Mrs. Hughes 5th Grade

We are in CAASPP Practice Test Mode in our classroom this week! 

 

ELA: April 29-May 2

Math: May 6-9

Science: May 13-16

 

May 6-16th

 

 

 

 

I have the Math Page of my website up and running; it is linked here and on the sidebar where it says Math and has the Math icon. The following topics have been moved to that page as they are Math-focused:

Accelerated Math 6/7 for 2024-2025 School Year

Accelerated Pace

Grades Up to Date

Accelerated Pace Performance Tasks

Thanksgiving Math PT REDO

Math Olympiad

Math Grades

Math Gooru

Module 2 Late Work (and Past Modules)

Math Module Letters

Math Feedback

Exit Ticket Challenge Procedures and Reminders

Accelerated Math Pacing (Test Run)

Flipped Classroom

 

Hello! Aeries grades are up and running.  Aeries is easier to identify if there are any missing items, as I am leaving them blank in Aeries until I have a score or the day before Report Card Prep.

 

On 3/22, I reminded students of REDO protocol for the Science REDO and History REDO opportunities.

 

On 3/8, we started using our Trimester 3 grades for our Weekly News

 

On 3/1, I had students use their Trimester 2 grades for our Weekly News.

 

On 2/23, trimester 2 ended, and I will be grading between now and March 1st as I reminded students in class.

 

On 2/12, I reminded students that the cutoff for late work was fast approaching with the end of the trimester grading window.

 

On 1/8, I ensured that I checked for any missing work that was submitted. Then, I updated my Missing Work Whiteboard and spoke with students about checking Aeries or the Board for their Missing Items. I reminded students that I promised that any items submitted before 9:10 am on 1/8/2024 (physical or digital) would be graded by me BEFORE I determine their Progress Report score this Friday, 1/12/2024. I reminded them that if anything turned in later, I would try to get graded, but there are no guarantees. That said, I encouraged students to work on Missing Items ASAP because getting things on Tuesday or even Wednesday morning is highly likely to be included in Progress Reports, but things coming in on Thursday or Friday are significantly less likely.

 

On 11/3, the scores in the grade book were all filled out before I left Friday. These are the day-to-day progress, which includes their effort to complete items. These percentages are a great way to prepare students to start thinking about the rest of their academic journey (everything beyond 5th grade, letter grades, and GPAs). However, our district still uses Standards-Based Grading for 5th-grade Report Cards, which means that while I review the scores in the grade book, they can sometimes be overridden by a student's ability level. This is most commonly seen with students who are significantly below grade level. For example, a student may have a 2 in the ELA grade book because they always put in maximum effort (always doing the REDOs), but if they are reading at a second-grade level, their Foundation Reading Score will be a 1. If this kind of adjustment applies to your student, you will see a Report Card comment  that says, "Fall Conference: Standards-based grades in the report card show ability with standards" instead of just "Fall Conference." If you have that comment and need a more in-depth explanation, email me, please. 

 

On 10/23, the following will be explained to students in class: N/A grades in Aeries signify that the assignment does not apply to your student at this time. Traditional-paced students will regularly see this when I grade the accelerated-pace students on Math items that they haven't gotten to yet. Once they become due for traditional pace students, the N/A in Aeries will disappear and be replaced by their grade. 

 

On 10/13, I reminded students that Gooru is due weekly, and I will update it every week to every other week in the grade book. I will update the assignment due date in Gooru Classroom and Aeries to reflect the last time the grades were updated in Aeries. 

 

On 10/12, I reminded students that re-grading requests are done in person during a work period. "Once you have completed it, you must come up to me in person during a work period with the task open to have me manually adjust your score. Emails and private comments are not accepted for regrade requests."

 

On 8/30, I taught all students how to access their Aeries as students to view their grades. Although Google Classroom is more accurate, as I grade there first and then transfer to Aeries later....it is VERY helpful for identifying missing assignments.

