FHSD Elementary ELA Newsletter
May 2017
Important Upcoming ELA Dates
Assessment Wall: May 5-16
Aimsweb: April 24-May 5
ELA Galileo Benchmarks (Optional): May 1-12
Mastery Connect Data Entry for ELA Writing Assessments: May 8-19
Kindergarten & First Grade Reading Summative: May 8-19
Elementary Writing Workgroup Update
Some changes to note are: the merging of columns 2 and 3 to create a mid-year point and grammar/mechanics have become checklists instead of behaviors that building upon one another quarterly. These changes have overall simplified the look of the scoring guides and reduced the number of pages within the documents.
The scoring guides are posted on HowellNET in the report card resources folder, within a folder titled Newly Revised Writing Scoring Guides 17-18. If you have any questions contact your building representative, Carrie Hepburn, or Melinda Scheetz.
Units of Study-Lucy Calkins
- the need to teach the units with fidelity by following the unit order
- and all lessons within the units of study need to be taught.
Francis Howell prides itself on being a balanced literacy district. Two of the major components of balanced literacy are reader's workshop and writer's workshop. The Units of Study resource fits perfectly within our balanced literacy model.
If you have any questions regarding curriculum, instruction, or assessment and this pilot please contact Carrie Hepburn.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten 4th Quarter ELA Assessments
- Sight Words Assessment for fourth quarter
- Assessment Wall
- Opinion Writing: Students write an opinion piece to the prompt: What is your favorite animal and why? (not required for MC entry).
Kindergarten's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
First Grade
- Fourth Quarter Reading Assessment
- Assessment Wall
- Informational Writing: Students will write an informational piece about an animal they have researched (not required for MC entry).
First Grade's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
17-18 School Year Benchmarks
Second Grade
- Fourth Quarter Galileo Reading Benchmark (optional): May 1-12
- Assessment Wall
- Opinion Writing: Students will write a persuasive piece at the end of Unit 7 persuading someone to visit the place they researched. (not required for MC entry).
Second Grade's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
Third Grade
- Fourth Quarter Galileo Reading Benchmark (optional): May 1-12
- Assessment Wall
- Narrative Writing: Students will write a narrative piece that includes a weather related event (not required for MC entry).
Reminder Assessment change for 2016-2017:
Based on feedback regarding third grade's writing assessments, the assessments for second and fourth quarter have been changed. The second quarter assessment will be an ecosystem informational writing piece and fourth quarter will be narrative writing including a weather related event.
Third Grade's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
Fourth Grade
Fourth Grade 4th Quarter ELA Assessments
- Fourth Quarter Galileo Reading Benchmark (optional): May 1-12
- Assessment Wall
- Narrative Writing: Students will write a hero's quest (not required for MC entry).
Reminder: Based on feedback from the revisions team over the summer Mythology was moved to 4th quarter, while energy was moved to 3rd quarter. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact your grade level representative or Carrie Hepburn.
Fourth Grade's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
Fifth Grade
Fifth Grade 4th Quarter ELA Assessments
- Fourth Quarter Galileo Reading Benchmark (optional): May 1-12
- Assessment Wall
- Narrative Writing: Students will write a descriptive letter from the perspective of a slave (not required for MC entry).
Fifth Grade's ELA Assessment and Cheat Sheet Document-Document includes a direct link to the assessments within Mastery Connect (no searching required) and outlines each assessment by quarter.
Teachers College Resource
Elementary ELA Content Leader
Email: carrie.hepburn@fhsdschools.org
Location: 1405 Hwy D, Saint Charles, MO, United States
Phone: 636-851-6341
Twitter: @CarrieHepburn