• Mrs. Victoria Alva

    5th Grade Special Education

    ELA and SS

     

    CONTACT: valva@cornwallschools.com

     

    Student  Expectations

    As a team, Ms. Hartnett and I strive to create classroom environments where each student feels safe, welcomed, and heard. Our goal is to help our students develop independence while transitioning to middle school. 

     

    My expectation is that students will THINK before they speak or act.

    T- is it true or trustworthy?

    H- is it helpful… or hurtful?

    I- Is it inspiring?

    N-Is it necessary?

    K- is it kind?

     

    I expect students to show up prepared for class and avoid anything that could prevent them from being their best.

     

    Grading Policy

    On our team, we follow a point-based system to aid in the transition from elementary school grading (1-4) to traditional middle school grading. Each assignment is graded by “points earned” compared to “points available”. Classwork, homework, projects, and assessments are all items that may be graded. These points can range from 10 to 100 depending on the assignment. Grades can be viewed live on School Tool. **For Mrs. Alva - Students will have the chance to retake assessments if they score less than a 70% to earn a 70%**

     

    English Language Arts 

    Students will have ELA daily as we focus on reading, writing, listening and speaking. Our 5th grade ELA curriculum utilizes “Novel Studies”, where we read novels as a class to strengthen our reading/writing skills and strategies. We will be reading and analyzing about 4–5 novels this year with an overall theme of diversity ranging from appearance, race, religion, and culture. Aside from literature novels, we read non-fiction texts like informational articles, magazines, etc. Writing instruction will encompass narrative, persuasive and informational pieces as well as responding to text.

     

    Social Studies

    Students will have Social Studies every other day, alternating with Science. The 5th grade curriculum focuses on the Western Hemisphere. We study the geography, history, and culture of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and South America. We will use informational materials such as various readings and articles, the textbook, and watch videos. Aside from small assessments, project-based learning will be utilized and graded as we complete hands-on projects and activities to learn about the Western Hemisphere.