 

10/26 @ 10:30 am. Students are not allowed to Gmail anyone except the teacher (me) and parents during the school day due to issues arising with this poor choice habit. I don't want to have to block Gmail during the school day, but I will if necessary). Please follow this new rule.

Homework not only helps a child learn about school subjects but is also one of the first ways kids develop responsibility. Learning how to read and follow directions independently, how to manage and budget time for long-term assignments, and how to complete work neatly and to the best of their ability are skills children need for life. Homework can be trying for children, but with a bit of help from Mom and Dad, it can be a positive learning experience. Here are some ways you can help.

 

1. Designate a regular place to do homework. This location needs to be well-lit and quiet, without the distractions of the television, other children playing, or people talking on the telephone. This place should be the same every day, whether it's the kitchen table or a desk in their room. Ensure all the materials your child needs to complete their homework are within arm's reach, including pencils, paper, crayons, or anything else.

 

2. Give them some say. Just like adults, some children may work better with music or white noise. Others may prefer silence. Some may like to be left alone and ask questions at the end, while others may like to go back and forth with a parent as they need. Children may prefer to do one subject at a time or bounce between them to stay interested.

Giving your students some input will help them develop their personal best homework habits, and it can eliminate some of the homework-related friction between parents and children. In turn, they will have the skills to grow their homework and study habits for the rest of their educational years.

 

3. Choose a time every day to work on daily assignments. Many children do best if they tackle their homework shortly after returning home from school in the afternoon; some children respond poorly to a dictated study time, such as 3:00 every afternoon, and may be better off if you give guidelines, such as "No video games or screen time until you complete your homework." I encourage parents to set clear guidelines and enforce them. Once you establish a schedule that works for you and your child — including any limits on TV/screen/tech time — stick to it. Consistency is key to developing good homework habits. These are valuable years for teaching your students how to balance schoolwork, play, fitness, and other activities. You'll be helping them with an important life lesson — and hopefully establishing a little more harmony at home.

 

4. Observe your student's homework habits. Are they stuck on a specific task, or are they easily distracted? Do they understand the directions (did they read them and the rubric)? Are they making the assignment more complicated than it is? Is their studying interrupted by television, phone calls, or chatting with other family members? If so, you may need to rethink your homework rules or discuss these difficulties with the teacher. When you speak with your student's teacher, raise concerns about at-home learning, like if your child struggles to do their homework; since these may be signs of a learning disability or something, you should talk to their pediatrician. 

 

5. Don't do your student's homework for her. It's perfectly okay to help your child get focused and organize their approach to the assignment, but insist that they do the work themselves. If they need help understanding the directions, have them email Mrs. Hughes right then so she knows the challenge and can address it directly with them the next day in class. Students often forget to ask questions the next day. 

 

6. Get excited and give positive feedback. As your student's role model, if you view homework as a chore or something that interferes with your schedule, your child will mimic that behavior. Let your child know how grown-up it is for them to have homework and how proud they should be of their hard work. Let them show you their work and praise them for finishing homework. Be encouraging — it will make a difference. Review your student's homework occasionally and praise him for everything they do right. If you do find errors, don't criticize. Instead, review the work together and try to pinpoint the area of difficulty. Praise your child when they get the answer right away but also when they struggle and persevere. Remaining confident in their abilities throughout the process is critical to their self-belief.

 

7. Email me. If your child has ongoing homework problems, please email Mrs. Hughes with what is happening. 

If you/your student see the Incomplete as a comment on Aeries assignments, this post can help explain the challenge and suggest a solution. Your student may appear to be doing homework but could miss parts or even whole assignments. Sometimes, students rush through tasks and don't take the time to complete all the required parts (a great example is ELA formatting for our weekly news). 

