Behavior

Dear Grade 5 Families, 

    Throughout the past week, Mrs. Jacquard and I have been meeting with many grades 5 students as situations arise throughout the school day. We have seen many "hands-on" instances and unkind words being said to each other. Parents have been contacted for students who have put hands on others or made these statements. I would like to let you know we will be having our school social worker and psychologist meet with classes and small groups of students to work on building relationships and working through challenges. All classroom teachers, as well as Mrs. Jacquard and I, will be involved in this process. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. 

Mrs. Mandese and Mrs. Jacquard 

PENNY WARS!!!!!!

Congratulations to our homeroom on winning the Penny War!  We had over 9,000 pennies!  Go Team! All proceeds will go to needy families this holiday season.  Thank you all for your generosity.

Homework This Week 12/10

• Read 30 minutes per night
• "Rotund" WOW is due Wednesday, December 12th.
• Silk Road Quiz on Friday
• Two reading responses due by January 23rd (Please DO NOT complete a biography as there will be a biography project later in the trimester)

Homework This Week

-read 30 minutes per night
-"malady" WOW due Thursday, December 6th
-2 reading responses due by January 23rd (fiction, non-fiction OR journal prompts based on a second fiction book)


Just as a reminder, penny wars will continue this week.  All proceeds will be utilized to help out needy families during the holiday season.

Reading Responses for Trimester 2

Students will have four total reading responses for trimester two.

By January 23rd, two responses will be due.  Students may choose from:

-Fiction (template available)
-Journal Prompts (no template available as student choice is involved)
-Non-Fiction (template available)

***PLEASE DO NOT WORK ON A BIOGRAPHY....THERE WILL BE MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW ABOUT A BIOGRAPHY PROJECT THAT WILL COME OUT IN LATE JANUARY/EARLY FEBRUARY***

The Biography Project(the 3rd response for T2) will be due in early March and the final response will be due by Friday, March 14th.

Trimester One

Trimester One has now concluded.  Grades closed on Friday, November 30th.

Trimester Grades Closing

Trimester One grades are closing tomorrow.  All reading responses MUST be turned in by tomorrow, November 30th as grades will be prepared over the weekend.

Thank you!

Reminders

Movie theme projects are due next Friday, November 2nd.  This weekend would be a good time to work on it so Halloween doesn't become a set back.  Students are highly encouraged to complete this assignment on Googledocs and share it with me BEFORE Halloween for feedback.  Clearly, Halloween is a busy evening, and sending it to me for feedback the night before it is due is not recommended, as I may not get a chance to look at it before it needs to be turned in.

Four total reading responses are due per trimester.  Two were due by October 15th.  Most students turned them in on time.  A few have not, and I am still waiting for them.  The final two reading responses for the trimester are due by November 30th.  Students have already received information regarding how to complete the fiction reading response journal prompt assignment, so they can start that one at any time.

Typing Reading Responses

Do you want to type your reading responses?  If so, that's easy...just follow these steps:

• http://washingtonoak.weebly.com
• Teacher Websites...Mrs. Potvin (which will bring you to this site)
• On the right side under the ELA tab, you will find blank templates for:   

           -Fiction Literature Response

           -Non-Fiction Literature Response

           - Biography/Autobiography

• Click on the type of response you will be working on.  It should pop up, but there will be a blue box that reads "view only."  It is set in "view only" because if you typed on that one, it would change the template for everyone.
• To fix this issue, go to file and click "make a copy."  This will allow you to type on the new one.
• I suggest erasing the lines before you begin to type; otherwise, they will just keep scrolling down the page making your paper several pages longer and messier than needed!

   *** Another suggestion is to share your document with me right away.  Sometimes I view what you have started on my own, but if I have not commented on your paper it means I didn't see it yet.  Please let me know when you are finished and ready for feedback.  I will give you feedback before you hand it in for final grading.***

Homework for week on October 9th

• "immaculate" WOW due Thursday, October 11th

• Read 30 minutes nightly/Two reading responses due by October 15th

• Social Studies quiz on Land & Climate AND Our Nation’s Resources Core Lessons on Thursday, October 11th

• Movie Theme Assignment due Friday, November 2nd-students will be given the actual assignment and instructions on Tuesday; however, the direction may also be found to the right under the ELA category.

