Classroom Overview – Mrs. Pratt

2009 - 2010

Greetings! My name is Sheila H. Pratt, and this is my fortieth year teaching the fifth grade at Greenland Central School. I was born and raised in Manchester, NH, graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1966, and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Plymouth State College in 1970. I have lived in Greenland since 1983. I have one son Denny who is a graduate of Greenland Central School, Portsmouth High School, and Plymouth State University.

Fifth grade is a very exciting year. We work hard. I have very high hopes and expectations for what your fifth-grade student will accomplish this year.

Our curriculum is very diverse and busy. I have attached a copy of our daily schedule for your information. It will show you when the students have all of their out-of-classroom special classes.

Each morning I post an agenda for the day so that the students are fully aware of all the activities that will occur that day. I also will provide each student with a daily goals sheet. This will list all that is expected of them that day. It also lists the work that they are expected to accomplish. Of course, as we all know, plans may have to be changed as the day goes on, so I do write all the daily work on the board. Students are expected to write a list of all daily work expectations in their agenda book and check off each one that they complete. There are specific places in the classroom for all completed work to be handed in.

During the morning homeroom period, the students will be expected to accomplish several tasks. These may consist of a spelling, English, or reading worksheet. Each week there will be a “Math 4 Today” worksheet. The students will do four math problems each morning. These will be corrected and passed back to them the next morning so they can do the next four problems. On the last day of the school week there will be a ten-question test on the skills practiced that week. I do count this as a math test. The program has proved to be an excellent way for the students to practice many basic math skills.

In fifth grade we continue to use a program called Everyday Mathematics. It was developed through the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project in order to enable children in the elementary grades to learn more mathematical content and become lifelong mathematical thinkers. Everyday Mathematics begins with the premise that students can, and must, learn math in a more meaningful way. Each unit has a parent letter which I have compiled into a packet which you should have received by now. Please plan to keep and use it throughout the year. This tool allows you to be engaged in the learning process. I would also ask that you read the welcoming note to the students in the Math Journal on page one.

Our spelling program will be made up of a weekly list of twenty words, and their various word forms, which the students really need to know for their writing. The list is presented on the first day of the week. There is no textbook, so it is essential that the lists be kept in a safe place, with the student, at least until review week, which is every sixth week. At that time the students will be retested on all of the one hundred words contained in the previous five lessons. Written daily exercises will be done on worksheets. On Thursday, a pretest will be administered, corrected by me, and promptly returned. This is not scored, but does give each child an idea of which words to study for the final test on the last day of the week. Most often, the final test involves sentence dictation.

The basis of our study of English will be to gain a strong grammar foundation. We will be working in the grade 5 English textbook, as well as many additional resources, which I have collected over the years. There will be two chances at the end of each chapter to demonstrate mastery on an objective test. There will also be numerous opportunities for the students to make the connections that lead to sure success in writing.

Writing is one of the most important aspects of every subject studied. Writing is about conveying experiences, transmitting images, and generating feelings. My goal is to help each fifth-grader to improve their ability to write (prewriting through proofreading), to think (creatively, logically, and clearly), and to learn (in the classroom, in small groups, and independently). We will practice using the Five Types of Writing. See the attached paper, which explains each type.

Our reading anthology is called Dream Chasers. It contains an informative and entertaining collection of classic and contemporary literature. In addition, there will be many trade books that the students will be required to read. The books will be provided to the students. Many of them will be integrated into our study of United States history.

Mr. Norton, my partner fifth-grade teacher, and I will be switching classes. I will teach social studies four times a week to our class as well as four times a week to Mr. Norton’s class. While I am teaching social studies to the 5N class, Mr. Norton will be teaching science and health to the 5P class.

Fifth grade social studies units will focus mainly on United States history. I am very exciting to be using a new program called History Alive! America’s Past. It should bring learning alive for the learners. The materials have interactive activities that allow students to learn historical concepts and remember important details about history. We will begin with a chapter on the geography of the United States. From there we will go back in time to the Age of Exploration and move on quickly to the settlement of the American colonies, the American Revolution, the Constitution, Westward Expansion, and end with the Civil War.

