Mrs. Hughes Hankins Fifth Grade:

I am excited about another new year!  Not only will your fifth grader learn  academic skills, but they will also be expected to take on more responsibility for their learning and prepare to go to middle school next year. 

We are well on our way with P.T.A. memberships, too.  If you have not joined yet, please do!  We are trying for 25 members for our class.

Reading:

    By the upper elementary grades students are “reading to learn” rather than “learning to read”. 
Our reading program has three main parts—skills instruction, literature groups, and independent reading.  We will focus on one main reading strategy or skill each week in class.  Research and reference skills will be taught and reinforced in the library as well.  Students will read a variety of texts in small groups, from non-fiction articles to novel or author studies.  They will be continuing to practice skills taught, increase vocabulary, and develop smooth reading.  They will also be working on responding to books by sharing their understanding and opinions with a group. During independent reading, students will be given at least 20 minutes of dedicated time to read books on their own level and of their own choice.  They will set a goal of how much they will read each nine weeks.  Look for their goal sheet in the reading section of their binder.

Each month beginning in October, students will be required to complete a “book project” at home. Every month has a different type, or genre, of book to encourage students to read a variety of books. There is a section in the binder to keep the project guidelines and work until the end of the month.

Science:

Fifth graders will be tested on their knowledge of the Standards of Learning (SOL’s)  we learn in class this year, as well as the information they learned last year as fourth graders. We will be using an “Interactive Notebook” to take notes and respond to our learning.  (For more information about how we use our Interactive Notebook, see my Social Studies section of the webpage.) The textbook will be used as one resource for information, but all classroom tests and quizzes will come from the notebook.

 
We will begin working on SOL 5.6, The Ocean Environment.  We will be investigating the land features under the ocean.  We will find out what effects the temperature and salt content of the water have on the ocean and the living things in it.  We will also review food webs and food chains as we learn about marine animals and how they survive.

Social Studies:

In fifth grade, we study U.S. history  from the first people through 1877.  We will begin our study by learning about the different geographic regions in the U.S. and using map skills.  Understanding the land and how it is different will help us as we learn about the people who settled here and how they lived. 

We will be using an “Interactive Notebook” for our History notes.  I will provide students with typed notes pages which we read and discuss together in class.  We are learning how to find important information to highlight and jot notes to make sense of our reading.  These written notes belong on the even numbered pages of the notebook.

On the odd numbered pages, students draw a graphic for each main point in the notes to help them “show” the meaning.  We talk about what to draw together, and students usually leave class with most pictures drawn in one color.  A set of notes is complete after the student goes back to the page to do each graphic in at least two colors while they review and restate the main points.

We will also be adding any activities we do to our notebooks including all tests and quizzes.  This will keep all grades and information together in one place for students and parents.  Each unit will have a Table of Contents we fill out as we add items to tell which activities were graded and which should be studied for tests.  On the first page of each new unit will be a list of questions to be answered.  We will use it as a study guide before the test, but it can be filled out as we learn the answers to the questions throughout our study.

Because we are team teaching, communication with you is very important.  Every Friday we will send home class work your child has done and any review which may be needed.  Watch for the Home School Communication Folder, look over the work, and sign and return the sheet in the folder Mondays. Feel free to comment in the folder—it is a good way to assure consistent communication on a weekly basis.  I will also send home interim reports and report cards every four weeks to let you know the progress your child is making.

If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to call, e-mail, or stop by.  I am planning to have “office hours” one day a week after school until 4:30.  I will let you know which day this will be so we can schedule to meet if needed, or you will know that I will be available to talk by phone if you call. If you need to get in touch with me, I am usually at school from 7:45 until 3:30, although I may be able to arrange to meet with you later if needed.  If you’d like to conference, please call or send a note, as I have meetings and may not be available.

Homework:

Your child will be assigned no more than 45 minutes of homework each night, Monday through Thursday.  This will usually include math, word study, and reading.  They will also be assigned some projects to complete at home to help them with skills, time management, and preparation for longer-term projects in middle school.

Students will be responsible for copying homework assignments in their agendas daily. I do not “grade” homework, but homework completion is expected, and we check it daily. I will stamp in the agenda book for assignments which are complete and turned in on time. I will make note of missing and/or incomplete assignments in the agenda.    Some parents choose to initial the agenda daily, but I don’t think this is necessary for most students unless there is a problem. 

Grading:

In reading, I will assess your child’s comprehension of text at their level through their responses in journals and group discussion, reading skill quizzes each Friday on a comprehension skill for the week, and AR comprehension quizzes. 

The English grade will be determined by grammar classwork and quizzes, graded writings to be completed in class, word study, and homework completion. I will be using a writing rubric similar to the one used for the SOL writing sample required of all fifth graders.  Content area (Science and Social Studies) writings and projects may also be used as grades for English.  We will get new spelling/word study words on Fridays, and the tests will be the following Thursday. 

We will announce tests in Science or Social Studies at least a week in advance. We are using an interactive notebook with all information needed for tests. Projects that are late will be accepted, but your child’s grade will be lowered each day that the project is late.  Watch the agenda book for notices about projects, tests, and quizzes.

We use the York County Grading Scale as follows:            

A    100-92             
B    91-87         
C    86-77       
D    76-65          
F    64 and below 

General Schedule:

If at all possible, take our schedule into consideration when scheduling appointments.  It is harder to make up missed work because we are switching classes.