Class Overview

About Our Adventure: 

5th grade was my favorite year of elementary school, and it's my favorite year to teach! I love the age. I love the curriculum. I love the excitement of seeing the world in new ways.

A few things to look forward to:

Passion Projects

Cool Math

Tour the State Capitol

Utah Symphony (pending)

Unforgettable Stories

U.S. History Wax Museum

Science Friday

Writing Lab

Biz Town (fingers crossed)

Star Base

And so much more  

 

Learning Objectives

Lists of the skills and concepts that we learn in 5th grade can be accessed through the links below:

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Expectations 

Behavior

Our best learning happens in a calm, safe environment.

I love humor and try to keep the mood light in the classroom.

I teach and model behaviors which facilitate learning.

Any behavior which detracts from learning is unwelcome in our classroom.

Students are expected to be polite, helpful, and kind to everyone.

During the year we work towards greater responsibility, resilience, and tenacity.

We try to experience wonder and cultivate curiosity every day.

 

Our class will write a class motto in the first few days of school to remind us of the key attitudes and behaviors that will make our year successful. We recite the motto every morning and set weekly goals to improve our scholarly habits.

 

Classroom Learning Activities

Participation in all learning activities is expected. I like to provide choices for students to learn in ways that work best for them. Further accommodations or modifications can be determined on an individual basis if needed.

Students need to complete assignments on time as we have many topics of learning to cover through the year. Later assignments also often build on earlier assignments. Unfinished classroom activities will need to be completed at home.

Students will be far more successful if they are in class every day. Group work and class discussion are a very important part of our 5th grade learning, and these activities cannot be replaced by a worksheet at home. Illness and important family gatherings such as weddings and funerals, of course, take precedence over school. Please consider other absences very carefully.

 

Homework

  • Reading: Students are asked to read for 30 minutes every night and to report on their reading in Canvas.
    • Please do not set a timer, approximately 30 minutes is fine.
    • Setting aside a specific time might be helpful, but please do not lump reading in with chores.
    • The report part is very short and very important.
    • Please do not feel this needs to be a nightly battle.
    • Please DO let me know if it is a nightly battle. We can modify this assignment to make it enjoyable (or even just doable).
    • Here is a link to ideas for home reading. Also check out why reading WITH your child is important.
  • Math: I like to assign frontloading activities as math homework. I am not sure how much I will need these assignments  this year as we have a new math program which has built-in frontloading. Please stand-by until I figure out what works best. If we have frontloading homework:
    • These assignments preview the skill to be introduced the following day in the classroom. This approach is called a "flipped classroom."
    • Frontloading provides an opportunity for students to "wrestle" with new information on their own and to better understand their own learning process. For more information on the benefits of the flipped classroom and frontloading follow this link.
    • Math homework is not a nightly assignment. You can expect one or two assignments per week. 
    • Once again, if this becomes a battle, let's find an alternative.
  • Projects: We are planning several larger projects which will be completed, at least in part, at home.
    • I will send home information and deadlines as they come up.

 

Grading 

Davis Schools uses a mastery-based grading scale. This means that grades reflect whether or not a student can demonstrate a determined level of knowledge and skill in a specific area. Grades do not reflect effort or, in some cases, growth. This does not mean that effort and growth are unimportant, just that we note and celebrate them in other ways. 

Our ultimate goal is to meet students where they are and help them learn as much as possible through the year. Grades are merely a way to periodically record what a student knows and what they still need to learn.

Note: Language Arts are presented in a spiral model with concepts and skills taught over and over throughout the school year. Students often do not reach proficiency in these skills until later in the year, nor are they expected to. If your student does not receive 3s in Language Arts at the beginning of the year it is not cause for concern. 

 

content-divider (1)-1.pngCelebrations

Birthdays

One of our classroom jobs is celebration committee. The students on the committee will poll the class for ideas and develop a plan for birthday celebrations. Once we have our plan we'll post it here.

Parties

We will have two holiday parties this year, for Halloween and for Valentine's Day. We'll let parents know how they can help as we get closer to those days. 

 

content-divider (1)-2.png Volunteers

I would love to have you volunteer in the classroom, and so would your student! I appreciate help with reading groups, math activities, and academic drills (think times tables). (Schedule coming soon.)

We often need parents to help with class parties, field trips, and special activities. I'll let you know how you can help as these activities draw closer.

If there is another way you would like to volunteer please let me know. In past years my classes have enjoyed parent presentations about their jobs, interesting hobbies, and other cultures.