Another beautiful weekend, despite it's stormy beginning! I hope you and your family were able to get out and enjoy the delightful weather today!
Important Dates and Information:
Math MAPS Testing ~ Thursday, 9/24 ~ 9:10-10:10pm (Tranter Math - 09/25) ~ Since we were unable to take our Math MAPS test due to technical difficulties at the MAPS testing site, we are scheduled to re-take our test on Thursday morning. Fingers crossed that it will work this time!
School Pictures ~Tuesday, 9/29 ~ Say Cheeeeese!
What's Happening in the Classroom
Math
We will be wrapping up Unit 1 this week. Our last lesson (1.9) is on Monday, then we will spend 2 days reviewing for the assessment. They will work on a review of concepts in class on Tuesday, then take a Unit 1 Quiz on Wednesday. We will discuss using the quiz results and a self-assessment to determine if they are ready to take the assessment. We spend a great deal of time in class discussing the importance of evaluating and reflecting on their own understanding of concepts to determine readiness for assessments, and independently seeking clarification if they are struggling with a concept as a way to promote ownership of their learning. We find when students evaluate their own learning process, they not only increase responsibility for their learning, but they also increase their assessment scores. You may want to spend some time this week assisting your child with self-evaluation of math concepts. Unit 1 Assessment is Friday, 9/25. We have also scheduled the CCP - Math to be due on Monday, 9/28.
Character Ed - Responsibility
In 5-2, September is Responsibility month! We just spent our second week discussing the importance of being responsible :) They have had a great time working in teams to practice a Reader's Theater, Accepting Responsibility and creating a Responsibility Collage. I've been impressed with the way students are challenging one another to increase their responsibilities at home! Some of your children are very proud to share their chores at home in our discussions, and they have all committed to looking for ways to increase their responsibilities. Hopefully, our discussions in class will spark some great discussions at home!Science
The students were quite engaged as they built joint models in science this week! They created short videos with their teams explaining the 4 major parts of a joint - ask them to share their video with you! They are posted for you to view on Edmodo. We moved on from the skeletal and muscular systems to the nervous systems this week as they tested their response time for different sensory organs. Ask them which organ has the shortest response time, and how they conducted the test to find that answer! Next week, we will continue in the nervous system and learn about reflexes...as we get to throw things at each other in class!
Reading
Reading
While we did continue to do some work in our new Schoolwide Launching Unit this week, we took a break for assessments. They took their Reading MAPS test on Tuesday, I evaluated their fluency on AIMSWeb, and then we spent several days benchmarking their reading level with Fountas and Pinnell. We will finish benchmarking next week, then we will return to the reading program. Though time-consuming, each of these assessments provide valuable information about your children as readers, and will allow me to differentiate my instruction to meet their specific needs throughout the year.
Writing
We continued working on focus in our WEX Personal Narrative Unit this week, and students had an opportunity to revise one of their journal entries.
We also just finished our second week of Grammar and Spelling instruction and assessments. For most weeks, Grammar and Spelling quizzes are given on Fridays for the concepts reviewed during the week. Grammar packets are distributed on Mondays, with a page completed as homework each night. These assignments are graded each day in class, and students are expected to correct any assignment they did not receive a passing score. The packets are due on Friday when they take the assessment. You may want to remind your child to review the grammar packets throughout the week to prepare for the quiz on Friday.
Spelling pre-tests are taken on Mondays. If students receive a 96% or better on their pre-test, they are assigned to the challenge list for the week. Spelling assignments are either given on Spelling City or on paper. They are assigned at the beginning of the week, and due on Fridays when they take the test. We have discussed the importance of reflecting on what type of spelling learner they are - some students learn better by typing the letters, and some learn better by writing the letters. I ask them to pay close attention to how they score on their spelling tests throughout the year to determine if they are using the most effective method for learning their spelling words. We also discuss using the pre-test as a guide for studying their words - they should only need to study the words they spelled incorrectly on the pre-test instead of all 25 words.
I do not send home grammar or spelling test scores. If you would like to see their spelling test scores, ask your child to log on to Spelling City, then click on My Records. If you would like to see their grammar scores, please email me and I will send you and electronic copy. They take these assessments on MimioVote (an electronic assessment system), so there is no print out of their assessment. Your child sees their score as soon as they submit their tests on their handheld device.
As with all assessments and assignments, if students do not receive a passing score (70%) or higher, they will be given an opportunity to improve their score with a re-test. They are given a contract with re-take work. The contract includes a due date for the re-take work, and an opportunity for them to reflect on the reason they did not pass the assignment. This contract should be signed by you. If students are not pleased with their score, they may ask to re-take the or re-do the assignment and will be given the same contract.
Spelling pre-tests are taken on Mondays. If students receive a 96% or better on their pre-test, they are assigned to the challenge list for the week. Spelling assignments are either given on Spelling City or on paper. They are assigned at the beginning of the week, and due on Fridays when they take the test. We have discussed the importance of reflecting on what type of spelling learner they are - some students learn better by typing the letters, and some learn better by writing the letters. I ask them to pay close attention to how they score on their spelling tests throughout the year to determine if they are using the most effective method for learning their spelling words. We also discuss using the pre-test as a guide for studying their words - they should only need to study the words they spelled incorrectly on the pre-test instead of all 25 words.
I do not send home grammar or spelling test scores. If you would like to see their spelling test scores, ask your child to log on to Spelling City, then click on My Records. If you would like to see their grammar scores, please email me and I will send you and electronic copy. They take these assessments on MimioVote (an electronic assessment system), so there is no print out of their assessment. Your child sees their score as soon as they submit their tests on their handheld device.
As with all assessments and assignments, if students do not receive a passing score (70%) or higher, they will be given an opportunity to improve their score with a re-test. They are given a contract with re-take work. The contract includes a due date for the re-take work, and an opportunity for them to reflect on the reason they did not pass the assignment. This contract should be signed by you. If students are not pleased with their score, they may ask to re-take the or re-do the assignment and will be given the same contract.
Have a fantastic week!
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the true goal of education” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Cheers ~
Theresa Fowler
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