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Fifth Grade Teachers Chatboard

Advice for a secondary school teacher-in-training?

by lostsubteacher

Jun 1, 2012

Hi,

As a substitute teacher, I've had an insane time with middle school students, especially the sixth and seventh graders. I'm probably approaching them the wrong way. I worked with older teenagers, 17-19, during student teaching and never really did a lot with younger students. I've tried to treat the middle school students like adults,...See More

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planning for next year

by roundstanley

Jun 4, 2012

Midway through this past year I found a new site that starts off every morning for my students. It is Daily Starter and it has LA, math, some kind of daily "moment" for grades K-8. So if you are one of those plan down to the minute people over the summer take a look at this one before you waste time doing your own daily work pages.

[link ...See More

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Lady Truth that was great. I loved the daily vocabulary word. Thanks for sharing!

On 6/04/12, roundstanley wrote: > Midway through this past year I found a new site that > starts off every morning for my students. It is Daily > Starter and it has LA, math, some kind of daily "moment" > for grades K-8. So if you are one of those plan down ...See More

Jun 6, 2012

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Move from kndg. to 5th

by Allison Thomas

Jun 5, 2012

I am being moved from kindergarten after 12 years to 5th grade comm. arts (not my idea). Any suggestions on classroom management, read alouds, anything? I am willing to take any suggestions.

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Sara Kids are being exposed to more than I would like, but I think what > they are seeing on TV and reading online is way more damaging than > what they are reading in books. Am I the only teacher that feels > this way?

Well, no, you're not alone. I think both the violence and sheer tasteless junk that's on television now is appalling...See MoreKids are being exposed to more than I would like, but I think what > they are seeing on TV and reading online is way more damaging than > what they are reading in books. Am I the only teacher that feels > this way?

Well, no, you're not alone. I think both the violence and sheer tasteless junk that's on television now is appalling - films are even worse in their portrayal of violence than tv. And yes, I think it risks desensitizing children and adults too. We've become a very thoughtless society - we don't really reflect on what we're doing or whether something is worth doing or if it's uplifting in any way. We seem to seek solely to be entertained and to be entertained, we have developed a higher and higher (or lower and lower) threshhold. What was entertaining 20 years ago doesn't work anymore - it needs to be edgier all the time, it needs to be more and more shocking. Which renders many things not shocking at all as we do become desensitized.

Hence, reality tv. Now it's not enough to watch a tasteless plot line of a soap opera or situation comedy. Now we seem to need our fix to be real or at least staged in a way that it looks real. We want real shock on people's faces - "Cheaters" - we want to see people's real discomfort "Swapping Wives". We (not me) want real confrontation. We seem to thrill to that and nothing less will do.

But that I believe all that doesn't mean that I've thrown my own teacher's judgment out the window and jumped on the bandwagon of the casual embrace of portrayed violence in my classroom. I'm rather dismayed with the popularity of the Hunger Games though I'm happy kids are reading. But the object of the game was to kill all the other children? The Bones or that novel the premise of which was the murder of a young girl by a sick neighbor - I wouldn't have it in my classroom but if they want to read that on their own time, I'm left to be glad that at least they're reading.

The difficult times in which we live and the struggle to prevail in the face of things likely explains why kids would embrace such a book though I recoil from it and would have trouble using it in a class. Will either of those books stand any test of time at all?

But I do use The Giver in class and our 8th grade reads Night - there's real violence in that...I will not use Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings though one of my colleagues does - I find the graphic depiction of sexual abuse to a child as portrayed in that book to be unworthy of my 7th graders who, yes, tell me 'they've seen much worse' (what's worse than that?) and 'they can take it'.

But it's not just about whether they can take it or whether it does them harm. It's about whether it does them any good. Good literature is thought-provoking, not titillating. > > On 6/27/12, Warning: "Among the Children" by Haddix wrote: >> There are many reviewers who have found the book, "Among the >> Children" to have content themes that are not appropriate for >> fifth grade students. Please preread the book before using it as >> a read aloud. Parents may want to preread it and give permission >> if it is used. >> >> >>>

Jul 30, 2012

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Maybeme Our last readaloud of the year was "Among the Hidden" in my grade 3/4 class. Throughout the year, my students studied much of what is not pretty in life - we learned about child labour, studied special needs, acid rain and several novels that were complex ... I choose books that work best with the particular children I am working with at the time. ...See More

Aug 3, 2012

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Fifth Grade Teachers

by teachme

Jun 11, 2012

Fifth Grade Teachers,

What do your lesson plans and activities look like? Is it true that you are required to write more than one lesson plan each day? Where do you find ideas for your activities?

