FIFTH GRADE CURRICULUM

READING (Homeroom Teacher)
Reading work consists of reading stories from the text (Macmillan McGraw-Hill) and answering comprehension questions both orally and in written form. Vocabulary development and specific skills are reinforced in a variety of activities. An SRA reading lab has been added to our curriculum as an independent program designed to further help students to develop comprehension, vocabulary, word analysis, and study skills.

READO
In an effort to encourage independent reading, fifth grade students are required to complete a READO assignment each trimester as a part of their Reading grade. Students read a minimum of 5 different genres on the READO baord and complete book reports with corresponding information. These selections encourage greater variety in their reading. Prizes are given at the end of each trimester to students who complete more than the required amount of reading. Students not completeing READO by the due date will receive a full grade drop for each day READO is not turned in. A detailed outline of READO expectations was distributed to the students. Please post this at home. A sample for the first trimester is added to this packet. Book reports need to be written in cursive using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. The summary must be a minimum of 5 comlete sentences long. We ask that you edit each book report and verify the work was completed by signing it.

LANGUAGE ARTS (Mrs. Rustin) 

Language Arts, including grammar, mechanics and usage, language and reasoning, will be taught through Writer's Workshop. Students will complete a variety of writing samples through the writing process-prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Personal naratives, 5 paragraph essays, poetry, short stories and picture books will be the focus for this school year.

Spelling (Homeroom Teacher)
Students are responsible for their spelling words on a weekly basis. Students will be assessed through weekly spelling tests given on Fridays as well as through spelling workbook activities.

MATH (Mrs. Rustin, Mrs. Thomas, and Mrs. Lehman) (Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley curriculum)
Last year SCCS adopted a new math curriculum. One day is spent learning a new skill and applying it through board work, group work, problem solving, and individual assignments from the textbook. The following day the assignment is corrected in class,  review of the previous concept is given, and a new skill is introduced to buuild on previous skills. Our math program uses "Mathematics" published by Scott Foresman - Addison Wesley. It is designed to adapt to three levels. Mrs. Thomas teachers the accelerated group, Mrs. Lehman teachers the on-level group, and Mrs. Rustin teaches the basic skills level group. Students are assessed throughout the first trimester and may move to a different group if need be.

RELIGION (Mrs. Rustin,  Mrs. Thomas, and Mrs. Lehman)
Our new religion curriculum is part of the IMAGE OF GOD series. The 5th grade book Our Mission of Love, emphasizes in particular three truths of the Faith: Christ, Church, and the sacraments. These key truths serve as the unifying elements of the lessons. Much of our work is seasonal and dependent on the liturgical calendar. Each Friday we use the Good News Weekly to discuss the Sunday readings. We anticipate the priests will be visiting the classrooms again this year. All school masses are scheduled once per week, usually each Wednesday at 9:15 in the church. (There are exceptions.) Please feel free to join us whenever possible.

SCIENCE (Harcourt Brace curriculum)(Mrs. Thomas)
Harcourt Science is the curriculum used as the basis for our Science program. Time will be spent on Seeds and Living Systems, Systems and Interactions in Nature, The Metric and Standard Systems of Measurement, The Solar System and parts of The Building Blocks of Matter. Experiments and field trips to study these concepts will be incorporated. Tests and quizzes will be given; student assignments will include both written and oral work; note taking and study skills will be used. Students will also work on a variety of research projects. In addition, some time is spent each trimester on the Ag Mag - a publication for children from the MN Department of Agriculture.

SOCIAL STUDIES (Mrs. Lehman)
We study early American history in 5th grade Social Studies. Units covered includ: Minnesota geography, Voyageurs and Fur Traders, Early Peoples of the Western Hemisphere, Native Americans throughout the United States, the Eastern Hemisphere and the Age of Exploration. The students will practice note taking. Tests are given at the end of each chapter in our book. Student assignments will include reading the text and other materials, written work, oral presentations, and art projects. There will be a Native American project during Unit 2, Chapter 4.

