September Newsletter

September Newsletter

Room 20 – Mrs. Shields
www.mrsshieldsblog.blogspot.com

Welcome to a new and exciting year in Grade 5! Grade 5 has so many new things to offer students that this year will sure to be fun filled!

Communication is very important to me. I feel communication between everyone involved in your child’s education is extremely important for success. Please use my blog as a constant means of communication. I try to update my blog daily. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to contact me through email, kshields@mail.gssd.ca, or by phone 745-2171.

Co-teaching has been a positive addition to our school. We are very lucky in Grade 5 to have many co-teachers. The unique and positive teaching situations we are encountering this year are difficult to explain with words at time. We will be hosting a parent night in late September to help clarify any questions you may have. Please keep an eye out for a date.

Here is a breakdown of what the month of September will look like for us:

Language Arts:
We are using a Centers approach to Language Arts. Students have been split into 8 different small groups. Co-teaching is taking place in this area of study to help create smaller reading groups and more individualized instruction.

The two teacher led groups are Guided Reading and Independent Reading.
Myself and Mrs. Gale will be working at the Guided Reading stations, while Mrs. Lippai, Mrs. Kulscar, and Mrs. Nel will be working at the Independent Reading stations.

Guided Reading – Students will be enjoying a variety of stories and poems in small groups. We will be working on reading fluency, comprehension, and written responses. Some stories or poems that we work on will lend themselves to students also writing stories or poems with similar elements, topics, or structures found in the initial story or poem.

Independent Reading – Students will be learning how to select a book that is “just right” for them. Too easy a book does not challenge and too hard a book make reading enjoyment and comprehension very difficult. Throughout the year students will learn a variety of reading strategies that will assist them in their reading and comprehension of what they are reading. The first reading strategy that will be a focus is predicting.

Students will work on individual stations if they are not at one of these two reading stations.

Spelling words will be given every Monday (or first day of the week in the case of a long weekend). Students will be choosing 7 words from a word list provided from the story they are reading in Guided Reading. Each student will have an individualized list therefore it is very important for students to write their words in their agendas. Students will write their Spelling test every Friday. Please practice these words throughout the week.

We will also be using the 6+1 Writing strategies within our creative writing class. With this system, students are encouraged to be creative and let their individualities shine! At this stage in our writing process, we are focusing on Ideas, the first of the 6+1 traits. With this trait, we are not concerned about spelling words correctly. We want kids to step out of their comfort zone and use words that may not be common place for them.

Read aloud has been scheduled into our day. I feel reading aloud to students is a critical component of modelling reading strategies and allowing students to simply enjoy a good book. We are starting off the year with “Hatchet,” an adventure filled realistic fiction book.

Math:
We will be using a Math Pod approach during our Math classes. Within this system, students rotate through three separate stations. One station is always computer based. I will continue to post the sites we use in the pods on my blog site for students to practice the skills. A second station, guided by myself, is for introducing new concepts. At this station, we often work through examples and begin working on the new concepts. The third station, sometimes run by a co-teacher, is meant for reinforcement of the previous lesson. The activities done at this station are usually hands on.

Our first unit in Math is Patterns and Equations. Throughout this unit students will be analyzing number patterns and stating pattern rules. We will also be working with problem solving strategies by applying patterning. Students will also be working with number expressions and solving equations.

We will also work to practice our problem solving skills using Problem Solvers and Exemplars.

Science:
We will be following the new Science curriculum this year. Our first unit will be Weather. In this unit, we will be discovering and learning about weather and climate. We will also find out about weather patterns and how they help us to forecast weather. The students will have many opportunities to design, build, and test different weather instruments.

Social Studies:
Our first unit in Social will be Location. In this unit, we will compare globes and various types of maps. We will also learn a variety of map skills. We will use an atlas to complete a variety of activities. Students will also learn the names and locations of the different continents and oceans.

Physical Education/Health (Mr. Leidl):
The Grade 5’s will begin their Physical Education classes focusing on sending and receiving skills. Students will also work on fitness planning, strength training, and flexibility skills. Participation, fun, and enthusiasm are required.
Students will get an overview of the Grade 5 Health Curriculum which will begin with a unit on Personal, Social, and Emotional Wellness. Students will learn strategies to improve their fitness and wellness initiatives.

Arts Education (Mrs. Schentag):
Welcome Back to School! I hope that everyone had a relaxing summer and has come back to school filled with excitement. I am very happy to be teaching your child Arts Education this year and I look forward to watching them create in the areas of Music, Visual Arts, Drama and Dance.

We will begin the school year in the Music Strand working on the unit entitled The World of Music. Students will learn about various musicians and the different genres of music, the musical instruments used to create their work and the elements of music. They will also explore rhythm activities; participate in musical games and musical listening activities.

I hope to challenge the students in the areas of technology and research so that they explore all aspects of the art world-creatively, culturally and historically.
I look forward to a productive and fun year in Arts. Ed. If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at the school – 745-2171. Also, if you have any artistic talents that you would like to share with the students we would be happy to welcome you to our classroom-just let me know!

Have a great year everyone!!