“Read and Reread -- Re-reading, we always find a new book.”

~C.S. Lewis

      Classroom Expectations Grade Scale Grade Breakdown

• Be Ready 93% - 100%     A 60% Reading: comprehension and vocabulary

• Be Respectful 85% - 92%     B 40% Written: Composition and Conventions 

• Be Responsible 75% - 84%     C

• Be Safe 67% - 74%     D

      0% - 66% F

Beginning of class:

Take a seat, put your belongings away, begin The Writing Revolution Bell Ringer, and get materials ready.

        During class

              Be an active participant in your learning. Listen, collaborate, and ask questions.

        End of class 

              Stay in your seat until dismissal by your teacher.

        **It is crucial to come prepared to class with all necessary materials and assigned Guidebook Texts**

        **Be sure to download our BIS School APP and select to get alerts for your assigned ELA teacher and block 

          number**

    *Graded papers will not be sent home weekly. All students' grades will be updated in the OnCourse grading system for parents and students to view.*

Curriculum: In the classroom we will utilize the Guidebook Units. The goal for each Guidebook unit is to ensure that all students read, understand, and express their understanding of complex, grade-level texts. **Each Guidebook is checked out to your student and it is their responsibility to keep up with this assigned text. We do not have additional copies to issue for lost materials.**

• 1st Nine Weeks: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich

• 2nd Nine Weeks: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

• 3rd Nine Weeks: Shutting Out the Sky by Deborah Hopkinson

• 4th Nine Weeks: Wonderstruck by Brian Selzinck

**Google Classroom will be utilized for all things ELA! This

 helps us embrace those 21st Century Skills and keep work stored in a safe location.** 

        Classwork Specifics: 

• Cold Reads Tests: Cold Reads (texts never before read by your student) will be weighted at 50 points and placed in the Reading Gradebook. These assessments are necessary as the LEAP assessment is also based upon texts never before seen by your student. The data from Cold Reads will help your students practice skills needed for LEAP success. The comprehension questions are critical thinking questions that require textual analysis and evidence to support answer choices. 

• Guidebook Section Quizzes: Our Guidebook section quizzes are comprehension based assessments that review material directly covered in our unit lessons. Students will be able to use their knowledge from classroom discussions and lesson objectives to  achieve success and show understanding of these complex texts. It is important to know that participating, listening, reading, and following along in our structured lessons is the best way to prepare for these quizzes. Section quizzes are not a retest item. 

• Vocabulary: Students will receive a new set of academic vocabulary words every two weeks. Vocabulary terms will come with a study guide and activities that will be completed independently by students and reviewed in ELA class. Every other week students will take a vocabulary quiz. Vocabulary quizzes are not a retest item. 

• Single  Paragraph Outline Responses: Our Single Paragraph Outline responses will be weighted at 30-40 points in the Writing Gradebook. This strategy helps students format their responses and shows comprehension of complex text as well as mastery of an essential standard of citing explicit textual evidence. As appropriate, students will respond to text dependent questions. We will also encourage students to find two pieces of evidence and support their answers with appropriate commentary. This skill will help students complete writing assignments in class as well as literary analysis and research task prompts on the LEAP test. 

• Culminating Writing Tasks (CWTs): At the end of each Guidebook Unit students will synthesize the topics, themes, and ideas of the unit into a written product such as an essay, narrative or article. This unit assessment will go into the Writing Gradebook and will be scored using a writing rubric that aligns with the LEAP writing assessments. 

• Performance Bands: Performance Bands are the bands used to calculate LEAP scores and reflect mastery of skills taught. We will use Performance Bands to adjust Cold Reads and CWTs. This adjustment will help us all track and measure your students' growth and mastery of 5th grade essential standards. For example if your student scores a 70% raw score on a Cold Read Assessment, the LEAP aligned Performance Band would score that assessment as a “Mastery” score. Therefore, the grade entered into the gradebook would be reflective of the “Mastery” Band and would be an 85%. 

• 1st Semester to 2nd Semester Scaffolding: In the beginning of our 5th grade adventure your ELA teachers provide many supports to our students that are intended to help them learn our ELA expectations, strategies, and find success in class. Our 2nd semester of ELA in 5th grade teachers will begin to release support to encourage students to be accountable, responsible, and prepare for the problem solving world of upper elementary and middle school! 

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