Sites used in my classroom

The following is a list of sites we use throughout the year to enhance learning AND have fun:

Instagram - students in room 118 and their parents can follow us at bwi_room118

Class Dojo - your child should have a form from Mrs. Hamilton about log in information

Quizlet - type mrevener in the search bar to give your child a heads up on terms and definitions needed in class for future assessments.

hmhsocialstudies.com - this is the active site for our Social Studies textbook. Your child should have his/her log in and password.

Kahoot - Kahoot is a great resource tool for quizzing students on formal assessments.

Powtoons - students can create presentations with this fun site. They should know the class log in and password.

Kidblog - this is for my Language Arts students. They have their own log in and password. This is a great way for them to communicate ideas discussed...and not discussed in the classroom.

Power School - parent/student portal. All grades are posted on this site

Mobymax - students should have user name and password. They can use this to enhance reading comprehension and math.

Coming soon:

Pollev

Socrative

RedIt

Author research

The students were to select an author to do a research paper. These are their selections:

1st period -

Austin – Jeff Kenney
Jayden – Mary Casanova
Cindy – Neil Gian
Abby – John Green
Emma R – Veronica Roth
Jonny – Eion Colfer
Rylee – Tom Clancy
Cassandra – Rachel Russell
Ethan – Suzanne Collins
Colson – Harlan Coben
Ben – Patrick Carman
Kennedy – Joe Evener
Emma D – Judy Blume
Alex – Tony Abbott
Abigail – C.S. Lewis
Cheyanne – Rachel Firth
Wyatt – Katherine Patterson
Simon – John Malam
Hannah – P.L. Travers
Desire – Kazu Kibuishi
Mariska – Bill Waterson

6th period:

Bodie – Joe Evener
Isaac – Suzanne Collins
Logan – Rick Riordan
Braden – Dave Pikley
Bryan Vance – Rush Limbaugh
Samantha – Ellen Miles
Jayden – Tom Watson
Abi – Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Savanna – Margaret Peterson Haddix
Aiva – Ridley Pearson
Dalton Sewell – Mary Pope Osborne
Katie – Erin Hunter
Devin – Gary Paulson
Angelina – Nick Bruel
Layne – R.L. Stine
Jackson – Katherine Patterson
Nicholas – Bobby Pyron
Charlotte – Wendy Mass
Joel – Stuart Gibbs
Grace – Shannon Hale
Melanie – Rachel Renee Russell
Abbie C -  Beverly Cleary
Lydia – Natalie Babbit

Let's Write a Story

Throughout the year I will have students write stories. These are the major things I look for when I am reading through their stories. 

Things to check, and double check when writing:

Does your sentence start with a capital letter?

Do you have a hook? Grab your reader’s attention.

Do you have a subject (noun) in the sentence?

Do you have a verb in the sentence? (action, helping, linking)

Check subject/verb agreement. Plural/singular

Are your proper nouns capitalized? Mr. Evener, not mr. evener

Does your sentence make sense? Read it aloud.

Does your sentence end with a punctuation mark (and only 1 punctuation)?

Who is your narrator? 1^st or 3^rd?

Who is your main character? Supporting characters? (describe with detail)

What is your setting? (when and where, use detail)

What is the problem (conflict)? Man versus (man, himself, nature, society)

Do you have a theme? What are you trying to tell?

What is the building action?

What is the climax?

What is the resolution? Finish it! Don’t “to be continued” me.

Welcome to Mr. Evener's blog

Big Walnut Intermediate School

5^th Grade Curriculum Night

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Joe Evener (LA/SS)  joeevener@bwls.net 

 Stacey Hamilton (Math/Science) staceyhamilton@bwls.net 

Welcome

I consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to inspire and guide your student through his/her journey of learning this school year. With the excitement of a new year, there may be a few adjustments along the way. Communication is the key. We, parents and teachers, are partners in your child’s education.

A little about me:

This is my second year in the classroom. I was a 1982 graduate of Big Walnut High School. The very room(s) I am teaching in, are the rooms I learned high school English my junior and senior years. I began coaching wrestling for Big Walnut in 1986 and continued until 2003 in one form or another. I coached Middle School Track and Field for Big Walnut from 1989-1991, in 1995 I was named the head coach of the high school program, a role I still cherish today. In 2005 I started attending The Ohio State University – Newark and earned my Associate Degree (2007) and my Bachelor Degree (2009) in Language Arts and Social Studies. I graduated in 2011 from Mount Vernon Nazarene University with my Masters Degree in Middle Childhood Education. In 2011-12, I was a Reading Tutor for Big Walnut Elementary, and in 2012-13, I was the Reading Tutor for Big Walnut Intermediate. My first book, The Heart of Seras: Journey to Seras, a fantasy series, was published in November 2013. Book two, The Heart of Seras: The Elders, is tentatively scheduled for release in the spring of 2015.

My wife, Bronwen (1979), and I have been married for thirty-two years (today). We have two sons: Joey (2003) and Jacob (2004), and two grandsons: Jacob (4^th grade) and Jamison (2^nd grade).

Homework and Agenda

The purpose of homework is to reinforce what has been learned in the classroom. Homework helps to achieve content mastery and teaches responsibility as well as positive study habits. Your child will write daily homework assignments in his/her agenda. Most of the homework received in Social Studies or Language Arts will be able to be complete in a short period of time or have a week or longer to complete it.

Assignments

The majority of projects done in Language Arts and Social Studies will come with a Rubric – please look over the Rubric to see what is being asked of the student. I will often start the day with 3 Quick Questions or a Writing Prompt. These questions will check the students’ comprehension of what was discussed the day before. They generally have the first ten minutes of class to answer the questions prior to starting the day’s lesson.

Language Arts

Treasures, published by Macmillan McGraw- Hill, is the recently adopted literature based program aligned with the new Common Core State Standards. Treasures  provides instruction in reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary, writing, spelling, listening, and speaking. Students will work in whole group, small group, and with partners. We will also be doing several group or individual projects along the way to strengthen skills in Language Arts.

We will be discussing elements of storytelling, genres of stories, figurative language, types of sentences, types of formal writing, grammar, and reading comprehension skills.

The three books we will be reading this year are:

Tuck Ever Lasting by Natalie Babbitt
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

As well as several short stories from the Treasures’ Textbook.

The students also have a Daily Comprehension Workbook. They will do these exercises every day to help strengthen their reading comprehension skills. I collect them every Friday for grade (5 points).

Social Studies

This year’s Social Studies content will focus on the economics, geography, governments, and history of the Western Hemisphere. The curriculum is based on the revised Common Core Standards adopted by the state of Ohio.

Students will be engaged in research, projects, in-class discussion, debate, and other critical thinking exercises meant to extend their learning. Important details such as reading a map, making a timeline, taking notes, and doing research will be taught. Paper writing will work in collaboration with Language Arts skills.

Classroom Guidelines:

Within this classroom, the guidelines are simple:

            1.  Follow the directions.

            2.  Refrain from disrupting the class.

            3.  Respect the feelings, rights and property of other students and adults.

4.  Show up prepared on time with required items (homework, paper, pencil, etc) and         ready to add to the discussion. 

           

I want you to know that I have been extremely pleased at the behavior and attitude of the students in my classes. They have worked hard and impress me every day. It is my hope to let them have fun while learning, and make 5^th grade and Big Walnut Intermediate a great experience for them. 

If there is anything I can do to help make this year a better success for your child, please let me know.

Joe Evener