Welcome to Fifth Grade Curriculum Night! We are committed to helping your child become a successful and confident learner. Our goal is for students to enjoy their time at school while developing the independence, responsibility, and skills they will need as they prepare for the transition to middle school.

We believe that a strong partnership between home and school plays an important role in student success. Please never hesitate to reach out to us with questions, concerns, or feedback. We are always happy to work together to support your child and help them have a successful fifth-grade year.

Below, you’ll find helpful information to guide you through fifth grade and help make this school year a positive and successful experience for your child.

Fifth Grade Website:

This is an extremely valuable resource for keeping you informed of all things related to fifth grade.   A few of the many things you can learn about on the website are:

• Homework Assignments

• Upcoming tests and important dates

• Links to online resources

Contact Information:

• The best way to contact us is through email.

  • jdreas@sclschool.org or connect to my Class Dojo (Invites will be sent.)

  • msmith@sclschool.org

Homework:

• As your children prepare to transition to middle school, they will continue to develop personal responsibility and organizational skills by filling out their planners each day, bringing home the supplies they need, and returning homework on time. 

• Per the SCL handbook, fifth grade students may have 50-60 minutes of homework every evening.  If your child is consistently experiencing more than this, please contact us.  

• Homework is posted on the fifth grade website daily.

Absences:

• If your child is absent, please send an email to Mrs. Stevison and copy both Mr. Smith and Ms. Dreas.

• Always feel free to check the website or reach out  if you’d like the assignments for the day.  Daily notes will be included in Google Classroom for ELA and social studies.  

Technology Expectations:

Chromebooks are used to enhance and reinforce learning. Students are expected to:

• remain on assigned sites

• responsibly manage their chromebook

If a student misuses technology, the device will be taken away, and the student will write a note to his/her parents explaining the situation. The device will not be returned to the student until the signed note is returned to the teacher.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:

Fifth Grade Rules:

• Be kind at all times.

• Stay focused and on task.

• Be respectful of everyone at all times and in all areas of the building.

• Always try your own personal best!

IF WHAT YOU’RE DOING interferes WITH LEARNING, HURTS SOMEONE’S heart, OR PREVENTS YOU FROM BEING YOUR best SELF, YOU NEED TO 

MAKE A BETTER CHOICE!

We want to help your children learn to make positive choices and take responsibility for their behavior.

•  If a child is having difficulty following one of our classroom rules, they will first receive a verbal reminder or warning. If the behavior continues, they will be asked to take a 5–7 minute break in our calming corner to reset and refocus.  If the behavior continues after the break, the child will receive a strike. If a child receives three strikes during the week, a handwritten note will be sent home to parents, and the child will not participate during the block of Fun Day Friday.

• Parents will be required to sign the letter and return it to the teacher by the next school day.  

•  We also like to recognize students who are making good choices!  There are chances for classroom recognition (baseball jar–see below), group recognition (learning group points), and individual recognition (tickets).  

• If everyone in the class is focused and following directions, or if another teacher gives us a compliment, the class earns a baseball bat (Smith Kids) or baseball (Dreas Kids) in a jar.  After earning 15 per class, the students will get to vote on a class reward.  

Academics

ELA:

• Students work on reading, writing, grammar, and spelling in ELA. 

• The students will be using the following resources in ELA: hardcover Wonders Literature Anthology book, the Reading/Writing Companion Workbooks, Voyages in English Practice Book, IXL, AR, Readworks, and various novels. 

• The Wonders program has an online component which can be accessed using a link on the resources tab of the fifth grade website. 

Reading:

• We will use short stories from our Wonders readers and workbooks, along with classroom novels, to improve reading fluency, further develop comprehension skills, and expand students’ understanding of vocabulary.

• Students should always have a chapter book with them at school to read. They are welcome to borrow books from our classroom library. I am more than happy to check the AR/Lexile level of any book to help ensure it is an appropriate fit.

• Students will have a vocabulary test approximately every two weeks, most likely using a Google Form. The test will be posted in Google Classroom on the day of the test. Vocabulary words will always be provided to students in advance, and we will practice the words in the classroom in a variety of ways before the test.

Book Reports/Independent Book Summaries:

• The students will have one independent book summary due each quarter.  For the first quarter, we will start with a similar format to fourth grade and I will change it up each quarter depending on the skills that we are currently working on. 

• Each book summary involves three components: completing an AR test, the independent book summary and a small in-class project that can also be worked on at home.

• The book requirements include choosing and reading a book that is 150-200+ pages. The book that your child chooses should be on or above their reading level and needs to be approved by the teacher.  After the students complete STAR testing,  I will have a better grasp on each of my student’s individual reading levels.  I will send an approval letter home directly after STAR testing takes place.  This will most likely be the first week in September.

Writing:

• Students will write journal entries, responses to their reading that include text evidence, and a variety of creative writing pieces incorporating spelling and/or vocabulary words.  A digital journal will also be available through Google Classroom, giving students additional opportunities to practice typing and developing their writing skills.

