Silly selfies...they never get old! We learn. We laugh. We have a great time being 5th graders and enjoying our last year of elementary school. Here are some of the things we'll be enjoying throughout the week:
Social Studies We are ending our study of Changing the US Constitution. Students should be able to explain the process whereby the Constitution is amended. Students should also be able to tell why the Founding Fathers created an amendment process. At the end of this week, we'll be studying the Cattle Drives! If you have an Old Western paraphernalia (cowboy hat, lasso, posters, boots, etc.) that you would like to send in, let me know. My goal is to decorate the classroom Old Western style for this unit! Reading We are still working on Main Idea and Summarizing. We are getting so much accomplished with our new reading series. I will be sending home our Reading Log this week. The students are to read for 20-30 minutes nightly and record information about what they read on their reading log. (Please read the guest blog post here on my blog from Corrinne Smith-Media Specialist on Sparking a Love of Reading) Writing We are working on writing Personal Narratives. Students are choosing small moments from their life and crafting a story about that moment. If you have any questions, send me an email at [email protected]. Cheers!
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At Curriculum Night, I was asked several times by parents, "What can I do to get my child to ready?" I posed this question to Corrine Smith, our Media Specialist. She agreed to be our guest blogger this week. This is what she had to say:
Sparking a Love of Reading I am going to make a sweeping generalization: All kids love to read. I know, I know, you are all thinking of a child, maybe yours, who does NOT like to read at all. But I stand by my statement. Think about it, when kids are little they all love stories. Maybe they couldn’t sit still for an entire picture book, but they still loved to hear the story read to them, to look at the pictures, to watch a story unfold on their favorite tv show or in their favorite movie or even make up their own stories with their legos, cars, and dolls. After 26 years of teaching, I truly do believe that all kids do instinctually love books, but some have misplaced that love. So, how do kids become “reluctant readers” if they all start off loving stories? There are many factors that go into a student falling out of love with books. Maybe they struggle with reading independently, feeling badly about themselves when they try. Maybe they would rather be doing something active, like a sport. Perhaps the lure of the screen overrides the desire to read a book. Or maybe, just maybe, they have not found the right book that sparks that love of reading. I truly believe that all of the other reasons for not being a reader can be solved if we can find THAT BOOK. You know the one, that first book that you carried around with dog-eared pages and shared with your friends on the bus. To help children overcome their reluctance to read, we have to find that book for them. And, parents, it is not always the one we want it to be: the long chapter book, the classic you loved as a kid. But at this age, nothing is more important than igniting an excitement, a passion for reading. How do we do this if a reluctant attitude has already crept in at the old age of 10 or 11? I have some ideas…
If you listen to one thing that I write here, please let it be this. Don’t make reading a battle, an activity that feels like work. Don’t force a reluctant reader to join a book club or read a certain number of books in a time span or even stick to books on a certain reading level. It’s so important that kids read often, that’s true. But the minute it feels more like something they are forced into, we lose any chance of it becoming a habit, something they will do once you are out of their lives. I love to read, would rather be reading than doing most things, and yet I struggle to finish books that I HAVE to read. Many kids are no different. We will create passionate readers if we let them discover that special book, that series that they can’t put down. Use the suggestions above to gently guide them in that direction. Good evening , Parents! It's going to be a busy week in 5th grade! Here's what we are looking to achieve this week!
iReady Materials Are Here! We have adopted a new reading program! We are using the Ready Reading series. I am super excited to have a reading program packed with everything needed to teach and challenge our 5th graders. Students will be introduced to materials on Monday and we'll dive deep into learning beginning Tuesday! Due Process We will be continuing our conversation about the importance of "due process". Students have shared some insights and asked some great questions during Social Studies. We'll wrap up this discussion this week. Curriculum Night I'm excited to see you on Tuesday, August 20th at 6:00 pm for Curriculum Night. Ms. Madhere and I have some exciting things to share with you! Note from Jackie Thiesen: If your child is currently identified as gifted and has been receiving services through the Links program there will be an informational meeting at 5:15 (PRIOR TO the beginning of 5th Grade curriculum night) on TUESDAY, 8/20/19. If you would like to hear about how Links services are provided here at FAVE please plan on attending this session. If you any questions, feel free to contact, Jackie Theisen. I am the senior member of the team of teachers of the gifted and will be serving only 5th grade this year. MAP Testing We will be taking the MAP Test August 20th-22nd in class this week. We'll take it first thing in the morning on Tuesday-Thursday. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send me an email at [email protected]. Cheers! One of the most difficult things about transitioning into a new school year is getting used to a new teacher. Every teacher has their own unique personality and way of doing things. There are teachers that are hyper-organized and teachers that are free spirits. We teachers are challenged to tailor our style and way of doing things to a style that best fit the families we are serving. Though we'll go in-depth on Curriculum Night---here are a few quick things about Mr. Johnson's way of doing things.
How I Communicate As a parent of three, I know firsthand how important it is to have a good communication between teacher and family. Here are the three main ways that I communicate with families: Email-I treat my email like texts during the week. They come to my phone and I usually try to give a short quick reply. On the weekends, I am running around with my family and may not return an email until Monday. Blog-I decided to start blogging again this year. Last year, I sent home a weekly newsletter. I think the blog will be a good place to document our journey this year. This will be the place to come for pictures, info, my teaching philosophy, etc. Agenda-I sign student agenda's Monday-Thursday. You can feel free to write a note in the agenda. I will check it daily. How I Teach I joke with the class that I am "loud and country" (I am proud to be from Macon, GA). I am all about student engagement. We move, complete group projects, have quiet time to work---all in a purposeful way. The fun part of my job is to make content that was considered boring to my generation interesting to our students. How I Discipline One goal that I have during my first six weeks of school is to form some sort of personal connection with each student. I have found that this alone helps to thwart any discipline issues for the rest of the year. If I ever have to be firm with a student, the personal connection is what I lean on to encourage students to make necessary adjustments---not fear. I am also a proponent of self-monitoring. One way I do this is by implementing team points. Students love to earn points for self-monitoring. I make a huge deal when students or groups are following instructions. Students love this! A positive classroom culture is my #1 discipline tool. Is there anything else about my style of teaching you would like to know about? Let me know in the comments. Cheers! Hello, Parents! We've had an amazing time over the past few days building community, getting organized and learning our processes. I'm excited about how eager students are to learn and explore! Below are few housekeeping updates.
Team Teaching As you know, I will be team teaching with Ms. Madhere. I will teach our students Social Studies and ELA and Ms. Madhere will teach our students Math and Science. We will both teach our homeroom classes writing. We have been switching classes since Monday and it's going great! Room Parent We currently have one parent committed serve as a room parent this year. I usually try to have 2 or possibly 3 room parents to share the load. Send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in being a part of this team. Agendas/Homework Students will begin to take their agendas home with them Monday-Thursday beginning on Monday. I typically sign all agendas once their homework is written down correctly for the correct day. Please sign the agenda Monday-Thursday. Feel free to send communication via the agenda as well. Curriculum Night I look forward to seeing you on August 20th at 6:00 pm for Curriculum Night. Here, Ms. Madhere and I will give you the run down of what we will be teaching this year. Come with your questions! It will be an informative evening. If you have any questions or concerns, email me at [email protected]. Cheers! |
Eddie Johnson
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