Middle School Reading



September 3, 2019

5th Grade Reading and Writing

Philip Rogers School

2019-2020 School Year

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

The fifth grade team and I would like to welcome you and your child back to Rogers for the 2019-2020 academic year! My name is Jami Tillis, and this year, I will be your child’s reading teacher. This is my eighth year at Rogers, and I am so excited to be your child’s partner in exploring the vast world of literature. I graduated from Northeastern Illinois University with a degree in English and a history endorsement; therefore, I will be doing a lot of interdisciplinary work between the two certifications. In addition, I have two masters degrees—one being in ESL, and I look forward to providing the services that your child needs!

Fifth grade will embark on a momentous journey—learning and discussing everyday life themes, such as: determination, perseverance, growth & transformation, and family & friend relationships. They will do this through the shared and independent reading of the novels: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, The Watson’s Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanna Li, and Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okafora. In addition to these titles, they will read many more texts in small groups and independently. They will engage in meaningful conversations about their lives, as well as the lives of the different characters that they meet during this journey.

The aim of our class is to create readers and writers who are able to comprehend a variety of selections, then analyze, synthesize, and apply what they read through writing and speaking in a clearly developed manner. Below are all grading policies that you should know.

School Wide Grading Scale

A 90-100

B 80-89

C 70-79

D 60-69

F 59 and below

Basis of Reading Grades

Category Evidence

Word Study (30%) Vocabulary, word part quizzes, and 20 word Challenge

Classwork (30%) Projects, Essays, W.A.R Reflections

Assessments (30%) Content Exams on minilessons and novels

Homework (10%) 20 minutes of daily reading

Two paragraph reading response journal with

parent signature (Weekly on Fridays)

Three Passed (70%) Readtheory quizzes a week

Basis of Writing Grades

Category Evidence

Language Acquisition/Grammar (20%) Grammar Quizzes given every Thursday

Writing Process (50%) Check Ins for completion of writing process steps

Final Papers (30%) Typed papers, two each per quarter

Parents, students should be reading at home at least an hour a week. Every Friday, beginning Friday, September 13th, students will have reading response journals due on their reading for the week. They will choose one of many prompts a week, and write about their reading that week. Parents, you must sign off on their letter for them to receive credit. Feel free to read with them or to them, but please only sign if you know their reading is complete. Also on Fridays by the end of student’s class time, students will have to have passed three Readtheory quizzes complete as well. At open house, I will delve into further detail about how you can check for completion at home.

Parents/Guardians, please sign below to show: full understanding and approval of the homework policy, coursework syllabus, and any films that we may watch related to the content of the class. Please send signed sheet with your child Wednesday, September 4th. Anything you would like me to know about your child, please write on this sheet or email me at JTillis3@cps.edu. Feel free to email me to schedule an appointment as well. I look forward to having a great academic school year with your child!

Kind Regards,

Ms. Jami Tillis

Cut here -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reading and Writing in 205

_____Yes, I fully understand and approve the homework policy, the coursework syllabus, and my child may read the aforementioned novels and watch any related films this school year.

Parent name (print)_______________________

Signature_______________________

Email & phone number_____________________________

Best time and way to contact you:___________________________________

Language(s) spoken at home by parents________________________

If you do not mark an X, please explain your concern below. If there is any information that I need to know about your child, write below.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download