Ohio Achievement Assessments.

Next week the 5th graders will be taking the Ohio Achievement Assessments.  These are important tests as they measure students on what they know and are able to do in various subjects.


The 5th grade OAA testing schedule is as follows ...


Monday morning: Reading
Wednesday morning: Mathematics
Thursday afternoon: Science


So that the students will be able to do their best, it is important they get get plenty of sleep the night before and eat a healthy, hearty breakfast the morning of the test.


The students have worked hard this year and we are very confident that they will do their best on the tests!

Save the date!

June 1, 2012

Friday, June 1, 2012 will be a day of celebration as our 5th graders will be departing Big Walnut Elementary and heading to Big Walnut Intermediate School for 6th grade. It will be a full day of fun! The students will enjoy a carnival in the morning, followed by lunch, and end with a graduation ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m. Please save this date and plan on sharing the day with your child.


In a week or two, a note will be sent home asking for volunteers to help with the event.


UPDATE:

A note was sent home in backpacks earlier this week about the 5th grade graduation ceremony.  In case you didn't receive it, here is the information in email …  

We will be sending another email later requesting volunteers to help with this day, but for now, we are requesting donations to help defray the cost of graduation t-shirts that every student will receive.  Please make sure to get t-shirt size for your child to us so we order the correct size.  If we don't hear from you, we will have to guess. Please help us out! :-)

If you have any questions, please contact Dawn Boehm dawn@sunburychristian.com or 965-9239

Thanks 

5th grade Celebration Committee

Impossible.

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.

Impossible is not a fact.

It's an opinion.

Impossible is not a declaration.

It's a dare.

Impossible is potential.

Impossible is temporary.

Impossible is nothing.

― Muhammad Ali

Last Day!

In order to clear up any confusion, the last official day of school will be Tuesday, June 5, 2012.

Pajama Day!

PAJAMA DAY IS COMING!!!!  Fifth grade will enjoy PAJAMA DAY Friday, March 9th in all fifth grade classes.  Students may wear their pajamas to school, bring lots of books to read or journals in which to write (or BOTH!!!)  This will take place in the afternoon during Language Arts time.

Science Fair.

Mark Twain in Nicola Tesla's lab

Please join us for the BWE Fifth Grade Super Spectacular Science Fair Showcase, Wednesday evening, February 8th, (TONIGHT!) in the fifth grade classrooms from 5:00pm ~ 7:00pm. All students, their families, and friends are encouraged to attend this exciting, culminating event in which you may view the projects students have worked so hard to complete. It is not mandatory for students to attend, but it is highly recommended. They may come for 15 minutes or stay for the entire two hours, but all students should be accompanied by a responsible adult. Students attending should plan on spending some time by their project to answer any questions visitors may have about the project they completed. There will be drawings throughout the evening for stupendous science goodies, courtesy of Lakeshore Learning.Hope we see you there!


Our Science Showcase will be followed by the annual Big Walnut District Science Fair at the high school, in which students in grades 5-12 present their projects to a team of judges, on Thursday, February 9th (TOMORROW NIGHT!).  The public is welcome to attend. Students who have returned signed registration cards should plan on being at the high school by 6:00 pm to set up their projects. 

Believe.

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."

"I daresay, you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

- Lewis Carroll, from Through The Looking Glass

Thank you, Allie & Mac!

HUGO

Mrs. Corven, Mrs. Hoge, & Mr. Firchau

cordially invite you & your family to join them for …

 HUGO 3-D

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2011

Rave Theaters, Polaris

Showtime 1:10 p.m. (Please arrive early)

Ticket purchases will be the sole responsibility of those attending.

Students must be accompanied by an adult, please.

*** This is not an official Big Walnut field trip.

Attendance is NOT mandatory.

Voyage.

When Serge Bromberg learned that a color version of Georges Melies’ 16-minute silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon)--a rendering that had not been seen in almost a century--had been found in Barcelona, he had to have it. That the celluloid relic had deteriorated into a solid decomposed mass and was damaged beyond all likely repair only made the film preservationist’s resolve deeper. “When you have a piece of the Holy Grail in your hand,” declares Bromberg, in a phone call from Paris, “you say, We have to save it!”

So he did. A decade later, Bromberg is putting finishing touches on The Extraordinary Voyage, a documentary that chronicles both the making of Melies’ groundbreaking 1902 film and the meticulous, against-all-odds process of restoring it to its full-color glory. The documentary, which closes with the color A Trip to the Moon, complete with a new soundtrack by the electronica group Air, will have its world premiere November 11 at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (the restored short itself debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year).

Read the rest at Fast Company.

Georges Méliès at MoMA.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret author Brian Selznick's website is here. It's such a great book and a wonder-filled way to begin the year. Snatch one here.

Hugo opens over Thanksgiving ...



An interview with The Invention of Hugo Cabret author, Brian Selznick ...

Student~Parent~Teacher Conferences Next Week!

Parent questionnaires were recently sent home with each fifth grade student for parents to fill out and return to school.  Please return them by Monday, October 31st.

We're looking forward to meeting with you and your child during your scheduled conference times, Wednesday, November 2nd and Thursday, November 3rd.  If you haven't scheduled a conference  with your child's teacher yet, please call the school to set up an appointment, 965-3902.

There will be no school next Thursday, November 3rd or Friday, November 4th.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Endangered Animal and Biomes Project ~ Due Monday, October 17th

Please follow these guidelines for completing your Endangered Animal and Biomes Project.  Students will be given guidelines information in class, with a space provided for a parent signature.  Please return that page tomorrow, 10/5.  It will be checked and returned with your child so you have this information at home.  This project is due Monday, October 17th.  Project selections must be made by Friday, October 7th.


