IMPORTANT PARENT/3rd and 5th grade STUDENT INFORMATION
FOR
READING CLASS
How can I make an appointment to see Ms. Ogle?
E-mail: is the best way to communicate. You can also write me a note and ask your child to give it to me or call the school and leave a message with the office.
How can parents help their child in Reading?
Become familiar with your child’s electronic textbook!! Spend some time having your child explain the online textbook features they are using in class. Have your child show you how they can use the audio feature to listen to the selected readings. Be aware of what Unit they are currently on and spend time reading together from the assigned reading material and assisting with assigned homework and test and quiz study.
For 3rd and 5th grade this is the Journey textbook on Think Central.
Where can my child and I look to see homework and upcoming quizzes and tests?
Each day in class we spend the first 5-10 minutes copying down the nightly homework and upcoming quiz/tests dates. We also go over the homework and this is a time for clarification and questions. Only the homework that will be graded will be posted on Gradelink. Be sure to have a homework buddy to call on days your child is absent from school.
Test dates will also be recorded in advance. Get a calendar and post tests so your child knows how many nights he/she has to study before a test.
Encourage your child to read for pleasure. Go to the local library or bookstore and help your child pick out books. Listen to your child read. Ask questions about the books he/she is reading. Engage your child in conversation about theme, characters and descriptive language (See handout on Dialogic Reading).
What does your child do in Reading Class?
Students and teacher read stories from the Think Central site. For 3rd and 5th grade this will be accessed on the I-Pad from Think Central. Students in 3rd and 5th Grades will be responsible for reading the stories at home for homework and follow-up activities will be done the next day in class. Therefore, students will need to be reading from their on-line resources most nights.
Students will complete activities that reinforce Reading Strategies, Comprehension, Vocabulary, Phonics (3rd and 5th grade), and Writing skills. These pages are sometimes assigned as homework and sometimes as in-class assignments
Homework will be assigned 4 nights a week (no Fridays), generally, and should not take more than 15 minutes to complete. Please do not make homework a punishment. Always refer to it as a positive educational experience of learning and reinforcement of a concept. If your child is struggling with a concept and taking longer than the maximum suggested time to complete the homework, please have your child write me a note confirming that this is all he/she could get done in the suggested time limit for grade level homework.
There are 6 Units per year; therefore, 2 Units are completed per trimester. Each Unit takes the class about 4-5 weeks to complete.
Students are tested on each of the skills mentioned above during each Unit. Access to all material needed for tests and quizzes can be found on the electronic textbooks assigned. The way to study for these tests is to review notes taken, review textbook, listen and participate in class, learn the skills in class, and complete the required activities.
For 3rd and 5th Grade there are also weekly vocabulary quizzes. The words are taken from their Journey’s textbook on Think Central. There are Vocabulary Context Cards for each story that the students will use to study from as well as flashcards on Quizlet. Be sure to ask your child to show you these amazing study tools!
What are the required materials to bring each day to Reading Class?
I-Pad charged and ready to work on
All required apps and codes (Gradelink, Keynote or Powerpoint, and Pages)
Black pens, sharpened pencils, and erasers
Notebook with perforated paper
Composition Notebook
What is my Discipline Policy?
I meet with your child everyday for 50-55 minutes and there is much to be covered, so my discipline policy is as follows:
Step 1: I will talk with your child about the behavior that is causing concern and make him/her aware of the problem and try to come up with a positive solution.
Step 2: Student will bring home the corresponding Conduct Slip or Responsibility Notice that will need your signature and returned by the student the following day. I will follow-up with a phone call home by 6pm that same day.
Step 3: Student will call home and request a Family Meeting to talk about problem. I ask you to problem solve together as a family that evening. Please have child ready to share the ideas/solutions that were agreed upon at the Family Meeting with me the following day.
Step 4: I will request a conference with parent and child.
Step 5: A referral of the student will be sent to Principal or Vice
Principal.
What makes up my child’s grade in Reading?
For 3rd
25% In class work/participation
25% Unit Tests
15% Phonics Quizzes
15% Story Quizzes
10% Vocabulary Quizzes
8% Homework
2% Summer Summaries (First Trimester only)
5th Grade:
30% In class work/participation
25% Unit Tests
10% Phonics Quizzes
15% Story Quizzes
10% Vocabulary Quizzes
8% Homework
2% Summer Summaries (First Trimester only)
For 3rd, 5th Grade:
Points will be taken off for work with no name!
Make-up tests are given on Thursday after school. You will be sent home a permission slip to sign.
Make-up homework is addressed in the Parent Handbook. Please read the Handbook carefully. While reading the Handbook please read the section on Student Code of Conduct with your child. Please also read the Communication Policy.
The allotted times for ALL homework for ALL subjects in 3rd and 4th grade is approx. 1 hour; 5th grade is approx. 1 ½ hours. Gradelink is a calendar that will allow each teacher, in all subjects, to post homework and upcoming test dates daily for each grade. Also each student is responsible for writing daily assignments in their assignment books. Homework and test dates will also be listed on the WhiteBoard for students to copy in an assignment book if they choose to do so. Absent students are responsible for finding out homework from a “homework buddy”.
Students have ONE week to make up any missing schoolwork due to absence for ANY reason.PLEASE READ THIS IN THE STUDENT HANDBOOK. Any pre-assigned work that a student was in class to receive and misses turning in due to absence on the day it is due, the work is due the next day they arrive at school for full credit.
How is the AR program being used this year?
For Grade 3 and 5: Please check your child’s AR app midway through each trimester to monitor and help assist your child to meet their trimester goal! There is an “AR Connect Parent Letter” on Gradelink. Please make sure to read this and become familiar with how to access your child’s AR progress. Please look at it periodically to keep yourself informed. We encourage your child to take AR’s on any summer reading or any completed books as these will apply toward his/her “Independent Reading” grade on his/her report cards. These books are primarily books that the students read outside of the reading class; however, occasionally the students will be allowed to take an AR test on a book read in class and the points will go towards the student’s overall goal. The new program will be based on the individual student’s goal setting. The student’s reading levels will be determined by the STAR Reading results (a computerized test taken in computer class each trimester). NO AR TESTS CAN BE TAKEN AT HOME. There will be an AR Assembly at the end of the year to celebrate student success in the program.
What are the grading percentages?
They are as follows:
3rd Grade:
EA(Excellent Achievement)93-100
PA(Proficient Achievement)80-92
MA(Minimal Achievement)70-79
IA(Insufficient Achievement)69-below
Grade 5:
A97-100
A-93-96
B+90-92
B87-89
B-85-86
C+80-84
C75-79
C-70-74
D65-69
F64 and below
Looking forward to a great year!!
Cynthia Ogle
Reading Teacher