Essentials
MY GOAL:
My goal this year is for every student to grow in their reading ability, no matter where they are. I want every student to read at least 1 book that they really and truly enjoyed. I want students to have fun learning in a safe and positive environment. I want to help students see all of their potential and reach their own goals. I want my students to feel loved and accepted as who they are, whoever that may be.
Below are the ways in which I plan to meet each of my goals this year as your student's teacher.
Class Expectations:
Be Prompt- please be in class ON TIME everyday! You have Do Now's every day in class and they are required. Using your time wisely is essential to being successful!
Be Polite- no one likes it when someone is mean or hurtful. Don't be that person. Be nice to everyone you come in contact with. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!
Be Positive- YOU are SMART! YOU are AMAZING! YOU can DO ANYTHING! I believe in you! Now, believe in yourself!
Be Prepared- Having all materials is very important! A fully charged IPad, a pencil and some paper is all I'm asking for!
BE Productive- When you're at school, it's your job! All that we ask is that you do what you are asked to do. We aren't trying to be mean or to punish you. We want to make you better, smarter and more productive people.
Behavior Policy:
My classroom runs on a tally system. Expectations and noise levels will be posted on the board daily. As students come in they are to look to see what these are. Once students start breaking these rules, the tally system comes into play. This will be enforced with every student every day. If there is a major incident, administration will be called no matter how many tallies that student has. The tally system allows for students to make mistakes, however also helps to keep an orderly and peaceful learning environment.
1 tally- Warning
2 tallies- Warning
3 tallies- No daily sticker (explanation below) and silent lunch (includes minor write up)
4 tallies- No sticker, 2 days silent lunch, call or email home, major incident write up
Any more- call for administrator and kicked out of class.
Sticker System:
Daily, students will receive a sticker based on: behavior (no more than 2 tallies), completing the day's assignments, being prepared for class, and being on time.
These stickers add up to rewards weekly, monthly and quarterly.
Getting the daily sticker is very achievable for every student who is doing what they are supposed to do.
Homework:
You will have 3 homework assignments a week, EVERY WEEK, except for holidays. All Vocabulary words will be given on Mondays and Achieve articles will also be assigned on Mondays. EVERY WEEK these things will be due at the BEGINNING of class:
Tuesday- Vocabulary Flashcards
Thursday- Vocabulary sentences
Friday- 3 Achieve Articles
You will also be in a book club! We are using our BOB books from this year's list. You will meet with your club on Friday's. Every Friday your club will have some type of assignment that you will be doing together. Make sure that you are keeping up with your reading so that you can actively participate in your club. Clubs will switch every 6-8 weeks. You are expected to read outside of class as well as in class during DEAR time daily.
Vocabulary:
I believe that writing the words and their definitions is essential for students to understand and gain word knowledge. Therefore, they will be making their own set of flashcards, but can also use the virtual set that I have created so that they can play games, ect. I will provide flashcards for student and also provide 1 binder ring per student. Research has shown that higher vocabulary knowledge leads to higher literacy rates in students. Below is the link for the quizlet that I will create weekly for students.
https://quizlet.com/shueshistoryclass
Book Studies:
It makes me so upset that some kids don't like reading. I am going to do everything in my power to change that this year. We will be exploring a lot of different types of texts and will have choice for students. They just haven't found the right book yet! I don't want to spoil my year, so I'm not going to go into all of the different books that I am planning on, just know that I am going to do all that is within my power for your students to enjoy reading this year!
Achieve 3000:
Achieve 3000 is a program that I am sure you have heard a lot about. It is a system that our county uses to help us understand what level students are reading at. It also helps students become better readers by meeting them where they are and slowly growing their reading level (lexile). Students will be required to do 3 of these per week for me. Each week will be tailored to each student. Therefore, if a student is struggling with main idea, I will assign them articles and assignments that deal with that specific skill. Student's goal is to make a 75% or higher. When they make this score, they are growing their reading lexile. The goal is to meet every student where they are and show reading growth with all students. These will be participation grades, however I do expect students to try their absolute best on each and every article. And yes.. they have to do the blue swirls.
Research:
Reading informational texts is essential to being a productive citizen. Students will know how to research what websites are appropriate, and learning citation techniques throughout the year.