Welcome to 5th Grade

5th Grade

Mrs. Lewis

Mrs. McKinney

Mrs. Mosely

Mrs. Neil,

Ms. Tate

Ms. Thomas

Standards -Based Report Cards

o Teams of Rockdale County teachers along with the guidance and support of school administrators and the Curriculum and Instruction Division have developed standards-based report cards for Grades K-5. The primary purpose of these report cards is to communicate the achievement status of student progress toward mastery of standards at specific points in the year.

Con’t

• These report cards are designed to provide parents with specific, accurate, fair, and useful information about their child’s progress in school. Each quarter, students have multiple opportunities to practice, attain, and demonstrate mastery of the Rockdale County Curriculum Standards. Based on évidence gathered through assessments designed at both the district and classroom levels, teachers are able to evaluate the level of progress students are making toward mastery.

Performance Level Descriptors

• The standard-based report card uses numerical indicators of student performance to indicate progress on the grade level standards each quarter.

Performance Level Performance Description

4 Exceeding the standard

3 Meeting the Standard

2 Progressing toward the standard

1 Little to no progress toward the standard

What Do These Descriptions Mean?

• A score of 3 means that the student is able to consistently demonstrate mastery of the learning goal.

• A score of 2 often means that the student can sometimes demonstrate the learning goal, but he/she is inconsistent and or may need significant teacher assistance to reach the goal.

• A score of 1 indicates that the student is generally unable to demonstrate the learning goal even with much assistance and guidance.

• A score of 4 indicates that the student is able to independently and consistently demonstrate the learning goal AND that the student is able to go significantly beyond the expected level of performance.

How Does a teacher grade A Child’s Performance?

o Using the Georgia Performance Standards as a guide, teacher committees establish curriculum

priorities for each grading period. Quarterly scoring guides provide teachers with clear and consistent

learning expectations. Educational research tells us that effective assessment of student progress

must be balanced in terms of format and frequency. No one assessment experience can reliably and

accurately measure student progress on a particular standard. Therefore, teachers design

multiple assessment tasks and collect evidence of student learning throughout the grading period.

This evidence may include tests, quizzes, teacher observations, projects, district, state and national

assessments, and student work samples. Teachers review these assessments for evidence of mastery of learning when marking student progress for the report card.

CJ Hicks Elementary School Science & Math Achievers Reaching Their Highest Aspirations

“Engineering a World of Health” School-wide Science Day Student Project Requirements

1. All students must enter only ONE project into the school-wide fair.

2. Select a topic with your child, then sign and return the Science Project Approval Form to your child’s teacher before August 23, 2010.

3. Projects can be in any branch of science but we are encouraging students to identify their project as having to do with one of the following domains of science: Life, Physical or Earth Science related to this year’s theme: “Engineering a World of Good Health”.

4. Grades PreK-2, the project must have a title, brief description of the exhibit, and/or a brief description of the results of the experiment. The attached sheet “How to Display a Science Project provides a sample of how to present the project.

5. Grades 3-5, must follow the scientific method and include a purpose, hypothesis, procedure, and conclusion. The attached sheet “How to Display a Science Project provides a sample of how to present the project.

6. All projects must be on a Tri-Fold board 36"(h) X 48" (w).

7. Projects must be delivered to school by October 15, 2010.

8. Mark your Calendar! We will celebrate National Science and Engineering Week Oct. 28th and 29th.

9. During Science Day, students will be expected to stand by their project and demonstrate, and or answer questions about their research and project.

10. All projects must be completed at home under parent supervision.

Safety Guidelines Please remember that many children will view each project. Please keep safety and appropriateness in mind.

1. No liquids or glass.

2. Safety goggles should be used if appropriate.

3. A safety shield or safe distance should be used if appropriate for the experiment. Take pictures of the experiment or draw a diagram to show your experiment or findings.

4. If you are growing crystals please ensure that they are not poisonous.

5. Open flames, live animals, live electrical current, blood or bacteria, or hazardous materials are not permitted. Internet Resource :http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

Science Project Approval Form Due before August 23, 2010 Student Name___________________________Teacher_________________________ Topic Name/Description (What are you trying to discover or find out?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brief description of what you plan to do and how you expect to accomplish your project. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________List of materials to be used to prove the experiment: All Projects must be on a Tri-Fold Display Board 36"(h) X 48" (w), Project Header Card (Optional) 10"(h) X 36"(w) Tri – Fold Boards available at the CJ Hicks Elementary School Store ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What domain of science will you be exploring? Theme: Engineering a World of Good Health (Check One) Physical Science (Motion, Force, Energy) ____________ Life Science (Animal and Plant Studies)_____________ Earth Science (Space, Geology, Water, Weather)____________ I agree to prepare and submit a complete science project, following the school safety guidelines on a tri-fold display board by October 15, 2010. I understand that this is a scored project. Student Signature ___________________________________________________ Parent Signature_____________________________________________________

