Welcome to Fifth Grade
2015-2016
Questions and Comments
 Feel
free to ask anything along the way.
 I’d love to meet you after the PP. That
would be a good time to share with me,
anything you think will help make your
child’s year the best it can be.
Communication needs to be open and
honest in the best interest of your child.
Communication
 The
easiest way to reach me is via email.
 Jen.Mathieson@lz95.org
 You may email me during school hours,
but I may not have the opportunity to read
your email and/or respond right away
 The best times to reach me are before or
after school : 847-540-3465, Voice Mail :
847-540-5286.
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If you need immediate attention, please call
the school office. 847-438-2351
Classroom Information
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Students may bring a healthy snack and a
water bottle to school each day.
Birthdays will be recognized over the loud
speaker and in the classroom.
Brain Gym -We as a class will be doing Brain
Gym exercises as a way to get our brain in
focus.
I will be sending a newsletter bi-monthly via my
webpage or electronically if you so wish.
D’s and U’s need to be signed by a parent when
it comes home.
Classroom Management
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Our overall goal is for the children to be
responsible, respectful and safe.
We as a fifth grade team have created a
management system “Fix It Plan”.
Students will be given 2 warnings, teachers will
give students every effort to “fix it”.
Fix it plan, and evaluation in school. If their
behavior continues the “fix it” goes home to sign
Two “fix-it” sheets in one week will warrant an
email or phone call home.
Homework
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All homework will be recorded in the assignment
book. Materials needed will be placed in the
expandable folder. This will go home daily and
return the following day.
 A punch on the H.O.T. ticket is also given each
day when all assignments are turned in, along
with their expandable folder and assignment
notebook on their desks.
 Please check your student’s assignment
notebook and sign it daily.
 Homework will be included in their participation
grade and is still a requirement.
Homework Expectations
 Reading
–read at least 20 minutes every
night.
 Math – nightly assignments & study math
facts as needed
 Occasional word work, science, social
studies, and writing assignments
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Expandable Folder
The students will bring an expandable folder home each
night. This folder will contain any notes from the office or
me, and your child’s homework.
 The front tab of the folder will contain all homework for
that night.
 The second tab will contain everything that your child
needed to bring home from school, including school
notes and your child’s homework. This is where you will
place any other school related papers that you need to
return. This is also the pocket where notes to me or the
office may be placed (or their assignment books).
 The other tabs are for school (notes, current work, etc).
Please do not take anything out of their
folder, your student will be responsible for
doing that. These papers are ongoing
assignments.
Literacy
During this morning block, we will follow the workshop model for
literacy instruction. Components of a workshop model include read
alouds, direct instruction mini-lessons, small group instruction, time for
independent practice, writing about reading, conferring with the
teacher and time for collaborative conversations. Students will read
and work with a wide variety of authentic literature and trade books.
Reading Fundamentals is the series K-5 classrooms will use to guide
reading instruction. Each Unit of Study includes mentor texts, a variety
of leveled books for guided reading and independent reading, and a
selection of digital shared teaching resources that systematically
integrate reading skill/strategy instruction with the study of genre. For
more information visit www.schoolwide.com.
Reading
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Schoolwide is the district 95 curriculum we will be using
during our reading literacy block.
 Reader’s Workshop Model - Components include
guided small group reading, interactive read aloud,
shared reading, and independent reading.
 5th Grade Genre Units – Fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Math
The implementation of the Illinois Common Core State Standards
brought shifts to math instruction.
 Greater focus on fewer topics
 Coherence: Linking topics and thinking across grades
 Rigor: Pursue conceptual understanding, procedural skills and
fluency, and application with equal intensity
For more information about the shifts to the Common Core, please visit:
http://www.corestandards.org/other-resources/key-shifts-inmathematics/
Math Continued
We will be using Stepping Stones by Origo to guide our
math instruction. Stepping Stones is an online teaching
resource that is fully aligned to the Common Core State
Standards. Students have print journals, but there will not
be a printed mathematics textbook. The focus of the
Stepping Stones series is an emphasis on conceptual
development of mathematics. You can expect your student
to have many hands-on experiences with manipulatives
and visual representations in addition to traditional
computation. Number sense and fact fluency will continue
to be emphasized.
For more information visit
www.origoeducation.com/steppingstones
Writing
The writing curriculum emphasizes the three writing genres
mentioned in the standards, informative/explanatory,
narrative, and opinion, as well as poetry and creative
writing. Write Source is the textbook series used to support
the writing curriculum in our elementary schools.
Resources for parents and guardians:
 For more information about the Common Core State Standards visit:
http://www.corestandards.org/
 To see resources compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education
visit: http://isbe.net/common_core
 To view resource guides created by the Illinois PTA for parents visit:
http://isbe.net/common_core/htmls/resources
Word Study/Phonics/ Spelling
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We will provide direct instruction of word study as it is
developmentally appropriate for our students and in the
context of literacy instruction. Word Study is based on
learning word patterns rather than memorizing words.
We will be learning and implementing the program,
Words Their Way to support a developmental approach
to word study.
Full implementation of Words Their Way will begin this
school year.
For more information visit
http://mypearsontraining.com/pdfs/TG_WTW_WordStud
y.pdf
Science
In Fifth grade we will study units on earth, life, and physical
science topics over the course of the school year. The
current text resource for science instruction is National
Geographic Science. The series offers a broad range of
print and digital resources as students engage in science
study and inquiry.
Social Studies
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Fifth grade students learn about the building of our
nation. A variety of textbook resources are used.
It will be integrated with reading and writing.
Students will practice research skills and note taking.
ASSESSMENTS
http://www.parcconline.org/
 The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC)
 Computer-based K–12 assessments in Mathematics
and English Language Arts/Literacy
 April 4th – May 3rd
 MAP Testing:
 Fall: September 8th-September 23rd
 Spring: May 15th-May 27th
 Fountas and Pinnell:
 October 13th-November 13th and in April
 Cogat:
 December 7th – December 11th
TAFT
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Our outdoor education takes place at Lorado
Taft Campus in Oregon Illinois on the NIU
owned campus. It’s a 3 day, 2 night learning
fun-filled extravaganza that is one of the
highlights of your child’s 5th grade year.
 Dates this year are February 22nd-24th (MonWed)
 There will be in informative parent meeting in the
upcoming months. The cost is roughly $200.00.
We will be fundraising to offset that cost if
interested.
Human Growth and
Reproduction
the spring of 5th grade, the science
curriculum includes a two week study on
human growth and reproduction.
 More on that as the time approaches.
 You may want to consider having “the talk”
sometime before May, 2016.
 In
Hallway Duties
 If
you did not sign up for a fall conference
in the hall, please do so before you leave.
 Room Parent volunteer sign up is now
online, please take a blue slip for the
website. Please consider helping out.
 Please take a minute to fill out the T-shirt
order form for your child, return tonight or
in their expandable folder. Due September
9th.
Check It Out
 Before
you leave you feel free to check out
the following:
 Classroom
 Math pie chart
 Your child’s job
 Hallway
 Your child’s locker (feel free to peek
inside)
Carol Dweck- Growth
Mindset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=NWv1VdDeoRY