Moooo Math News!!!
3.18.14
Dear
Parents,
In math, we have been working on
Probability and Statistics. We have also
added and subtracted fraction with unlike denominators in word problems, as
well as finding sums or differences of fractions that are close to one, just above
one or just below one. We always work on
addition, subtraction, division and multiplication of whole numbers and numbers
less than one. This occurs on both a 5th
and 6th grade level.
They have been using formulas for
finding the mean, mode, range, and median of a set of data. This reinforces adding, subtracting, and
dividing of larger numbers in real life situations. Situations that calculate specific data about
sports, weather, their grades in class, their weight, etc…
The class has a statistics quiz on
3.21.14.
We are beginning to work on the
measurement strand this week. We will
first talk about comparing and organizing the units of measure for both metric
and customary systems. We will do
activities involving linear measurement and the measurement of temperature,
mass, and capacity.
During this time, we will begin to
work on the geometry strand where we will work with identifying and measuring angles,
identifying two and three dimensional shapes, label and measure the parts of a
circle, as well as finding area, perimeter and volume.
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci
Writing:
Descriptive Essay
February 7, March13and 18
Dear Parents,
The rubric below reflects the writing piece done by your
child during the 2nd Quarter.
The students went through the writing process in order to
come up with a final writing piece. They
use a peer to edit their work. Afterwards, I will give some guidance as
well. They have a chance to see many
strong samples of writing from me or from other peers that were specifically
selected to share something they did well.
I will send their Feb. 3 homework assignment home with the
rubric over the next 3 weeks. In time,
you will also receive their rubric and writing for the persuasive essay they are
currently working on.
Respectfully,
Sal Capecci
Writing Information
3.17.14
Dear
Parents,
You will have a chance to look at
the rubrics from the February 3 homework assignment and the persuasive
essay. Please return the writing pieces
so we can place them back into their notebooks for further use. The next writing assignment is trying their
hands at writing fables and poetry.
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci
Writing Assignment – All Classes
January 9, 2014
Dear Students and
Parents,
I am asking that a writing assignment is
done at home with your child. Attached
are two writing prompts that were previously used. Choose ONE prompt and go through the writing
process in order to turn in a final copy that is well thought out.
Use the writing checklist to guide
you. First use the back of this letter
or a scrap piece of paper and have the children brainstorm ideas in order to
get them ready to write their rough copy.
After planning the way that works for you, begin to write their rough
copy. Here, you can assist them by
editing and revising. After you have
gone through the rough draft, put everything you did together and write a final
copy.
Use the writing checklist and all the
knowledge the children have learned.
Please assist them through the process, but allow them to guide you. Use the writing samples that were sent home
in the writing folders as a guide to measure your writing samples to
theirs. You are looking to earn a grade
of a 3 or 4 in both composing/written expression and usage/mechanics.
When finished with the final copy, use the
attached rubric and grade your writing.
Turn in the brainstorming, the rough and final copy, as well as the
rubric. The due date on this
is February 3.
Please contact me if you have any
questions.
Respectfully,
Sal Capecci
SOL Writing Information
**The following letter and materials were sent home with the purpose to inform parents and students how scoring is done with the writing sol and several writing samples exhibiting characteristics of the possible scores.
Dear Parents,
The following packet is provided to give you a better idea of how writing pieces are scored on the upcoming writing test this upcoming March, what rubric is used to score the writing pieces, a list of writing prompts, and most importantly, an explanation of why each writing earned the grade it did.
The intention of this information is to give you and your child a chance to read each writing piece and understand why it earned the score it did. I hope this gives you and your child a better sense of what to expect. You can gauge your child’s writing and see where they compare to what you are reading.
There are 8 sample stories in the packet. There are two samples that show what a score of 1 looks like, 2 samples that show what a score of a 2 looks like and so on. One is scored for Composing and the other for Usage.
The rubric contained is one that scores two aspects of their writing. One is Composing/Written Expression and the other is Usage/Mechanics Rubric. As you can see, you can gain up to a 4 or as low as a 1. As you read from 4 to 1 you can see that it is a sliding scale that goes from exhibiting consistent control of a topic for a score of 4, to exhibiting little or no control for a score of 1.
The writing prompts will be used in class as we do a particular topic of writing. We are currently doing a descriptive essay and will compose a persuasive piece next. You are welcome to have them write on topics they enjoy from this list if you wish. This would benefit them by having multiple exposures to writing a variety of topics. **PLEASE KEEP THESE
Take the time to read this with your child and RETURN to school so that another family can read through it. I ONLY MADE 20 COPIES FOR THE ENTIRE 5TH GARDE BECAUSE OF ALL THE PAPER. Please contact me if you have any questions. I hope this information is helpful. To view everything electronically, see below.
https://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/va/educator?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=edu_mentor_overview_page
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci
MOOO News
December 12, 2013
Dear Parents,
LANGUAGE ARTS:
We are
currently reading nonfiction text in class.
