Hubble photos

We looked at Hubble Telescope pictures today, and some of the children wanted me to share the Site with you. It's Hubblesite.org. Amazing photos!

Homework is finish the Charlotte Doyle writing, choose a book for January's speech, spelling is due, and Study Link 5-5.

Daily homework

Sorry that I have been inconsistent in keeping the blog up to date. I have been sending emails instead about important news.

We are ending this week with a new writing assignment about our read aloud "Charlotte Doyle."
Spelling will be due as usual on Friday (Lesson 12).
Math homework was "lesson 5-5" today, but not the study link. We didn't make it through the whole lesson in class, so the study link will be done tomorrow.

The kids are very excited about the upcoming break! We will sing with our buddies tomorrow and celebrate with our movie/party on Friday.

They will need to re-read their favorite book over the holidays for their January speech, unless they are currently in the middle of the book or just finished it.

Daily homework and information

 Rough draft of letter to our new student, Damien
Novel studies/reading 30 min
Spelling Ch. 11
Please send in old newspapers for an engineering design project

Other notes:

Cookie dough delivery may be delayed due to icy road conditions.
I have gotten quite a few parent volunteers for BizTown, but we can still use more, and especially for interview day.

All parents have approved the movie "Home Alone" so our winter party on Dec. 20th will be cookies, hot cocoa and the movie. We will need the loan of your electric kettles and crockpots, as well as your assistance in preparing and serving the food and drink.

Daily homework

Sorry I've neglected the blog!

Homework is Spelling, Unit 10
Math, Practice Sheet #26
Novel studies
Writing--final, typed copy of Weather Forecast writing

You should have received an email about our winter party, and a permission slip that needs to be returned.

Several students volunteered to bring in a crock pot on Dec. 20 for us to use to make hot cocoa.  Electric kettles would work too. If that's something you can do, please let us know.

Daily homework

Today's homework is reading for novel studies and math sheet 4-7 (both sides.) Over break, reading will be the only homework.  Have a great Thanksgiving break!

Daily homework/Cookie dough reminder

Novel Studies
Writing and spelling homework due
no math tonight

cookie dough fundraiser money due

Daily homework

Daily writing (write once this week about the noise in the hall)
Novel Studies
Spelling--Lesson 9
Math--S-L 4-3 and blue sheet
Study math vocabulary (test next week)

Plan and Profile sheet--give to parent

Weekly update

This short week was exciting--we started our study of the American Colonies, wrapped up our Explorer reports, started sewing a craft project, and won the first round of the Running Club! Oh, and we participated in Jazzercise this afternoon. We're ready to rest this weekend!

Thank you, Parents and Students, for spending time with me at conferences. We set some important goals for the children to strive for this year. Please keep in touch with me as the year progresses--I need to know when your children are needing more (or less!) work, or are confused about what we're studying.

Have a great weekend! As usual, only novel studies for homework.

Daily homework

Spelling Unit 8 due Friday.
Daily writing due Friday. (Today we had Art Lit, and a great informative piece would be about Paul Klee and expressionism.)
Explorer projects due tomorrow (all pieces are due--yellow organizer, map of travels, timeline, folder with colored cover and bibliography, 6 paragraph report.)

We need needles and thread to do a sewing project. The thread needs to be white.

One student asked for the website that our school's weekly facts quizzes come from. It's TheMathWorksheetSite.com. (I checked on the site and it's something you have to pay for.)

Google Docs

Today I taught the students how to use Google Docs to type their Explorer reports. This is handy because they can work on the report at home and school. The hardest part will be getting used to logging on. User names are the students' first name initial, middle name initial, last name, and number of birth month. (If there's no middle name, just skip that part.)

For example, I would be kestratton09@bsd48.org (karen elizabeth stratton, birth month september)
They received their passwords today, and I can give them directly to you at conferences this week as well.

