FRANCIS WALSH INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
5^th and 6^th Grade Minimester Information

5^th and 6^th Grade Elective Classes:

     •·  Developmental Guidance (grade 5)
     •·  Family & Consumer Science
     •·  Instructional Technology
     •·  Language Arts Enrichment
     •·  Math Enrichment
     •·  World Language (grade 5 Spanish, grade 6 French)

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•·   Students will take these classes on a rotating basis for thirty days in grade 5; thirty-six days in grade 6.
•·   Students will be graded on a pass/fail basis.  Grade will be based upon effort and participation in class, not mastery
      of material.
•·   Minimester classes are exploratory and discovery based.
•·   All students in grades 5 and 6 will receive equal access to each program during those two years.

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Mathematics Enrichment

This is a class that will be taught to students in order to remediate areas of difficulty and concern, and challenge those students who are on grade level or above grade level in their abilities.  The enrichment teacher will collaborate with the team teacher to discuss ability levels, activities, and share information regarding student performance.

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Language Arts Enrichment

Students will work on specific reading and writing skills based upon what they are doing in their team classes.  The enrichment teacher will collaborate with the team teacher to find what areas need to be addressed and how best to remediate instruction for students who require prescriptive teaching while challenging all students to stretch their learning and strive for excellence.

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Family and Consumer Science (Home Economics)

In this case, students will have an opportunity to learn the fine art of cooking.  Along with preparing several dishes, students will also be exposed to the most current food pyramid, ways in which they can add nutritious foods to their diet, and discover that eating healthy and learning to cook can be fun.

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Instructional Technology

The primary focus of this course is to learn proper keyboarding techniques while working with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and Microsoft Works.  Students will have an opportunity to apply these skills in creating a variety of different documents.

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World Language (grade 5 Spanish, grade 6 French)

In 5^th grade, students will be exposed to the Spanish culture and language.  Students will learn various terms such as:  hello, goodbye, good morning, the days of the week, the months of the year, colors, and numbers.

In 6^th grade, students will be exposed to the French culture and language.  Students have a similar content experience as the one they had in 5^th grade Spanish.

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Development Guidance (grade 5)

5^th graders will take a developmental guidance course with their guidance counselor who will be with them for the four years they are at WIS.  In this course, students will learn about WIS, the expectations their teachers have of them, and have an opportunity to learn about themselves, their peers, building healthy friendships, explore career interests, and participate in a community service learning project.