An extremely important part of the History Alive program is the internet tutorial. By accessing this website through my web page on the GCS website, each student has an opportunity to practice answering the test questions for each chapter. This is an invaluable way to prepare for each chapter’s assessment.

Social Studies is one of my favorite subjects to teach because there are so many interesting resources available. I hope that my enthusiasm will be contagious. This first exposure to many of these topics will be reinforced and continued in the eighth grade. For the past three years the class has taken a field trip to Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. We are led by a guide whose family roots lead back to revolutionary Boston. I will schedule this trip for sometime in May.

Mr. Steve Norton is the fifth-grade science teacher. He will be using an exciting program that will mostly consist of three comprehensive units – “Levers and Pulleys,” “Food and Nutrition,” and “Variables”. There is also a comprehensive health program.

The students have started to put together their portfolios. A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements. Portfolios capitalize on students’ natural tendency to save work and become an effective way to get them to take a second look at what they’ve done and think about how they could improve future work. The students are expected to collect, select, and reflect. The students have been assigned a drawer where they have been told to keep their completed work. Every other week or so, they will go through their collected work and choose one or two items to showcase in their portfolio. The rest will be sent home. The portfolios will be available to you at Open House, at parent conferences, or at any other time that you are interested.

Every day I try to find time to read to the class. Children are never too old to enjoy hearing a good story. I also try to fit silent reading into our busy schedule whenever possible. The students should have an appropriate personal reading book with them at all times.

An agenda book is an invaluable asset. The students were issued one on the first day of class. As each subject is covered and an assignment is given, it will be written at the front of the classroom on an enlarged version of the agenda book page. It is imperative that each student keep track of all work assigned and when it is due. There will be time provided each day for assignments to be written down, materials collected, and bags packed. I would be more than happy to initial any assignment book that is presented to me. I would recommend that assignment books be checked and signed for at least the first quarter.

I have attached a copy of my Guidelines for Written Work. We have gone over this in class, and the students have been given their own copy.

Our class subscribes to a student magazine entitled Time For Kids. It is an appealing and well-put-together publication. Its lively writing, colorful photos, maps, graphs, and charts gets students excited about reading. It presents up-to-the-minute news in a way students can understand and relate to. It helps them make sense of their world and the constantly changing events around them. It helps them interpret the news, think critically, and develop their own opinions. We try to read the magazine in class, and sometimes the students are required to do a follow-up assignment. You can enjoy Time For Kids, too. Ask to see and read the magazine. It can make for some interesting dinner table conversations.

This year the fifth-grade has an opportunity to raise money for their sixth-grade trip to environmental camp. The students are a part of the middle school magazine subscription drive this fall. The students will also run a “school store” in the gym lobby on Tuesday and Thursday mornings during snack recess. We are looking for any parents who might be interested, to step forward and take charge of that endeavor. Please call me if you have any interest in helping out.

Greenland is very fortunate to have a D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer. He is Greenland resident and police officer Wayne Young. Officer Young will come to our class for ten sessions starting early in 2010 to teach the D.A.R.E. program to the fifth grade.

I hope that you find this packet informative and helpful. I can’t stress enough the need for you to get in touch with me whenever you have feedback or a concern. It is very easy to get a hold of me by telephone or email. It is my intention to have your child be a part of a safe, happy, and caring classroom environment. My goal is to produce happy, socially responsible children through the development of positive character traits. I want each and every student to reach the greatest potential possible. I teach the whole child. I realize that teaching your child is a privilege, as well as a tremendous responsibility. I cannot do this alone. I need your help. I need each of you to encourage your child at home by helping to ensure that they have completed their assignments, and by helping them to study for tests, if necessary. I know that with your help we are going to have a great year.

Please feel free to call me, or stop in at G.C.S. at any time. You’ll always be welcome. We both want what’s best for your child!

I am looking forward to meeting you at Open House on September 17.

Sheila Pratt