Mrs. Ewing’s 5th Grade

5th grade is a milestone year.  It’s a school year that will be one of your most memorable because of so many “firsts”….first locker, first time changing classes, Beta Club, Honor Roll recognition, band…but it’s also a challenging year.  A lot more will be expected of you this year because you’re ready for it.  It’s normal to be overwhelmed with all the new responsibilities that come with being in the upper grades.

With that in mind, I’d like to share with you….

Mrs. Ewing’s 10 Habits of Highly Effective 5th Graders

(Hopefully, I won’t get sued for that title…lol)

1.  Know your multiplication facts by memory. (I know, I know, I’m not the Math teacher…but I did teach Math for a looong time…so I know what I’m talking about on this one.)  This means no counting.  If you don’t have them committed to memory, memorize them immediately.  You will be at a disadvantage if you have to stop and count whenever you need to know what 7 x 8 is during the middle of a math problem.  If you have to count (AT ALL), you don’t have them memorized.

2.  Keep an open mind. Maybe Science wasn’t your favorite subject last year, or Math wasn’t your “thing”.  You never know…things may be different this year!

3.  Be patient. 5th grade is challenging…in a lot of ways.  Not only will you be learning new information, but you will have the added responsibility of having a locker, 4 new teachers, and all the other changes 5th grade will bring.

4.  Be organized.  You no longer have your belongings stored in your classroom.  That means that you will have to remember to bring in all your materials.  You can do it!  You are, after all, one of the “big kids” now!

5.  Give your very best! I have spent many hours this summer planning ahead what we are going to do this year…I spent two weeks just getting extra Science training, read 3 books about teaching Science, and have worked in our classroom for two weeks!  I take teaching very seriously:  I stay late and even take work home because I want you to have the very best teacher you can have.  I expect you give your very best also!  Don’t do anything halfway!

6.  Forget about the past! Okay, don’t forget about all you’ve learned…that wouldn’t be very good, but one of the great things about the start of a new school year is getting a fresh start!  You have a clean slate!  Maybe you  were the kid who didn’t always do homework last year…or you didn’t control your behavior like you should have.  Maybe you did just fine last year, but know you could have done even better.  This can be your year to shine!  It’s completely up to you!

7.  Use your binder! I know that seems like a “no-brainer”, but you would not believe how many kids don’t put their papers in their binders.  Then, when Mrs. Ewing says, “Take out the worksheet we did last week.” or “Take out your Language homework, please.” these same kids can’t find it, or left it in their lockers…oops!  Your binder is your best friend in 5th grade…be kind to it!

8.  Use your time wisely! Kids who use their time wisely at school have less homework to do when they get home.  This includes managing your time outside of school, too.  My kids had very full schedules when they were 5th graders (several different sports, church, etc.).  Sometimes they had to do homework on the way to practice, or right when they came in from school because they knew they had an activity that night.  Don’t waste a single minute…

9.  Be faithful about using your assignment sheet. Writing down your assignments each day is a habit that will help you all the way through college!  If you ever got home and then couldn’t remember what page the homework was on, then you already know what I’m talking about!

10.  Be yourself!!!! I can’t wait to spend this year with you, and get to know all of you better.  I am a better teacher when I let my personality shine through, and you will be able to learn better if you can relax and be yourself, also.  This happens best when everyone follows the classroom rules for behavior.  Get ready for a great year….school will start before you know it!!!

Be sure to check out advice from former 5th graders on our page Dear Next Year’s Class.

Here is my experiment trying to make a digital scrapbook for our class.  Again,  I sound very, very, very, Southern.  Folks up north might need an interpreter.  lol….Enjoy!

But….that’s not all!  With VoiceThread, you can add your own comments to the scrapbook.  All you need is a microphone on your computer.  When it gets to a picture that brings back a memory, you can record an audio comment that people can click on to listen to your memory of that photo.  How cool is that!!!  Anyway, to leave a comment, you have to sign up with VoiceThread.  It’s free.  You just need an e-mail address.  Remember, if you use Gaggle, the e-mail they send you will be blocked.  Send me an e-mail if you do this, and I will set it up for you.  It even lets you use an image for your comments!  I think it would be awesome if the whole class could add their own comments to our scrapbook.  That would make it so much more special!

Well, enjoy your summer!  Don’t worry about me here, slaving away in Summer School.  I’ll manage!

Love,

Mrs. Ewing

Our feature with Kingsport Times-News reporter Jeff Bobo went well today.  I was impressed with how well you all handled the interview process.  You could have knocked me over with a feather (idiom) when I realized that it was a VIDEO feature.  I thought it would just be a regular newspaper feature.  You can take a look at the video here.  Go down on the left side until you get to the Video Reports section. 

Here’s the link to the full newspaper article.

Mr. Bobo did a great job editing the video!  However, I was shocked and dismayed to hear how completely “countrified” I sound!  Wow….totally Southern!  I do love the South, but I had no idea how strong my Southern accent is!  I also found out that (on average) I use the phrase “you know” every 2.8 seconds!  I will totally do better next time!

The story was also wired to the NEA’s (National Education Association) publication, The Opening Bell.  Now, if you’re not a teacher (or politician) that may not seem very big, but they have over 3 million members!!!! 

It was very exciting to share our project!  Keep writing and learning!  I’m so proud of your work!

Okay, okay, okay…back to the real world!  You should finish up research for your Science Fair projects this week.  I’ve been going through the wiki, and a select few haven’t been gathering research as you should.  We don’t want to “hog the lab” much longer!  Make good use of your lab time this week.  Let me know if you’ve run into a brick wall!  I’ll help!

Love,

Mrs. Ewing