My name is Robin Arnheiter, and I’ve been teaching for 28 years. This is my 13th year at Holy Cross. I have taught Pre-K through 5th grade throughout my career. I have taught 1st, 4th, and 5th grades here at Holy Cross.  Currently, I teach 5th grade in a self-contained classroom, which means I teach all core subjects. This includes, reading, writing, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, science, social studies, math, and religion.
 
In my classroom, you will find several huge stuffed bears, along with pillows, bean bags, fleece throws, and small stuffed animal “reading buddies.” My hopes are to create a warm and friendly environment in which the students can  work and learn.
 
My philosophy is to instill a love of learning in all children. I want to inspire my  students to become a community of lifelong learners.  We begin each day with a Morning Meeting. During this time we greet each other, share interesting information about ourselves, participate in a group game activity, and end by reading a morning message.
 
In my classroom during the ILA block, I incorporate the Daily 5 management system. Daily 5 is a way of structuring the literacy block so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. Students will receive explicit whole group instruction and then are given independent practice time to read and write independently, or work on spelling and vocabulary words in creative ways, while I work with small guided reading groups tailored to their specific goals and needs.

I also teach the 5th grade Paced Math class. This small group allows students to learn in a noncompetitive and more relaxed environment. The students use the same math program as the other 5th grade math classes, only we work at a slower pace. Instruction is personalized to student needs and supplemented with manipulatives, online videos, and games.

Click here for Grade 5 Curriculum