About Our Class

Schedule | Abbreviations | Classroom Expectations and Standards | Home/School Connection |

OUR CLASS SCHEDULE (updated Dec. '09):

SOME HELPFUL SHORTHAND: These are some abbreviations and symbols used frequently in my class:

NND : Written on papers without a proper heading ( name, number, and/or date missing or in the wrong place)
HW : Homework, of course.
CW : Classwork
DD : Dieken’s Den, our weekly newsletter
ws: worksheet – refers to handouts students may get as homework or classwork
(Language Arts abbreviations) Rdg: Reading, Sp: Spelling, Eng: English, Wrtg: Writing (in writing, 'NS' means 'not a sentence')
(Math abbreviations) NS: Number Sense, Alg: Algebra, Geo: Geometry, Meas: Measurement, DA: Data Analysis, PS or MR : Problem-Solving or Math Reasoning.
Sci: Science, SocStd/SS: Social Studies
SQRT: Sustained Quiet Reading Time (commonly known as “Silent Reading”)

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS

All work is to be done in cursive. Some assignments, such as crossword puzzles, are exempt and should be written in printed capital letters.
Written work should have a proper heading as pictured at the left. Work without a heading may not be accepted and may earn a zero; work with an incorrect heading may lose points.
All work should have your child’s number on the top right corner. Your child is certainly not a number to me, but being able to sort papers by number eases the paper-sorting chores for our student helpers.
Homework should be handed in on the day it is due. Avoid handing it in ahead of time; I do not accept it (except in rare cases involving big projects.)
Late homework may not be accepted, except when accompanied by a parent note.
Missed, incomplete, or late assignments may count as a zero in the grade book. I usually drop the lowest grade in each subject at report card time.
Students should save and organize all returned papers. This organization will come in handy when they get their progress reports at the end of each month.

NEWS – HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION

Emails/notes: Students will email parents if they need to review classroom or school rules.
Dieken’s Den: Your child will bring home our weekly newsletter (called “Dieken’s Den”) in his/her Friday Folder at the end of each week. It will keep you up-to-date on our classroom activities, as well as upcoming events, projects, and other announcements. The newsletter is also posted on the website here!

Mid-Trimester Progress Report: Midway through each trimester (about every six weeks), students will receive a printout of all assignments that have been graded during that trimester. Each assignment, as well as the grade received on that paper, is listed. The purpose of the progress report is twofold: 1) students and parents know what grades they’re getting, and 2) they can double check that I’ve accurately entered the grades they received (I can make mistakes, especially in the wee hours of the morning when I’m usually entering grades; this is why it is so important that you save all papers!) Parents are expected to review, sign, and return these the following Monday.

Please note that points are deducted for every day an assignment is late, which can dramatically affect final grades. It is the student’s responsibility to turn in late work! In 5th grade, we want to build good organizational and study skills, and these progress reports have kept students accountable. Thank you for your support in this process.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Absences: The school asks that you call the office to notify them of any absence. You may also email me if you know in advance that your child will be out.
Tardies: The most important teaching of the day often occurs in the minutes following the first morning recess, so it’s important that your child is on time for school.
Lunch: Remind your student to keep lunch tickets in a safe place, not on or in a desk.
Book Orders are a great way to expand your library as well as ours. When you order books, I earn points that allow me to get books for the classroom (most of the books in the classroom library are from book orders). When you order, please send a check (no cash, please) to “Scholastic Book Clubs.”
Textbooks are assigned to students in all academic subjects. To protect and preserve them for future students, all textbooks must be covered! “Booksocks” are great, but paper grocery bags are an inexpensive way to cover books. Students should write their name in the book as well as on the cover, in case they are misplaced. Please do not tape covers directly to the book.

BEHAVIOR POLICY

There are constant guiding principles for behavior. I find that concentrating on building these principles at the beginning of the year pays off for the rest of the year, by allowing an orderly, functioning classroom where learning can occur, free from fear and interruptions.

Nobody gets hurt: Physical and verbal intimidation, teasing, and sarcasm earn strong consequences.
Each student deserves and receives respect both from me and from fellow classmates.
Each student has my respect from the start: My trust, however, has to be earned.
All adults at the school deserve respect. There is no talking back to adults, ignoring adults, or running from adults. Students who feel they have been treated unfairly by an adult will respond to the problem by discussing it with the adult or with me. Pouting is not a useful or appropriate response to disagreements with adults at the school.
All students are expected to do the right thing in school – in the halls, in the multipurpose room, on the turf – even when nobody is looking, regardless of what other students are doing.
Doing the right thing is rarely rewarded with treats, tokens, or stickers. This can result in kids who behave only when rewarded. However, loss of privileges can occur for not doing the right thing.
Good behavior does have consequences and is certainly reinforced. Groups can earn “Fun Lunch,” one day out of the week where students can invite one friend to eat their lunch in the classroom with me. I don’t provide any food, just an ear for whatever it is they have to say.
Super 8 Rules: “Kids will be kids.” Students don’t always get along. Problems will be solved appropriately, by discussion and negotiation, not with force. Problems and differences occur and can interfere with learning. Learning to handle these differences responsibly is a big step toward growing up:

Take turns.
Share.
Ignore it.
Say, “I’m sorry.”

5. Talk it over - Listen!

6. Walk away.

7. Do something else.

8. Ask for help as a last resort.

HOMEWORK POLICY

Homework assignments are posted daily here. Check out the links page for homework help.