 

A student solution? I recommend using Google Classroom's Calendar. It shows all your assignments, which are color-coded by subject and listed on their due date*(see exceptions). This calendar is a major part of why digital item due dates are set to 11:59 pm because if it is set to 8:05 am, then students see the task pop up on the wrong day; after years of trials, I am firm in the belief that 11:59 pm is a better time as the calendar populates properly for students to use for reference. A due date time of 3:00pm-this is something we will do in class; students will be working with their elbow partner or table/subject group, and it is intended to be CLASSWORK; if it changes to homework, then I will adjust the "due date time" to 11:59 pm. A due date time of 8:05 am (or any morning due date time ) is usually reserved for physical items being submitted. 

 

A parent solution? I recommend opening Aeries every Friday (at least) to check for missing assignments and read the comments to see if any are labeled as incomplete. Opening Google Classroom through their Chromebook will allow you to see all the assignments for our subjects. Checking Google Classroom is a great way to see what they have done on their assigned tasks and see if anything may be falling behind. 

 

*Exceptions: 

Math Blue Book Problem Sets (video lesson notes) & Application Problems, and Red Book Lessons are not listed day by day on the calendar. At the start of the Module, I suggest that you print/write out the Math Module Homework Schedule and post it in your homework area for reference. 

 

 The Lesson Exit Tickets are listed. As the exit ticket is the last Math Homework item you should complete (after doing the Blue Book Problem Set and application problem if there is one), once you mark it as done (and the calendar updates to show it's done), you know that you are done with Math for the night. 

With after-school sports and extracurriculars, it can be easy to push homework until late at night or even until the morning of the day it's due. Procrastination is one of the most common bad homework habits.

 

A parent solution? Set up rewards or privileges earned after homework is done. Negotiate something with your student that motivates them, like playing video games or watching his favorite TV show. Establishing this habit young will prevent arguments about when homework is done when they are older. (This is not a punishment but a treat!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For struggling students or older students (4th grade+) with a heavy workload, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. When it comes to a tough assignment, your child may be unable to focus on it for very long without becoming discouraged. Prioritizing is an essential skill that we are working to learn this year. This is a sample of prioritizing and an explanation why the student might prioritize things in this order: 

1. REDO task (because "Long-term projects" are rare and mastery of concept is judged for the last time here-REDOs are not accepted late; they get first priority)

2. WIN task (because WIN tasks are not accepted late, they get second priority)

3. Math: Blue Book Problem Set Video Lesson, Application Problem, GoFormative Exit Ticket: because Math is a daily homework task. Plan for it as first priority when there are no REDO or WIN tasks and the third priority behind those recovery opportunities. These are papers collected at the end of the Math Module, the day of the Module test. There is a 10% late penalty when the papers are due if they come in more than one day past the Math Module Test.

4. Do any unfinished "Long-term project" task for today (most steps get lots of time in class (rough drafts, plans, etc); some crafty final things go home-like, like building the 3D model for Tribe Project or the Rube Goldberg Machine Build/Video). There is a 10% late penalty when the project is due-don't be late!

5. Do any unfinished day-to-day assignments. There is NO late penalty as long as you get it to me before we finish the Module/Unit/Chapter Test. 

 

A student solution? Create a daily task list in order so you know what you need to complete. Sometimes, working on the same task for a long time can be hard. An alternative is to set a timer for 15-20 minutes and focus on your first priority only. If you finish before the time is up, reset the timer (15-20 minutes again) and move down to the next priority. If you don't finish before the timer goes off, you can move down to the next task on your list for the next block of time (15-20 minutes again). 

If your student stays focused and sticks with their homework, the change of topics every 20 minutes could help students to focus more. 

 

A parent solution? Consider allowing students to habit bundle in some way. Maybe let them listen to music in the background while they work, or after one hour of dedicated work time, they can have a 10-minute break to play. The habit bundling can be tricky as it needs to be something they WANT to do, like an instant reward for doing their homework. 