Reports do not have to be typed. They can be hand written/printed neatly on notebook paper. The reports are due on Tuesday Nov. 12 when we return to school. We will finish the rest of the project in school and be done by Wed. hopefully. Our next unit is Colonies.

Daily homework

Reading: Novel studies
Math: S-L 4-1 and Blue sheet 4-1
Science: 2 worksheets

No weekly writing or spelling this week. Will return next week!

Conference reminders

I sent conference reminders home with students tonight.

Also, so many children did poorly on the spelling test that I assigned weekend homework of writing the missed words 10 times each.

Daily homework

Please don't worry about homework tonight, except for spelling. I know most of the kids will be busy trick or treating. If they are behind on their novel studies, you could encourage them to read, but we can read in class tomorrow too.

We have a math test tomorrow, but we reviewed today and I think they're ready.

Conference Schedule

7:45	Arielle
8:00	Maliya
8:15	Josef
8:30	Madison
8:45	Abbie
9:00	Lively
break
10:00	Josue
10:30	Maire
10:45	Emma
11:00	Bellamy
11:15	Benjamin
11:30
11:45	Ryan
2:15	Gabby
2:30	Alexa
2:45	Tyler
3:00	Madeline
3:15	Olivia
3:30
3:45	Kristin
4:00	Parker
4:30	Julien

 Wednesday Nov. 6

                       

                Thursday Nov 7

7:45	Julia
8:00
8:15	Delany
8:30	Hannah
8:45	Nick
9:00	Kyler
9:15	Kai
10:30	Marianna
10:45	Nishanth

Daily homework/conferences info

We added a few words to the spelling list: exercise, soccer, were, where, wear, allowed. These will be tested on Friday.
Writing: Paragraph 2 of Explorers report
              3rd paragraph of Daily writing
Novel Studies: all groups are finishing by next Monday, and packets must be complete.
Spelling: Chapter 7 due Friday.
Math: Study Link 3-8 involves finding tesselations (tiling patterns) in clothing, magazine pictures, fabrics, etc.  There is a double sided blue sheet as well.

Conferences: I will be sending home conference reminder slips on Friday. I will also post the schedule on the blog again. There are 2 families that have had changes in their plans and need to reschedule, so that's why there are only 28 students on the list. I have contacted those two families separately.

Daily Homework

Introductory paragraph about students' explorer.
1 paragraph of Daily Writing.
Novel Studies.
Chapter 7 spelling due Friday.

An interesting website is Allaboutexplorers.com!! Check it out and see what information is true and what is intended to fool school children. It's a website created by teachers to teach that all website information is not credible.  For example, in All about Explorers/Champlain, did you know he went to Disneyworld to celebrate his achievements? He received an award for "New World Fort of the Year"--- don't be fooled!

Daily homework

Spelling: Ch 6 due tomorrow
Math: double sided facts sheet. We are working for speed! (and accuracy of course.)
Writing: Narrative paragraph due.
Reading: Novel studies.

Daily homework

Daily writing informative paragraph(s) due tomorrow
Novel studies continue
Ch 5 due Friday--spelling
Math: "Lesson 3-5" side only
Final timeline (explorer) due tomorrow

Daily writing plan

I introduced a new writing plan to the kids today. Basically, after I introduce them to the three types of writing, they will write three separate paragraphs per week, one of each type of writing-- narrative, informative and opinion.  Today we worked on informative writing. A bit later I will provide them with the official scoring guide for 5th grade writing.

I've attached the information here. (The kids also have a hard copy in their new daily writing folders.)

Daily writing:

Choose something you learned today to write at least a paragraph about. This can be “informative” writing, “opinion” writing or “narrative” writing. Each paragraph should include an introduction sentence (a topic sentence) and a concluding sentence.

·      Informative writing requires a main idea and details. You are TEACHING what you learned in an interesting way. You need to use specific words you learned about the topic, and transitions between your ideas. Informative writing needs a quotation.

·      Narrative writing tells a story. You will write about something that happened to you today at school. You should use dialogue and be sure to tell about the events in sequence. Use concrete details to create a picture or movie in the reader’s mind.

