You are Cordially Invited to attend our class liturgies!

Room 201: 3/5 and 5/5

Room 202: 3/3 and 4/30

3/11 - Here is the study guide for our test on the Sacraments of Initiation, to be given on Tuesday 3/17. It is a little long because it's intended to be harder than the actual test. All questions on the test will be pulled from the study guide. There is a list of words to know on the study guide instead of a word bank, but there will be a word bank on the test. Additionally, there will be at least one extra credit question on the test. The idea is for everyone to work hard on the study guide so that the test isn't so hard.

If you have any difficulties in accessing the study guide, please contact me. I will also provide hard copies of the study guide to all students.

3/9/20 Update - Welcome to the final quarter!

We are wrapping up our unit on the Sacraments of Initiation and will have a test next Tuesday or Wednesday, the 17th or 18th. The test will cover everything we've learned about Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. There will be a study guide later this week. The test will most likely be drawn from the larger pool of questions on the study guide. Students should review their workbooks, handouts and worksheets pertaining to the three sacraments.

They can also review the following videos, which we've already watched in class:

• Baptism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L2s678AJr4
• Confirmation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt32SyDWuW8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu3MoT_egFI
• Eucharist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRtDGELg27w

3/3/20 - End of Quarter

The end of the quarter is quickly approaching, so please check FACTS for any missing assignments. It's a student's responsibility to get all of these to me by the end of the day on Thursday. Assignments that are not turned in will earn a 0 for the quarter.

1/27 - We're getting into the meat of our year - studying each sacrament in depth. Right now we are focusing on Baptism and will soon segue into the other two Sacraments of Initiation, Confirmation and Eucharist.

This work will be a little harder than it was at the beginning of the year, and may also be graded more rigorously. Students may have to think about answers instead of finding them readily in the book. We are getting ready for the challenge of sixth grade!

1/21 part 2 - I gave students today an opportunity to redo the two essay questions on our test, open-book. These are due tomorrow, Jan. 22, by the end of the day. Some students turned them in in class already.

1/21 - Students going on the March for Life this weekend may write a paper and give a brief presentation about their experience to their classmates in lieu of all homework and makeup work for religion and social studies the Thursday and Friday that they will be gone. Students should see me to discuss the exact terms of their project.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jul-XMuWWofdz8prKk-CywZie3lztQi4/view?usp=sharing

1/10 - Test Date Moved

Because there is no school on Friday, Jan. 17, we had to move the test date. The new date is Thursday, Jan. 16.

After a class discussion we realized that the Tuesday after a four-day weekend would not be prudent and Wednesday would be putting off the test more than necessary. We decided on Thursday, Jan. 16 so that we can get it over with and enjoy the 4-day weekend. I'm proud of everyone's hard work and flexibility! We will do the Unit Review on Tuesday instead of Wednesday to allow for the altered timeframe.

1/6 - Welcome Back!

Happy Epiphany of the Lord! We learned about the symbolism of the three Gifts of the Magi and how they reflect Jesus' identity as King, God, and Sacrifice.

We have an upcoming test. The homework and in-class workbook pages planned for the time leading up to the test are as follows. Deadlines are subject to change according to the class's needs, but notice will be given if this becomes necessary. Students are welcome and encouraged to work ahead.

• Monday, January 6 - Epiphany worksheet (completed in class); no homework unless needed to complete worksheet.
• Tuesday, January 7 - pages 56, 57, 59, and 60 completed in class; no homework unless students need extra time to complete in which case this assignment becomes due the next day.
• Wed., Jan. 8 - Discuss pages 64-65 in class. Do p. 65 activity in class. Do pages 66-67 for homework.
• Thur., Jan. 9 - p. 68-69 homework
• Fri., Jan. 10 - Complete pages 71-72 in class. No homework unless need extra time to complete.

• Mon., Jan. 13 - Baptism of the Lord/Intro to Baptism/pages 86-87 (in class). Homework: study for test
• Tue., Jan. 14 - In class: Baptism cont'd. Homework: Study for test.
• Wed. Jan. 15 - In class: Unit Review (p.78-80). Homework: study for test
• Wed., Jan. 15 - In class: Review for test/catchup
• Fri., Jan. 17 - Test

12/12 - Missing Work Notice

Please check FACTS to see if your child has any missing work! Missing work decreases in value each day, and any work that is still missing at the conclusion of the quarter next Friday will receive a score of zero.

Homework for week of 12/10: Textbook pages 317, 320-323. Due Friday 12/13.

All homework for the week was assigned today so that students may work on it whenever they are free. Page 317 was already mostly completed last week in class. We will do other work in class which may potentially need to be finished as homework if class time runs out.