LIBRARY/COMPUTER (Mrs. Donlon/Mrs. Koenning)
Students will spend 30 minutes per week in the computer lab and library. Additional lab and library times may be available throughout the wek as the schedule allows.

 BAND/ORCHESTRA
Orchestra students take a bus on Mondays to Oak Park Elementary for large and small group lessons. Band is held at SCCS on Thursdays. Band small and large group lessons are scheduled throughout the day. There is a tuition charge for band. Students must turn in their homework for the class they miss before they go to Band or Orchestra. Students are expected to pick up materials missed during these times. They need to check the assignment board to stay current. We do not mean to be insensitive to individual needs, but since we practically have a revolving door on these days, we cannot be expected to re-teach the lessons missed.

D.A.R.E.
Officer Sandra Vetsch will visit our classrooms for nine weeks starting in March. Officer Vetsch will vist each Homeroom for a 50 minute session once a week. Parent communication is often distributed through the Thursday folders regarding D.A.R.E.  As our world gets more complicated and dangerous, knowledge is a sword.

ART
We schedule art to take place on a regular basis and use a variety of mediums to create wonderful pieces of art. Projects will often reflect different areas of our curriculum. Mrs. Pam Fioritto, Middle School Art teacher, will take our 5th graders for some fun and fabulous art learning during the 2nd trimester.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION (Mr. Kolnik)
Every other day

MUSIC (Ms. May)
Every other day

SPANISH (Sra. Bates)
Spanish is scheduled for 55 minutes once a week on Wednesdays. Students were asked to purchase a Spanish-English dictionary and should expect to have homework.

Assignment Notebooks

Students are expected to come prepared for class with the necessary supplies and completed homework. All assignments are to be completed in full and on time. Each student has an assignment notebook that is to be kept current. The notebooks will be regularly checked for signatures and notes. Please check your child's assignments and sign daily. We are trying to establish good study routines as well as home/school communication. Students with incomplete or late work on a regular basis will be placed on a homework monitor system. 

Thursday Take Home Folders
To ensure regular home-school communication, students have been given a Thursday Take-Home folder. This folder will contain corrected assignments and tests as well as important information regarding upcoming events at school. Please take note of this information and return the folder to school on the following day (Friday). Expect to see items such as the SCCS FYI newsletter, our Grade 5 newsletter on the first and third Thursday of the month, and all Youngest in Family (YIF) information in this folder.

Gym Shoes
Each student is expected to have a pair of athletic shoes for gym class. Students without the proper shoes will not be able to participate in the activities for that class period.

Lockers

The fifth grade lockers will be used ONLY to store jackets, boots, shoes and book bags. All other materials are stored in each student's desk. While we would like to believe that stealing would never be an issue in this building, reality is that things disappear sometimes. Please remind the students to keep treasured items at home. Combination locks are optional and may only be locked overnight. Teachers must be given the combination if your child chooses to use a lock.

After School Arrangements
Students need to make after-school arrangements prior to coming to school. Students may use the telephone for emergencies. We request that parents send a note if your child's after school destination is different than his/her regular schedule. Bus drivers must be given a note for a child to ride a different bus or get off at a different stop than usual. Please do not leave voicemail messages for changes to your child's end of the day destinations. Rather call the office and they will call up to the room. There are many occasions when we are not able to check voicemails until after the children are gone at the end of the day.
 

Grading

A	95 - 100
A-	90 - 94
B+	87 - 89
B	83 - 86
B-	80 - 82
C+	77 - 79
C	73 - 76
C-	70 - 72
D+	67 - 69
D	63 - 66
D-	60 - 62
F	59 and below

Tests
Most grade 5 tests will come home asking for a signature. This will assure us that parents have seen the test score. We want you as parents to be fully aware of all test grades so there will be no "surprises" at the end of the trimester. Please sign and return these promptly.

Updated 9/12/06