·      Opinion writing states an opinion that you can support with evidence. Give your logical reasons for your opinion with details that show why your opinion is correct. Using evidence or expert knowledge makes your opinion stronger.

Guidelines:

Each week you will write one paragraph (or more) of each type of writing.  Use the appropriate colored paper for each type of writing. A good rough draft with spelling and grammar checked is good enough, but messy work is not acceptable.

All three papers are due on Fridays, or the last day of the school week. You will share your writing with a small group and receive feedback from them.

Your homework writing has two purposes:

1. Practicing the types of writing and specific skills you are learning in school improves your writing skills.

2. Writing about the content you are learning helps you remember it better.

This must be all your own work. Please do not ask your parents for help. Tell them the work will not be “scored” but will help me plan lessons. It will also help you do better on writing assessments in school that are scored.

Apologies

I'm sorry about the difficulty logging into the encyclopedia website. Of course it worked just fine from my school lap top, and I didn't think a bit about a log in. Usually our librarians would give all the families a flyer at Curriculum Night that had the log in information, but now we don't have librarians. I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, please don't worry about the assignment.

Daily homework

Spelling Ch 6 due Friday
Reading--Novel study work due on assigned dates.
Explorers:

 Go to BSD website, students tab, http://www3.beaverton.k12.or.us/bookmarks/student.html

Then click on READ and Sexton Mountain. Open a student encyclopedia and search for your explorer. Print out information, including bibliography information. Bring in to school tomorrow. If you can't print information at home, take notes at home, and note the website address.

Math: Study Link 3-4 and blue sheet.

Daily Homework

Ch. 6 spelling due Friday.
Math Study Link (2 sides) 3-3 due tomorrow. Blue sheet due tomorrow.
Reading: Wayside School groups meet tomorrow. All groups have novel study work to do.

Homework and conference schedule

Reading: Novel group work--reading and packet
Spelling: Ch 5 due tomorrow
Writing: Final draft Native Americans' comparison essay due tomorrow
Math: 2 sided facts sheet. Vocabulary and Ch 2 tests tomorrow. Review addition, subtraction, multiplication of whole numbers and decimals. Story problems. Partial sums addition and trade first subtraction.

The conference schedule has been sent to all parent by email.

OBOB news

Hello Fourth and Fifth Graders!

Oregon Battle of the Books is a reading program that exposes kiddos to a great variety of books and rewards close reading. The kiddos, ages 9 - 11, read 16 books (both fiction and non-fiction) and then face a number of matches with their teams, answering Trivial Pursuit-like questions. The winning team from our school goes on to face other teams from other elementary schools across the region.

We are trying to raise money so that we can reward all our participants and our winners. I would like to be able to give each member of our winning team a Powell's gift card (Who wouldn't want that?!), and I would REALLY love it if we could reward each person who reads all 16 books (even if they are not on a team) with a prize. A party for all participants (maybe with an author?!) is a stretch goal.

To that end, I've created a cool t-shirt with an excellent quote ("Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen (How Reading Changed My Life"), and the lovely people at Bonfire Funds will print up these t-shirts for anyone who donates $15 or more. They will also accept donations for us in ANY amount. I'm told that these t-shirts are deliciously soft and yummy to wear.

Will you consider donating and/or purchasing a t-shirt to support our cause?

https://www.bonfirefunds.com/sexton-mountain-elementary-battle-of-the-books/?r=15247

is your special link to get there. Entering "gxf2u2659" will enable you to receive free shipping, but the shirts will be delivered to Sexton Mountain. If 50 t-shirts or more are ordered, the shirts will be delivered by mid-November.

Thanks for reading!

Jen Fife-Adams, OBOB Chair

Daily homework

Astronomy Night was great! I was so happy to see so many students and parents last evening. We will keep an eye on the weather, and perhaps can do another evening when the meteor shower comes through next month.

