5th Grade Staples

 

 

 

Social Studies class as a whole will be a fun mix of projects, worksheets, and book tests.  Students will be expected to participate in class and take notes because Study Guides are rarely offered.  Instead the test questions are reviewed in class as we cover them as well as on a review day before the test.  Therefore, class participation is a big key to staying focused and having success in the class as well as time management for our bigger projects.

Reading- Vocabulary words and definitions are done on Monday.  The Vocabulary tests are most Thursdays.

Tests are normally graded on Thursday night and returned on Friday.  Feel free to ask your child to see their grades or check on Skyward.

In 5th grade we read a mixture of short stories and novels but mostly short stories.  For the short stories, we usually have a comprehension test on Fridays.  It would be beneficial for your child to review the stories with you on Thursday night.  They are in their Orange Reading Street Books.

 

 

Your child should already be reading Accelerated Reader books to earn points towards their quarterly goal (see bottom of this page).  They have already been given their reading range and it is written on the inside cover of their planner.  Just like most things, “practice makes perfect”.  The more time that your child is able to spend on reading outside of class the better the opportunity they will have to become a stronger reader.

 

Please ask your child or check their assignment notebook to find which story we are currently on.  For most of the stories, the students will receive their vocabulary words to learn on Monday.  It is suggested that they study nightly for a short time rather than try to study just the night before.  The vocabulary tests will usually be each Thursday.   We will have a comprehension test over the weekly story usually on Friday.  Key elements that are almost always included on every test include questions about the story’s setting(s) and character traits for each character

 

 

Language-

Spelling and language skills are combined into our language arts curriculum. 

Spelling

Spelling tests are almost every week.  The children receive the words in list form on Monday.  They also have a worksheet that is homework and should be completed and turned in on Tuesday.  The students should take the list home and study each night.  Many times they are given two tests.  The first test is on Thursday.  If they get a 100%, then they have Friday off of Spelling.  Anything less than a 100% results in them taking the test again on Friday.  Please ask to see their graded tests so that you may see how your child is performing.

Their weekly Spelling grade is determined by averaging their test score with their worksheet score.  The test counts for twice as much as the worksheet when averaging.

Language

Outside of spelling, the students will cover new language skills each week and have worksheets for homework that will test how well they understand a certain skill.  Cumulative tests will also be given at the end of units.  The students will be warned in advance when tests are approaching and should study their notes and worksheets at home to review.  Therefore, it is a good idea to hold onto graded worksheets until the end of the quarter.  Studying and using parts of speech as well as writing practice and skills will also be part of their language curriculum.

Accelerated Reader Goal

Each student will be given an AR goal that they must meet for each quarter.  The students will receive this goal at the beginning of the quarter and be required to meet it by an assigned date near the end of the quarter.  This assignment is worth 200 points in Reading(Literature) and the majority of the reading should be done at home.  Please work with your student to plan ahead so that they are not rushed near the end of the quarter to achieve their goal.  This goal is meant to take 8 weeks to complete so the student should make sure to get an early start and keep reading throughout the quarter.  The students are not allowed to test on books that have been made into movies or picture books.  If they have any questions about a certain selection they can feel free to ask me prior to starting to read the book.  Furthermore, I would suggest setting up a set “Quiet Reading Time” each night so that your child gets into the habit of reading nightly.  Practice really does help to make perfect and I have seen solid improvement in the students’ reading skills since adopting this policy.  The fifth graders third  quarter goals are individualized.  You can look up their goal on the Internet by logging into Accelerated Reader and clicking on the goal icon.  Their AR points are due by Wed., March 16th for the 3rd quarter.  Happy Reading!!