Grading PolicyforMrs. Forbes’Grade 5 ELAandSocial StudiesClasses
Dear Families,
Throughout the year, your child will be asked to do a variety of
homework assignments and projects, as well as take a number of exams.
Except for pop quizzes, your child will know ahead of time when a unit test is coming up, to allow appropriate time to study. You can help make these experiences both meaningful and successful by
letting your child know that you think homework is important and how much you value his or her effort. Here are some suggestions:
Help your child schedule a special time each night for just doing homework. This time should be spent on assignments, library reading, or any other activities related to schoolwork. If your child completes homework at school during study hall or 10thperiod, it is wise to encourage him/her to bring it
home to show you.
Together, find a place to work, if possible, with good lighting and not too much noise. It is important that your child have all the necessary supplies at hand to complete assignments.
Try to be available to look over papers and discuss your child’s questions and
concerns. If your child has attempted an assignment several times and is still “stuck,”
give a nudge in the right direction – but do not do the work yourself.
Express pride in your child’s effort and accomplishments. When you observe your child displaying good
working habits, immediately reinforce this behavior with praise.
Whenever possible, try to relate homework to every day skills such as taking
responsibility, following directions, beginning and completing a task and
managing time. Telling your child how well he or she is doing in these areas
will help to make these skills a lifelong habit.
Read to your child and invite your child to read to you.
Also, let your child see you reading. Remember, you are a powerful role
model in your child’s life, helping to form a positive attitude toward
learning.
When your child has an upcoming exam, encourage him/her to
spend a minimum of 20 minutes per day, each day, for a week, studying for the
exam. S/he will usually, although not always, have a study guide from which to study.
If not a study guide, your child will be expected to study from the
notes taken in class.
Homeworkassignments are worth100 points, andexamsare worth300
points toward the final average grade. Class participation is also taken into
account.Extra credit options are regularly posted on my website.
In case of absence, your child will be expected to come to me to ask for notes, and other work
to be made up. It is your child’s responsibility to do so, as it teaches children to be conscientious
as well as accountable.
Homework will be written on the board, and your child is expected
to copy it into his or her assignment notebook neatly, as soon as
class begins. Assignments must be completed, shared with a parent, and
checked off in the book.
*5thgraders will be expected to use cursive for most class/homeworkassignments.
Note taking may be done in print.
ELA:Your child will get a spelling list every Monday, and be expected to complete a
variety of spelling assignments during the week. Spelling tests will be given
every Friday.Grammar assignments will also be part of homework 2-3 days per week.
Writing assignments are homework, as well as reading independently outside of class.
5thgraders will need to earn at least10 A.R. (for a 67%) (AcceleratedReader)
points per quarterfor their ELA grade. This program will be explained in class.
It is an online system of quizzes that go along with books.
Books have points that are earned by successfully completing an on-line quiz
after a child finishes a book. Student AR grades are calculated by multiplying
the number of points earned by 6.67.
Please feel free to contact meany time. I am happy to discuss any concerns you may have,
or work with you to solve any problems. I value your interest and support. Lisa Forbes
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5th Grade Independent Reading Grading Policy
This year your child will have a period of independent reading every other day
(A days or B days) throughout the school year. All students will be required to
select a book, based on their reading level, from a genre of their choice.
Students will be taking STAR tests on a regular basis to determine their
personal reading ranges as well as their personal growth. In order to help
them make maximum growth, we will be requiring that they read within their own range.
There will be opportunities for students to sign out books from the library and the Reading Class rooms, along with instruction on how to select books.
The Reading Class will include instruction on genres and authors. Children will be expected
to try out titles from several genres in order to be exposed to each of them
with the hope that this will help them determine what their personal preferences are.
Students will be taking AR tests on the books they read both in class and out.
A nice goal to strive for is 100 AR points in the year with a comprehension score of 85% or above. In order to make satisfactory progress in their books, it is expected that they
will also read outside of class. In the beginning of the year, all students
should strive to include 20 minutes of reading each day at home.
As the year progresses this should reach 30 - 40 minutes.
Another option is to stay 10th period and use that as personal reading time.
All students will be evaluated based on the points earned through the AR program.
Each student is expected to earn at least 15 points per quarter.
(A minimum of 10 points is required to earn a passing grade of 67%.)
AR tests for novels read as part of ELA/Literature requirements will not
be included in determining their grade for this class.
Only points earned from independently read books will count toward this class grade.
The point value of a book is based on the reading level or difficulty of the book
as well as the length of the book. Students are warned to only
take tests on books that they have recently completed.
Taking a test based on watching a movie or on a book that was read long ago
will usually result in a failing AR test score and no points earned,
as well as a reduction of their comprehension average.
The AR points earned for the quarter will be multiplied by a factor of 6.67 to
determine a numeric grade.
Since comprehension is the essence of reading, the AR program
indicates that a minimum score of 85% is needed for good growth,
with 95% - 100% being the preferred scores.
For this reason the students’ Reading Class grades will be an average of
the points grade (see above paragraph) as well as their comprehension score.
If a child does poorly on the comprehension test for a book, they may reread it and
retake the test. To do so they need to notify their Reading Class teacher
of their plans ahead of time. Both progress reports and quarterly grades
will be given as numeric averages.
The overall goal of this class is to create an interest in
reading to help improve your child’s reading ability.
Sincerely,
Lisa Forbes
679-1581 ext. 2306
lforbes@fcsd.wnyric.org