• "Christmas Carol" field trip form due NO LATER than this FRIDAY, October 12th.

Journal Prompts Response

As you are aware, two of the four reading assignments for the trimester  are due by October 15th.  Students should be working on two of the following choices:

• Fiction response
• Non-fiction response
• Biography response

Students and parents have been curious about the fourth reading response.  The fourth response is based on a second fiction book.  There is NO TEMPLATE for this assignment.  It is unique to each student as they have nine possible choices to choose from.  Thus far, as a class, we have done work around:

• identifying conflict
• identifying figurative language
• identifying mood (how the author makes YOU feel as the reader through his/her words)
• comparison of characters
• realistic/unrealistic
• identifying examples of irony 

IF your child is ready for this assignment, they should stick to choosing three of the above options.

As a reminder, there are nine total options.  Three will be chosen per trimester.

Please see the example to the right under the ELA tab.  As a class, we are reading RESTART and we have had class discussions about the book.  We will go over this example this week, but the concepts written about have already been taught in class.

Homework for Week of October 1st

• "famished" W.O.W. due Thursday, October 4th. **Please remember, to earn a 3 in vocabulary usage, you must create a compound or a complex sentence.**
• Read 30 minutes daily 
• Two reading responses are due by October 15th.  At least one of these assignments should have been turned in already to ensure that there is enough time to complete the second one in a timely manner.

We have two upcoming field trips:

1. Mashantucket Pequot Museum on Friday, October 26th.  We need several parent chaperones, that already have current BCI checks on file, for this trip to keep the groups small. 

Cost for students: $24  
Cost for chaperones: $15

Money and permission slip are due by Friday, October 19th.


 2. Trinity Repertory Company on Wednesday, November 28th.  Only three parent chaperones are needed for this trip, and they will be chosen randomly.  I already have more than enough volunteers at this time.

Cost for student: $26.00
Cost for chaperone: $28.00

Money and permission slip, for this trip, are due by Friday, October 12th.  PLEASE pay with a separate check if you wish to chaperone, as some may be returned after the lottery.

**Also, if at all possible, please make out separate check for the Pequot Museum & Trinity.  It makes our book keeping much easier.

Continents and Oceans Quiz

There will be a quiz on the continents and oceans this upcoming Monday, October 1st.  Students have maps to study from, and they may use the links on Google Classroom that we used in class to study.

Scholastic Book Orders

I would like to send in the first Scholastic Book Order this Friday, September 28th.  Several different flyers have gone home this month.  If you send in an oder, please include a check rather than cash.

If you prefer, you can always order online at: https://clubs.scholastic.com

If you choose this method, which is fabulous because then we get free shipping, please use the following SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB CLASSROOM CODE: M8XGH

Remember, the more we order, the more free books the classroom is able to get with Scholastic points.

Thank you in advance for supporting this program :)

Homework for week of September 24th

Homework for week of September 24th

• "ornate" W.O.W. due Thursday, September 27th.
• Read 30 minutes daily
• Two reading responses are due by October 15th.  I do not suggest waiting until the 15th to turn them in.  At least one should be completed this week to keep on schedule.
• Point of view quiz on Friday, September 28th-students must be able to identify five different points of view given short passages: first person, second person, third person objective, third person limited and third person omniscient. They will also need to complete a picture scenario from varied points of view.  Students have a model and we have practiced this in class with three different pictures.
• Please see below post regarding field trip information/due dates.

Field Trips!!!!!!

We have two upcoming field trips.  Our first field trip will be to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum on Friday, October 26th.  We need several parent chaperones, that already have current BCI checks on file, for this trip to keep the groups small. 

Cost for students: $24 
Cost for chaperones: $15

Money and permission slip are due by Friday, October 19th.


