By the time you (and your kids!) have gotten to 5th grade, you've had a lot of experience with our Standards Based Report card. Unfortunately I've found that there are some inconsistencies, so I want to make sure you know up front how I use the scores. On your child's report card you will probably see a lot of 2s and 3s -- these are the scores that I use the most, especially at the beginning of the 5th grade. A 3 is the target -- we'd like all 5th graders to be performing at grade level. If a student gets all of the questions on a test correct, that would be a 3 because the student has shown that they have learned the concepts that were taught in class. I think some of the confusion comes in over the use of a 4. For a student to get a 4 in an area it is because they are showing that they are performing above the current level of a 5th grader. So 100% on a test is not a 4; a student would need to get the challenges correct or do something extra to show that they are indeed performing above the current level of the class. I know there are other teachers that assign 4s more liberally, so please make sure to communicate with your kids about their scores. We will talk in class as to what the grades mean as well. ~Erica [email protected]
We had a little chat this afternoon about the quality of work that is being turned in. I'm handing quite a few papers back for a variety of reasons. The problems I am seeing the most are: - lack of capital letters at the beginning of sentences
- lack of periods at end of sentences
- incomplete sentences
- skipped questions
- incomplete answers
There are also a good portion of assignments I am handing back twice to finish/correct. Any help continuing this conversation at home would be much appreciated! Thanks! ~Erica [email protected]
In lieu of science or spelling this week your kids are bringing home a really fun election activity. We have been looking at the voting trends for each state in previous presidential elections. Using that information we have been making predictions about how each state will vote. The map is mostly complete except for about 11 battleground states. The homework this weekend (due Wed) is to determine which way they think those states will go. I have a few links on our website, but they are news sites. I asked that your kids ask before logging on to them as they are not kid sites, but political sites. I also asked that they get some feedback from you -- which way do you think Florida will vote? This is strictly a numbers and process game for us. We haven't talked about what the parties believe, what the issues are, or who we should vote for. What I'm expecting to happen is that students will bring back to school a variety of situations that good happen in the election. It will be so fun to see what actually happens! If you have an iPod or iPad, you may want to check out the app 270toWin. I'm not very political, but the history collected in this one place has been extremely fun to look through. I think it's 99 cents, but I can't be sure!
Book orders came home today -- wahoo!! If you'd like to order, you have two options. First you may send in a check with your order by Friday, 10/12. You may write one check for all the orders. The second option is you can order online. If you order online you have a few more choices than just the three orders. Make sure you put in our class code so that the order comes to me! Aactivation code: FMJCX
https://clubs2.scholastic.com~Erica [email protected]
I'm not very political, but I love an election! During the last presidential election one of my teacher friends and I huddled around the tv watching the votes come in and color coding a map at the same time --- nerdy, right? :) It is truly one of my favorite topics to teach.
Today we started our work on the election. We used iPods to determine the population of each state and the number of electoral votes for each. At the end, we made two determinations: - electoral votes are tied to population not state size
- 3 is the lowest amount of electoral votes a state can have
During the rest of the week we will learn about the magic 270 number and begin some research about the trends that certain states have. If you have an iPad, the app 270 to Win is a good one! And just for your peace of mind, please know that e are learning about the election from purely a process standpoint -- we aren't talking candidates at all
http://www.270towin.com/ipad-app/
~Erica
Thank you for being so patient on this! I know I said at Curriculum Night that I would get this done sooner than later, but...well it's ready now! There is a link and log-in instructions on our links page, and also below. In the past, parents have found this resource valuable for understanding how concepts are being taught in class, and to help their students correct or finish math assignments. Envision Login: https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com username: 0+six digit library/lunch code password: opstad22 ~Erica [email protected]
I have just added a page to our website that should help you understand what has been turned in by your student and what still needs to be done. We have a chart at the front of our classroom, and I will add a picture of it each Friday. Assignment Checklist linkHope this helps! Also, this week we are seeing the last pieces of what will be homework this year. The kids have seen the spelling packet, science packet and reading log. This week the kids will try IXL skills and blogs. In addition, several students have work to finish or correct from in class. ~Erica [email protected]
This week we have spent some time in the lab creating websites. It truly is one of my favorite things. The kids are so excited to see their website live. Today we added a blog page, and the kids had an opportunity to tell about something that they have liked about school so far. There weren't other parameters other than that (as you can see!). Starting next week they will be using their blog to respond to a question. For those assignments, there will be some parameters including capitals and spelling and all that good stuff. Under the links tab on our website is a page with all of their sites linked. They are password protected, and the password is the same as everything else. We had a good discussion about Internet safety, and how to behave online. Also, just so you know, the password protection means that their sites aren't searchable and others can't gain access without the password. I also created their website addresses so they aren't identifiable as a certain person. I told the kids that before they gave their password out to anyone, they needed to discuss it at home. Feel free to share with grandparents or other family that would like to view your child's work. The blog section is a great discussion piece, and I hope you'll check out your child's blog and comment! ~Erica [email protected]
IXL will be a part of our weekly homework as soon as the accounts are up and running. Our school account is now a district account, and there has been some glitches with that. If you were at Opstad last year, you can use your same log-ins and get going. I would suggest: A.1, A.3, A.6 If you are a new student this year, unfortunately not all of those accounts are active. I'm hoping that happens soon! ~Erica [email protected]
|
RSS Feed