Congratulations to our 5th graders on their saint presentations! We all enjoyed them very much!

11/18 - Saint Project Update

Students are researching one saint, and the results of their research need to be presented in two different ways. They are writing a paper for Ms. Shawver, and preparing a visual aid to be orally presented for me. Students have received rubrics for both the paper and the presentation; if they need another copy, they should ask. Projects will not receive full credit unless the directions are followed.

All papers AND all presentations must contain the following five elements (or an explanation that the student was unable to locate the information if necessary):

A) Dates of birth and death (if known) and place where they lived their life

B) A summary of what they spent their life doing

C) At least one thing/group/place/activity that they are the patron saint of

D) A story of something that happened in the saint’s lifetime

E) Something about the saint that inspires you.

The visual aid for the oral presentation is due on Tuesday the 26th, which will also be the first day of presentations. Students may earn extra credit for turning it in on Monday the 25th, but it is strongly suggested that they make the most of the time between now and then to construct and rehearse a detailed presentation. Students should consult Ms. Shawver and/or her website for more details about the rubric for the paper.

The rubric for the presentation is below.

11/8 - It's easy to give in to the temptation to write short and vague answers in any class, especially religion. At the beginning of the year I accepted almost any kind of answer. By now, students should be familiar with my "half space" rule: if there are four lines provided for your answer, you need to use at least two; if six lines, you need to use at least three, and if there are three, you need to use at least one and a half. If your answer takes up less than half the space provided, you probably weren't able to fully respond to the prompt and thus there's a very good chance that you won't be able to earn full credit. Students should always write in complete sentences and answer the question as thoroughly as space permits.

11/6 - We are beginning work on our Saint Project! This project is graded in both religion and writing class. Students are choosing a saint to research. They will write a paper and make a visual aid about their saint. They will present the visual aid to the class. Papers are due on November 21 and presentations will be November 25, 26 and 27. We have already spent a good deal of time in class today and yesterday researching and drafting and will continue to work on our research and writing in class over the next few weeks, including visits to the computer lab and the library.

Saint Project

You will choose a saint to research and share with the class.

You will make a poster, slideshow, power point, or another visual aid to share with us what you learn about your saint. You will present your visual aid and your research to the class in an oral presentation.

You will also write an essay of at least three paragraphs, including appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization.

The essay needs to include:

• A topic (ex. Mother Teresa is a saint who inspired us all to love the poorest people.)
• Transitional sentences
• At least three paragraphs
• At least three sources, one of which needs to be a book, and one of which needs to be a website. The source should be last name, first name. Date of publication. Name of article. Name of publication. Website where you found the information.
• Grammar, punctuation, and spelling all count!

Oral Presentation

You should include the following information about the saint in your oral presentation and paper:

1. Dates of birth and death (if known) and place where they lived their life
2. A summary of what they spent their life doing
3. At least one thing/group/place/activity that they are the patron saint of
4. A story of something that happened in the saint’s lifetime
5. Something about the saint that inspires you.

You can answer some or all of these questions: What made your saint special? How did he or she live a life of heroic virtue? How did he or she serve others? What did he or she teach us about how to love God and others? Why does he or she inspire you?

You can also include quotes from your saint!

10/7 - Where has the first quarter gone? Please check for any missing work in FACTS. If end-of-quarter grades are to reflect your child's real academic work, all missing work needs to be in before the quarter closes on Friday.

9/30 5- 5th grade has been working off and on in their spare class time on Bible Scavenger Hunts. I am collecting these by the end of the quarter to earn credit for some of the extensive Bible work we've done all quarter long. If a student's grade shows as M for this assignment, it isn't overdue yet, but it does need to be in by the end of the quarter. It should be mostly finished by now. If the student has lost his or her scavenger hunt he or she will need to ask me for a new copy.

9/26 - Today and tomorrow we are beginning to write letters to our Guardian Angel Buddies in Michigan. These adults, formerly served through the Guardian Angel Society, live in group homes in Grand Rapids. Through this service project, initiated by Mrs. Lance, we pray for, write monthly letters to, and learn to better appreciate the beautiful, valuable lives of our buddies. Mrs. Lance visited our school during testing week to share with us information about our buddies. This week we are writing our first letters.

9/17: We will be hearing the Safe Touch presentation, provided by the Archdiocese of St. Louis, this week to remind us how to stay safe. We will also be learning more about the Guardian Angel Project, our 5th grade service project. Watch for a parent email with a handout explaining more about safety. The children will also be bringing home a list of important safety rules that you can discuss together.