The children had a chance to choose an appropriately leveled text in
order to do a unit study. The children
worked on vocabulary and comprehension questions, main ideas and supporting
details, cause/effect relationships, generalizations, and cycles of
nature. We talked about the parts of the
book and the way the text is set up. We
also plan on watching a nonfiction history or science video that also supports
our unit in reading.
Our next
unit will cover Historical Fiction.
MATH:
We have
spent a lot of time working on numbers less than one. We have ordered, compared, added, subtracted,
multiplied, and divided decimal numbers and numbers greater than one. We also converted decimal to fraction and
fraction to decimal. Percentages were
also discussed and related to decimals/fractions. While these concepts have been studied, we
also worked on some place value and computation that should extend their
knowledge of previously learned material.
WRITING:
The classes
have/will be writing 5 paragraph descriptive essays. They will use their senses to write a
descriptive essay and utilize a rubric and checklist which should aid in
enhancing their writing. The students
have a chance to see me/us go through the writing process, they have a chance
to read other student’s work on a regular basis as we go through the steps,
peer edit, and then get some advice from me.
This piece was written in their notebook. The next piece will be typed.
The next
topic will be a persuasive essay. We
will utilize the Being a Writer
program to aid in teaching this unit. We
will view several persuasive essays, come up with the characteristics that persuasive
essays have and make sure the students are aware of the characteristics so they
can incorporate them into their writing.
They will view me going through the process, have a chance to view each
other’s writing, peer edit and get some final advice from me.
Mr. Capecci
SOL Writing Information
November 20, 2013 and December 6 (Mr. Capecci's and Mr. Nicholson's writing class)
**The following letter and materials were sent home with the purpose to inform parents and students how scoring is done with the writing sol and several writing samples exhibiting characteristics of the possible scores.
Dear Parents,
The
following packet is provided to give you a better idea of how writing pieces
are scored on the upcoming writing test this upcoming March, what rubric is
used to score the writing pieces, a list of writing prompts, and most
importantly, an explanation of why each writing earned the grade it did.
The
intention of this information is to give you and your child a chance to read
each writing piece and understand why it earned the score it did. I hope this gives you and your child a better
sense of what to expect. You can gauge
your child’s writing and see where they compare to what you are reading.
There are 8
sample stories in the packet. There are
two samples that show what a score of 1 looks like, 2 samples that show what a
score of a 2 looks like and so on. One
is scored for Composing and the other
for Usage.
The rubric
contained is one that scores two aspects of their writing. One is Composing/Written
Expression and the other is Usage/Mechanics
Rubric. As you can see, you can gain
up to a 4 or as low as a 1. As you read
from 4 to 1 you can see that it is a sliding scale that goes from exhibiting
consistent control of a topic for a score of 4, to exhibiting little or no
control for a score of 1.
The writing
prompts will be used in class as we do a particular topic of writing. We are currently doing a descriptive essay
and will compose a persuasive piece next.
You are welcome to have them write on topics they enjoy from this list
if you wish. This would benefit them by
having multiple exposures to writing a variety of topics. **PLEASE KEEP THESE
Take the
time to read this with your child and RETURN
to school so that another family can read through it. I ONLY MADE 20 COPIES
FOR THE ENTIRE 5TH GARDE BECAUSE OF ALL THE PAPER. Please contact me if you have any
questions. I hope this information is
helpful. To view everything
electronically, see below.
https://perspective.pearsonaccess.com/perspective/appmanager/va/educator?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=edu_mentor_overview_page
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci
Math Conferences
October 25, 2013
Dear Math Parents,
I
know we set up conference times for our language arts students, but I also want
to extend an invitation to conference with you IF NEEDED. I plan on sending a brief statement home
letting you know what we worked on, what we are planning to work on and
strengths and or weaknesses of your child that I observed.
When
you receive the letter, let me know if a conference is needed. I am doing this to limit the number of
conferences I need to have but to extend an invitation to those who wish to
meet. Please consider a phone conference
as well.
The
statement with all of this information will be sent home next week.
Respectfully,
Mr.
Capecci
Conference Information
October 17,
2013
Dear
Parents,
Conference time is coming soon and
we wanted to let you know that we are planning on providing 15 minute time
slots for conferences with your child’s reading teacher. If you are interested in talking with your child’s
math teacher, then call to set up a phone conference with them.
Look for a letter from your child’s
reading teacher about signing up for the upcoming conferences. We must finish conferences no later than
November 8.
Respectfully,
Fifth Grade
Team
COW
CLASS
Dear Parents,
We
will be having our Fall Parade on Friday, October 25. The time will be from 1:30 to the end of the
day. We will be meeting at the track around
1:45. We will also have our “Fun Friday”
on this day. This is when the students
enjoy some free time for keeping their tickets.
