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Scott Osborne:
I would like to welcome you to the SJF community.
I am a graduate of Gonzaga University, class of 2007, and have been
teaching Fifth Grade at St. John Fisher School ever since.
I was drawn to teaching because it is the only profession I know of that
allows me to learn (and relearn) things from such a wide range of topics.
Every day gives me the chance to think about and discuss anything from
the important historical events that shape our lives even today, amazing
scientific phenomena and the reasons behind them, the mathematical principles
that run behind every aspect of our world, wonderful stories that connect us to
the past and shape our future selves, and the realization that there is just a
lot of cool stuff out there. My
teaching philosophy is to give my students the tools and the desire to be able
to make sense of the greater world around them as best I can.
I try to balance this with an emphasis on logical thought and
organization with an eye on preparing them for middle school.
Thanks, Upcoming projects and tests: Religion Chapter 9 test on the Sacrament of Confirmation Thursday, 3/11/10 Spelling Unit 5.1 Test Friday, 3/12/10 (multisyllabic words) Math Chapter 12 test on multiplying and dividing fractions Friday, 3/19/10 Social Studies Fair: Next Wednesday, from 6:30-7:30, the school will be having a Social Studies Fair. The fifth graders will be conducting a debate on whether or not war between the American Colonists and British was justified in 1775. Each student has a specific role, although not all are speaking parts. It is highly encouraged that the students dress up as colonists from the time period, and they will receive extra credit if they do so. It is not mandatory to dress up. The debate will be in the library, and start as close to 6:30 as possible. We should be done by 7:00. Reminder: the current class of the month project is to bring non-perishable food (particularly canned fruit) for the Sunshine Division. Update for January 26th, 2010 Final grades for 2nd trimester progress reports are in, and they will be coming home this Thursday. I would like them to be signed and returned by the following Wednesday, February 3rd. We are only halfway through the trimester, so there is plenty of opportunity to improve in any subject area. In Math, we are currently working on simplifying fractions and finding the Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor of sets of numbers. There will be a test on this material next Tuesday.
The students have finished the first of three Social Studies projects this week, with the other two coming at the end of chapters 5 and 6. The class is studying the formation of early colonies that eventually led to the American Revolution. In Science, the 5th grade is working on the basic concepts of chemistry, such as mass, volume, and density. We are also learning about the structure of atoms and molecules, and physical and chemical changes. Our next unit in Religion will be focusing on the sacrament of Confirmation. Students will also now have the opportunity to be trained as altar servers for school and weekend masses. If they would like to be trained, the form must be turned in to Mr. Albertini by this Friday, 1/29/10. In Language Arts, we are continuing to learn the components of good creative writing. I have been very impressed with the quality of our last several writing sessions, and hope that it will continue as the students gain more confidence in their abilities. We have covered the visual aspects of writing (characters, interiors, and landscapes) and are moving on to auditory writing (sounds and dialogue). In a few weeks, we will be putting our practice into the creation of short stories, with the focus on coherent plot and expressive writing style. All Battle of the Books "Notes from My Reading" must be turned in by February 26th to receive credit, and the actual Battle will be taking place around March 1st. If you would like to drive (and we need drivers), the permission slips will be coming home soon. It's been a long road and the students have been working hard; it's nice to have the end in sight! 12/9/09 Update With less than 2 weeks before we leave for Christmas break,
there are only a few things to wrap up: -The final copy of the "Christmas Gift" is due this Friday.
Your child has a copy of the rubric that will be used for grading,
including formatting specifications. -All 9 Social Studies Explorer trading cards are due on
Thursday, 12/17/09. Your child has a
copy of the rubric that will be used for grading, with emphasis on accuracy and
presentation. -We will be having our Math chapter 5 test on Wednesday,
12/16/09. The students have a copy
of the pre-test, which is nearly identical to the test they will be taking.
This test will cover long division of larger numbers, order of operations
(PEMDAS), and the problem solving skill of working backwards. -Finally, the 5th grade is preparing the last Mass of the
year, taking place on Wednesday, 12/16/09. Happy Holidays!
10/5/09 Update We will be having our chapter 2 Math test on Friday (10/9/09). The test will cover adding, subtracting, and estimating with large numbers. There will also be some work with simple variables and problem solving skills. The following week, we will begin taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, which means students should be getting plenty of rest and eating a healthy breakfast. This series of tests starts on October 12th and will last about a week and a half. Finally, progress reports will be going home on the 22nd of the month. This means that any missing work will need to be completed by Friday, 10/16/09. I am very proud of the hard work the fifth grade students have put in so far, and am looking forward to their continued success.
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