I grade on a percentage system. All assignments are out of 100%. Assignments are weighted in the grade book as follows.

Reading- 40%. This includes genre study activities, reading comprehension passages, reading skills unit activities. 

Writing- 40%. This includes genre study activities, grammar units, poetry writing, research and paragraph writing.

Vocabulary/Word Work- 20%. This includes Greek/Latin roots unit activities and assessments; prefix/suffix unit activities and assessment;  dictionary skills practice activities.

Genre Activities always count as a Reading and a Writing Grade. 

In my room, Successful Students:

• Listen to & follow instruction carefully

• Turn in assignments on time

• Do the best they can

• Respect themself, others, and the campus

• No excuses- They accept responsibility

• If they need help, they ask for it

Students in the 5th and 6th grade are expected to complete ALL assignments in ALL CLASSES in cursive writing. Teachers do take points off if an assignment is not done in cursive. The only exception to this rule is labeling diagrams and maps.

I will assess students’ cursive during the first week of school, and place them in practice groups based on this. Practice groups just means they have a specific color practice folder at the crusive center. 

If you feel that your child needs additional practice with cursive, please email me and I will send home practice resources.

During this school year, your child will take part in a classroom economy. It’s an excellent tool for teaching financial responsibility, and students love it each year. This helps students learn valuable life skills such as budgeting, saving, balancing a register, and calculating taxes.

Using classroom currency, students earn money for a classroom job and pay rent for their sitting area. They can earn bonus money in various ways, determined by each teacher. Class jobs last 2 weeks and students are paid their salary at the end of that period via a paycheck. Rent is due at the first of each month. Salaries vary based on responsibilities and rent varies based on location and seat.

The classroom bank is open each payday for students to cash or deposit their checks. Each student has a credit/debit register they keep in their ELA folder. While the bank keeps track of the account, it is the student’s responsibility to keep their register current.

We also have a classroom store once a month. After paying rent, students may use their money to buy items in the store. A mini-store front is always open in my room so that if students need a pen, pencil, or eraser, they can purchase one.

Purchasing items for our class store always counts as double Co-op hours. Oriental Trading Company and Amazon are great places for items. So is Rebecca’s in Hurst.

   Each month will have a different genre that students will pick a book from to read during our reading zone and at home. They will then complete different activities in class.
   All projects, except for Mythology and Poetry, must be a Chapter Book with a minimum of 100 pages. Books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or anything that would qualify as a graphic novel, do not count. Pictures must make up less than 10% of the book.
   I will post instructions and activities in the Google Classroom on the first school day of each month. Students have until the LAST school day of the month to read their book and complete the related activities.           Students need to finish their book with plenty of time to work on the activities.