News and Announcements about Readers’ Workshop

We begin our 5th grade year in Readers’ Workshop with a Launching Unit, so all students learn the structure, routines, and skills needed to work successfully during Readers’ Workshop.  By deliberately building a strong foundation for successful independent work, I am able to work with small groups and individuals all year long, while the rest of the class remains productive.  For returning students, this unit contains some review.

We are currently working on the skills necessary to reflect on and write about our reading in thoughtful ways that push our thinking to a deeper,  more sophisticated level of analysis and understanding.  Each day as students read, they quickly jot down their thinking (predictions, character analyses, connections, etc).  Then, at the end of Readers’ Workshop each day, students spend ten full minutes reflecting on their thinking and writing several paragraphs to expand on their ideas.  At times they will write in an open-ended way, and at other times I will assign a specific reading strategy to use in the writing as a form of assessment.  The daily practice will help all students become stronger, more reflective readers and writers.  These entries will be kept in a journal, enabling them (and you) to see the growth from the beginning of the year.  We will work more on developing our reflection and thinking skills as a major focus for next week.

Other routines that we will begin are spelling and grammar work.  Students will have spelling tests and lessons on Fridays, and are able to work on their spelling work packets throughout the week in class and at home.  Packets will be due each Friday.  We use a developmental spelling approach, which is supported by research that shows kids go through spelling stages in a predictable way, and benefit from working on spelling skills and patterns to generalize to other words that contain similar patterns.  Grammar work will begin in a few weeks, and will be assigned on Mondays and due on Fridays.  Students will practice punctuation, parts of speech, mechanics, editing, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, homophones, figures of speech, and more.  

Our next unit which will begin in October will be focused on Literature Circles Exploring the 5 Themes of Geography, and we will focus on reading strategies.  As we begin that unit I will send more information.

Please let me know if you have any questions!  You can reach me at wendym@mpsvt.org or call the office at 225-8621.

-Wendy McGuggan

Homework

To the families in Wendy McGuiggan's Homeroom, 

We have had a great transition back to school, and are starting the routine of having nightly homework.  Each night, your child should read for at least 20 minutes and write a reflection of his/her reading.  This will be part of his/her reading grade.  A reading log went home with your child today that explains the expectations.  The reading can be independent or with a parent.  A completed reading log will be due every Friday.

If you haven't already been checking it, please support your child by checking his/her planner every night.  Every school day should have something written down (even if it's "NO HOMEWORK!").  If your child is leaving the planner blank, then he/she needs some support to increase responsibility in that area.  Also, you can check the weekly homework by going to the mpsvt.org/msms and clicking on "Core Teams" then "5th Grade" and "Homework."  Here's a direct link:  https://sites.google.com/a/mpsvt.org/5th-grade/

Your child already knows how to access this page.  Also on the page you'll notice some geography links.  Ask your child about his/her country project and find out whether he/she needs support at home to finish the project on time.  We will work on it in class through Friday, and projects are due Monday morning, allowing any unfinished projects to be completed at home.

Please feel free to reach out to me at wendym@mpsvt.org.  

Take care, 

Wendy McGuiggan

Listening

We will focus on LISTENING for the next few weeks, an important theme that will re-emerge throughout the year.  Today, we listened to unfamiliar sounds and interpreted them visually through drawing.  We noticed that though there are some similarities, we all listen in very different ways.  Here are the sounds that we listened to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHEVo-LkDrQ
http://www.andreasbick.de/en/downloads/?article=69
http://www.naturesoundmap.com/listing/drake-eiders-displaying/
http://www.naturesoundmap.com/listing/antarctica-iceberg/

Ask your child about the experience!

Planners and Home-School Folders

Hello families!  We have had two fun, busy, and productive days together.  You should know that your child now has a green home-school folder and a student planner.  EVERY DAY your child should bring these home, and they should come back to school the following day.  If there's homework, it will be in the planner.  If there's no homework, then the day will also indicate that.  Please email me if you have any questions or concerns at wendym@mpsvt.org.

Start Time on The First Day: 8am

School will normally begin at 8:15 on Wednesdays, but on the first day, we will start at 8.  This is the only Wednesday that will have an 8am start time.  Between 7:30 and 8 your child can go to the library or cafeteria.  Also, though the playground is closed due to lack of supervision, students may spend time outside the front of the building before the school day begins.

Reminder: Open Classroom Visit 5:30-6:30 on 8/19

Our room is slowly transforming from a pile of furniture and boxes into a real classroom.  A small group of students came in on a nice summer day to help unpack our class library, which was a huge help!  I hope that you can make it this Wednesday evening to see the almost finished room.

Welcome To MSMS!

August 10, 2015

Hello 5th graders and families!

I hope you are enjoying your last few weeks of summer.  I can't wait to hear about all the exciting things you did over the break!  I spent a great deal of my summer hiking, camping, running with my dog, and planning for a challenging and engaging new year with you.  Also, I am very pleased to tell you that my husband and I are expecting our first child at the end of December!  I will keep you up to date with information regarding maternity leave as my due date approaches.

I am currently unpacking our new classroom, and I am thrilled with the quality of the new construction.  The 5th grade will host an informal tour of the new spaces on Wednesday, August 19th from 5:30-6:30pm.  I hope that you will attend to get a feel for our new learning spaces, to connect with classmates old and new, and to help ease the transition back to school.

I am very excited for 5th grade at Main Street Middle School, in which we will study geography, molecules and organisms, states of matter, ecosystems, decimals, multi-digit division, non-fiction, and historical fiction among many other things.  Just like last year, math will be with Mrs. Parker, and all other subjects will be taught by me.  We will delve deeply in Revolutionary War studies, integrating visual art, music, movement, and theater into our learning to produce an original musical theater production with the support of teaching artists.  At the end of the year, we will go on a field trip to Boston, Massachusetts, a long-standing 5th grade tradition.  I will give you more information about this as we begin the year.  

As you savor these last weeks of summer, you may also be thinking about how to get ready for another school year.  In our classroom some materials are shared to promote community.  Please consider purchasing pencils, erasers, wide-ruled lined paper, dry erase markers, and tissues for the classroom.  Additionally, each student will need 3 wide-ruled composition books and a 3 ring binder.

In addition to school supplies for learning indoors, we will continue to spend a day every other week outdoors for ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) integrating the natural world into science and literacy curriculum, and each 5th grader will need gear to stay comfortable and safe throughout the seasons.  You will need:  rain pants, a rain jacket with hood, and mud boots (or winter boots) for the fall.  By November 1st you will need:  long underwear bottoms, long underwear top, wool or fleece tops, snow pants, snow jacket, wool or fleece socks (not cotton), boots (insulated and warm), hat (wool or fleece), 2 pairs gloves or mittens (not cotton), neck warmer or scarf (not cotton).  Please let me know if you need help obtaining any of these items.

I maintain a class blog found at:  http://wendyswonderfulclass.blogspot.com/.  I will update the blog weekly during the year and keep families up to date with our learning in the classroom.  You will find important dates and events listed on the blog.  I can also print out updates and send them home if you would prefer, just let me know.

Please feel free to contact me by email at wendym@mpsvt.org.  I will let you know the new classroom phone number during the classroom tour next week, as the phone is not yet hooked up.  I look forward to working with all of you this year.  See you soon!

Your teacher,

Wendy McGuiggan