Homework is usually reinforcement or practice for a concept or skill previously learned in class. Less often, homework is assigned as an introductory activity for a new concept or skill.
Written homework is usually assigned four times each week, Monday through Thursday.
Daily homework will usually take no longer than 30-40 minutes to complete. If your child is consistently taking longer to complete homework, please contact me. (Note that students have at least a half hour each day in class to work on homework.)
Other at-home activities may also be assigned, such as spelling word study, multiplication tables, as well as daily reading (students should read at least 20-30 minutes every day). In addition, special projects may involve weekend homework.
Written assignments include all of the subjects, with reading, spelling, writing, and math taking precedence. I do attempt to strike a balance between worksheets and other higher-level homework activities, such as graphing, charting, observing, etc., depending on the needs of the class.
All homework must have correct heading according to classroom expectations and standards.
Homework must be done in cursive .
Daily homework is usually graded only for being returned on time and for being completed according to directions. I do grade one or two HW assignments each week for academic content, but the students don’t know which ones. Some students may have modified assignments.

GRADING POLICY

I tell my students that I don’t give grades, they earn them. Grading is a controversial subject, and I would like to take a little of the mystery out of grading for you. Students hand in their papers to team leaders, who put them in subject files. Every day, my administrative assistants and I go through work handed in and track it using checklists. Usually, students who haven’t handed in work are notified and given a chance to find it and sometimes complete it. This means that, yes, students are told almost daily when work and homework aren’t turned in. Officially, I don’t allow make-up work, but unofficially, I do notice the effort (or lack thereof).

When I became an upper grade teacher, I looked forward to finally giving the students letter grades (A, B, C, etc.) However, that was the year the district adopted a 4-point rubric, rather than letter grades, to show a student’s progress in school. Let me translate what those numbers mean:

4 – A student is “exceeding” grade level standards when he/she:

consistently does more than is required to do.
has unusual dependability in following directions and completing assignments.
takes an active part in class discussions.
has enthusiasm for, and interest in, the work.
welcomes and appreciates suggestions.

3 – A student is “meeting” grade level standards when he/she:

does what is required.
attempts to follow directions and usually completes assignments.
is reasonably thorough and prompt in completing work.
attempts to participate in class discussions.
has average neatness and accuracy in all work, but could improve.
accepts correction, but does not “reach” to improve.
has satisfactory understanding of a concept.

2 or 1* – A student is “below” grade level standards when he/she:

does less than, or fails to do, required assignments.
is often irregular in following directions.
is lacking in materials needed for class work and projects.
is careless in preparation and presentation of assignments.
is not interested in correcting or revising work to raise grades.

Note: a ‘2’ is said to be “approaching” grade level standards.
Think of a ‘4’ as a ‘high A’, ‘3’ as ‘A/B’, ‘2’ as ‘C/D’, and ‘1’ as an ‘F.’

Grades are entered into a computer program (I use ClassMate). Homework and classwork (including class participation) count for half of the grade, and tests/projects count for the other half. A full report is sent home each month, detailing assignments and grades up to that point. I think it’s important for parents to be fully aware of their child’s progress and why they’re earning the grades they’re receiving. Feel free to email me whenever you have a question about grades or progress.

Tests: Tests have become a fact of life at school. The tests are given at the end of each unit of study to assess what students have learned. I don’t use standardized and mandated tests for grades, however. Those tests show how I am doing, rather than the student.
Projects: Projects and reports show how well each student can use what we’ve learned. They also help the students express their creativity.
Daily grades: I don’t grade all daily work; we correct them together. The papers are checked for punctuality and following the correct format. Students are also expected to make corrections on all homework. In addition, most writing is graded.
Observation: I take note of daily work, homework, and work not easily graded (such as oral reading), and compile these into frequent observation grades.
Progress: No matter what level a child is on, it is important that he or she continues to make progress.
Participation: Students who take an active part in learning do better.
Effort: If a student isn’t trying, his or her grade may reflect that.

While our report cards only reflect ‘solid’ 4, 3, 2, or 1, I tend to put pluses (+) and minuses (-) on students’ papers so that they and their parents have a better idea of where they really are on the grading scale.

Grading Scale:

97-100 = 4

90-96 = 3+ 85-89 = 3 80-84 = 3-

75-79 = 2+ 67-74 = 2 60-66 = 2-

below 59 = 1

MATERIALS

While the school provides most of these items, it wouldn’t hurt if your child has these available to him/her, especially at home. Any items brought to school should be labeled with the child’s name!

Pencils, pens (black or blue for work, colored for grading), highlighter (no gel pens, please – hard to see)
Erasers (white erasers are better than the pink rubber kind - doesn't tear paper)
Notebook
loose-leaf, wide-lined notebook paper (I won’t accept assignments on tear-out paper – the ragged edges make it difficult to sort piles of assignments.)
1" 3-ring binder with pockets
scissors, crayons, and a glue stick
hand-held calculator
ruler
book covers

OPTIONAL MATERIALS

pencil box (so crayons, pencils, etc. last more than just a week)
backpack (especially to carry home textbooks and library books)
box of tissue (If everyone brings in a box, we’ll have enough to last the year!)

WISH LIST (updated 12-11-09)

We have been fortunate over the years to have received some wonderful donations to our class. Here are items that are most helpful and much appreciated:

6" x 9" white boards (such as the ones at http://www.abcstuff.com/items/LB022.html) - we need 5 sets of 10
Expo dry erase markers
ink cartridges for our classroom printer: HP Deskjet 932 takes HP45 and HP78, HP K5400 Officejet uses HP88 XL black, yellow, magenta, and cyan cartridges

hard candy (Jolly Ranchers, Werther's Original, Root Beer barrels)
pre-margined, 3-hole punched paper (8 1/2" x 11") - wide ruled
No. 2 pencils
white erasers
graph paper
green, or red pens
Sharpies/permanent markers (regular and fine point)
facial tissues/Kleenex
headphones for computers
stationery (for creative writing)
jelly balls for recess
OR gift cards to Target, Staples, or Amazon.com.