1st Quarter Letter

    1st Quarter Letter 2023-2024

    VIRTUES are the GATEWAY to JOY at SGM!

Our first quarter letter outlines the curriculum we will be covering the first nine weeks of school. 

RELIGION

This year we will continue to focus as a school on the cardinal virtues of the church. We will incorporate this message throughout the curriculum and our school day in learning, prayer, and practice. Our first value to focus on is FAITH.

The fifth grade will continue to participate in the the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd this school year. The students will  continue their spiritual growth in this program on Tuesday afternoons.

We will begin our year mindful of our Catholic identity reviewing prayers, the Liturgical calendar, and our classroom saint Blessed Junipero Serra.

The fifth grade curriculum centers on the importance of sacraments in our lives. Our first unit is "Sacraments: God's Gifts of Life." We will study the meanings behind the signs and symbols of God's love and grace in our lives as manifested through creation around us. In Unit 2, we will look at two of the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism and Confirmation.

Quizzes, projects, and chapter tests will be given as assessments.

Students will keep all notes in an interactive spiral notebook. Colored pencils are required for completion of most assignments.

Each student will create a prayer journal to use and keep.

The students will continue to use their Bible that they received last year.

LANGUAGE ARTS

READING

My goal as a reading teacher is to create a culture of reading in our classroom. After praying, reading is the most important verb in our daily routine. Active reading is important for comprehension and strategies and these skills will be taught in class. Authors give readers clues to meaning through "signposts" and students will be taught how to recognize these as they read. For more information on this strategy, you can access the link here:     Notice and Note Signposts 

Our reading program, "Wonders," has shown to be a high interest and rigorous program that differentiates for student needs. After a preview of the program and level assessments, we will begin the first unit "Eureka! I've Got It!" which challenges the students to answer the Big Idea question "Where can an idea begin?" Students will read fictional and informational selections using a variety of reading strategies, with an emphasis on story structure and elements. Close reading of texts will be stressed as students will cite evidence to support ideas. 

Students will read all-class novels and actively participate in discussions using an age-appropriate Socratic method. We will begin our first novel a little later in the quarter. Daily independent reading will be encouraged so each student strives to achieve a goal of 1,000 pages for the quarter. Students who feel this goal may not be attainable for them should see me to discuss an appropriate goal toward which they will work. I will be conferencing with each student to discern what goal is best for them. Your input is appreciated!

Beginning of the year Benchmark assessments will be given in early September to better track each student's progress in fluency and comprehension. Benchmark assessments will be given  mid-year and end of year.

Students will earn grades based on completion of vocabulary and comprehension skills assignments, completion of high quality novel assignments, written essays, quizzes, projects, and selection tests from the student anthology.

SPELLING

Students will be asked to learn to spell and know the meaning of their 20 weekly unit words plus 5 challenge words. Dictionary, thesaurus, vocabulary development, and proofreading skills will be incorporated into weekly spelling exercises.

Our first units will cover short vowel spellings, long vowel spellings, and words with suffixes.

There will be weekly oral or multiple choice tests. Unit work will be corrected and graded weekly. If a student scores 100% on the Monday pretest, they will only be responsible for the Challenge words on the Friday test.

Check out the website Spelling City (follow the link from my homepage) for fun and varied practice on all unit words!

Students are required to complete all spelling assignments and test in cursive writing. 

ENGLISH/CREATIVE WRITING (5A & 5B)

Grammar skills will begin with sentence construction, language mechanics, diagramming, and sentence sense. We will then study the qualities of nouns and pronouns. All grammar topics studied will be applied in student writing. Simple Solutions will provide a daily review of grammar skills and a weekly online assessment will be given to assess these skills.

Our English series,  VOYAGES in ENGLISH incorporates both writing and grammar skills. We will be using a "Writer's Workshop" approach to creative writing. This is a student centered method where they will write everyday using a 5 step writing process for composition. Focus will also be on the six traits of writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.

Student compositions will be displayed throughout the year on the board outside our classroom or compiled in binders to be read by fellow students. At the end of the year, each student will publish a book of their writings to take home. Many of these compositions will be written on Google Docs, so you can read their work at home.

Graded work will include formal and informal composition assignments, quizzes, tests, and projects. Homework will be self corrected and credit will be given for completed work that is on time.

SOCIAL STUDIES (5A & 5B)

We will begin our year with a review of basic world and U.S. geography, map skills, civil rights, and citizenship. 

First quarter will cover a review of American History from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the Revolutionary War and the founding principles of the United States Constitution.

Second Quarter will be economics and personal finance as we prepare for our BizTown Simulation on November 9. We will continue American History with the early Republic and growth of our new nation.

Good citizenship, civic values, and respect for our country's traditions and symbols will be stressed throughout the year.

Scholastic News will be used weekly to discuss and explore current events.

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS

Homework assignments will include review of classwork, pre-reading lessons for next day discussion, watching videos, essay writing, and preparation for summative assessments. 

ASSIGNMENTS & TESTS

Students will be provided with comprehensive study guides that they are responsible for completing. These will be corrected together in class. 

Most written assignments will be started in class whenever possible and finished at home.

There will be periodic quizzes at the end of lessons and tests at the end of most chapters. Alternative assessments (e.g. projects, posters, performance in place of regular written tests) will be used at times. All notes and handouts will be kept in a binder that will be organized in class. Colored pencils are mandatory for map work and note taking.