Here we go again...

It is the beginning of our last nine weeks together.  Although I always look forward to summer time, I admit I am just a little sad that I only have 9 weeks left with these kiddos.

It is going to be a crazy few weeks.  This week, we will begin our new unit on reading non-fiction texts.  Then we have Spring Break! As soon as we come back, we take our PARCC exam.

**Can I take a moment here to discuss this:  PARCC is an assessment.  It is not the Common Core Standards.  The standards associated with Common Core are GOOD STANDARDS.  They are rigorous and focus on teaching authentic strategies students need for success.  PARCC is just a test.  Whether you think it is a good test or not, please understand that it was an assessment designed to test students knowledge of Common Core standards.  I would be happy to show any interested parent the current standards and discuss what is expected of our children...just let me know.

Okay...enough of that.  Back to our new unit...

Students will learn the types of writing that is expected and used with non-fiction texts.  We will be writing A LOT!!!!  I have told the children to make sure they have plenty of notebook paper for this nine weeks because we are going to use it! Students will be writing everything from arguements to brochures.  I am hoping during this writing time, that we can hone those grammar and spelling skills as well.  

You can expect another independent assignment.  I have not decided if it will be something to take home or something we work on in class.  It is still a little early for that.  Don't worry, your child will have plenty of time to complete the assignment.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Happy reading-
Mrs. Tipton

When is SPRING?

I feel a little like the wolf in this picture.  All of our "snow" days are causing serious issues in my lesson planning!

I am grateful, however, that we were able to finish reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before all of our winter weather began.  I am fortunately just in a review phase of our nine weeks.

Students are writing, writing, writing.  Reading and writing stamina are going to be important over the next few weeks.  There will be a lot of independent work in class with selective guidance from me for the rest of the quarter.  The students are acting very dependent, and they need to use the strategies and resources they have been given to solve problems and complete assignments.  We have worked on this all year, but lately we all seem to be reverting back to old behaviors.  I do not want my students to freak out on the PARCC exam.  I feel confident that I have prepared them for this test.  We are analyzing vocabulary that we might encounter and working through any "kinks" that might appear.

I am not a "teach to the test" kind of teacher.  I teach my curriculum.  I do admit I have high expectations, but my students always seem to rise to the challenge.  I believe that my students have all the knowledge that they need to be successful students in the future.  They have been given some tough assignments, been asked to re-do assignments, and pushed to give 110%.  I believe they are better for it.  I hope they understand that I want only the best for all of them.  If I didn't care so much, I wouldn't push them so hard.  I certainly wouldn't assign all these essays and projects-they only have to do one; I have to grade 90!

Thank you for all the support you have given me this year.  We are 3/4 of the way through 5th grade.  Can you believe it?  We still have a lot of work to do, but we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy reading-
Mrs. Tipton