I'm currently licensed in Secondary Education, but I'm getting the idea that I might want to teach fourth or fifth grade. I want a per...See More

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Marie I taught 7th grade and in hind sight I would probably stayed there because the extra duties and responsibilties are immense and I can't tell you how many times I have heard secondary teachers disrespect elementary teachers. Even the general public respect secondary teachers more. Make your choice wisely.

On 6/12/12, Well- wrote: > 4th a...See More

Jun 29, 2012

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Lady Truth I have taught fourth/fifth my whole career. Fifth in the elementary setting is a lot of work. The most important thing to consider is the psychology aspect of the job. The students are "pre- teen"...they are trying to grow up, struggling with social issues, sometimes they fall and cry over a skinned knee and sometimes they get into trouble for usin...See MoreI have taught fourth/fifth my whole career. Fifth in the elementary setting is a lot of work. The most important thing to consider is the psychology aspect of the job. The students are "pre- teen"...they are trying to grow up, struggling with social issues, sometimes they fall and cry over a skinned knee and sometimes they get into trouble for using swear words. The parents are all over the place: some are hovering and treat their child as if the child is much younger, other parents are not as involved as they should be, and you, as the teacher, are responsible for a lot of parent communication. At this grade level, you must be a person who enjoys dealing with that aspect of the job. A few kids with a bad attitude can destroy your classroom unless you like dealing with their moods. I use a lot of tricks including humor, firmness, private talks so they don't feel embarrassed in front of the class. For me, fifth grade is my favorite grade because, as a teacher, you can still engage their delightful imagination and playfulness. They are very enthusiastic and able to build things, work on projects, add to discussion, research...they are old enough to bring a lot to the classroom. On a good day, they draw you pictures, write you sweet notes of appreciation and openly share why they love your class. On a bad day, they can have meltdowns, hate their best friend who just dumped them, and cry because mom forgot to pack their lunch. Emotions are all over the place! Good luck!

On 6/29/12, Marie wrote: > I taught 7th grade and in hind sight I would probably stayed > there because the extra duties and responsibilties are immense > and I can't tell you how many times I have heard secondary > teachers disrespect elementary teachers. Even the general public > respect secondary teachers more. Make your choice wisely. > > On 6/12/12, Well- wrote: >> 4th and 5th grade are fun to teach. The content of the classes >> is interesting. I've taught at all levels, 1st-10th grade. >> >> That being said, be prepared to have daily plans for reading >> comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, writing, math, >> science and social studies at a minimum if you find yourself >> in a self-contained setting. If you find yourself in a >> departmentalized setting, the preps will be fewer. Your >> reading plans alone may include up to 3 separate plans for >> different levels of learners. >> >> Be prepared to have many more supervisory duties, bus duty, >> lunch duty, car duty, recess duty etc. >> >> Be prepared to have a lot less planning time during the >> scheduled hours of your work day. >> >> Be prepared to do lots of assessment, collecting, organizing, >> and documentation of the data, and analyzing of data. >> >> Be prepared to make plans for and do a lot of intervention for >> students not meeting grade level requirements. >> >> My suggestion would be to shadow a teacher at one of these >> grade levels for a day. That will give you a better picture of >> a day in the life of an elementary teahcer. >> >> >> >> On 6/11/12, teachme wrote: >>> Fifth Grade Teachers, >>> >>> What do your lesson plans and activities look like? Is it >>> true that you are required to write more than one lesson >>> plan each day? Where do you find ideas for your activities? >>> >>> I'm currently licensed in Secondary Education, but I'm >>> getting the idea that I might want to teach fourth or fifth >>> grade. I want a perspective, though.

Jul 23, 2012

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Mnemonics

by Bill

Jun 18, 2012

I am making mobiles using mnemonics to hang from my classroom ceiling for middle school S.S. students to learn important information. Does anyone have any to contribute or have sources of some? I have some very colorful mobiles of: HOMES, JEL, blue 1492, etc. I'm trying to give the students a constant reminder of some of these SS facts & info. ...See More

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Fifth in New York Bill - It sounds like a great idea. Do you have any pictures to share? If I come up with anything I will gladly send them to you. If you have any to share, please email them to me. Thanks again for sharing!