Tonight's homework:

Rough draft: Native Americans essay
Novel Studies: 3 groups meet tomorrow
Spelling: Ch 5 due Friday
Math: Study Link 2-10 and blue sheet

Upcoming: Math test and vocabulary test on Friday.

Astronomy night?

If the moon is visible at 6:30, we will be at school, near the bus entrance by the soccer field. If the moon is not visible, the Astronomy night is postponed.

Homework:
Math sheet 2-9, plus blue sheet
Writing: 2 paragraphs comparing Native tribes (they have a comparison grid we worked on in class to provide the information they need, and a starter essay that they may use to get started on their paragraphs)
Reading: Novel study work
Spelling: due Friday

Daily homework and Astronomy NIght info

The children each have novel study work to do. They have been assigned to a small literature circle based on their current reading levels. They will be able to bring their novels home with their lit circle packet. I impressed upon them that lit circles work ONLY if everyone in the group has done the reading and completed their "job," so please encourage them to get their work done by the due date.

 I will be meeting with kids in the different job categories in the next two days, so hopefully that will avoid the panic that comes from being assigned a new job.

Chapter 5 spelling is due Friday.

Study Link 2-8 (one side only) due tomorrow, plus blue sheet for challenge group. Math vocabulary quiz Thursday, math test Chapter 3, Friday.

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday,  between 6:30 and 8,  is Astronomy Night IF the sky is clear and the moon can be seen. We will be looking for the darkest part of the school property. I will update you tomorrow about which area has been chosen. I encourage you to bring a flashlight.

Astronomy Night Tuesday Oct 15

The next science unit we will be studying is Earth and Space science. Mr. Golliver has a Dobsonian telescope (look it up on the internet to see what this is!) that he will bring to Sexton Mountain next Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. We will be able to get a great view of the moon, assuming the forecast for clear weather holds.

Please stop by if you can to get a peek at our beautiful moon! If you have your own telescope you would like to bring, please feel free.

Daily homework/conference info

Today I forgot that we had the extra specials at the end of the day, so we didn't get a chance to complete our planners.

The important item is that Bridge to Terabithia folders are due tomorrow.

Spelling is due Thursday, and don't forget to read!

Conference information:

Please send in your request for an approximate conference time. I have already had more requests for 7:30 a.m. than I can accommodate. I was intending to include children in the conferences, unless you specifically want a conference without your child.

Conference requests

If your family has a particular conference time request, please let me know right away as I am starting to plan my schedule. Conferences are on Wed. Nov 6 and Thursday Nov. 7. My hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wed, and 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday. Please do not request a time outside of those hours.

Many of you have more than one child at Sexton Mountain. If you let me know generally what time of day is good for you, I can work with the other teachers to coordinate conferences.  I cannot usually guarantee an exact time, but I can work with a range of times.

Please respond by email.

.

Daily homework

Our new student, Bellamy, joined us today! Welcome to Bellamy, who recently lived in Florida.

Letters to Bellamy are due tomorrow morning.
Read 30 + minutes.
Bridge to Terabithia folder due Wed. Use the check sheet to make sure you have done all the work.
(Today we worked on the Title page artwork.)
Math, Study Link 2-5 (both sides)
Spelling due Thursday (ch 4) since there is no school Friday.

Challenge opportunity

We are starting our explorer unit, and some of the kids have mentioned they would appreciate a challenge opportunity. Here is it:

Using credible research materials (library books, websites from trusted encyclopedias or other sources), choose an explorer to learn about.

Find out these things:

Name, nationality, dates of famous explorations, where he went, why he went those places, what he discovered there, find a picture or photo of the explorer, what was the result of the expedition, etc.

Decide on a way to share your information--here are some options: write a short paper, create a small poster, make a powerpoint slide show, etc. (Ask for paper in school if you need it.)

Be as creative as you can be! But remember your information must be accurate, and your work must be neat and easy to understand.

Have fun exploring!

Daily homework and request for help

Final 3 paragraph essay is due, handwritten by child, please no spelling/grammar help!

