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Parent Resources

Math:

 

  • Concepts covered to date (you can find the current topic covered on the homework page):

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  • Math Benchmark Test Information and Breakdown​​

  • ​Homework:

    • Often, your child will be assigned a link on Khan Academy to complete that night. They can use the videos on there to remind them of what they learned if they are having a hard time (they can also redo it if they are getting problems wrong). Sometimes, they will be provided with a "homelink," which is a math worksheet. Sometimes a different type of worksheet will be assigned. These go along with the topic we have covered in class that day and should be done independently. 

    • Students often will correct their own homework in class so that they (and I) can see where their gaps in understanding are. Khan Academy also provides this feedback in real time for both them and me. They can then do an error analysis and redo the problem. This allows them to gain a full understanding of any concepts that are lacking, or to work on their precision.

    • Periodically, students will be working on Exemplars in class that may come home for homework if they aren't finished or if students want to do extra. These follow a specific rubric, which can be found on the handouts page of the website (along with an example). Students need to complete a minimum of 2 of these, and have at least two full class periods to work on them, plus about a week at home. They are real world problems related to the concepts we have recently been doing in class.

  • Helpful Resources:

    • Khan Academy​

      • Your child already has access to this

      • There are tutorials and practice opportunities

      • You can link to your child's account and see their progress

      • Look above for concepts we have already covered in class for things that would be good to practice. You can also check the homework page for what we are currently covering in class to make sure your child is current on what we are doing.

    • This is a great tool online that your child can use to practice math concepts at home​ (your child already has an account)

    • Learnzillion

      • I have a class set up on learnzillion and an access code for each student who wants one​

      • Students can access math videos (and ELA related videos) to help them to better understand different math concepts

    • Common Core Math Standards

      • 5th grade starts on page 41 (page 34 if looking at the numbers in the corner of the paper)​

    • Your child's Math FLG may be tied to a specific area of the benchmark, a specific assignment that we work on periodically in class, or be tied to specific math tests. Please look at their means of evaluation so that you can spend extra time speaking with them about these scores as they are made available.

Grammar:

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  • Student's receive mini lessons on grammar concepts - as these are taught, the presentations can be found on the handouts/links page of the website​

  • After the mini lesson, students practice the concepts using a website called No Red Ink (NRI) If they don't finish in class, it becomes homework

    • We do grammar each Thursday, and any unfinished assignment is due by the next Wednesday (they can do it a little each night, or all at once)

    • You may see this show up on the homework page as NRI, which means they should be finishing the given practice set in preparation for an upcoming quiz​

  • Students may work ahead on the practice in No Red Ink (NRI) if they wish, but quizzes must be taken during class time. If students take a quiz early (before our scheduled date) and don't pass with a 90% or higher, they must retake before moving on to the next topic -- students can be as far ahead as they desire, as long as they are showing that they have 90% accuracy on each topic before moving on.

    • Keep in mind that assignments on the homework page are in line with what is on the student assignment sheet. If your child has worked ahead, they may not have that homework. They can work ahead on another section (if they choose to) until they are​ ready to take another quiz, at which point they must wait and take the quiz in class.

  •  â€‹â€‹There is more specific information about how these assignments work on the assignment sheet below:

  • Common Core English Language Arts Standards

    • Fifth grade starts on page 42 (page 36 if you are looking at the page numbers at the bottom of the page)​

Science/Social Studies

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  • Science and Social Studies are taught in a variety of ways and through many different activities

    • We often switch back and forth between learning about Science and Social Studies so that we can dive more deeply into each one

  • At the end of a unit, students are usually sent home with a study guide to help them prepare for the test. However, students should not be solely relying on the study guide for their studying.

  • Other Resources

    • Khan Academy​ â€‹â€‹

      • Has information, quizzes, videos, etc. on many Science and Social Studies topics if your child would like to go beyond what we are learning in class​

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Other Links and Info:

 

Writing:

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  • About the Writing Rubrics:

  • When we are working on a writing piece in class, you may see on the homework page that your child can continue writing at home, as needed

    • While this is not required, it is recommended​

    • It is important for students to understand that it is hard to be "done" with an assignment far ahead of time, as revisions are something that are continuous (for students who struggle with this, it helps them to recognize that while we are looking for them to have a 4 in each area at the end of the year, they can always aim for a 5 -- ask your child if with what they already have finished if they will be receiving all 4s or all 5s --- if the answer is "no" then they clearly aren't finished).

  • Your child's writing FLG is tied to one or more area(s) on one or more of the rubrics. Please look at those rubrics and at your child's means of evaluation to see what they are specifically focused on in writing for this year.

  • Other resources:

    • Learnzillion

      • I have a class set up on learnzillion and an access code for each student who wants one​

      • Students can access writing videos to help them to better understand different writing concepts

    • Common Core English Language Arts Standards

      • Fifth grade starts on page 42 (page 36 if you are looking at the page numbers at the bottom of the page)​

    • Your child also has a lot of writing resources that should be stored either in their binder or in  their writing notebook (they had a choice) -- these should be looked at regularly as students go through the writing and revision process

Reading:

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  • In class, students spend time working on different reading strategies. This is something that is often done in a workshop model where we all look at a mentor text together (in whatever genre we are currently studying) and use our reading notebooks to practice a skill together. Then, students will use their own reading books (self chosen, but within the same genre) to practice these skills on their own

  • Good readers PRACTICE. As such, your child should be reading a minimum of 30 minutes a day, and the reading they do should be from a variety of different genres

  • The book log assignment is a year long assignment that is turned in each trimester. The purpose of this assignment is to get students reading a variety of different genres and to practice comprehension skills for those books.

    • See here for details about the assignment​

  • It is helpful for comprehension if your child takes the time to talk about their reading.

    • Here is a document with some prompt questions you can ask your child about what they have been reading recently

    • One main thing students are working on this year within all of their reading (and writing) is providing evidence from the text to support their reasoning

  • Book Logs

    • Students are expected to read one book in each of five genres per trimester​

    • Genres:

      • Fiction​

      • Nonfiction Social Studies

      • Nonfiction Science

      • Biography/Memoir

      • Newberry Award Book or a book related to an FLG

    • See the "Recommended Book List" on the student handouts page for ideas for fifth grade level books in each genre

  • Other Resources:

FLGs/FreshGrade

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  • In fifth grade, your child helped to set their own FLGs based on the data from their beginning of the year assessments​

  • In middle school, students will be in charge of their own FLGs, and as such, we are preparing for that in fifth grade by helping them to look at the data from their assessments and recognize evidence

  • On your child's FreshGrade account, your child should be posting evidence

    • Each month, your child should add at least a comment explaining how they have worked on their goal (or possibly explain how they haven't yet worked on their goal but ​come up with a plan for how they will work on it in the near future)

      • If you don't see this, please encourage your child to do this​

      • Students have some time to do this in class on Thursday afternoons, but may need to do some at home for their personal goal or for goals they didn't get to write about in class

    • Certain things that come home in your child's Thursday Folder may have a stamp that reads "FLG Evidence."

      • Your child should be taking a picture of that work and writing a comment about how this evidence shows where they are in relation to their means of evaluation

      • Again, students have time to do this when Thursday Folders are handed out in class, so if you see this coming home but don't see it uploaded, please encourage your child to do so

  • Students will take their FLGs more seriously if they see that YOU are invested in their work on them. Please make sure you are signed up for FreshGrade and, when applicable, make comments to your child on their portfolio about the progress and evidence that they are sharing

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