Our second trip will be to Trinity Repertory Company on Wednesday, November 28th.  Only three parent chaperones are needed for this trip, and they will be chosen randomly if more than three seek to go.

Cost for student: $26.00
Cost for chaperone: $28.00

Money and permission slip, for this trip, are due by Friday, October 12th.  PLEASE pay with a separate check if you wish to chaperone, as some may be returned after the lottery.

**Also, if at all possible, please make out separate check for the Pequot Museum & Trinity.  It makes our book keeping much easier.

Thank you :)

Picture Day

Just as a reminder...picture day is this Thursday, September 20th.

Below Grade Level Book Series

FYI-The following book series are below level for grade five:

-Dogman
-Big Nate
-Judy Moody
-Magic Treehouse Series
-Goosebumps

This Week's Homework

• Read 30 minutes per night
• Pilfer=to steal WOW due Thursday, September 20th
• There will be a short grammar quiz on Wednesday on the following material: when to use mom vs Mom, conjunctions,  and identifying simple, complex, run-on or fragment
• Two reading responses are due by October 15th
• "A Christmas Carol" permission slips and money are due by October 12th

Reading Response Due Dates by Trimester

By October 15th, two responses are due for the mid trimester point. (My suggestion would be to complete a fiction one and either a non-fiction OR biography...I would NOT attempt the Journal Prompts assignment YET until the students have more curriculum under their belts.)

Trimester One: (4 total reading responses due)
Monday, October 15th-TWO responses are due by this date
Friday, November 30th- the remaining two responses are due by this date

Trimester Two: (4 total reading responses due)
Friday, January 23rd-TWO responses are due by this date
Friday, March 14th-the remaining two responses are due by this date

Trimester Three: (4 total reading responses due)
Wednesday, May 1st- TWO responses are due by this date
Monday, June 10th- the final two responses are due by this date

Fiction Literature Response

By the end of this week, students will be familiar enough with the fiction reading response to be able to try one at home.

Homework Week of September 10th

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:

• Trivial WOW due Thursday, Sept 13th
  (Please do not forget to proofread before you turn this in. Did you spell everything correctly? Did you capitalize correctly? Did you use correct punctuation? Did you use a conjunction to create a complex sentence?)
• Mrs. Jewls Vocabulary & Mrs. Jewls reading comprehension quiz Friday, September 14th
  
  

Word of the Week Example

Here is an example of how a Word of the Week assignment should be completed.  As I mentioned previously, I am not an artist, nor do I pretend to be.  I do consult the internet often for images to help me.  I would likely NOT try to draw a person in my WOW assignment because I know that is not my strength.  Instead, I used symbols to show Batman and the Joker.  Remember, a conjunction must be used to get full credit for vocabulary usage.

One more school supply!

Hello parents,

For students in my homeroom, I have asked that they bring in a small plastic bin to fit on the top shelf of their cubby.  The purpose is to hold items such as crayons, scissors, colored pencils, extra pencils, etc. Students share their desks with another class, so this provides a space where no one else will have access to their things.  Sorry this was not on the original school supply list, the room did not have cubbies previously, thus I was unaware that this was a need.  Finding something around your home or The Dollar Store is a great place to find one.

Reading Expectations 2018-2019

Reading Responses

ASFMS Summer Reading

Below you will find a link to the ASFMS Summer Reading List along with assignment details.  A hard copy of this information will be located in your child's report card folder; however, it is available here as well.

ASFMS Summer Reading Link

Tissues

Being in high pollen season, we could use a couple of boxes of tissues if anyone has an extra box around.

Our noses thank you!

Field Trip

Please return all Fort Adams permission slips and a $3.00 payment by Friday, June 8th.

Reading Response Reminder

As a reminder, ALL final reading responses are due Friday, June 8th for this school year.