Bridge to Terabithia--book finished, Blue folder finished by Wed. next week.

Math--Study Link 2-4.

30 minutes reading.

Spelling--Ch. 3 due tomorrow.

We need volunteers for Tuesday and Thursday running club. It's less than a 2 hour commitment (mid-day), but there are not enough volunteers, so Mrs. Hough says we might not be able to run twice a week this year. We have more than enough classroom volunteers, so if you want to switch to running club, our class would really appreciate you! We love to run! We ran 119 laps today.

Daily homework

Writing: 3 paragraph essay, rough draft is due
Reading: Finish the book by Friday
Spelling: Ch 3 due Friday
Math: "Lesson 2-4", (page 44), but NOT the study link on the back.
Blue sheet for advanced students.

Daily homework

Writing: 2 paragraphs of a 3 paragraph essay built on one of the three writing prompts we worked on last week is due tomorrow. Your child has an instruction sheet (should be in the expandable), which says you can help discuss his/her ideas, but you may not give any specific wording.  This essay is a build up to next week's in-class assessment. The rough draft will be due Thursday, and the final on Friday. Time is provided during the day too.

BTT worksheet 10-13 due Thursday

Spelling due Friday.

Math, S-L 2-3 (2 sides) due Wed.

We started our Explorers unit today. Ask your child what he or she is curious about!

Daily homework

1 page warm up text  #1-7. Students are to read and answer questions. Students are to mark the question number by the passage in the text that answers each question. (We usually do this during our warm up time of 8:30 to 9:00, but today the children had trouble focusing.)

Bridge to Terabithia: 

        Worksheet # 1, Chapters 1-4 is overdue.

        Worksheet #2, Chapters 5-9, due Wed.

        Reading: Finish the book by Thursday. (Reading during the 30 minutes at home, DEAR time and reading class should provide enough time to finish the book, but if this causes a problem for your child, please let me know.)

Math: Study Link 2-2, also there is a "blue sheet" for advanced math students.

Spelling Ch. 3 is due Friday.

KATU Weather presentation

Dave Salesky, meteorologist from KATU Channel 2, visited our classroom this morning to talk to the students about the causes of weather on our earth. Ask them what they learned! What causes our weather? This weekend's typhoon was a definite topic of conversation.

See if any of our students get on TV this evening--watch the 5 p.m. news on Channel 2!

5th grade at Sexton Mountain receives BEF grant funds!

Right before school started, I applied for a grant from the Beaverton Education Foundation on behalf of Sexton Mountain's 5th grade teachers and students. I requested $1000 to enable our four classes to attend "We the People" Day in Salem, Oregon on May 28, 2014. School buses are always tricky for such long trips, so the purpose of the grant was to enable us to rent "real buses" to make the trip. Yesterday I received notice that the full $1000 had been granted!

The students will spend the spring preparing for the WTP hearings--they will become experts in American history and the Constitution, and then prepare speeches in small groups to present in the Capitol Building in Salem to panels of community people with an interest in civics (legislators, award winning high school students, etc.) This is a dress up day, and parents are definitely invited along (although you'll have to drive separately.)

5th grade is also planning a major evening event before the trip to Salem, where we will gather our own panels of community leaders to listen to our students' speeches and ask them probing questions. This will enable all parents to observe what their children have learned and participate in our celebration of civic pride!

We made our running goal!

Our class set a goal to run 500 laps in September and today we made it! The kids all ran, from 1 to 10 laps today, setting a class record of 134 laps.

Homework is light tonight--

I handed out EverydayMath passwords and log in names so the kids can go on the website and hopefully play an appropriate game. If they can't get on the site, I suggested they (with your help) google worksheets for something they want to work on (for example, speed for multiplication facts, or division facts). There are many free resources you can print out, and they should bring in what they finish.

Spelling is due tomorrow, and of course 30 minutes of reading. Those who have not finished Chapter 9 in Bridge to Terabithia brought their books home so they could finish.

