Hello Parents

Although I would love to be there meeting with you, I know your kids are in great hands and I look forward to returning to the classroom soon!

My husband and I welcomed our daughter, Rachel, on September 1st. She is a healthy, happy, 7 pound, 21 inch long baby, that has stolen the heart of her parents and dog “sisters.”  It has been such a joy taking on this new role as “mom!” We are all tired, but happier than ever!

A few items I would like to share with you about our classroom structure and expectations are listed below. By now, your students are becoming comfortable with these 5th grade routines, please contact Ms. Langerud if you have any questions or concerns.

Blog:

My blog, http://moliver5th.blogspot.com/ will be out of use until I return from maternity leave, however, you may access relevant information about our class from the blogs of Ms. Berens, Ms. Bahr, and Ms. Bryant:

• http://berens5.blogspot.com/
• http://bahrfifthgrade.blogspot.com/
• http://mrsbryant5th.blogspot.com/

ELA:

Class read alouds and daily 4 rotations comprise the foundation of reading and writing instruction.

• Read to Self - This is exactly what it sounds like! Students may find a comfortable spot around the classroom and read silently to themselves. It is usually recommended that they use this time to read their book club book, but if they are “caught up” they may read a book of their choice.
• Book Club Meeting - Leveled groups will read, discuss, and complete jobs based on assigned pages (on bookmark)
• Book Club Expectations:
• Students may not read ahead or fall behind on their pages. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to discuss
• Jobs must be completed in book club journal each day and students must come prepared to discuss their thoughts about the book and their role for that day:
• Discussion Director
• Story Summarizer
• Creative Connector
• Artistic Artist
• Passage Predictor
• Word Wizard
• Word Work - Spelling and quizlet practice, quizzes each Friday
• Writing Work - Social Studies notetaking, reflections journal work, grammar assignments

Math:

• Each Monday, students receive a “Problem of the Day,” “Number of the Day,” and “Exit Ticket” to be worked on and checked throughout the week
• Problem of the Day - word problem that connects with current lessons (and/or is a spiral review). Each day students should complete one problem independently (Mon.-Thurs.) and then as a class we go over solving strategies and correct answer(s). All students are responsible for showing their thinking and if a mistake is made, they must make corrections. These questions are inserted into the math folder and remain there week by week as reference tools.
• Exit Ticket - another word problem, very similar to POD, and used as extra practice
• Number of the Day - computation skills practice
• “STAR” Format for showing mathematical thinking- State what you know, Turn it into an equation, Answer, Check for Reasonableness
• Each Friday a 4 problem POD quiz is given that directly reflects the questions worked on throughout the week. Since 4 questions means each is worth 25 points, I encourage students to show their work in “STAR” form. This allows me to give partial credit for incorrect answers based on the thinking shown.

Correct and Return:

Since graded papers go home on Tuesdays, any assignments that earned less than 70% (and marked with “C/R by ____ date”) can be corrected by that same Friday for up to a 70%. Those assignments must be turned into the C/R tray by 3pm on Friday. This is the students’ responsibility. Students must show what caused them to make a mistake the first time. For math, this means reworking the problem in a different color or on a separate sheet of paper. For ELA, Science, SS, this means making corrections in complete sentence form. Students should NEVER erase their original work.