Welcome to 5th Grade!
2017- 2018
Mrs. Michelle Murphy
5th Grade Teacher
GMS Middle School
Ext. 51106
Email: michellemurphy@hasd.org
Website: http://www.hasd.org/faculty/michellemurphy/
Location: Greenville Middle School, Fawn Ridge Drive, Greenville, WI, United States
Phone: (920) 757-7140
Welcome!
Welcome to 5th grade! I am so excited to have your child in our class. It is going to be a wonderful year. We will laugh & learn together. Feel free to read through the materials below as a reference to help you and your child understand more about 5th grade.
Daily Schedule
7:55-8:05
Morning Meeting/ Announcements
8:05-9:00
Math
9:00-10:00
Reader’s Workshop
10:00-10:20
RECESS
10:20-10:50
SNACK/ WORD STUDY/ Interactive Read Aloud
10:50-11:40
Writer’s Workshop
(11:35-11:40 Assignment Notebook)
11:40-12:20
LUNCH/RECESS
12:20-1:10
Every Other Day: Science/ Social Studies
1:10-1:42
ELT (Extended Learning Time)
1:44-2:24
EXPLORATORY #1
2:26-3:08
EXPLORATORY #2
3:08-3:12
Get Ready/ Dismiss
Switching Classes and Exploratory Classes
This year your child will be switching for science with Mrs. Bushmaker next door every other day. She is new to our school and is a knowledgeable teacher who will definitely keep your child engaged! Later in the day, your child will switch for exploratory classes on their own. In the beginning of the year we will help guide your child to their classes. In addition, we will let the children know what section they are in and give them an easy to use schedule to help with the transition. Exploratory classes are at the end of the day. Exploratory classes consist of: Physical Education, Art, Spanish, Guidance, Choir and/or Band. Note your child may not be in all of the classes listed depending on if they are signed up for band or not.
Homework
Homework is important because it is useful in reinforcing what has been learned in class, teaches responsibility, and helps students develop positive study habits.
With this being said, I also believe in spending time together as a family and not making homework a struggle at home. My goal is for children to get most of their work done at school, so I can give them the support and help they may need. Your child will have 20 minutes of nightly reading (30-40 minutes on the weekend), a math practice (if not completed in class) and any other homework not completed from that day. However, some assignments take longer and may depend on your child’s strengths and on task behavior to complete. Please contact myself if you notice a problem.
Fifth graders will be responsible for turning in their completed homework assignments on time by 8:00am with their name on it. Late work will be marked on top of the assignment. Homework not turned in on time will be completed at recess time.
If there is a busy night at your home or an emergency, and homework does not get done, please write me a note or email and I can extend the due date. If your child needs assistance with a homework assignment or you have helped them, please let me know so that I can follow up with them at school the next day. I really appreciate your support!
5th Grade Curriculum
In Fifth Grade your child will build on the knowledge they have gained throughout all of their school years. Below are some of the concepts they will learn about this year.
Reader’s Workshop
Power Standards:
RL 5.1 & RI 5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL 5.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Mini lessons, guided reading, small group novels, short stories, monthly genre focus, nonfiction periodicals, and student selected texts · Read a louds, literature circles, book clubs, lessons on skills and strategies, and home reading
Literary elements-inferential thinking, character analysis, plot, theme, mood, setting, point of view
Responding through Office 365 OneNote, reader’s notebook, Readtheory and much more
Nonfiction text feature and structure concepts and strategies practiced and applied to nonfiction books, textbooks, and other nonfiction resources
Focus on understanding text, vocabulary, and fluency
Reading comprehension is the key to success in all subject areas!
Writer’s Workshop
Power Standard:
W 5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
Personal narratives, research, poetry and poetic devices, figurative language, persuasive papers, and content based writing
Focus on using mentor texts, parts of speech, types of sentences, punctuation, and the writing process
Word Study
Power Standard:
L5.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Personal spelling lists, strategies, finding and correcting errors in personal writing, using dictionaries, and review of basic spelling rules
Word choice-creating an awareness of words (style and usage) in students’ writing
Math
Power Standards:
5.NBT.B.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.
5.NBT.B.6 Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models.
5.NF.A.1 Add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators (including mixed numbers) by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators.
Place value, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, fractions, measurement, geometry, algebra, graphing, and problem solving
Science
Matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems, earth's systems, space systems-stars and solar system, and structure and property of matter
Social Studies
Power Standards:
A8.1 Use a variety of geographic representations, such as political, physical, and topographic maps, a globe, aerial photographs, and satellite images, to gather and compare information about a place.
B 8.2 Employ cause-and-effect arguments to demonstrate how significant events have influenced the past and the present in United States and world history
Maps, American History: Explorers, Early American colonies, the Revolutionary War, Westward Expansion, the Civil War, important historical figures
Digital Literacy
· Office 365, typing, utilizing Microsoft programs, how to save documents, and practicing 21st century digital skills
Assignment Notebook
Assignment notebooks are a wonderful communication tool between home and school. Greenville Middle School provides each student with an assignment notebook at the beginning of the school year to help students with organization.
In the unlikely event that students do have late work, a note will be written at the bottom of each days’ column to indicate what work was late. At times the students and I will write down information about upcoming events, supplies needed, etc. in their assignment notebooks. It is your child’s responsibility to fill out the assignment notebook and bring it home daily to show you.
I will sign assignment notebooks everyday for the first month to ensure they are being filled out accurately. Assignment notebooks will need to be signed every night only for the first month. If problems or concerns should arise, we will use the assignment notebook to communicate back and forth daily.
Students can help keep themselves organized by filling out their assignment notebooks completely and using work time wisely. Remember to bring home all the books necessary to complete assignments or study for summative assessments.
Grading Policy
4 Exceeds Grade Level Expectations
3 Mastered Grade Level Expectations
2 Near Mastery in Grade Level Expectations
1 Not Yet Mastered Grade Level Expectations
*Please note, these grades will be on top of assignments, Common Formative Assessments, and on Summative Assessments. Students can make corrections on any of their work but any work that is a power standard and is at or below a Near Mastery will be a fix and return and will be corrected in class with a teacher.
Weekly Newsletter
Every week, typically Friday or Monday, I will send out an email with the week’s newsletter. In this newsletter you will find our learning objectives for each subject for the upcoming week, any upcoming test dates or other important dates. If you would prefer a paper copy, please let me know.
Your child will also bring home a packet of learning from the previous week, typically on a Friday. This packet will mostly consist of practice work from the week in multiple subjects, summative (end of unit) assessments, and any other important communication papers as well.
Snacks and Birthday Treats
I encourage each of the kids to bring a water bottle to class. It is very important to stay hydrated throughout the day. Make sure that their name is on the water bottle so that we will know which water bottle is theirs. Please fill the bottles with water only. Our snack will be in the morning during our literacy block. Birthday snacks we usually have after recess. Students who have a summer birthday can celebrate their half birthday! I encourage students to bring a healthy snack that will help keep them focused on learning. Fuel Up to Play 60 also offers healthy snack options at morning recess for a small price.