We had a great time trying to make a model of a robotic arm today. Lots of good scientific thinking and teamwork was displayed.

Next week the kids will take their unit A test in science. It would be a good idea to go online (myscienceonline.com) and review the important vocabulary and concepts. Their log in names are generally their first and last names, sometimes with a 1 following, and their passwords are their student id numbers with first initial (nothing capitalized.) I handed out the individual log in names and passwords at Curriculum Night.

Daily homework

Write a paragraph about a topic of your choice (do not make the topic too broad, it's only 1 main idea with 3 or more supporting detail sentences and a concluding sentence.)

Math: Play a math game on EM math. Complete 50 multiplication problems sheet--work for speed and accuracy.

Spelling: due Friday

Reading: Worksheet from Bridge to Terabithia, 30+ minutes of reading.

Daily homework-- math test tomorrow

Writing: a paragraph about Leslie (a character in Bridge to Terabithia)
The paragraph needs a topic sentence, and then at least 3 sentences with details that relate to the topic sentence, and then a concluding sentence

Reading: 30+ minutes

Spelling--Lesson 2 due Friday, 10 more words on challenge sheet. Anyone who got 100% on the regular test last week should prepare for the challenge words.

Tomorrow is the math test--I assigned a math review sheet. Also study the vocabulary words!

Planning for next week

Most students completed their state poster projects by Friday. I will assess them over the weekend, and parent volunteers will post them in the hallway so they students can share their work with our school community. Thank you Parents for letting your children do their own work! If you get a chance to look at the projects, you will see there is a range of expertise in our class, and each child can build on what he or she already knows.

We have a math and vocabulary test on Tuesday. I have two review sheets that we will work on Monday and then send home for further study. I let my students use their homework sheets and Student Reference book during math tests. The only restrictions are no looking on other students' papers, and no using calculators when the test says "no calculators." The fifth grade teachers are still considering how to grade the assessments with the new "proficiency grading."

I have started DRA's (developmental reading assessments). This will take another 2 weeks to complete, so the students are working on a novel study (Bridge to Terabithia) at the same time.

Most students did very well on the first Spelling test, so I welcome your comments about the necessity of sending home weekly packets for spelling. I hear that some families expect weekly spelling and others hate it! Please weigh in.

Have a great weekend!
Karen Stratton

Daily homework

Math: Practice multiplication facts for speed and accuracy--use the Everyday Math website or another one or flash cards.

Social Studies: Have all your pieces of the State Poster project ready to glue tomorrow.

Science: Bring in large washers if you have them.

Math and vocabulary test is next Tuesday. Practice your words!

Spelling is due Friday.

Read 30+ minutes.

Daily homework

Rough draft of paragraph for State project due tomorrow
Spelling due Friday (challenge packet--first 10 words)
Math--Study Link 1-7, not the back side.
Read 30+ minutes.

Passport Club starts next Wed. Since this is not part of our learning targets, your child's participation depends on whether you want to require it. It's a great program, with lots of important information for children to learn about the world. I encourage you to consider studying with your child at home. Only children who have studied at home will go to Passport Club check.

The yearly fundraiser went home today. If you decide to keep the book, you need to send in money for it.

Weekend and Monday news

I will not be in class on Monday, so there won't be a homework email. Tammie Catherall, who is my regular substitute, will be at school in my place--she is an experienced teacher who knows my procedures and expectations, so it should be a regular day for the kids.

I will be able to check email, so please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the day.

Today was our last day with our visitors from Japan. They were extremely impressed with the hard work shown by your children!

Have a great weekend. Tomorrow morning is my personal triathlon. I plan to spend the afternoon napping. :)

Karen Stratton

Thursday homework

Writing: Finish the second paragraph of the traits essay. It must include a transition from the first paragraph to the second (such as "on the other hand" or "in addition", etc)

Reading: 30 + minutes

Math: Study Link 1-5, try the back side--it's enrichment

Social Studies: State poster project. Please find on the internet or draw two map outlines for your state. (Do not worry yet about coloring them in. Just bring in the outlines ready to work on.)

