the same classroom, while other times one group will be at their music lesson, computer lab, P.E., or library.
The combo class will operate on the 2 bases of independent reading/note-taking and accelerated lesson completion by both grade levels of students. During the first few weeks of school, it will be my priority to specifically teach all students what is expected when independently previewing lessons, how to successfully complete this task, and when to finish any independent work that cannot be completed in the given amount of classtime. By students learning to independently preview lessons, it will allow the class lessons to be accelerated and to focus on the essential standards/facts of each lesson.
One particular advantage to a combination classroom is the excellent student to teacher ratio that is created when subjects are taught to one grade level group at a time. For example, a math lesson covering linear equations for 6th graders is taught to 19 students, while a science lesson entailing molecular compounds for 5th graders is taught to 15 students. This allows the teacher to provide more frequent feedback and participation opportunities for each student.
In summation, I hope to help my students develop independent learning skills while significantly reducing any boredom that might usually occur for high-achievers at a typical classroom pace.
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