5thGradeSyllabus

DearFifthGradeFamilies,
Welcometo5thgrade!Weareexcitedtohavetheopportunitytobeapartofyourchildseducation.Thefirstdayof
schoolwillbeMonday,August17,2016.Wefeelprivilegedtomeetyouaswebeginthisyearin5thgrade.Weare
confidentthatourenthusiasm,creativityanddedicationtolearningwillmakethisyearthebestpossibleforevery
student.Byworkingasateamtoreachcommongoals,studentsandteacherswillsupport,encourage,anddepend
upononeanotherinarespectfulandengaginglearningenvironment.Itisourgreatestdesiretocreateafamilyof
learnerswhereeachstudentdemonstratesgoodcitizenship,bothinsideandoutsidethewallsoftheclassroom.We
arecommittedtoholdinghighexpectationsforeachofourstudentsandwewillworkdiligentlywiththemtoreach
success.Weviewparentsandfamiliesasanotherintegralaspecttoattainingthisgoal,sowelookforwardtogetting
toknowallofyouthroughouttheyear.

HomeworkPolicy
Purpose:Homeworkassignmentsaregiventodevelopindependentstudyhabits,reinforceclassroominstruction,
andtoprovidepracticeintimemanagement.Fromtimetotimeallstudentsaregivenlongrangeassignments.These
areusedtodevelopasenseofresponsibilityandtopromoteinterestindoingresearch.
Studentswillbeassignedweeklyreading(30minutesaday),IXLforMathandGrammar,andAchieve3000for
Readingpractice.Homeworkwillbeonlineandlogininformationwillbegiventostudentsthefirstweekofschool.
Studentswhodonothaveaccesstoacomputercansignuptouseacomputerinthecomputerlabbeforeschoolat
7:45am8:20amorafterschoolfrom2:453:30pm.
Policy:
Homeworkisduedaily,unlessotherwisespecified.Thefailuretosubmithomeworkwilladverselyaffectthe
studentsgrade.Studentswithexcusedabsenceshavethesameamountofdaysabsenttomakeuptheassignments
forfullcredit.

BehaviorPolicy
Amajorgoalistoprovideaclassroomclimatethatisconducivetolearning.Studentsandparentsrightfullyexpect
theclassroomtobeasafe,pleasant,andpositiveplaceforchildren.The5thgradeteamhasadoptedaCodeof
Behaviortohelpbothstudentsandparentsunderstandtheexpectationsforstudentbehavior.Thestudentsshould
learnandpracticebehaviorsthatareappropriatetocreatingandmaintainingapositivelearningclimate.Theyshould
alsobecomeresponsiblefortheirownbehaviorandunderstandhowtheirbehavioraffectsthesafetyandlearning
opportunitiesforothers.
5thGrade3StrikePolicy:
Warning
Strike1Reflection/NoteHome
Strike2CampusBeautification
Strike3AfterSchoolDetention

GradingPolicy
IvyAcademiahasauniformgradingpolicy.Gradesareweightedasfollows:

TestsandQuizzes
ClassworkandParticipation
Projects

35%
30%
35%

Thegradedistributionisasfollows:
A
A
B+
B
B
C+

10093%
9290%
8790%
8683%
8280%
7977%

C
7673%
C
7270%
D+ 6967%
D6663%
D6260%
FBelow59%

FieldTrips
GriffithObservatory
Atwoandahalfhourprogramwithexhibit,building,andtheaterexperiences.TheprogramusestheObservatorys
telescope,exhibit,andbuildingcontentaswellasprogramsintheSamuelOschinPlanetariumandLeonardNimoy
EventHorizonTheater.MuseumGuidesandObservatoryLecturerswillguidestudentsinstandardsbasedlearning
experiencesusingtheiruniquefacilities.Eachcomponentoftheprogramisdesignedtocomplementtheothersand
tosupportthefifthgradeeducationstandards.
ReaganLibraryDiscoveryCenter
Anacademicfieldtripforgrades5thandabove,wherestudentsareimmersedinahistoricalcrisisduringPresident
Reagan'sterminoffice.Studentsroleplayamemberoftheovaloffice,amilitaryofficialoramemberofthepress
corpsinarealisticsettingthatwillengageandexcitethemfromtheverybeginning.
ThePortofLosAngelesBoatTour
Have your students ever wondered where their computers, iPods or Adidas running shoes
come from? They are on sale at local stores only after they have arrived here via the
international goods movement system. The Port of Los Angeles would like to invite your fifth
grade class to join us for a free educational boat tour to demonstrate the dynamics of world
trade.
Rileys Farm
Though the years just prior to the American Revolution were certainly full of turmoil, the people of the colonies
worked hard and found time for a some fun, too! This tour explores the domestic side of 18th century America and
puts students in the shoes of their colonist counterparts in a fun, interactive way.

CourseDescriptions
Math
Studentswillmasterthefourarithmeticoperationswithwholenumbers,fractions,decimals,andpositiveintegers.
Theywillapplytheirknowledgetostatisticsandprobabilityandbeabletoanalyzedataandsamplingprocessesfor
biasormisleadingconclusions.Studentswillconceptuallyunderstandandworkwithratiosandproportionsandbe
abletocomputepercentages.Studentswilluselettersfornumbersinformulasinvolvinggeometricshapesandin
ratiostorepresentunknownpartsofanexpression.Inaddition,studentswillbeabletosolveonesteplinear
equationsbeginningtoexplorethebasicsofprealgebra.Studentswillimprovetheirmathematicalcontent
knowledgethroughapplicationof21stcenturyskillsofcriticalthinking,problemsolving,communication,
collaboration,financialliteracy,andglobalawareness.
Science
In the fifth grade curriculum, students will engage, explore, explain, extend and evaluate
concepts about physical science, life science, earth and space science and information
related to technology, environment and society. The health curriculum will provide the
opportunity for students to obtain, interpret and understand basic health information and
services; and the competence to use such information and services in ways, which enhance
their own health.
LanguageArts
The fifth grade Language Arts class is designed to facilitate student growth in the areas of
reading, writing, spelling, and grammatical skills. Through the utilization of an integrated
approach, this course will exposes children to a variety of literary genres including fiction,

nonfiction, and poetry. Skills such as oral language, word identification, writing, vocabulary,
and comprehension will be taught through these various types of literature. The Language
Arts curriculum also focuses on applying writing, spelling, and grammatical skills in
developing the writing process. This course also applies the use of technology to enhance
student approaches to researching and publishing.
Social Studies
Students in grade five study the development of the nation up to 1850, with an emphasis on
the people who were already here, when and from where others arrived, and why they came.
Students learn about the colonial government founded on Judeo- Christian principles, the
ideals of the Enlightenment, and the English traditions of self- government. They recognize
that ours is a nation that has a constitution that derives its power from the people that has
gone through a revolution that once sanctioned slavery, that experienced conflict over land
with the original inhabitants, and that experienced a westward movement that took its
people across the continent. Studying the cause, course, and consequences of the early
explorations through the War for Independence and western expansion is central to students
fundamental understanding of how the principles of the American republic form the basis of
a pluralistic society in which individual rights are secured.
All core subjects will continually incorporate entrepreneurial standards into the curriculum.