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GRADE FIVE CURRICULUM
ORGANIZATION:
There are two home rooms of fifth-grade students at Markham Elementary School. These home rooms are located in the south end of the upper floor. This situation allows for team teaching and frequent movement throughout the fifth-grade level.
Fifth-grade students are grouped heterogeneously for effective instruction, social diversity, and manageability. Each home room represents a balanced group of diverse academic abilities and socialization skills. Students attend health, library, music, art, and physical education with their home room peers.
Departmentalized instruction is utilized by the fifth-grade team. This instructional arrangement permits each teacher to specialize in their area of interest and expertise. Social studies is taught by Mr. Mikesell (room 204), and Science by Mr. Young (room 202). Each teacher provides math, reading, writing, and spelling instruction to his home room. Each home room class has a different daily schedule that is posted in the classroom. Students have individual copies of their schedule in their assignment books.
HOMEWORK POLICIES:
Each student is required to record homework in an assignment notebook provided by the home room teachers. Time is provided during the day for students to begin their assignments and for teachers to check for assignment completion. Work not finished in class is expected to be completed at home. Students should be spending approximately 30-60 minutes nightly on homework, with an additional 30 minutes of reading. If you are consistently finding that this is not the case, please call one of the teachers. Missed or incomplete work will be completed during after-school hours (3:25-3:45 p.m.), or during lunch recess.
When possible, we expect children who are absent to return to school with missed work
completed. Parents are encouraged to call the school before 11:00 a.m. to make arrangements for getting materials to the absent student. These materials may be picked up in the office at the end of the day. Missed tests must be made up by the student within three days of his/her return. This can be done at 8:15 a.m., 3:25 p.m., or noontime, (based upon an agreement with the appropriate teacher). We generally do not provide class time for this because it increases the amount of instructional time that the student misses.
All major tests will be sent home with students for a parent signature and are expected to be returned the next school day. These tests will first be reviewed in class, so students have the opportunity to ask questions about items they have missed. The parent and teacher conferences are officially scheduled twice per year, as indicated on the school calendar. However, we are available to discuss questions/concerns on a "needs basis" and encourage active parent involvement.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Hartcourt is the newly adopted reading/language arts program for the district. It embraces the following educational plan for the fifth grade:
· Oral Language – both speaking and listening
· Skills and strategies - including comprehension and vocabulary
· Reading with guided comprehension
· Independent reading with flexible grouping
· Ongoing assessment
· Reading across the text to make cultural and curricular connections
· Focus skills – both reading and grammar
· Test preparation
· Skill-strategies
· Phonics and decoding
· Spelling
Writing continues to be taught as a process. Students prewrite, draft, conference, revise, and edit to improve their writing. This is taught as an integral part of the Language Arts curriculum, many facets of which are taught in the reading program.
MATH
We continue this year with the math program Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley, which is a hands-on mathematical approach. Also, we are excited to use the online resources that are available via pearsonsuccessnet.com. It is designed to make math motivating and accessible to each child. We are striving for understanding and application, along with a mastery of basic facts and routine skills. This balance is essential to math learning and development as we prepare students to meet the demands of math in everyday life. The fifth-grade curriculum reviews and extends the concepts of place value, measurement (standard and metric), geometry, addition and subtraction (of whole numbers, decimals, and fractions), and multiplication and division (larger whole numbers, decimals, and fractions). Students will make use of the calculator and the computer to explore, practice, and organize data. Throughout the year problem solving, communicating in mathematical terms, reasoning, and creative thinking will be emphasized.
COMPUTER/TECHNOLOGY
The goals of the computer curriculum are that students will acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to participate in a computerized society and acquire the skills needs to use the computer as an instructional tool. Students will use the computers and related technology throughout the school year and across the curriculum. Along with instruction in word processing, students will use during math class Geometer's Sketchpad and Factory, which develop visual perception skills and allow students to interact with problem solving, using verbal, graphic, and/or written directions.
Students will have access to Network/Internet sites that are appropriate for their course work. Student's use of the Internet will be consistent with District Policy, Principles, and Procedures. These policies and procedures will be communicated to students and parents through the school handbook, the PTA's newsletters, and the principal's communication with parents.
SCIENCE
In science we use several Asset modules subsidizing the Addison-Wesley text where appropriate. There are four conceptual themes in this year's curriculum: life science, physical science, earth science, and health science. This series is used in grades kindergarten through fifth. Each of the main concepts is repeated yearly with increased detail and greater depth. We take an operational approach to the teaching of science, where children learn through hands-on experience. The activities build upon past learning and extend to what is not yet known. Great focus is placed upon preparing students for our outdoor environmental experience in June.
SOCIAL STUDIES
History Alive! America's Past text, is the primary text. However, many supplemental resources are used extensively. American History is the focus of the fifth-grade curriculum. The areas in history we will cover are as follows:
· Map and geography skills
· Exploration
· Colonization
· French and Indian War
· Revolutionary War
· Constitution and government
Our main focus is to teach the curriculum to the students and find ways they can apply and use it in practical application.
CHARACTER EDUCATION
A school-wide, literature-based program, intended to promote ethical understanding, cultural literacy, and interpersonal communication, is currently in place at Markham Elementary School. Each month one attribute (respect, courage, loyalty, traditions, honesty, justice, hope, and love) is discussed. Read-aloud stories and follow-up, cross-curricular classroom activities are used to explain the attribute. Fifth-grade students work with second-grade buddies to help both groups of students better understand and apply the attribute.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
As you may be aware, fifth grade has always committed one week of the year to focus on environmental education. We are already enthusiastically preparing for this year's program. During June, fifth graders will learn about birds of prey, dissect owl pellets, and spend four days at Linsly Outdoor Center at Raccoon Creek State Park. They will participate in group problem-solving activities, test water and soil samples, study habitats, and have the opportunity to work together on both a low-ropes and high-ropes course, to name just a few of the activities. In order to fund the program, students are encouraged to participate in fund raisers for the express purpose of offsetting the cost of the trip.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
During the school year fifth graders participate in several cross-curricular activities that integrate subject areas and culminate in a special activity or event.
The fifth-grade team looks forward to an exciting 2008-2009 school year with your child.
Sincerely,
Matt Mikesell
Mike Young
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