Syllabus/Genera-Page | 1
5th Grade Syllabus (Mrs. Genera’s class)
Contact Information:
· Mrs. Tammy Genera
· Phone: (916) 714-0106, Fax: (916) 714-0828
· Email:
· Class Website: http://blogs.egusd.net/MrsGenera
· School Website: http://www.egusd.net/carroll
Background Information About Mrs. Genera
I grew up and attended elementary through high school in Elk Grove Unified. I have a Bachelor’s Degree (UCSC) and Credential and Master’s Degree (UCD). I’ve taught in both San Jose and Elk Grove. I have been teaching since Fall 2004 and have teaching experiences in 3rd through 6th grade.
I am married. My husband’s name is Ricardo. I have a stepdaughter, named Trinity, who is 10 years old, and a daughter, Alexis, who is 5 years old, and in Kindergarten at Carroll.
My role models are my parents and my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Fonseca, with whom I am still in touch.
I love teaching! My favorite subjects are Math and Science!!! And I love mochas!
Expectations (inside and outside of the classroom)
1. Be Safe.
2. Be Responsible.
3. Be Respectful.
4. Be Hardworking.
In fifth grade, students are learning to be more independent and responsible individuals. They only have 2 more years of elementary school so it is essential for them to gain control of themselves within these two years before entering middle school, where expectations are even higher.
I will be helping and providing opportunities for them to gain these skills- through homework and class assignments. Please help me by keeping your students accountable.
Here are some of my expectations of students:
O Complete all assigned work in a timely manner
O Ask questions when necessary or if concepts are unclear
O Treat each other with respect and care
Expectations of families:
O Help your child learn these skills that are essential to his/her future
O Communicate with me regarding issues or concerns
O Give me feedback on what works well and what does not work well
We will be using Money System for both Positive and Negative Behavior.
CLASS MONEY SYSTEM
Ways to Earn Money
5-50 / Outstanding behavior30/week / Weekly Jobs
10-50 / Compliments from another staff member, Principal, VP, District Personnel
Ways to Use Money
10 / Violation of Expectations (safe, responsible, respectful, hardworking)10 / Use restroom (you get one free one each week)
10 / Incomplete homework
10 / Missing Communication Folder
10 / Replace a pencil
10 / Replace a worksheet (per page)
30 / Sit with a friend for a day (each person has to pays)
200 / Drawing Day (30 mins)
200 / PE Game (30 mins extra, student choice)
200 / Dessert Day (30 mins- once per trimester)
300 / Video at Lunch Recess
300 / Pajama Day, Flip Flops and/or Slippers Day (in class)
300 / Bring your stuffed animal to school Day
500 / No Homework Day (once per trimester)
5/day / Take over someone’s job for the day (person with job pays other person)
Each student starts with 100 dollars at the beginning of the year.
If a student runs out of CLASS MONEY, he/she will need to take a note home to get a parent signature. When returned, I will give the student 50 dollars to replenish the money bank.
Excessive behavior violations or missing work will be addressed on an individual basis (phone call or note sent home, conference)
Consequences for Violating Expectations
1st and 2nd Strike
1) $10/ name on Behavior list –Up to 2 times of losing $10
3rd Strike
1) No Recess or Lose Privilege (such as PE Game or Class Game)
4th Strike
1) Note home/ signature required the following day
2) If it is not back the next day with parent signature- student loses recess
3) If not back the following day after that, teacher/student will contact family to notify
5th Strike
1) Lose Backer Park (Mag Month) or another Fieldtrip
Any further problems will result in a Citation or Conference to figure out an alternative behavior plan.
State Standards Implementation and Curriculum
The State Standards was adopted by our district a few years ago to align with most other states in the U.S. It is highly rigorous and requires lots of practice in looking for concrete examples in multiple sources. In our class, are shifting to a much more rigorous approach and will be learning to take lots of notes to practice extracting important and key concepts/ideas and supporting details.
For more information, please look over the links below for further details.
· For details, the direct website to the State Standards: http://corestandards.org/the-standards
· EGUSD CCSS Blog- our school district’s interpretation and implantation of the new standards: http://blogs.egusd.net/ccss/
I will be using the reading textbook (OPEN COURT), social studies textbook (HARCOURT REFLECTIONS), and various other sources (novels, magazine articles, essays, poetry, music, videos, movies) to teach thematic units. In these thematic units, students will learn how to read and extract information that are essential to the key ideas, they will be taking notes (Cornell method), analyze similarities and differences, and make conclusions based on the information and evidence that is found. They will practice testing the validity of information in history. Themes: Heritage, Early American History (Native Americans), European Exploration, Colonization, and Building the United States
We will be using GO Math! Your child will be learning multiple ways to do math problems to give your child a deeper understanding of how math works and to come up with their own testable methods in solving problems. PLEASE DO NOT TEACH THEM A SHORTCUT ALGORITHM (as the last generation of schooling- it ruins the experience for the student.) Decomposition and the Distributive Property are big concepts to learn and know.
In science, we are using the science textbook (CALIFORNIA SCIENCE) and SPLASH Vernal Pool Lessons. We will focus three major areas of science: physical science (atoms, molecules, chemical reactions), earth science (weather, air pressure), and life science (food web, human body systems, family life in May). We will be taking notes and pulling important facts. Students will be conducting lab experiments using the scientific process.
