Archives

Week 2

Aug27

Morning Work Cycle – This week in class we will begin math, language and writing assessments.  These assessments provide a baseline from where to begin teaching your child.   We strive to administer these assessments in a stress free way, so that your child can do their best work.

Cultural – We will study matter as an extension of our first Great Lesson, The Birth of the Universe, and in preparation for our first home project.  Students will select an element on which they will do an in depth study.  They will create a poster to present to Ms. Marleen’s lower elementary class in September.  Details of the assignment will be provided Thursday, August 31 and is due Monday, September 18.

UC Berkeley time crystalsSpelling – This year we will be using a new spelling program that is differentiated for each child.  A whole group spelling lesson will be given on Thursdays, from which your child will create their own spelling list.  Children will work with a spelling buddy to practice their words in class, take practice tests, and administer final spelling tests Wednesday mornings.

Pre-labeling page numbers will simplify the implementation of our new spelling program. We are beginning this program Thursday, August 31; therefore, I am looking for several parent volunteers to number the pages at home.  We need the journals ready to go Thursday morning.  If you are interested in working off  volunteer hours at home, please send me an email as soon as possible.

 

Week 32 – SAGE Testing Schedule

Mar22

Week 32!  What?  I have no idea where the time goes.  This year has absolutely flown by, faster than any of the last three years I have been in the classroom.  Even the students have commented they can’t believe the year is nearly over.   We have just ten short weeks left with so much learning in store.

SAGE Testing Schedule

Our annual summative testing begins after spring break.  With that in mind, it is important that your child rests well, eats healthy meals and comes to school on time in order to do his/her best.  These things are important for your child every day, but are particularly important during testing in order to eliminate anxiety that can come with taking an exam.  We have regular conversations in the classroom that this assessment is simply an opportunity for students to show what they know, and to demonstrate what they have been working so hard on all year.

Although SAGE is only one measure of your child’s progress, it is important to enter into the test with an attitude of working hard and doing their best.  (When would we ever encourage a child not to do their best?)  Students often reflect what has been discussed at home, if you model a positive attitude toward the test, your child is likely to do better when test time arrives.

  • Wednesday, April 12 – Writing
  • Monday, April 17 – Language
  • Tuesday, May 9 – Math
  • Monday, May 15 – Science

If you have any questions about testing, please let me know.

 

April 18 Update

Apr18

This morning your children were talking about there only being 6 weeks of school left.  I knew the school year was coming to an end, but I hadn’t completely wrapped my mind around it until this morning.  I am also a parent, and I know how fleeting these moments with our kids are.  One minute they are just learning how to talk, the next they are writing 5 paragraph essays for their SAGE exams.  Whew!  Time flies.

We ended our studies last week with an amazing art project that had a basis in math (photos forthcoming, I’m not the greatest at taking photos).   I want to thank Sharon Johnson for the countless hours she spent cutting thousands of 1×1 inch squares, enabling us to create this project that crossed math with art.  The artists we studied were, Ellsworth Kelly, Piet Mondrian, Victor Vasarely, Kenneth Noland, and Frank Stella.  Each of these 20th century artists utilize(d) math in their artwork.  Students created an abstract piece of art and then calculated the fraction, decimal and percent component of each color they used in their piece.  This has been my favorite project of the year.

This week we are cracking down on the following math concepts:

4th – Decimal Fractions

5th- Classifying 2D figures

6th- Percents (review), equations and equations (ongoing practice) and Statistics (just starting)

In addition to in class work, your children all have an essay due on Friday (Utah Compose) and IXL homework.  Each of them are given 20 minutes of computer time each day.  Any work not completed in this time is considered homework.

Lastly, the 6th grade students (and I) are headed to the Redwoods on Sunday, April 24.  Rachael Bush will be in our classroom with Ms. Kari during this week.

 

March 1st!!

Mar1

In like a lion, out like a lamb?  So far March as been quite sheepish.  I hope I don’t jinx this great weather.  Of course, you know what they say about weather in Utah, right?

Just a reminder that there is no IXL homework for the next several weeks.  Instead, your kids should be working on Utah Compose.  Each grade level has an assigned essay.  We have begun these in class, but students are expected to work on them at home as well. Essays are due Friday (meaning prior to the end of school).

Once child submits a draft, Utah Compose will recommend lessons to help your child improve his writing skills.  I highly recommend these lessons.  A reminder that our SAGE writing assessment is in April.  The skills your child is building now, and the time spent practicing, will directly affect his level of comfort and performance on the exam.

If your child is absent for a number of days in a row, please be sure they are looking at the essay assignment.  I understand that some illnesses do not allow for much more than lying in bed being completely miserable; however, the more your child is able to keep up at home, the less behind they will feel when they return to school.

A reminder that our 5th level students have maturation next Wednesday, March 9.

SAGE Assignment update

Mar13

Good Morning.

The current SAGE language assignments are available today.  I will be pulling kids aside individually to ensure they know how to log in and access their assignments.

Due date for the current assignment is March 19.

If you have any questions regarding the expectations for practice, please let me know.