Parents –
Good afternoon. (I usually send emails in the morning so I don’t have to say that – sounds like Alfred Hitchcock). Kids should be worn out this afternoon and hoarse as they’ve chatted quite a bit today. Fridays are rough with no specials and more time in the classroom than normal. It’s building my tolerance if I’m ever held hostage in a sports arena.
Highlights:
· Re-assessing kids’ progress in all subject areas to give them updated individualized plans.
· Conferences start Monday.
· Dismissal at 12:15 all next week.
· Make sure kids are sorting spelling words each afternoon.
· Make sure they’re watching math instructional videos for their skills (if posted).
· Make sure they’re working on IXL math practice each afternoon.
· Check grades weekly so everyone knows the kids’ progress.
· Camera have been off at end of 1st quarter because of computer usage, 1 (at least) should be on daily now.
Boring details:
I hate the end/beginning of quarters. I always use the natural break to re-assess the kids in the main areas so I can re-evaluate their plans. Next week, I’ll have them in new Spelling sorts based on areas that they need help. Some will leap forwards and some will go backwards for more training. Our goal for end of 5th is Syllables and Affixes – Late stage. (Stages are: Alphabetic, Within Word Patterns, Syllables and Affixes, then Derivational.)
I’ve re-assessed them in Math and the skills will be updated Monday for them to practice. It’s important they watch any instructional videos online listed for their skill and that they practice on IXL each night. If the kids don’t have access to the internet each day, just send in a note and I’ll make it part of their morning routine when they come in each morning. I also need to know if they have any problems, so they need to bring questions in each day. This is part of the whole “Flipped Classroom” model where they do instruction/practice at home then come in prepared to learn. If they don’t practice at home, it takes away the learning opportunity at school. We do about an hour of computation lesson and practice each morning, but it’s all about repetition of basic 5th grade computation skills.
We’re starting a new unit in Science – Matter. It’s available online >Subjects >Science. The kids have started and I’ll be posting new activities and resources early next week. They flew through the first lesson and I’m nervous they’re more concerned about completing the organizer than learning the concepts. This would great to incorporate into your dinner conversation…”So, how many states of matter do you see around you?” They’ll look at you strange but maybe it will get them to think a little more deeply about it.
Social Studies has a new start next week – The Changing Nation unit. We’ll be looking at Westward Expansion, Immigration, along with some map exercises. I’m tweaking the projects and will have those live online early next week.
We’ll be finishing up Hatchet soon and will work through our Reader’s Workshop on this. In the workshop, we’ll have mini-lessons on skills, then relate that day’s passage to the skill.
Similarly, we’ll be having Writer’s Workshop going on starting next week too. We’ll focus on certain skills and have mini-lessons and topics for writing. They’ll be graded on their work concerning that skill only, so if you see “100%” and the kid doesn’t have any punctuation, the skill may have been “Great Grabbers.”
Please check Synergy for updated grades at least weekly. I’m entering grades in all the time so it changes quite a bit. If there’s a zero, check with the student for why it wasn’t turned in. There’s very little we do in the classroom that shouldn’t be turned in. The sooner I get it, the better.
Some of you have noticed the cameras were off-line for a little while last quarter. I use our desktops to stream the live video and I have to log in to those. If the kids need to access their network folders, they have to log in. At the end of the quarter, the kids needed the access more than we needed live video. Now, as things have slowed down, I’m dedicating at least one to broadcasting the class. Thanks for understanding.
I’ll see you at conferences next week. Have a good weekend and Roll Tide!
Shane Brazile
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