Students may select from these options:


ENDANGERED ANIMAL BIOME COLLAGE
Make a colorful collage of a specific endangered animal on a full sheet of poster board. Neatly cut out pictures from a magazine, download colorful pictures from the Internet, or draw your own pictures to show your animal in action in its natural habitat or environment. To do a collage, overlap each picture slightly, so none of the poster board shows. Include captions under the pictures describing the scene, or use adjectives to describe the traits of the animal. Your endangered animal’s name must stand out on this collage. Make sure your name and date are on the front of the collage.  A map of the biome location and food web should be included on your collage.  A written report of the endangered animal must be turned in with the collage. Details below.

BIOME TRAVEL POSTER
Create a colorful poster on a full sheet of poster board that highlights a specific land biome. Include on your poster a map of the geographical location (continent or continents), either hand drawn or copied, a description of the climate, and animals and plants found there. Add other important details about the biome that would encourage people to visit there. You may do illustrations yourself or use pictures from magazines or the Internet. All pictures should have a caption underneath describing that scene. Get creative with this! Your travel poster should have a catchy title with the name of the biome you’re advertising. Your name and date should be on the front of the poster as well. A written report will be turned in with your travel poster. Details below.

ENDANGERED ANIMAL BIOME DIORAMA
You will need a large shoebox to make a 3-D diorama for this project. Research an endangered animal and design a scene showing it in its natural environment. You can make your animal out of clay or use other materials. The more details, the better! The box must be completely covered on the outside so the entire diorama resembles the animal’s habitat. Include a map of the geographical locations (biomes) where this animal lives on the outside of the box. Your diorama should have a title clearly displayed on the front or top of the box, along with your name and the date. A written report must be turned in with your diorama. Details below.

LAND BIOMES BOOK
Create a book that describes each of the six land biomes we studied in class: tundra, taiga, deciduous forest, grasslands, desert, and tropical rain forest. Your book must have a title page, a Table of Contents page, and a “The End” page. Each content page must be numbered to match the Table of Contents and include a brief description of each biome: the geographic location of the biome (continent or continents) shown on a map, the climate (including the average temperature, amount of sunlight, and rainfall), the plants and animals found there and any adaptations they need for survival, and a “Did You Know?” interesting fact about each one (ex. Did You Know? The tundra is known as the frozen desert!) Colorful illustrations of each biome should be included on each page. Include a food web for one biome of your choice.  No written report is needed with this project since the book IS the report!

WRITTEN REPORT GUIDELINES
Your report should be at least two pages if handwritten. Skip a space between lines, and DO NOT write in the margins of the paper. You may use pen, but no scribbling out. This should be your neatest work. If you type your report, it should be one page or longer, double-spaced, using a font no larger than 18. There must be a title page with the title of your project, your name and the date.

If you are writing about an endangered animal, your report must include a description of the animal, the biome in which it lives and the geographical location of the biome, the animal’s diet, the special adaptations it has to survive in its environment, and any natural predators it has. Also include why it is endangered and what is currently being done to protect it. A food web of this animal must be included with the report (unless you show it on the collage or diorama), showing how energy is transferred from one organism to another (make sure the sun is incorporated into your food web).

Biome reports must include information on the geographic location (continents), the climate, including the average temperature, the amount of rain, and how much sunlight is received, and the animals and plants found there along with their adaptations. A food web found in this biome must be included.  Add other information you find interesting about these biomes.

In addition to a cover page, all reports should include a bibliography or resources page with at least two references. Students will receive a sample bibliography to see how to cite different sources. The Internet may be used as a source, but you must write the website, not just “Google.com”. Also, books, magazines, educational TV shows or videos may be used as sources, in addition to personal interviews with experts in the field.

Enjoy this GREAT learning adventure!

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.

Curriculum Night is TONIGHT!

Just a reminder that the BWE Curriculum Night will TONIGHT, Thursday, September 1, 2011. For your convenience there will be two identical sessions, one from 5-5:45 and another from 6-6:45. We will discuus curriculum, academic and social expectations, and asnswer any questions that you may have concerning the 5th grade year!

We look forward to seeing you!

Curriculum Night

Just a reminder that the BWE Curriculum Night will he held Thursday, September 1, 2011. For your convenience there will be two identical sessions, one from 5-5:45 and another from 6-6:45. We will discuus curriculum, academic and social expectations, and asnswer any questions that you may have concerning the 5th grade year!

We look forward to seeing you!

WELCOME BACK!

WOW! It has been a wonderful summer. We can't wait for school to start!

School starts WEDNESDAY!!!

Here's the schedule for our students ...

8:50 – Students arrive

9:00 – Tardy bell; morning news begins

9:00-9:40 – Special
The special schedule will start on Thursday, August 25, which is a "B" day. Students will go through the Special classes on a three day rotation. The schedule for each homeroom is as follows ...

Corven: A: Art, B: Music, C: P.E.

Hoge: A, P.E., B: Art, C: Music

Firchau: A: Music; B: Gym; C: Art

The fifth grade will use the restroom after each special class.

Each day the students will rotate through Math, Science, and Social Studies on the following schedule ...

9:50-10:40 – Block 1

10:40-11:30 – Block 2

11:30-12:20 – Block 3

12:20-12:30 – Back to homeroom

12:30-1:15 – Lunch/Recess (Restroom afterward)

1:15-1:30 – Silent Reading

1:30-3:00 – Language Arts

3:00-3:30 – Study Hall

Dismissal
3:35 – Noah’s Ark, Learning Center, walkers, parent pick-up
3:37 – bus riders

Keep reading, enjoy the beautiful weather.

We will look forward to seeing you on Curriculum Night, Thursday, September 1, from 5-5:45 or 6-6:45!

A consolidated 5th grade website is currently under construction and will be working as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Corven, Mrs. Hoge, Mr. Firchau