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Curriculum Outline for 2021-2022

2021-2022 Class Outline, Curriculum and Expectations for Ms. Isler’s 4/5 PAT class

Ms. Isler’s Fundamentals:

This year, we have 7 fundamentals, but 4 of them also happen to be our school wide expectations, often shortened to PRRS (Be Positive, Responsible, Respectful and Safe).

In this classroom I expect that students will PRACTICE:

  • POSITIVITY
  • RESPECT
  • RESPONSIBILITY
  • SAFETY
  • KINDNESS
  • LEARNING FROM FAILURE
  • (Academic) BRAVERY

We are also building our own classroom agreement together to guide what we all agree to work toward in the classroom. Students will share this class agreement on Class Dojo when we complete it!

Homework

Families are often curious about homework and the short answer is yes, there will be homework. In 4th and 5th grade, I do try to give homework almost every night, to create a routine, keep you connected to the classroom and to help students build good habitsThis homework might include academic skills practice (math, writing, vocabulary) but will usually be focused on reading, work on long term projects and sharing their daily learning with family. I try to make all homework relevant to and supportive of our classroom activities.  This means that homework is often derived from topics discussed in class and is not always predictable ahead of time. Homework might also happen when a student has chosen not to use allotted time in class to complete expected activities or when they are really passionate about something and need more time to meet their own standards of work.

Students will have–written in their agenda and also available to you through Class Dojo—a list of nightly homework activities if that is helpful to you in supporting and encouraging your child. I will be asking you as parents to initial your student’s agenda for the first few weeks of school to establish a routine. After that, it’s up to you as a family to decide how your child will share their day with you.

It is not your job to make your student do his or her homework.  It is your job to support your student by providing the space, time, supplies and encouragement.  It is each student’s responsibility to ask for help when needed and get the work done.

If you find that homework seems confusing, missing, excessively onerous, not relevant or support of your child’s learning, please let me know. The only way that I can design home activities that support students and families is if I received feedback when things are not working. Thank you!

Reading

This year, learning with the Units of Study Reading Curriculum encourages our readers to read more, read often and think deeply about what they read. Students will read fiction and non-fiction in class and at home.  They will keep track of their thinking using sticky notes, projects, and analyzing what they read in writing and in discussion.  This year, our reading units will focus on interpreting characters to get a the heart of the story and purposeful reading of non-fiction. Students will read non-fiction in all content areas, participate in literature circles to encourage deeper comprehension through discussion and analyze short stories, poems and non-fiction to build critical thinking habits and deeper comprehension.

Writing

In 4th and 5th grade, students are expected to write single and multi-paragraph pieces with specific detail and correct conventions. This year, we will practice fiction and essay style (non-fiction expository) writing as well as poetry.

Through our curriculum Units of Study, we go deeply into the craft of realistic fiction writing, persuasive essays, literary response essays and research reports.  We will also learn the structure of a 5 paragraph essay and how to use and modify that structure to write a variety of essays.  This structure will also be connected to the claim, evidence and reasoning (CER) format as a way to build and demonstrate critical thinking in all subject areas.

Science

At the beginning of the year, we will learn a little bit about our brains and how they work. Our first official science unit this year is Soils, Rocks & Landforms, during which we will study the geosphere, the make-up of soil, how landforms can be modified and how humans interact with the environment. Later in the year, we will complete a unit on Energy. In this unit, we will learn about different forms of energy and how energy transfers between systems.  Our work will focus on electricity and magnetism as well as engineering design.  In December this year, we will also being doing a small unit on the Human Body, focusing on anatomy and structure. This unit will include a section known as Family Life and Sexual Health (going by the unfortunate acronym F.L.A.S.H).

In past years, 5th graders have attended Outdoor School at Camp Waskowitz as an applied science experience and culminating 5th grade adventure.  While we currently have a week reserved, but like so many things, we don’t yet know what this will look like.  Please stay tuned as the year progresses.

Math

This year, we are working from several math resources. We will be using routines from San Francisco United’s Math curriculum to be teaching norms and routines similar to other classrooms.  Our core curriculum will be Eureka Math, which is solidly aligned with the Common Core State Math Standards.  Students will be learning and practicing at the best level for them, which for many includes working on tasks a grade above their official grade level. We will also spend time on projects, number talks and games that encourage flexible and creative math thinking to apply and stretch the skills we are learning in Eureka Math.

Social Studies

Our big idea for the year is Discovering Washington State, including this state’s history, geography, resources, economy and government.   We will explore this idea using a collection of resources including texts, simulations, songs, discussions and research projects.  Our learning this year will include a simulation of travelling on the Oregon Trail.

Technology

In our classroom, we have laptops and three ipads. We will integrate these tech tools into our learning through video learning, online collaboration, creating presentations, digital publishing and independent and collaborative research. Through the Riverview School District, all students have OneDrive accounts, which they will use throughout the year. In all the work we do, we will be working toward the ISTE standards for students. These include being an empowered learner, a digital citizen, a knowledge constructor, an innovative designer, a computational thinker and a creative communicator.

Project Work Time

Another feature of our classroom is a twice weekly half hour (weekly total of an hour) called Project Work Time. This time is intended for students to complete uncompleted class projects and explore their own passions and interests. I have seen students choose to use this time do everything from organizing their backpacks to researching a topic of passion.  The important piece is choice. 4th and 5th graders are still learning how to set goals, recognize priorities, use time effectively and reflect on their work—all of which are part of our district outcome of building Self-Directed Learners.  This Project Work Time is a supervised opportunity for students to practice these skills. You will frequently see Project Work Time goal setting sheets come home in Friday Folders. This would be a great time to talk about how your child is choosing to use the time and reinforce positive choices.

 

Communication

Parents, teachers and students – we’re all in this together and since there is no time in the day for us all to sit down together to catch up, communication tools become very important.  I use a variety to tools to communicate all that goes on in the classroom with families.

  • HOMEWORK AGENDA: The first is your student’s agenda, which is updated in class near the end of each day. It is your student’s responsibility to fill out his or her agenda in class, share the completed agenda with you, then complete the assigned homework.  For the first month of school, I will be checking for parent initials to indicate that the agenda is being shared. 
  • CLASS DOJO: I hope to use Class Dojo as both a way of tracking our Tiger Tickets (a school wide reward system), but also as a window to into our classroom.  By viewing the Class Story section of Dojo, you will see picture and video updates from the classroom. As the year goes on, I also hope to have students doing more of the video reporting so that you will hear their voices and perspective.
  • CLASSROOM BLOG (room139.edublogs.org): This blog has been a staple classroom communication tool for years. I am currently using it as a place for more long term and permanent communications, but it may be evolving.
  • FRIDAY FOLDERS: On (most) Fridays, I will send home a folder of paperwork that will need to be reviewed and signed by you. The purpose of this is to share work your student has done on paper, and also keep you updated on the skills and subjects your child has been working on recently. Once the Friday Folder has been reviewed and signed, you will keep your students work and your child will return the folder to the classroom.
  • JUST EMAIL OR CALL: Finally, there is no substitute for direct communication. Please feel free to email or call me if you have questions, thoughts or concerns. I am always happy to answer questions, schedule a meeting or have a phone conference.  What matters most to me is that you and your child feel safe enough to do the hard work or real learning.

 

Need to talk to Ms. Isler?

Phone: 425-844-4573

email: islerc@rsd407.org

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!

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