Curriculum night starts at 6:30.

State Poster project

Parents, 

Please resist the temptation to "help" with this project. It's an opportunity for me to see what your children can do independently.  We will have some work time in class, but some work will need to be done at home. Please monitor their progress and encourage them  to pace themselves and do a little each day. Thanks! 

Karen Stratton

My state: __________________________  Region: _______________________________

Create a poster about your state. Include two maps of the state—

A physical map  (showing major hills, mountains, rivers and colored brown for dry areas and green for forested or rainy areas)

A political map one that shows the state capitol  (marked with a star) and at least two major cities

Show with words, numbers and pictures

·      the major crops

·      the state nickname

·      the total area of the state

·      the total population (either from the atlas or the internet)

Write at least a paragraph about the state. Start with a HOOK! If you have a personal connection to the state or have visited it, you can include that information.

web site for blank state maps

Dear Students,

Here is a website where you can print an outline of your state map for the poster project.

http://www.50states.com/maps/#.UjHmNJKHekZ

Have fun!

Mrs. Stratton

Curriculum Night materials

 This is some of the information I will share at Curriculum Night, minus the cute clip art, which did not import into the blog.

 Curriculum Night—5^th grade

September 12^th, 2013

Dear Parents,

         Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year. We are excited to be working with your family this year. In this letter you will find an outline of fifth grade curriculum, an overview of our classroom expectations, avenues of communication between school and home, and homework responsibilities. We are looking forward to a great year together!

General Overview and Expectations

         During the first week of school we discussed and worked on creating classroom agreements that all students considered essential to a positive, fun, learning environment.  We expect students to be active participants in their education by engaging in classroom activities and discussions, to appreciate each other’s differences, treat each other with respect, and to take pride in their work.

Homework

Nightly your child will read a book that is appropriate for his/her reading level for 30 minutes.  There will be a math assignment almost every night. Other homework will vary depending on the day.  To keep the homework organized, we use a planner book and an expandable file folder. Please check this planner daily until your child can use it independently. We do not usually send homework on weekends.

Communication  

We are most easily reached by email and try to check this throughout the day.  Please also feel free to contact us by phone after school.  We have blogs to keep parents up to date on classroom happenings.

Science

     This year Sexton Mountain fifth graders have the opportunity again to work with the new science program, Interactive Science.  Last year our students enjoyed the digital activities, the in-class inquiry and engineering design, and the textbook.

Social Studies

   Oregon has revised its state standards so that fifth graders focus on explorers, colonies, the Revolution, and our US Constitution. An end of the year highlight will be the “We the People” hearings at school, and hopefully also in the Capitol Building in Salem.

Math

To address the Beaverton School District's math learning targets, as well as the state’s requirements for 5th grade we will be using the “Everyday Math” program.

http://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/home/departments/instruction/k-12-learning-targets/

Every Friday we will also be focus on math vocabulary and include the words in our end of chapter assessment.

Reading

          Fifth grade students are becoming fluent readers, and will read many non-fiction and fiction books, including their science and social studies textbooks, novels, and some selections from Storytown. We also have the National Geographic subscription at school. Our goal is for our students to leave Sexton Mountain for middle school with excellent reading skills and a love of reading.

Writing

           Learning to write well is difficult for many children. Writing is not so much one skill, as a bundle of skills that include sequencing, spelling, re-reading, and supporting big ideas with examples.  Common Core standards ask students to use writing in the “content areas” such as science and social studies. They are asked to support their opinions and assertions with evidence from the text. Regular writing will be integrated into all our studies. Please remember children’s writing is not expected to be perfect. As much as possible, children’s writing should be their own. If you have specific questions about how to support your child at home, please ask us!

Snack     

     We have found that students often need a healthy mid-morning snack. Our snack time is at 9:45 a.m.