NAME:
Mrs. Sheryl Roberts
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SCHOOL:
Victory Elementary
CLASS:
Fifth Grade
SCHOOL PHONE:
703-257-0356
Students, here is your opportunity to learn a little bit about me! I have been teaching for quite a few
years. This is my third school system and my third school. I have taught just about every elementary
grade, except 1st. I have three degrees-two bachelors and one masters, with some work toward a
doctorate. I love teaching and learning to do new things. I also enjoy gardening, reading, and making
scrapbooks for my family. I have four cats and a beautiful dog. My husband is Dr. Thomas Roberts
and we have two wonderful teenage girls.
Favorite Movie
Always
Favorite Book
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
Favorite Color
Purple
Favorite Thing to do in My Spare Time
Attending the Theatre and Ballet at Kennedy Center
Because children are born with a natural curiosity about their world, I believe it is our responsibilities
as teachers and parents to nurture that curiosity and help each student reach their potential. This
means a lot of work for all of us-students, parents, and teachers. I believe that all children can and
do want to learn.
I believe that my students can accomplish outstanding things and fulfill their potential when the
parents, student, and teachers work together. My formula for success is students + parents +
teacher = success! Communication is the key ingredient in accomplishing this. I make every
attempt to let parents know what we are learning in class by sending home weekly newsletter/
calendars and having students write reminders of upcoming quizzes and tests in their agendas.
To continue my own professional growth, I attend conferences, attend teaching workshops and
seminars, and meet frequently with other teachers. I meet with other teachers from within our
division as well as from other school districts. I have also completed post graduate work at William
and Mary and the University of Virginia.
I believe that learning should be hands-on based whenever possible. This enables the activities to
be student focused and gets the students directly involved with their learning. I believe that learning
by doing is much more inspiring and longer lasting than rote memorization of facts. Yes, facts are
important, but students can learn them in variety of ways. The model of instruction that I have
created for my classes consists of thematic units that integrate all subject areas, especially math and
writing. These units emphasize problem solving, higher-level thinking, and student-generated
products. Each unit of study begins the KWL model in which students record what they already know
about the unit, and what they want to know, and finally what they have
learned.
I assign short term projects when appropriate and frequently give students the opportunity to work
on group projects in class. Part of learning involves accepting the opinions of others and learning to
work as a team. These are life-long skills that will help a student succeed long after they may have
forgotten facts evaluated on a test.
Each of my units begins with an evaluation of prior knowledge. I use this evaluation to assess just
what information studetns are bringing with them to the unit. This enables me to target instruction
to the specific needs of my students. I also provide study guides prior to all tests. Study guides
include all vocabulary and tested concepts. Students should begin studying the day they receive the
study guide. The content areas in the fourth and fifth grades are increasingly difficult and so
students do need to begin learning how to study. I give at least three days notice for all tests, and
usually I will give one to three days notice for quizzes.
I encourage all students to take notes. This is a skill that I teach in class. I use the Interactive
Notebook system, which teaches students to paraphrase given notes. The vocabulary term is pasted
on the right notebook page and the paraphrasing is written below it. Graphics or illustrations of
the same concept are on created on the left notebook page. This is an invaluable skill and does not
happen without a lot of practice. Students will have much opportunity to practice and yes, I do
include note taking as part of student's grades.