saint thomas more, kansas city, missouri, catholic, grade school

Grade 5 - Pawlewicz

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Mrs. Pawlewicz's Notes

August 15, 2008

Welcome to Fifth Grade!

I am very excited to be starting a new year. I will be your child's reading, English, and spelling teacher. These subjects are my passion as I am an avid reader and my goal is to inspire your child to read every day. Reading is fun and so important.

Stephen Krashen in School Library Journal dated 9/1/06 states "there’s a huge amount of research that supports the importance of free voluntary reading. In fact, research strongly suggests that free reading is the source of our reading prowess and much of our vocabulary and spelling development, as well as our ability to understand sophisticated phrases and write coherent prose. The secret of its effectiveness is simple: children become better readers by reading. Is free voluntary reading the only program students will ever need to become accomplished readers? No. But research has shown that children who don’t read for pleasure have an extremely tough time developing the language and literacy competencies necessary to succeed in today’s world."

I have proved the link below for the whole article.

Your student should read every night for at least 20 minutes. Many nights that will be their only homework for language arts. This daily reading will NOT be the source for book reports. I will not be assigning traditional book reports to be completed at home.

Other homework will be assigned occasionally.

Check out the link for making daily reading a family affair.

Making Reading a Habit at Home

Free Reading - 9/1/2006 - School Library Journal

Homeroom News

Important Dates

August 18 - 1st day of school

Author of the Month

Esme Raji Codell

Planet Esme

Interview with Esme Raji Codell

Esme Raji Codell Webcast (Library of Congress)

Interesting Websites - Click for Fun!

Welcome to Reading Is Fundamental

StoryPlace: The Children's Digital Library

Time For Kids | Classroom

Saint Thomas More School provides a safe learning environment in which I, as a unique child of God, strive to become the person God intends for me to be through academic achievement and acts of justice, love, and service based in our Catholic religious beliefs.

About Us
STM is a Catholic elementary school for grades K-8. It is located in South Kansas City, Missouri, in a quiet residential area. The yearly enrollment is approximately 650. The class size is a maximum of 26 students. Students are encouraged to achieve their best and to participate in community service.

This webpage will be updated at least once a week so be sure to check back often for updates and important information. This will be my primary method of communication with you. If you need to contact me, email is the best way to reach me.

Fifth Grade Notes

Our reading textbook encompasses all aspects of language arts - reading, English, writing, and spelling. It is a wonderful resource on which our curriculum is based. It also correlates to the Missouri State Standards. Each story focuses on a reading skill and a phonetic sound or blend. Each unit, which consists of three stories, focuses on English grammar and writing skills. These skills will be posted on my website to keep you up to date. Vocabulary study will be words taken from the stories.
Several novels will be incorporated into the curriculum.
We will not have a spelling test every week. You can plan on a spelling test approximately every other week. On the weeks when we do not have a spelling test, we will have a vocabulary assessment.
Each student should have a free reading book with them at all times. We will have DEAR time everyday.
I will be sending a Scholastic book order home every month.
The students will have many writing assignments. Not all assignments will be given a letter grade, but all writing assignments must be completed. These assignments must be written in cursive or, better yet, they can be typed on the computer.