Additional Curriculum
· Vocabulary and Spelling Wordly Wise and Greek & Latin Roots
· Step Up to Writing program for paragraph, essay writing, note-taking
· Physical Education
o Taught twice a week by Mr. Sean Quidgeon for 40 minutes each session
o I will be adding one additional PE session for fitness components or class game depending on need
o Fitness tests in the April and May
· Computers
o Weekly with Resource Teacher, Mrs. Terri Washington, in the computer lab
o Chromebooks in the classroom
Schedule
Typical Daily Schedule
8:00 / Morning Routine (Wordly Wise, Daily Math)8:40 / Math
9:50 / Recess
10:05 / Snack and Continue Math
10:30 / Reading/Social Studies-Thematic Study- ELA
11:45 / Lunch
12:25 / Homework Log
12:35 / Continue Reading/Social Studies
1:15 / Science
2:30 / Dismissal
Wednesday: Late start days. School starts at 8:50. Dismissal is still at 2:30.
Weekly Routines: Days and times for these may also change depending on scheduling each month. Computer Lab
· Library
· PE: 2 to 3 times a week
Fieldtrips
We have several field trips planned for this year for enrichment purposes. Some are:
· Magnificent Month at Backer Park (Monthly, as reward system for completed work and good behavior) - Free
· SPLASH- Science Vernal Pools (Winter/Spring) - About $10-$15
· Franklin High Play Production (Spring) - About $5
· End-of-Year Celebration - About $15-$20
Homework
Students will be expected to write their assignments on the Homework Log each day.
· Assigned Monday through Thursday
· Takes about 1 ½ hours, usually 3 assignments daily from list below:
o Reading: 20 minutes (first trimester) to 30 minutes (second and third trimester) or other assignments
o Math: goes with current lesson
o Spelling: from Wordly Wise list, Test on alternating Fridays
o Science: goes with current lesson or writing activity
o Social Studies:goes with current lesson or writing activity
o Writing: drafting assignments within the writing process
Occasionally, students will be given long-term projects in addition to the 90 minutes of daily homework.
Please let me know if your child is spending more than 90 minutes on a regular basis so that we could adjust the amount of homework.
Absences and Late work Policy:
· All assignments are turned in the following day. However, if your child doesn’t have it at that time, he/she will be penalized class money unless a note from a parent/guardian is provided. The assignment is then due byTuesday of the followingweek. Exceptions need to be arranged beforehand if needed.
· Anything not turned in by Tuesday without prior arrangements becomes a permanent “zero” for the grade book and student can no longer make-up the assignment.
Communication with Parents
· Weekly Communication Folders will be sent home of Fridays and need to be returned by Tuesday.
· They will include any flyers, handouts, progress reports or missing work reports, and completed work. Please sign documents that need signatures (progress reports)
· Phone calls, Hand-written notes, E-mails
· Conferences can be made if concerns arise by teacher or parent. Please call or e-mail to set one up.
· Class Website will be used for general information updates. Please do not rely solely on the website for timely communication. A lot of it is student-managed.
Grading· A-90 to 100%,
· B-80 to 89%,
· C-70 to 79%,
· D-60 to 69%,
· F-59% and below
· Composite Grading System- all scores/grades in each subject add up. The percentage is then calculated as a percentage/total score for a grade.
Assessments
Routine Assessments
Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / FridayGreek & Latin Roots Test (Vocabulary) or
Wordly Wise Test (Vocabulary)
Every other week / States and Capitals Test
Every week / Spelling Test
From Greek & Latin Roots of Wordly Wise List
Every other week
Other Assessments
· Math: Chapter Concepts, Mid-Chapter Tests, End-of-Chapter Tests
· Reading and Social Studies: As needed, depending on unit.
· Science: As needed depending on unit. (Quizzes and Chapter Tests)
· PE: Spring Fitness Test in April/May to test Aerobic, Flexibility, Abdominal Strength
Supplies
School provides basic materials such as:
· Yellow pencils
· Paper (binder paper and white paper)
Need to Purchase:
· 1 inch or 1- 1/2 inch binder
· 3 spiral notebooks (College-ruled or Wide-ruled- this depends on your child’s handwriting)
· 8 tab dividers
· 10 or more sheet protectors
· Pencil pouch (or pencil box)
· 3 JUMBO size book covers for textbooks
Donation Items Request:
· Tissue boxes *really need this*
· Disinfecting Wipes *really need this*
· Glue sticks *really need this*
· Hand sanitizer
· Sharpies
· Dry erase markers
· Scotch Tape
· Post-It notes
Donations for Computer Lab:
· Tissue boxes *really need this*
· Hand sanitizer bottles *really need this*
Ways Parents Can Help Their Child Achieve in School
1. Provide your child with a quiet time and place to do homework each day.
2. Try to be engaged in your child’s learning by asking them questions each day:
· How was your day?
· What did you do in _____ (subjects reading, math, science, etc.)?
· Did you understand what you learned today?
· Did you have fun at school today?
· And if the response is something vague or simple, ask further questions and probe for more. I believe that if you keep asking and requiring more details, the students will learn to force more short-term memory information to long-term memory. It may not work at first, but if you’re consistent, your child will feel more inclined to try to remember something to share with you.
3. Challenge your child’s curiosity by giving them more opportunities to question the world around them. Plant in his/her head that LEARNING IS AWESOME! Give them access to the public library (they could get a library card for free!), internet, and take them to different places (Sacramento area is full of places to discover).
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. – African Proverb-
Revised July 13, 2015