Welcome to Curriculum Night

1. Welcome to Curriculum Night

2. Welcome/IntroductionsImportant Dates Attendance/TardiesParent/Teacher Communication Curriculum InformationOLEWUS Bullying ProgramSTAAR TestingA Time for Questions Welcome to Mission Control

3. Important Dates for the First Part of the School Year • Week of September 12 College Week/Grandparents Week/Book Fair • September 15th PTA Meeting/Ice Cream Social • September 22nd Fall Picture Day//Pine Cove Parent Meeting 6:00 pm • October 10th Parent Conferences, No School for Students • October 18th Family Art Night 6:30 pm • Week of October 24th Red Ribbon Week • October 27th First Nine Weeks Reports Cards go home • November 4 Diversity Day • November 11th Veteran’s Day Celebration during GMO • November 21-25th Thanksgiving Break • December 6th Luggage Load for Pine Cove • December 7th – 9th Pine Cove • December 19th – December 30th Winter Holiday Break • For a more detailed list of various dates throughout the school year, check the fifth grade website and keep an eye out for reminders placed in your student’s planner!

4. Attendance and Tardies • Tardies • At 5 tardies, your student’s teacher will call to inform you of the number of tardies. • At 8 tardies, you will receive a phone call from the Assistant Principal and a certified/standard letter sent to you. • At 10 tardies, there will be a certified/standard letter sent to you, as well as a conference will be schedule to discuss attendance concerns. • The compulsory attendance law reads, “parts of school days” so excessive “checking out early” will be monitored as well. • Absences • Please send in an excuse with your student upon return. • After 3 days, a doctor’s note will be required for excused absence to occur.

5. Frisco Policy about Absences Due to • Family Trips/Vacations • The parent shall submit a written request, in advance, stating that the vacation or trip cannot be taken at another time. These absences will be considered unexcused. • Only one such trip or vacation per family, per year, can be requested. • No more than five consecutive days of absences shall occur, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the Superintendent or designee. Students will not be allowed to take their final exams early. • If a students is going to be absent more than 10 consecutive days, the student will be withdrawn on the 10th day. His/her place in class will be held and they will be reenrolled upon his/her return.

6. Parent/Teacher Communication Thursday Folder There will be a Thursday Folder sent home each Thursday. Please make sure to look through the Thursday Folder for graded papers, information from school/office, grade level correspondence, and behavior documentation. The Folder will contain a Behavior/Work Skills documentation form that will include note of any behaviors that were noticed that week during class. These comments will also be reflected in the student planner. Student Planner The planners are sent home daily and include daily assignments, important announcements, and behavior/work skills documentation. PLEASE SIGN THE PLANNER DAILY (MONDAY - FRIDAY)

7. Readers Workshop is a method of teaching that provides students with a variety of learning opportunities. The following components are included in the workshop: * Read Aloud * Minilesson *Guided/Independent Reading * Share Readers Workshop

8. * Read Aloud – students enjoy quality literature that allow them hear fluent examples of reading; we read both teacher-selected and student-selected (teacher-approved) pieces of literature * Minilesson – students are taught skills and strategies that will help them become stronger, better readers; students are engaged during the lesson, often trying out the skill or strategy right along with the teacher Readers Workshop

9. * Guided/Independent Reading guided – students are in a small group where they are taught skills and strategies for reading using text on their instructional level independent – students practice skills and strategies taught during the minilesson using text on their independent level **text levels are determined by the teacher using running records and reading conferences** * Share – at the end of the workshop, students have the opportunity to share their experiences had during the workshop Readers Workshop

10. Parents can help in the following ways to make sure your child is practicing becoming a better reader at home too! * Make sure your child is reading as much as possible every day. Some days are super busy, but encourage your child to read whenever they can on those slower days  Your child will have a reading log on which they should record any books they are reading (home or school). This log will be analyzed from time to time to see how much their reading life has grown! * Ask your child to talk to you about what they are reading. Having conversations about reading is the best way to boost their comprehension. Encourage them to do more than just retell the story…talk about character changes/motivations, predictions about future events, synthesizing new learning with what they knew before, recognizing themes that fit the story. How Parents Can Help

11. Reading STAAR Test will be on Tuesday, March 27th!! Reading STAAR Test

12. Writing instruction will encourage students to add a variety of strategies and skills to their “writer’s toolbox.” Students will be engaged in writing through a variety of genres, including personal narrative, fiction, essay, poetry, and memoir. Students will also be expected to reflect a variety of traits in their writing, including ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Writing

13. Our social studies theme this year will be learning all about American History. Your child will gain an understanding of map skills as well as the history of settlement into the United States from the native times to present day. Additionally, we will study influential leaders who have impacted our lives. Social Studies

14. Problem SolvingIn the early years…

15. Problem Solving is the reason we teach mathematics. • Our Goal is to enable students to use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems. • Problem Solving is the process by which students experience the power and usefulness of mathematics in the world around them. • Problem Solving requires students to follow a series of steps to find a solution. While some students may intuitively follow a process, most students need to be taught how to proceed to reach a solution. • Another important goal in teaching students to solve problems is assisting them in developing strategies or plan for solving problems.