Lifetouch Pictures

Just as a reminder, all Spring Lifetouch pictures or payments are due this Wednesday, May 30th.  I realize that in the past this has not been a very monitored process, but this year we have been asked to keep a list of all picture returns and payments.  If you paid online, you should have been given a code to be able to send in to the school.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Reading Responses for Trimester Three

Four book responses are due for trimester three:

-Fiction

-Non-Fiction

-Biography

-Journal prompts (Based on a fiction book)

**There are nine total journal prompts/each trimester students are to choose three different ones to focus
on.**

Two of the responses were due by April 27th. The final two will be due by Friday, June 8th.

We Need Tissues!!!

Due to the fact that we are stuck between flu and allergy season, we have gone through several boxes of tissues as a class in the past few weeks.  If you would like to donate any tissues to the class, we could really use them.

Our noses thank you in advance for your support!

Updates

Word of the Week:  There has been a significant decline in the amount of effort that is given to the word of the week assignment as a whole.  Students were reminded today that these assignments are expected to be neat and well done.  They should look as though time has been spent on them rather than turning them in without colored drawings and without proofreading. Most weeks, students have three nights to compete this  assignment, yet many of them appear to be done five minutes before it is time to turn them in. This is not acceptable.

From this point forward, assignments will be given back to students for revision if they are turned in in this manner.  Additionally, students were told that in order to earn a 3 in vocabulary usage and grammar, they must complete a COMPLEX sentence that includes a conjunction and it needs to be punctuated properly.  If a simple sentence is provided, students will receive a grade no higher than a 2.

Reading Logs: I have decided to eliminate the reading logs for the remainder of the year.  Students are still required to be reading 20 minutes per night and working on their reading responses as they complete a book.

Reading Responses for Trimester Three

Five total reading responses are due per trimester.

Four are standard:

-Fiction

-Non-Fiction

-Biography

-Journal prompts (Based on a fiction book)

**There are nine total journal prompts/each trimester students are to choose three different ones to focus on.**

Each trimester, there is an additional teacher created assignment. This assignment has not yet been determined.

Two of the five reading responses are due by Friday, April 27th

Biography Talk Show

The biography talk show will take place on Friday, March 9th for both ELA classes.  Students should be prepared to be in character tomorrow and know the responses to their questions without the guidance of papers or notecards.

Projects must be turned in following this order:

Cover Page
Five Paragraph EssayOne copy of interview questions (The 2nd copy will be given to your interviewer)Biography Book Report RubricBiography Interview Rubric

All stapled together...no binders or plastic covers, please.

Reading Response Reminder

Five total reading responses are due per trimester.

Four are standard:
-Fiction
-Non-Fiction
-Biography
-Journal prompts (Based on a fiction book)

Each trimester, there is an additional teacher created assignment.  This trimester is the Biography Project.  This DOES NOT take the place of the regularly assigned biography response.

The four standard assignments are due by FRIDAY, MARCH 2nd. (Two of these assignments were already due by January 24th)

The Biography Project is due THURSDAY, MARCH 8th.

Biography Project / Reading Responses

Five total reading responses are due per trimester.


Two reading responses were due on January 24th.  Two additional reading responses will be due by March 2nd.  Additionally, a  biography project will be due on Thursday, March 8th. Due to this fact, I will be suspending word of the week and reading log homework for some time. These two assignments will resume on March 12th. It is assumed that students will be reading nightly in order to  complete their reading assignments/biography projects on time.

Links to all portions of the project are available below:

Intro Letter for Biography Project
Project Overview
Interview Guidelines
Interview Questions
Sample Biography Essay Amelia Earhart
Book Report Rubric
Presentation Rubric


Students are encouraged to type their work in Googledocs and sent it to me for feedback prior to Tuesday, March 6th. I will not be providing feedback on March 7th, which is the night before the project is due.

All projects must be printed and be ready to turn in on March 8th.  NO printing will occur at school on March 8th.  If students need to use a school computer to print, they should be prepared to do so by March 7th at the latest.

Reading Responses

January 24th is the half way mark of the 2nd trimester.  It is expected that two reading responses will be turned in by this date.  ALL T2 responses are due by Friday, March 2nd.  The teacher assignment will be assigned shortly.