The
kids and I had an idea and wanted to share it with you. We were thinking of dressing as a herd of
cows. You know we like to do things
differently. I was thinking, to help
make this easier, they can dress as a cow or a farmer (ALL cows would be best
if possible). It can be simple, like
wearing black and white with some kind of tail and ears.
Please
let me know what you think. If this is
too much, then we can use the costumes they will wear on Halloween. I want to get a feel for what you think. I don’t want this to cost extra. I just wanted to come up with something fun
and unique.
Please
send a note in the planner if you wish to participate. I’ll get back to you next week with the
feedback from this.
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci and the Cows
Writer’s Eye
September 13,
2013
Dear
Parents,
Our fifth grade will be attending
the Writer’s Eye 2013 program at The Fralin Museum of Art where the
children will have a chance to see current exhibits. There is NO cost for this trip.
We will attend on September 20 from
11:00-12:15. We will leave school around
10:20 and arrive at BWES around 1:00. The
children will have a chance to view artwork, use the inspiration from what they
see, and write something in the form of poetry or prose. Everyone will submit a piece of writing to
Mr. Capecci, but those who wish to submit their writing in the contest can do
so individually. If you wish to do this
with your child, I will give you the necessary information on the deadlines, judges,
and prizes. I will take all submissions
to the museum by November 22.
Lastly, we need 1 chaperone per
class. If you are interested, please let
your child’s teacher know. You will be
responsible for helping a small group navigate the museum with a guide and their
teacher. We will have 3 groups of 17.
The students MUST pack a lunch this
day.
Respectfully,
5th
Grade Team
Writing News from Mr.
Capecci’s Class
September 5,
2013
Dear
Parents,
Our writing unit has started with
writing directions that will be used to do, make, or explain something. We began with writing directions on how to
exit the building during a fire drill.
The students first wrote directions on how to exit the building during a
fire drill. Then they had a chance to
read several examples of directions the children brought in from home that was
an assignment. Afterwards, they reread
and edited their own directions. Finally
they walked the halls with a peer and read their directions to each other to
see how well they worked or if they needed to be changed. They did a final edit and revision and had to
write a final copy at home for an assignment.
We are currently writing directions
on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The class and I are doing this together. We will have all materials necessary and will
write accurate and explicit directions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich. We will go through the writing
process.
In the meantime, the children are
expected to bring in what they need in order to assist in writing
directions. They are to use what they
bring in to help with sequencing and completing an accurate set of directions. Some of the children came up ideas of
braiding hair, tying knots, making brackets, how to make something, etc… Please have the children have the items to
class by Thursday.
Respectfully,
Sal Capecci
News from the Cow Class
October 4,
2013
Dear
Parents,
We have gotten off to a solid start
so far this year. We have begun to put
our behavior and academic expectations into place. Now that I have a better handle on things, I
am eager to have parents come into the class to volunteer their time. The following are some of the things I can
use help with.
1.
Math assistance Monday – Friday from10:20-10:45 **this may increase
Come help by teaching
some of the 6th grade curriculum!
2.
Writing assistance every other Thursday from 12:30-2:15 (any time you can
spare during this time) *Starting October 17
Mainly help with
editing/revising comments
3.
Reading Group assistance on Wed. and Thurs. from 9:30-10:15
Reading with students
and doing follow-up activities.
4.
Making copies, retyping some documents, and any other administrative tasks. *I need
someone to help retype some documents and to help me build a math word wall.
Respectfully,
Mr. Capecci
Please send
this back as a way to let me know what you can do. Just write me a message.
Classroom
News
August 22, 2013
Dear Parents,
I hope
your child’s first day of school was a good one. My goal was for them to leave with positive
things to say about their school day. We
did many things to prepare for 5th grade today.
Yesterday
we began to get our supplies ready and finished doing it today. Some folders/notebooks may not be decided
until the children go to other classes.
We did some activities that allowed the students opportunities to
interact with each other. They brought
two activities home, so please ask them to tell you what we did and why.
Today
we broke into reading and math groups by ability. These groups were based on last year’s data,
so we began a series of assessments to recheck some skills. This will allow us to gather more data and
make the necessary changes if needed.
The groups are fluid and the children can and will be moved if needed. The data we collect, classroom performance,
and other data are all considered when making the decision.
We also
went to visit Mr. Nicholson for science.
The children will do writing and science for the next 3 weeks and will
not explore social studies until 3 weeks from now. The student schedule will be explained during
Back-to-School Night.
The
county is changing how teachers set up their homepages. I am one of the many teachers who are waiting
for the county to give us the thumbs-up to work on our homepages. That should occur sometime in late September
or early October. Until my site is up
and running, I will communicate with you by weekly letters. Please feel free to contact me at school
973.3865 or at scapecci@k12albemarle.org
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