Today, 9/21/2023, I had a very clear conversation with the class about the Teacher Grading Window. I asked students how they would feel if I asked them to turn in homework 6 days early. Nobody liked that idea. I shared with them that the Teacher Grading Window has been carefully set to allow me enough time to grade assignments. Asking me why something hasn't been graded yet (before the Teacher Grading Window is up) is like me asking them for them to be done with next week's tasks before they had a chance to do them.

Similarly to their work completion expectation, if I am absent from class or the internet is down at the school that day, then that window gets pushed out 1 day for every day I am absent from class or the internet is down. 

update: 9/20/2023: As students work at varied paces. I have a Daily Task List that they can work through when they finish their current task early. However, some students even finish that early, so there is an ALL Done activity list for them. However, it has become more and more apparent students are jumping ahead to the ALL Done activity list BEFORE finishing doing all the items on the Daily Task List. To better track this I am implementing a Google Form that students will be required to complete BEFORE moving to an ALL Done activity.

 

Remember, Citizenship includes:

• Completing and submitting work ON TIME; this includes the daily project check-ins. 
• coming to class prepared with a FULLY charged Chromebook and bringing your charger with you

 

Your citizenship scores are impacted anytime you fail to meet expectations for a citizenship item. Please refer to the syllabus for a full list and details about them.

What do due date times mean?
11:59pm-this may have been in class, or it is just homework, but the expectation is that students finish this at home the day it is assigned.
3:00pm-this is something we will do in class; students will be working with their elbow partner; table/subject group-it is intended to be CLASSWORK; if it changes to homework-I will adjust the "due date" to 11:59 pm.
1:30pm-this is a task due on the Friday before Fall/Winter/Spring Break.

If you or your student has computer help, please send an email to Kulbir Gill, our Learning Commons Technician, at [email protected], and CC me at [email protected] so I know you are having an issue that has been reported.

 

Please make sure to include the following information in the email:

      Student's Name and ID #

      Phone Number

      Chromebook LUSD Barcode (500000000#####)

      Student's School and Teacher

      Chromebook Issue with as many details as possible with screenshots of your issue (whenever possible).

 

Technology Support

 

 

GoGuardian

NetSmartzKids

Common Sense Media - Curriculum

 

This section is designed for families to learn how to help create a safe and positive online experience. You’ll learn how to integrate Digital Citizenship and Safety activities into your classroom curriculum by reading, watching videos, and doing exercises.

 

In addition, the LUSD Digital Citizenship and Safety web page provides additional resources, support, and information to provide a safe and positive experience online.  The proper use of technology helps students learn better, and as a whole, it enables them to function better. We believe this program is essential to ensuring all students learn, explore, and have a positive online experience.

 

We are committed to supporting the whole child, including providing social-emotional support to all needy students. These websites contain mental health resources for students, families, and staff.

Mind Yeti	Coping Calendar
Tech-Free Mindfulness	SEL Elementary - Student Choice Board
Parent-Teen Connect	SEL Secondary - Student Choice Board
	Trevor Project

 

In addition, the LUSD Student Services provides additional resources, support, and information to enhance a student's experience in Lammersville Unified School District. The well-being and safety of the students within LUSD is a top priority.  We assist families in connecting with school and community resources.  

 

If you are concerned about your child's social-emotional well-being, please visit the LUSD Suicide Prevention & Intervention web page.

 

The San Joaquin County Crisis Clinic

1212 N. California Street, Stockton, CA 95202

Walk-in Hours: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Crisis Phone (24-Hour Response): (209) 468-8686

 

 **CRISIS/ EMERGENCIES**

If you or your student is experiencing a crisis please contact the appropriate agencies:

San Joaquin County Sheriff: 911 or 209-468-4421 / Non-emergency: 209-468-4400 /

San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (Mobile Crisis): (209) 468-8686 /

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 / 

National Suicide Prevention Online Chat: https://tinyurl.com/lifelinesupport