First of all, for those of you who don't know, I'm very big on policies and procedures. However, I think that it is important for the students to take ownership in this classroom for their behavior and their reputation. On the first day of school, the class came up with a set of 5 expectations to meet. They are:
- Follow the lifeskills.
- Be a good audience.
- Respect yourself and others.
- Follow classroom procedures.
- Raise your hand to talk.
There are rewards and consequences for meeting or failing to meet the expectations. The rewards are events such as Comfy Reading Day when students can bring in pillows or stuffed animals from home to use during SSR or Music Day when students can bring in school-appropriate CD's to listen to during their work times. Consequences for not meeting the expectations are as follows:
- Warning
- Fill out behavior sheet to be signed by parents and returned the next day.
- Call to parents (This is made by the student.)
- Afterschool detention (This phone call is made by me so that arrangements can be made.)
- Sent to Principal's office.
The consequences are for multiple offenses of the same behavior in the same day. However, if behavior becomes a problem over a period of time, I will contact the parents regardless of what consequences have been received. For example, if a student is filling out multiple behavior sheets for the same behavior over the period of a week, I may call home to discuss this.
Many parents also wonder about what to expect from classroom work. Let me address several areas: in-class subjects, homework, and test taking.
In-Class Subjects
Our daily schedule consists of math, reading, writing, word study, silent reading time (SSR), and remediation time. Most of the areas are self-explanatory, but there are a few points I want to make.
- We do not have a spelling program, per se. We address spelling through our writing time. The word study portion of our day is spent mostly on vocabulary and decoding new words. The Greek and Latin root portion of vocabulary is done the first week of every month with a test that Friday. We then spend the remainder of the month working on 5 new vocabulary words or terms every week. These words will then be tested at the end of the month, and students are permitted to bring home their word study journals to prepare.
- Writing is done in class. I give plenty of time for all writing assignments and ask that they not be taken home.
- Remediation time will be for those students who are performing below grade level in reading and failed the English/Language Arts portion of the ISTEP. Other students will then be looked at to see if they need extra help in Math. Those who have passed both portion of the ISTEP will be enriched in the areas of Social Studies and Science. All students will be exposed to these content areas through class reading. However, the students who do not have to attend remediation will receive an extra focus in these areas.
Homework
I do not assign nightly worksheets to be done as homework. Homework is only given in these two instances:
- The work was not finished in class.
- It is a long-term project that is expected to be done at home.
The only exception to this is Just Read. This is a nightly reading assignment that will be starting in September. I will post about this once it is assigned.
I grade daily assignments as a participation grade. Therefore, if the work was done, credit is given. If work is late or not done, then partial or no credit is given. These assigments are crucial in determining what a student understands, but I do not feel any student should be punished with a failing grade for a lack of understanding.
Test Taking
Quizzes in math are given just about every Friday. They are based on the Indiana State Standards and Indicators. Students who do not pass the quiz are then retaught the information and given the quiz a second time to recheck their understanding. We will continue this process in an effort to have each student master the indicators that are needed to be successful in 5th and into 6th grade.
At this time, I generally give a reading test at the end of every novel or story that we read. These tests are usually accompanied by a take-home project. The tests are open book and students are given an unlimited amount of time to finish.
I am very strict about talking during a test. Any talking will be considered cheating and students will receive an F for that test and will have to call home to let their parents know what has happened. This also goes if a student is caught cheating in some other way. I explain this expectation to students very well when we take our first test, so that they are aware of the consequences.
I hope that this helps to give you some idea of what to expect from your child being in this class. While this is all very formal, I do what I can to make learning enjoyable, but we're serious when we need to be. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at Back to School Night on September 6! You can find our classroom at Room 23.
