Welcome to 5th Grade!
Dodge Intermediate School 2012-2013
Mrs. Tammie Mighton Language Arts & Social Studies Classes 5-1 & 5-2
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Never be afraid to AIM HIGH! Dear Students and Families,
Welcome to 5th grade! I am very excited to have you in my class this year. This is my thirteenth year teaching (my seventh year here at Dodge,) and I couldn't be happier. Twinsburg is a wonderful community with strong parent support and great, hard-working students. I look forward to a wonderful year with you!
In this packet, you will find general information about my classroom and what we will be learning this year in language arts and social studies. If you have any questions or concerns about the items in this packet or anything else throughout the year, please feel free to contact me at: (330) 468-2235 or email me at: [email protected]. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tammie Mighton
Classroom Expectations
Expectations in our classroom will follow the basic expectations in all of Dodge Intermediate: Be Respectful o Use kind, supportive words with each other. o Be silent and listening when others are speaking. o Follow directions the first time given. Be Responsible: Come to class prepared! (This includes materials and completed assignments.) Be Safe: Move throughout the building in a safe way.
For students who demonstrate the expectations above on a consistent basis, rewards might include: Verbal praise Positive note home from the teacher Token of Success Principal’s Good News Call Student-of-the-Month nomination
For students who have difficulty meeting the expectations above, consequences might include: Verbal warning Loss of contact time (during which student may complete a reflection sheet) Written note home or phone call to parents Referral to Office Classroom Policies and Procedures
Homework Homework is posted in the classroom every day. Students are expected to use the agenda provided by the school to keep track of homework assignments, upcoming quizzes / tests, projects, and other important school dates. Agendas are an important communication tool between home and school. Parents are responsible for checking their child’s agenda nightly.
Homework is expected to be completed by the assigned due date. It is to be completed neatly and in pencil. Parents are encouraged to check their child’s agenda and completed homework nightly. Students who do not have homework completed by the assigned due date will be asked to stay in at contact time to complete missing or incomplete homework. Students will then receive partial credit for the late homework.
Routine homework: For language arts, students will likely have homework each week in spelling and /or grammar. These are short activities that students may actually be able to complete in class if they use their time well. The other routine homework is independent reading. As you will read later in this packet, students will be working this year on a 35 Book Challenge. In order to accomplish the challenge, students will need to read outside of school. I do not assign a certain number of pages or minutes to be read each night or week, however I may give students shorter terms goals in order to reach their ultimate goal of 35 books by the end of the year.
Quizzes and Assessments For language arts, students will demonstrate their progress in a number of ways: Journal entries Class and small group discussions Teacher conferences Written responses to comprehension questions and prompts Completed writing projects and initial drafts Quizzes Completion of reflective responses in their interactive journal
Many of these things are not necessarily things that a student can “study” for. The best way for students to prepare is to participate in classroom / group discussions and to actively practice the skills and strategies shown in class.
For social studies, while students will also demonstrate their progress using some of the items mentioned above, the primary measures of assessment will be: Completion of reflective responses in their interactive journal Written responses to prompts Projects Quizzes / Unit Tests Students may create or be given study guides to review, but this is not guaranteed for every unit.
Communication Students should keep track of important dates and assignments in their agenda. The agenda may also be used for parent-teacher communication. If you have a note, question, or comment for me, please feel free to write in your child’s agenda.
My teaching partner, Mrs. Czirok provides a weekly newsletter entitled “Czirok’s Correspondence” which is available on her Twinsburg webpage. The newsletter provides information about units covered in math and science; however Mrs. Czirok also includes notes from me regarding language arts and social studies.
Another great way to communicate with me is via email. My Twinsburg email is: [email protected]. I will try my best to respond to any parent email within 24 hours. You are also welcome to call me at Dodge, but please be aware that all classroom phones are set to go straight to voicemail during school hours. Again, I will do my best to return phone calls as soon as I can!
Specials Schedules
Class 5-1 (Mighton) Class 5-2 (Czirok) Days 1 & 6 Art None Days 2 & 7 Music and PE Music and PE Days 3 & 8 None Art Days 4 & 9 Music Music Days 5 & 10 Library / Computer Lab Library / Computer Lab
The Interactive Notebook
Students will be implementing an interactive notebook this year in both language arts and social studies. As students open up their notebook, they will use the right hand pages to keep class notes, discussions, and activities. On the left hand pages, students will write their personal reactions, connections, and interpretations of the items discussed in class. You will receive more detailed information about the interactive notebooks in a separate handout. Language Arts: What to Expect
The 35 Book Challenge This year, we will be setting a goal for each student to independently read 35 books! Why so many books? My goal is for students to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading just 5, 10, or even 15 books over the course of an entire school year is not enough to make that happen. Students need to have experience choosing and reading many books in order to develop an appreciation for reading. (The goal of 35 can be adjusted to meet individual reading goals, however we would like to shoot for 35 as our minimum.)
Along with the 35 book requirement, students will be expected to read from a variety of genres. I want to ensure that students explore books that they might not ordinarily choose. I also want them to be able to develop an understanding of the literary elements and text features that are inherent to the various genres. Students will be able to select books and authors to complete this challenge.
Students will record the titles and authors of books chosen in their Reading Journal. We will be discussing students’ adventures in reading through conferences and letters.
Highlights of the 35 Book Challenge: Students are expected to read at least 35 books over the course of the school year. (Some students may choose to read more!) For books chosen that are over 250 pages, they may count as two books towards the 35 book requirement. (This is to prevent students from being discouraged by lengthier books.) Students are expected to read from a variety of genres. They must read the minimum number listed below from each genre. o Realistic Fiction (4) o Historical Fiction (4) o Fantasy (2) o Science Fiction (2) o Mystery (2) o Poetry / Fairy Tales / Folk Tales (2) o Nonfiction (6) o Biography / Autobiography / Memoir (2) The total number of books listed above is 24. The remaining 11 books to complete the 35 book requirement may be from any genre.
Novel Study Aside from the 35 Book Challenge, students will take a closer look at a number of novels this year. Novels may be read as a whole class or in small groups. Working with Words Students will continue to use the Spelling Connections series for spelling. Students will take a pretest at the beginning of the week and using those results, be given an appropriate list of words to study for the week. All activities are due at the end of the week. Students will also have routine grammar and vocabulary lessons which include the study of Greek and Latin roots.
Writing Students will create a number of writing pieces this year ranging from narratives, informative / explanatory reports, opinion pieces, and poetry.
Social Studies: What to Expect
An Overview While the main emphasis in social studies in 4th grade is on the study of Ohio, this year, students will focus on the United States and the Western Hemisphere. (Next year, students will explore the Eastern Hemisphere.) More specifically, the topics of study for this year include but are not limited to:
Geography and Map Skills o Major features of United States and North America o How does geography influence human activities? o How do human activities alter the physical environment?
Government o The three main types of governmental systems: Democracy, Dictatorship, Monarchy o American Democracy: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three branches of government
Economics: o What is the relationship between available resources, specialization, and trade? o What must happen in order for regions and countries to become interdependent?
History o Native Americans: Which groups lived in North America? How can the various tribes and nations be classified based on their cultural similarities and differences? o European Exploration and Colonization: How did the exploration and colonization of Europeans affect life here in North America both past and present?