• Throughout the year, the students will also use the writing process to form an argumentative (similar to opinion/persuasive) piece, informative/explanatory text, and a personal narrative. They will also learn how to use the research process focusing on such important details as finding sources, paraphrasing vs. plagiarism, and citing sources. 

Grammar:

• The students will learn more about types of sentences along with using nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,  prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections properly. 

• The students should be applying what they have learned about grammar such as capitalization and punctuation rules into their writing assignments.

• The students will use their Wonders Practice Book along with the Voyages in English Practice Book to work on and improve grammar skills.

• The students will be taking notes in the grammar section of their ELA notebook for referencing. Printed notes taken in class will also be available in Google Classroom. Please check these in the event of an absence or when studying for tests.

Spelling:

• Students will have weekly spelling tests throughout the year. 

• Pretests will be given and differentiated spelling lists will be determined by these results.

• Students will write spelling words in their assignment journals from the list of words handed to them on Mondays. The words can also be found under spelling in Google Classroom.

• Spelling words will be practiced in class and should also be practiced at home throughout the week. 

• Tests will take place on Fridays or at the end of the school week.

IXL:

• Students will be given IXL assignments that are aligned with the work being learned in the Wonders Series. 

• On IXL assignments, students may stop after they reach 85% OR 20 minutes, whichever comes first.

• Standardized diagnostic assessments will be given throughout the year using the IXL program.

Tests/Assessments:

• The students will have a quiz after each story they read in their Wonders reader to check for comprehension and understanding of vocabulary. 

• The students will also have short assessments from time to time, that will help me check for their understanding of different ELA skills, such as grammar skills. 

• The students will have Mid-Unit assessments and End of Unit tests along with periodic cold reading assessments. 

• Throughout the year students will be taking the following progress monitoring assessments to keep track of their ELA growth: STAR Reading, IXL Language Diagnostic, and NWEA (Language and Reading). 

Math:

Big Ideas Math Book-

• Daily homework will be assigned as a way to practice the skills that were introduced during the day.  

• Students will usually be given class time to begin working on homework assignments.

• One feature to look for in the math book is a QR code next to homework questions.  By scanning this code, you and your child can watch a video containing instructions on how to solve that type of problem.

• Pages may be printed from the math book if your child forgets to bring his/her math book home. See the password document in the ‘shared with me’ section of google drive for login information.

Simple Solutions-

• In addition to the textbook, we will be using the Simple Solutions daily each week to review skills.  Students may work ahead in this book. On Friday, the students will take the Simple Solutions Quiz for the week. The quiz consists of problems from the week. 

IXL-

• Students will be given IXL assignments that are aligned with the work being learned in the Big Ideas math book. 

• On IXL assignments, students may stop after they reach 85%.  When IXL is assigned as homework,

 students may stop after working for 20 minutes.

Tests-

• Students will receive one week notice prior to tests.  Watch the fifth grade website for notifications.

• Students will be given the IXL diagnostic assessment several times throughout the year.

Differentiated Instruction Groups-

• This year, students will participate in Differentiated Instruction Groups.  These fluid groups will provide an opportunity for enrichment and practice.

Social Studies:

• Students will be taking notes this year. We will review the skill, but they should already have it fairly well mastered from last year. 

• Printed notes for each unit will be available in Google Classroom. Please check these in the event of an absence or when studying for tests.

• Students will always be given one week notice prior to any test. Watch the fifth grade planner for notifications.

• Sometimes social studies will be an open note/book quiz.  In this case, there will not be a study guide provided in advance.

• Some topics covered this year will include:  Geography Skills, Founding Documents, Branches of Government, Civil War, Westward Expansion, Industrial Revolution, Immigration, Progressive Era, Women Equal Rights, World War 1& 2, Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, and Restoration

Science:

• There will be multiple hands-on activities for every unit of study.

• We will examine the vocabulary of science and scientific writing.

• Students will be expected to take notes this year.  

• Printed notes for each unit will be available on the fifth grade website. Please check these in the event of an absence or when studying for tests. 

• Students will be given one week notice prior to any test. Watch the fifth grade website for notifications.

• Some topics covered this year will include: Water and Earth’s Systems, Matter and its Changes, Ecology and Food Webs, and Earth’s place in the Solar System.

Religion:

• Students will use the Finding God series by Loyola Press as the basis of religious instruction.  

• In addition to weekly mass, students will attend prayer services, confession, and adoration throughout the year.

• Students will participate in the Taking Charge of Me program through PreventEd.

• Some topics covered this year will include The Ten Commandments, the Liturgical Calendar, and how to locate passages in the Bible.

Junior Achievement / JA Biztown:

• The Junior Achievement Program will be presented in STREAM class, starting just before or immediately after winter break.  

• Fifth grade will be attending a hands-on field trip and simulation where students run a simulated town and work in various business roles.  The core topics include: financial basics, earning money, and entrepreneurship.  The date of this field trip is currently set for Tuesday, March 9th.More details will be coming.

Fifth Grade Camp:

Stay tuned for more information coming soon.

We  know this is an overwhelming amount of information.  Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns throughout the year.  We are looking forward to a great school year!  

Sincerely,

Mr. Mike Smith & Ms. Jill Dreas