Gayle Barker's Website

Our first reading selection for this school year will be The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.  This novel is an example of historical fiction.  In summary, the story spans several months in the life of Matt, a twelve-year old boy, who is left in a cabin  in the wilderness of Maine while his father returns to Massachusetts to bring the rest of his family to their new homesite.  Matt is befriended by Indians.  His many experiences and adventures make this a very enjoyable book. 

Some of the main themes covered in this book are survival, friendship, fear and courage, and pride.  Students will learn more about these themes as they relate to their personal lives. 

Please  ask your child, on a nightly basis, to review the events in the story.  This will help to re-enforce student comprehension and allow you to follow an interesting novel through the re-telling by your child. 

Working together, we can make this an exceptional reading year for your child. 

We begin the 2008-2009 year with a new science textbook.  There are three units of study which we are required to teach our students this year.  The Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) designed by the State of Georgia for fifth grade science are covered in this text.  In order to make learning more interesting, a variety of media will be used to present the material to the students.  We will also explore beyond the scope of the textbook.

Each quarter, we will study a different unit.  We will begin our first quarter with Earth Science.  Students will learn about Georgia landforms and other land features around the world.  The students will participate in creating a salt-dough, relief map of Georgia as outlined on a project sheet which will be given to them in early August.  Most of this project will be completed in class. 

This year, science scores will become part of the AYP (annual yearly progress) data for all Coweta County schools.  We want White Oak students to continue in our tradition of excelling in science.  Therefore, please stress to your child that their science grades do matter.  Our world is advancing in mathematics and science each year.  We must keep up with the pace and instill the importance of academic achievement in our children.

Throughout the first week of school, I will be assessing my students on their mastery of fourth grade math skills.  It is imperative that our fifth grade students know basic math skills to include addition facts, subtraction facts, multiplication facts, and how to properly line up and successfully complete a simple division problem.  I'll be looking for students who complete their work with at least 80% accuracy.  Those students not meeting this standard, will need additional help at home to bring them up to speed. Parents will be contacted so we can discuss strategies to help your child. 

In order to be successful in fifth grade math, the minimum basic skills noted above are required.  The sooner proficiency in these areas is attained, the easier fifth grade math will be for the children.  Math is a building process.  What is learned in the past is necessary for future work.  We must work deligently together to help our children gain confidence and be successful.