16. The development of a positive attitude toward problem solving is crucial to student success. Problem Solving requires: • Patience • Persistence • Risk Taking • Cooperation How to Approach Problem Solving

17. UPS√ is a strategy to help students solve problems. It is not the only strategy that students can use, but it becomes valuable when students get stuck and do not know that to do with the information given. Teachers will be modeling and guiding students through this process daily. It is a four-step problem solving model that includes: Understand the Problem Make a Plan Carry Out the Plan: Solve Evaluate the Solution for Reasonableness UPS√

18. Children solving problems!

19. Jot Down Ideas • Restate the Problem in your own words • Cross off unnecessary information • Substitute with simpler numbers • Take a break • Use manipulatives • Talk the problem through • Think of a similar problem • Try different strategy • Give yourself a pep talk What Can Parents do if students are stuck?

20. Math STAAR test will be Monday, March 26th!!! Math STAAR Test

21. Spelling instruction will be ongoing, daily, and purposeful. The primary focus of instruction will be teaching a variety of effective spelling strategies, rather than memorization of a list of words. You may notice a difference between fourth and fifth grades with the major change being the implementation of Latin and Greek word parts. Knowledge of meaningful affixes, particularly from Latin and Greek, can help students determine the meanings of words not previously encountered. The purpose of incorporating a word study approach in spelling is based on research that indicates over 90% of English words with two or more syllables are of Latin or Greek origin. Due to the increased rigor of fifth grade spelling instruction, the challenge words have been replaced with bonus words which correlate with the weekly spelling lists. Bonus words will not be given during the pretest. However, they will be sent home with students along with the regular list of words. The bonus words will be offered to all students on the final test for extra credit. Spelling Homework will go home with spelling list at the beginning of the week to help students study their words for Friday’s assessment. Spelling

22. Scientific Investigation and Reasoning • Make informed choices for the conservation, disposal, and recycling of materials • Evaluate accuracy of product claims • Draw or develop a model • Earth and Space • Fossil Fuels • Characteristics of the Sun • Water Cycle • Alternative energy resources: wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels. • Formation of sedimentary rocks • Identify characteristics of sun, earth, and moon • Weather – differences between weather and climate Grade Five Science Topics this Year

23. Matter and Energy Classify matter based on physical properties Density Identify boiling, freezing, melting points of water Mixtures/Solutions Force, Motion, and Energy Explore use of energy; mechanical, light, sound, heat/thermal, electrical Electrical circuits can produce light, heat, and sound Design experiment to test affect of force on an object Reflected and Refracted light Organisms and Environments Plants – life cycle of plants/inherited traits Animals – food chains, food web Life Cycle – praying mantis Structure and functions of species Inherited traits/Learned Behavior Complete and Incomplete Metamorphosis of Insects Carbon/Oxygen Cycle

24. Make a check beside the questions you feel confident about. • Place a question mark beside the questions that you do not feel confident about How to Evaluate Answers in Science?

25. Science STAAR Test will be on Thursday, April 26th!! Science STAAR Test

26. Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee • Staff Training • Olweus Bullying Questionnaire • Staff Discussion Meetings • School Anti-Bullying Rules • School-Wide Positive Behavior Support System • Kick Off Event • Parent Involvement OLWEUS Bullying Prevention

27. Posted School Rules • Posted Bullying Behavior Chart and Consequences • Classroom Meetings • Informing Parents • Active Monitoring and Intervening • Follow-up with Students Classroom Level Components

28. STAAR Testing – 5th • What is it? • State Test to enhance Rigor for students & get them “College Ready” • Timed Test (4 hours) – Just like SAT/ACT • Assesses previous grade level objectives to current grade (K-5th) • Reading STAAR- emphasizes critical analysis & less literal understanding • Math STAAR- Problem solving skills • Science STAAR- Earth Science; Force & Energy; Environment & Organisms • No School ratings this year; standards set Fall 2012 • Math (March 27), Reading (March 28) & Science (April 26) • No visitors FISD Google Site: https://sites.google.com/a/friscoisd.org/staar/home • FAQ, Overview, Updated periodically by FISD

29. Questions???