WELCOME!

Welcome to the Big Walnut Elementary 5th Grade website!All assignments are grouped by teacher and are organized in descending order.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Curriculum information

It is an honor and a privilege to be able to guide your student through his or her final elementary school year.

Parental involvement is one of the strongest indicators of student achievement. It will be important for us to work together as the students prepare for middle school. We thank you in advance for the support and encouragement we know you will give your son or daughter this school year.

Communication is Key

• Online classroom
BWE homepage
BWE 5th Grade

• Eagle-I (mobile communication device)

• Red Communication Folder (classwork, assignments, communications)

Daily Schedule

9:10-9:50 Specials (Music, P.E., Art)
10:00-10:50 Block #1 (Math, Science, or Social Studies)
10:50-11:40 Block #2 (Math, Science, or Social Studies)
11:40-12:30 Block #3 (Math, Science, or Social Studies)
12:30-1:15 Lunch/Recess
1:15-3:00 Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar)
3:00-3:30 Study Hall

Agendas

All daily homework assignments are posted in the classroom. Your child will write daily homework assignments in his/her agenda each day. Once your child’s planner is complete for the day, we will sign it. Each night a parent or guardian should sign the planner to show that the assignments are complete. Students that finish assignments throughout the day, should still bring them home to show that they are complete.

Homework Policy

The purpose of homework is to reinforce what has been learned in the classroom. Homework helps to prepare students for assessments and teaches responsibility as well as positive study habits. Assignments will be collected in class on their due dates. When a student does not turn in an assignment, the assignment will be highlighted in his/her assignment book so that parents are aware of the late assignment. Late assignments will be accepted. However, for each day that an assignment is late, it will be dropped one letter grade. Thank you for helping your child make homework a priority!

Social Studies

Curriculum:
History Alive!
Nystrom Atlas of Our Country’s History
Cross-curricular coordination with Language Arts
 
Ohio Academic Content Standards-based approach to teaching
Highly interactive activity-based approach to learning
Hands-on activities, interactive group projects
Online support (History Alive!)
Applied knowledge
 
5th grade curriculum, fall to spring
Social Studies Skills & Methods
United States Geography
U.S. History (pre-colonial exploration, 1492 – Westward Expansion, 1820)
People in Societies (cultures)
Economics
Federal Government, Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights
Citizenship
 
Assignments, activities and assessments
Daily readings and assignments
Daily individual and group participation
Daily formative assessments
Weekly/bi-weekly summative assessments

Science and Health

The science program is a fast-paced, exciting, and hands-on exploration into
many disciplines and interest areas. We will be focusing on learning and using
science process skills to help us gather, organize, analyze, and present our scientific knowledge. Tracking energy transfer will be a common theme in all our units of study.

Health education is integrated into the science curriculum and includes body systems, the study of disease, nutrition, safety, and drug awareness. Members of the Delaware County Sheriff's Department conduct sessions on safety and drug awareness with all Big Walnut 5th graders.

Major units of science study include:
• Life Sciences (ecosystems, biomes, ecology)
• Physical Sciences (energy, light, sound, laws of motion)
• Scientific Inquiry (scientific method, science fair)
• Earth and Space (solar system, Earth’s resources)

Math

The Everyday Mathematics curriculum is a comprehensive math program that aligns with Ohio’s academic content standards. The students will build and extend their knowledge of six mathematical content strands through a variety of learning activities. Please refer to your child’s Student Reference Book for a listing of the six content strands.

• Student Reference Book (SRB)- The student textbook is a great resource for
both students and parents. Students should bring this book home to help with
all homework assignments.

• Student Math Journal- This workbook contains both class work and
homework assignments.

• Family Letter- At the beginning of each unit, we will send home a letter that
summarizes the math concepts the students will be learning in that particular
unit.

This program can be extra challenging for those students still struggling with multiplication facts. If your child struggles with math facts, please help him or her to practice at home. We will spend very little time in class reviewing basic math facts.

Language Arts

Reading: Students will improve their reading skills and strategies through reading a variety of texts for deeper understanding, including diverse novels and our textbook, Literacy Place.

The reading component of the curriculum is ...
• Aligned with Ohio Academic Content Standards, focusing on acquisition of vocabulary, reading process (concepts of print, comprehension strategies, and strategies for self-monitoring comprehension), and reading applications (varied texts including informational, persuasive, technical, and literary)
• Individual reading levels are are assessed several times per year with the Scholastic Reding Inventory (SRI). This determines a lexile level (5th grade target is 565 to 910) and matches books to the student's reading level. (More a lexile.com)
• AIMS Web on-going progress-monitoring and assessment of student reading fluency and comprehension.

In order to facilitate a healthy and productive reading culture, all students are requires to have a silent reading book with them in class everyday. Students are expected to read each evening for at least 20 minutes.

Writing
Students will develop many varied pieces of writing within the Writer's Workshop format. They will understand and apply the writing process (prewriting, rough draft, first revision, second revision, teacher conference, and publishing) and will be instructed on the details of their writing within in-class mini-lessons.

The writing component of the curriculum is ...
• Aligned with the Ohio Academic Content Standards (process, application, conventions, research, and communication)
• Focused on writing process where students will continuously edit and improve their writing piece over time with guided teacher and peer support (see process above)
• Writing pieces will be varied and dynamic ... narratives, reports, letters, poetry, persuasive, and informal.
• Daily Language Review (DLR) will be employed to keep students' proofreading and grammar skills sharp.

Spelling
Students will progress through the 5th grade content areas with grade-level appropriate words.

The spelling component of the curriculum is ...
• Aligned with the Ohio Academic Content Standards (Writing Conventions)
• Regularly assessed
• Weekly assignments
• Words based on areas of study
• Please help your child study and apply their new vocabulary.