On 6/18/12, Bill wrote: > I am making mobiles using mnemonics to hang from my > classroom ceiling for middle school S.S. studen...See More

Jun 29, 2012

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5th Grade Pen Pals Wanted

by Crystal

Jun 18, 2012

lease let me know if you are interested in being class pen pals with my 5th graders from North Carolina. Last year my students wrote one letter a month through snail mail. Towards the end of the year, we introduce more technology like Skype. if you are interested please let me know. We are doing more block scheduling in our school next year, so I w...See More

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Barbara I teach 5th grade in the Bronx, NYC. I'm looking for pen pals for my students too.

Barbara

On 10/10/12, Tammy Shutler wrote: > On 10/02/12, Nikki wrote: >> Hi, I teach 5th grade in Minnesota and am interested in having >> pen pals in a different state. I would love to have them blog >> back and forth (which ...See More

Oct 18, 2012

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Sharif Muhammad On 10/18/12, Barbara wrote: Hi I have a 5th grade class of 26(All boys) in McDonough GA(suberb of Atlanta), and would be interested in being pen pals with your class. Please email me at sharif.[email removed]

> I teach 5th grade in the Bronx, NYC. I'm looking for pen pals for my > students too. > > Barbara > > > > &...See More

Oct 19, 2012

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Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen

by Fifth grade teacher

Jun 18, 2012

I am looking for quizzes and comprehension questions for this book. I have found some and wonder if anyone would be willing to share them. There is no teacher's guide for this book at this time that I could find with any company. I truly appreciate any help you might give me. SB

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Fifth grade teacher and clarification On 6/18/12, Fifth grade teacher wrote: > I am looking for quizzes and comprehension questions for > this book. I have found some and wonder if anyone would be > willing to share them. There is no teacher's guide for > this book at this time that I could find with any company. > I truly appreciate any help you might give me. SB
...See More

Jun 18, 2012

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Postcard exchange

by Bronx

Jun 25, 2012

I am taking over a postcard exchange and I am in need of the following states. Alaska Delaware connecticut New Mexico Hawaii idaho Illinois

email me at mrparboy at optonline. net if you are interested.

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Postcard Group: Alaska, Delaware, Vermont, and West Virginia

by Francie - Great exchange in 12th Year!

Jul 17, 2012

Are you looking for a great postcard exchange? We have one, and just need a few new teachers to join us. We take all grade levels K-5 for our Postcard Exchange. I provide labels of all the addresses for free. Please email me if you teach in these states only:

Need Alaska, Delaware, Vermont, and West Virginia

You really will get ...See MoreAre you looking for a great postcard exchange? We have one, and just need a few new teachers to join us. We take all grade levels K-5 for our Postcard Exchange. I provide labels of all the addresses for free. Please email me if you teach in these states only:

Need Alaska, Delaware, Vermont, and West Virginia

You really will get a huge response, because the majority of the teachers in our group have participated year after year, so we can count on them.

Here is some info: We are in our 12th year of our 50-State Postcard Exchange! I include one teacher for each state. We have had an excellent response rate with the prior postcard exchanges we have had. We only have a few states available, due to some teachers dropping out. If you don’t see your state listed here, then it is not available. If you want to join, and you teach at one of the states listed above, please email me.

What's great about this exchange is that the teachers are all positive and involved in this project, so the odds are extremely high that you will receive 50 postcards in late October - one from each state, plus one from Washington, D.C., and Canada too.

Besides having this be a great Social Studies project, you can make it a Language Arts project too. The students can write a short note about their state. The teachers use a store-bought card representative of their state. Some students write their own note about their state on the back of the postcard, and some teachers copy and glue a message for each card. Whatever you want to do is up to you! Our postcard exchange includes teachers from K-5th grade levels.

Once you are in our exchange, I can email you everyone's address so your students can address the postcards, or if you prefer, I will mail labels of the mailing addresses for the other teachers involved - no cost to you! All you have to do is have your students bring in commercially-made postcards from your state and mail one postcard to each teacher in our exchange.

We will all mail the postcards out in late October, and in a few weeks after that you will receive a postcard from each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada.

I hope you can join us!

Francie 5th Grade in Los Angeles

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5th grade penpals

by Rhonda Mau

Jul 20, 2012

I would also like to have pen pals if there are enough classes interested. I am in Bradenton, Florida. We have the class size amendment, so 21-24 kids. Please contact me if you would like to be our pen pals. Thank you! Rhonda

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