2. Hello! My name is Kim Gades, and I will be your child’s homeroom, Social Studies, and Grammar teacher this year. This is my second year teaching 5 th and 6h grade at Minneota, and I love it! I really enjoy seeing the kids grow throughout the school year! I am originally from Adrian, MN. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, watching baseball, swimming, and spending time with family and friends.

3. 5 th grade is different from other years of elementary. Your child will have 4 different teachers for the 4 core subjects. I teach Social and Grammar, Mr. Larson teaches Math, Miss Latzig teaches Reading, and Mrs. Gillingham teaches Science. Your child will be moving classrooms throughout the day to each of the teachers.

4. BAM Board -The BAM board is part of our behavior management program. Students will receive checks if they misbehave, have late work, don’t have assignment books signed, or forget needed materials for class. If they earn 3 checks in a single day, they will have a detention the following night after school from 3:15-3:45 and a detention note will be sent home for you to sign off on. On the positive side, everyday your child doesn’t receive a check they will receive a sticker on their BAM board chart. When a child fills their chart with stickers, they can pick a prize from the prize bucket. We also add up ‘stars’ and students use them to buy things at our quarter parties.

5. Morning Snack & Water Bottles– Since we eat so late in the day (12:20), we allow kids to bring a snack to eat mid-morning. I have a fridge in my room which students can use. Please send healthy snacks—a candy bar or suckers doesn’t quite cut it. Also, water bottles are welcomed in our rooms. If students are using refillable bottles they should be taken home every Friday for a good cleaning.

6. 8:00-8:15 8:15-8:40 8:40-9:05 9:05-9:55 9:55-10:55 11:00-12:00 12:00-12:20 Attendance Music(M,W)/Library(T,Th) Phy Ed Title/SpEd pullouts Enrichment Acts. Social/Grammar Math Homeroom

7. 12:20-1:00 1:00-2:00 2:05-3:05 Reading Science Planners/ Dismissal

8. Time: 9:55-10:55 5 th Grade Social Studies Miss Gades will be your child’s social studies teacher. We will be using Pearson’s myWorld Social Studies: Building Our Country. The focus of 5 th grade social studies is US History before the Civil War. So, we’ll spend time on explorers, the first Americans, the Pilgrims, colonization, the American Revolution, building a new nation, expanding the nation, moving to the West, and Civil War and Reconstruction.

9. 6 th Grade Social Studies I am very excited to say that we have a new book for 6 th grade social studies! We will be using an updated version of Northern Lights, a book distributed by the Minnesota Historical Society. The focus of 6 th grade social studies is Minnesota History. So, we’ll be focusing on the first Minnesotans, The Dakota and Anishinabe, settling Minnesota, early Minnesota industries, and how Minnesota was affected during time periods such as the Depression, Civil Rights Era, etc.

10. At the end of each chapter/unit, there will be tests over learned information, vocabulary, mapping, and reading skills. In addition to the curriculum, we will also be doing Current Events and Daily Geography. Current Events: Your child will be responsible for 1 current event per week in the category of Local, Minnesota, or National news. They need to read an article/newscast, summarize it in 3-5 sentences, and present it to the class. More current event information can be found on Miss Gades’s webpage.

11. Daily Geography or DOG: DOG is done in class. Each week the student will receive 10 questions based upon map reading. Answers will be reviewed in class. What makes up my social grade? 50%—Chapter/Unit Tests 25%—Daily Work (worksheets, projects, etc.) 15%—Current Events 10%—DOG

12. Time: during Social Studies Miss Gades will be your child’s language arts/grammar teacher. We will follow the Journeys book and focus on 1-2 grammar skills each week. At the beginning of a week, students will receive a DOL and a grammar packet which are to be completed and turned in as instructed. Each Friday, there will be a 10 point grammar test. Tests are worth 50% of your child’s grammar grade. Notes on grammar are available on Miss Gades’s school website.

13. Daily Oral Language or DOL: DOL is done in class. Each week the student will receive 10 sentence full of mistakes. Their job is to find the mistakes and correct them. Answers will be reviewed in class. What makes up my grammar grade? 50%—Weekly Skills Tests 35%—Daily Work (grammar packets/worksheets) 15%—DOL

14. Time: 11:00-12:00 Mr. Larson will be your child’s math teacher. In 5 th grade, Everyday Math is used as the curriculum. In addition, your child will do DOM problems each day and take periodic DOM quizzes. See Mr. Larson’s webpage for DOM notes and any other math information!

15. Time: 1:00-2:00 Mrs. Gillingham will be your child’s science teacher. Science uses Science: A Closer Look. During science, your child works on developing an academic science vocabulary, working on outlines, and performing experiments. At the end of each chapter, students will take a test.

16. Time: 2:05-3:05 Miss Latzig will be your child’s reading teacher. Our reading program uses Journeys. Each week the class will focus on one story from the text. At the end of stories and units, students will take a test over their comprehension and reading skills learned. In addition, your child will receive an At Home Reading to do each weekend.

17. Each week your child will receive a list of 20 spelling words along with 5 challenge words taken from their weekly story in Journeys. They will also receive a 3 page spelling packet from Miss Latzig on Mondays. Each page has a set due date to be turned in. Page 1-Tuesdays, Page 2-Thursdays, Page 3 Fridays. Spelling tests will be given on Fridays.

18. Time: during Reading Writing is taught during the reading block with Miss Latzig. We will be following the 4 square method of writing. In addition to the daily work assigned by Miss Latzig, we will be compiling group journals as part of weekend homework. Instructions for each of the group journals can be found in the notebooks. Two pieces of writing from 5 th grade will go into your child’s cumulative folder—a how-to paragraph and a persuasive paragraph.

19. Each student will receive an Assignment Notebook by the first day of school. THEY are responsible for filling it out each day. Assignments will also be listed in homeroom at the end of each day. Homework should be turned it AT THE BEGINNING of the school day BEFORE Music/Library and Phy Ed. Failure to do so will result in a check on the BAM Board and having to spend noon time in ZAP.

20. In May, the 5 th grade will be taking a trip to Lake Shetek and to End-O-Line Railroad in Currie. Watch for more information in the Spring! AR Trips: Each quarter, your child will receive an AR point goal. If he/she makes it, they will be allowed to attend a special trip. (Examples: movie theater, planetarium, ice skating, bowling, YMCA, etc.)