KEEP THIS PAGE Science Day Project Due-Dates

Completed Project Due by October 15, 2010 August 23rd o Select a topic o Research the topic o Ask your question o State the hypothesis o Plan the procedure o Submit proposal September 1st o Gather materials o Begin the first experiment o Complete the first experiment o Repeat the experiment (3 times) September 15th o Begin the written conclusion o Complete the research o Graph the data on the computer (Excel)

KEEP THIS PAGE Science Day Project Due-Dates

Completed Project Due by October 15, 2010

October 1st o Complete written report & notebook o Locate a display board o Begin creating the display October 11-15th o Display board should be complete o Select items from experiment to display o Practice presentation in front of a mirror o Practice presentation with parents o Practice presentation with friends October 18-22 o Science Day in-class Presentations (schedule to follow) October 28-29 o Science Day School-wide Event o Science Day in-class Presentations (schedule to follow)

Explore the wonders of science with a free event for the whole family OCTOBER 28, 2010 | 5:00pm-7:00pm 1300 Pine Log Road, Conyers GA 30013 www.rockdale.k12.ga.us/schools/cjh Student Projects Due October 15, 2010

Single Gender Classes

• Every student has the ability to learn, but there is a huge difference in the best ways to teach the genders (Leonard Sax, ).

• “Scientists have known for years that there are structural and developmental as well as performance differences between male and female brains.

• MRIs, for instance, indicate that males and females use different areas of their brains when accomplishing similar tasks”

Sousa, How the Brain Learns, 2006

Single Gender Classes

• The goal of the teacher is …to create a classroom flexible enough to invite individuals to work in ways they find most productive.”

• Research Shows: – Academic performance– Discipline– Engagement– Time on task

Accelerated Reader Program

• 5th Grade Students are expected to meet their A/R Goals each Grading Period. This will help them to meet or exceed on the Reading CRCT in April.

• We are encouraging 5th graders to read at least 30 minutes a night! This includes weekend nights.

Accelerated Reader Program Cont.

• ACCELERATED READER DATES

• July 29 – September 24

• September 27 – December 10

• December 13 – March 11

• March 14 – May 11

5th Grade Activities• Field Trips/ Grade Level Events

– Rock Eagle September 28th-29th

– Cyclorama October 22nd

– High Museum of Art January 16th

– Fernbank February 11th

– 5th Grade Dance May 20th – 5th Grade Picnic TBA– Awards/ Promotion Ceremony May 25th

5th Grade Activities• 4H

• CHAMPS

• Jr. Beta Club

• Safety Patrols

• SMART Club

• International Ambassadors

• Science Fair

• YLOD (Young Ladies of Distinction)

What Other Tests?

Georgia Writing Assessment

• This test will assess your child’s writing abilities. It will be given in the spring on March 2, 2011.

Encourage your child to read and write! They are related!!!

What Other Tests?

Georgia Writing Assessment

• This test will assess your child’s writing abilities. It will be given in the spring on March 2, 2011.

Encourage your child to read and write! They are related!!!

What Other Tests?

Georgia Writing Assessment

• This test will assess your child’s writing abilities. It will be given in the spring on March 2, 2011.

Encourage your child to read and write! They are related!!!

Georgia CRCT

April 19th – 29th, 2011• Critical year for 5th Graders

• Must pass Reading AND Math

• If the student does not pass there are two options:

1. Summer School

2. Retention

What’s Passing?

• On the Reading, Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science portions of the CRCT, a child is considered passing if he/she receives a score of 800 or higher.

• Students who score in level 1 in Reading or Math will have conditions to move on to 6th grade.

• Students are scored within 3 different levels.

Reading, Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science

Scoring Levels• Level 1 Under 800 (Summer School

or Retention for Reading and Math areas)

• Level 2 800-849• Level 3 850-or Higher

Encourage your child to strive for success.

What Other Tests?

Quarterly Benchmarks

The quarterly benchmarks assessment is a cumulative review of the current and previous 9-weeks skills. We will also have quarterly testlets during the 4th-5th week of each grading period.

What Other Tests?

Georgia Writing Assessment

• This test will assess your child’s writing abilities. It will be given in the spring on March 2, 2011.

Encourage your child to read and write! They are related!!!

What is the Writing Assessment?

• The writing assessment for grade five consists of an evaluation of each student response to an assigned prompt. Students are assigned a topic from a prompt bank representing three genres: narrative, informational, and persuasive. Students are allowed approximately 120 minutes to write their essays. The writing assessment must be administered in one day.

Writing Assessment Continued…

• The Georgia Grade 5 Writing Assessment is a test of narrative, informational and persuasive writing. Students will be given either an informational, persuasive, or narrative writing topic. Because topics will be spiraled, students may receive any one of the three writing topics thus requiring them to be prepared to write in informational, narrative, and persuasive genres.