Miss Landis 5th Grade Class

Brentwood Elementary
rlandis@plainfield.k12.in.us * Twitter: @BWTeacher * Remind101: @ha5g
317-839-4802 ext. 3142
Welcome to 5th grade at Brentwood Elementary! I am looking forward to our year
together. Below is important information regarding the expectations for our
curriculum and classroom for the school year.
Homework
In the High Ability program students should plan for nightly homework in both Math
and Language Arts. These are both intense programs filled challenging curriculum. It
is important for students to complete the homework nightly in order to be ready
for classroom discussions the following day.

Reading: In addition to the nightly homework from the daily curriculum, students will

be expected to read 25-30 minutes a night. They will have a book log to keep track
of their progress for the school year. This will consist of reading 40 different
books from various genres.

Math: Students will also need to make sure that they are practicing basic math

facts and continue to review skills for test throughout the school year. Students
will be required to complete 1 hour weekly of the ALEKS math program online at
home. Weekly updates will be sent in order to make sure your student is staying on
track with this program. It is very important for them to keep up with their ALEKS
time in order to review the skills being taught at school.

Spelling: Students will have spelling test biweekly. They will be given a list on Monday
and will use this list for various activities throughout the two week period. At the
end of the two weeks students will be given a spelling test.
Grading Scale:
A= 90 100%
B= 80 89%
C= 70 79%
D= 59 69 %
F= 59 and below
Graded papers will come home in the blue communication folder along with a weekly
citizenship report. Please sign and return this to school on Monday.

*A weekly newsletter will be sent home with students on Mondays. I will be also
sending frequent reminders through the Remind 101 group. See attached
instructions on how to join the group via e-mail or cell phone. The group name is
@ha5g .

Curriculum
Reading- Students will be engaged in the High Ability reading curriculum as well as
aligning with the 5th grade core reading standards. The High Ability program
underlying theme is A Heros Journey. Most of our stories will have some type of
hero within them as well we journey throughout the story. Our activities will be of
various types. We will also have the opportunity to connect with Mrs. Wards High
Ability class at Clarks Creek to share some of our projects. On Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday students will have a 30-40 minute block of station time.
These stations will consist of skills that we are currently working on, as well as
skills that need to be reviewed. This time will also allow for the students to be
exposed to the 5th grade Reading Street basal story. Additionally, during this time
students will also have some time for cursive handwriting practice.
This school year we will read many different novels. Our list will include; Snow

Treasure, The Call of The Wild, Tales of the Odyssey Part 1, Tales of the Odyssey
Part 2, Esperanza Rising, Egypt Game, Blood on The River, My Brother Sam is Dead,
Woods Runner. If time permits well also possible read Number of the Stars and
Bridge to Terabithia. The students will receive a reading schedule for each novel as

well as questions to guide their reading. It is encouraged that students do not

read ahead and stay on pace with the reading schedules. This will allow for all the
students to be in the same place and help guide great classroom discussion.

Math- The Math program is a blended program that focuses on standards from
the 6th - 7th grade curriculum as well as frequently reviewing 5th grade standards.
Each day will start out with students completing 5 problems from the Mountain
Math board. This will start out being skills from the 5th grade standards in order
to provide for a solid foundation and review for the students. We will then move
to the 6th grade Mountain Math skills and keep the same format. After
Mountain Math a new skill will be introduced from the classroom math book or
state standards required. We will use various methods in order to practice the
skills being taught. (Group work, guided practice, games, etc.) Students will then be
given time to begin their nightly homework in class so that I am able to assist with
any questions they may have. During the school year there will be various times
students will engage in a math project. Each student will receive guideline for the
different projects as well as a rubric as to what they will be graded on. We will
have the opportunity to share our projects with Mr. Nelsons math class at Clarks
Creek.
Grammar- The different parts of Speech will be our main focus this school year.
We will dive in and dissect the different parts of speech in a sentence and
eventually learn how to diagram a sentence. Grammar is an important part of the

English language and will give your student a better understand of reading and
writing. We will be using various different resources for our Grammar lessons.
Many things will come from Michael Clay Thompsons Grammar Voyage as well as
our Indiana State High Ability curriculum.
Spelling- Students will be given a new spelling list every 2 weeks. These words will be
taken from Caesars English as well as 204 frequent Words for 6th grade.
Throughout the two weeks students will be completing different activities relating
the words on their spelling list. These activities will be used as a whole class, group
work, station time, etc. Students will be diving deeper into the meaning of words
and their origin. They will be responsible for not only the correct spelling of the
words but also the meaning of the word. There will be two parts to their biweekly
spelling test, the correct spelling portion and a vocabulary portion.
Writing- In the afternoon your student will switch to Mr. Barry Osborns room for
30 minutes of writing time. He will be covering different writing strategies and
topics throughout the school year. Additional information will be coming home
from Mr. Osborn about his class and expectations. His contact information is
bosborn@plainfield.k12.in.us .
Social Studies- In the afternoon your student will switch to Mrs. Audra
Vanderbush classroom for 30 minutes of Social Studies. They will be covering
topics throughout the year regarding early American history. Additional
information will be coming home from Mrs. Vanderbush about her class and
expectations. Her contact information is avanderbush@plainfield.k12.in.us .
Science- In the afternoon your student will be in my classroom for 30 minutes of
Science time. Throughout the school year will be covering topics such as, the
Scientific method, different jobs Scientist hold, states of matter, weather,
energy, ecosystems, data, body systems, and more! Students will have an
interactive workbook for class time that is expected to be brought daily. We will
also be engaged in labs, group work, and individual exploration.

Behavior
In our classroom students will use a clip chart for tracking their behavior. Each
student will start on green Ready to learn at the beginning of the day. When
students show great behavior they move their number up and receive more Pride
Bucks. The Pride Bucks can be used to buy prizes. If a student makes a poor
choice they must move their number down. At lunch time all students will have the
opportunity to start back on the green Ready to Learn box. At the end of each
day students color their citizenship calendar to match what color their number
was on for that day. These papers will be kept in the back of their blue
communication folder. Please sign and return to me on Monday after reviewing the
previous week.

The behavior clip chart will look as follows;

WOW!
Above and
Beyond
Ready to Learn
Think About it!
Lose a Privilege
Contact Home
Office Visit

Classroom Expectations
Each student received a classroom discipline plan. The discipline plan has been
reviewed in class and is expected to be signed and returned by the student and
parents/guardian.
1. Follow directions quickly.
2. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
3. Respect yourself, others, and property with appropriate words and
actions.
4. Tell the truth and be trustworthy.
5. Give your best effort.
6. Come prepared.
Students are expected to follow all classroom expectations and procedures
throughout the school day. In order to ensure student success we must start each
day prepared and ready to learn with minimal interruptions.
My classroom has an open door communication policy. Please encourage your
students to come speak with me if they are not understanding something. We are
on a journey through this school year together and I want to ensure that each
student fully receives the foundation they need in order to maximize their full
potential. I am looking forward to working with you and your child this year. Thank
you for sharing them with me and allowing me the opportunity to be their teacher.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Please understand the school day is very engaging and does not allow for
interruptions. I will attempt to respond to e-mails or phone calls within 24 hours
Monday through Friday.