 |
| My niece and I on Independent Bookstore Day 2016 |
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns throughout the school year.
I am so excited to be your reading or science teacher this year. Reading and science are my two favorite subjects, although math and history aren't far behind! It is my wish that all students and parents have a wonderful, stress-free year that includes lots of growth and an increased love of learning. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you or your student has any concerns at all about what is going on in class.
jneubarth@cologneacademy.org
I teach both reading and science. The science information is at the bottom of the page so if you are a science student or parent, keep scrolling down.
Weeks of May 7 - May 18Great Job on the MCAs
READING (MUR)
No Homework - Enjoy the beautiful weather after school!
Our class has wrapped up the filming of Julius Caesar - the students have done a fantastic job - the production looks great. We will join with Mrs. Thurman's reading class on Friday, May 18 to view the final production. If parents want to see the performance I will add my class' portion (Act III) to my Google Classroom page.
Students will take the final Interim Post Test during the week of May 21 - 25. This is the same test they took at the beginning of the year and it will be used to measure their individual growth for the year.
Spelling and Vocabulary - Each unit in our spelling program is two weeks long. New words will be introduced on the first Monday and students will be assessed on meaning, spelling, and parts of speech on the second Friday. There will be a different spelling homework each week, due on Friday. Students will have spelling homework each week unless there is a holiday or a shortened week for some reason. After every fourth unit there will be a review week.
Our spelling and vocabulary program is called WordlyWise. Students will have a vocabulary book that they may bring home if they wish. They can also access all words and definitions on the website, www.wordlywise3000.com if they do not wish to bring the book home. Our word lists will also be accessible on the website www.spellingcity.com/jennyneubarth/ for additional practice and review. Students can practice the spelling and definitions of their current and past words using the WordlyWise3000 website or SpellingCity.com. They should be able to use the words properly and change the tense or part of speech to fit the context.
A word about our Interim Assessments: The first round of Interim Assessment was completed in early November. For 6th grade reading the focus was literary nonfiction (especially comparing primary and secondary sources) and fiction stories, focusing on theme and inference. The second round took place on the 16th and 17th of January and focused on scientific and historical nonfiction as well as drama. The third round focused on poetry and persuasive texts and was taken the week before Spring Break. Students will retake the pretest in May to determine the growth they made this year.
At Cologne Academy students are assessed at the beginning and end of the year in reading and math. These assessments are created by our reading and math specialists and reflect a rigorous expectation for mastery of the Minnesota State Standards. The data from the initial pretest is used to create an individual learning goal for each student. There are three rounds of interim testing through out the year to track students' progress toward these goals and to help teachers evaluate their teaching and readjust as necessary. This is a crucial component of Cologne Academy's Data Driven Instruction model that provides for detailed and individualized assessment of learning and teaching.
The first week of school students take a baseline test that is used to measure their end of year growth. It is a difficult test that includes the standards that students are expected to master by the END of sixth grade. For this reason students scores are usually much lower than students or parents may be used to. Do not be concerned if your student brings home a low score on this test, this means they will have lots of room to grow and lots to learn in 6th grade! We will be working on goal setting and progress monitoring throughout the year to keep students accountable for their own progress.
Grading Policy
Formative Assessment - These are assignments that monitor how students are progressing in meeting expectations for reading standards. (20%) - This includes homework, class participation, and in class assignments. There will be spelling homework each week, passed out on Monday and due on Friday. There may be occasional grammar homework. Most of the books we use remain in school so students should be reading something of their choosing independently at home.
Summative Assessment - These are assignments used to determine mastery of standards and expectations. (80%) - This includes bi-weekly spelling and vocabulary test as well as other types of assessments conducted in class and certain projects that may be completed at home.
8th Grade:
Student began the week watching the movie, October Sky. It is based on the true story of NASA scientist Homer Hickum who followed his dream of becoming a scientist in spite of many obstacles.
The 8th graders will then be working on a group project using the scientific method and engineering process. They will work with a small group of classmates to develop a plan and model for building a pasta bridge. The bridges must meet given criteria for performance, design, and material usage. We will test the bridges for strength at the end of the project. There will be no homework but there will be a packet to complete and turn in at the end of the project. This will be the only remaining assignment in the gradebook so students should make sure that it is turned in.
This is the the final trimester so it is important for students to keep up on assignments. After MCA testing there will one final in-class project but there will not be many opportunities to improve grades at the end of the year.
It is the policy of Cologne Academy that students can always improve their scores on assessments and classwork and a retake policy will be made available to students who wish to do better. However, the retake involves more than simply correcting answers on their old test. All missing work will need to be turned in and the study guide completed before students will be allowed to retake a test. Test corrections are not a substitute for studying in advance since students will have to undertake them at the same time that they are responsible for new material.
Students were introduced to Google Classroom and were required to turn in a Technology Form and complete online practice assignments. The status and due date of these assignments can be seen on their Google Classroom page.
6th Grade
The sixth graders will continue studying cells - focusing especially on specialized cells and how they work together to form tissues and organs. We will also learn about the structure and function of human body systems.
This is the final trimester of the school year so it is important for students to renew their commitment to keeping up with assignments.
It is the policy of Cologne Academy that students can always improve their scores on assessments and classwork and a retake policy will be made available to students who wish to do better. However, the retake involves more than simply correcting answers on their old test. All missing work will need to be turned in and the study guide completed before students will be allowed to retake a test. Test corrections are not a substitute for studying in advance since students will have to undertake them at the same time that they are responsible for new material.
Formative Assessment - These are assignments that monitor how students are progressing in meeting expectations for reading standards. (20%) - This includes homework, class participation, and in class assignments. There will be occasional homework but there will not necessarily be science homework every night.
Summative Assessment - These are assignments used to determine mastery of standards and expectations. (80%) - This includes tests, projects, lab write ups, and other types of assessments.
