Email: jolynn.copenhaver@dvusd.org

Phone: 623-376-4871

Qualifications: B.A. Elementary Education 1999 University of Wyoming ESL Certified AZ & US Constitution

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Frickert, was my favorite teacher because she made learning relevant, difficult, engaging, and fun. My goal is to have this same impact on the students that I teach!

This will be my 24th year teaching! We have been fortunate enough to have moved to many different places in these past few years. I started off teaching 2nd grade in Kennedale, TX for 4 years and then moved to Mckinney, TX. I taught 3 years of 2nd grade there and moved up to 3rd grade for a year. Then we moved to Peoria, AZ and I taught 3rd for a year, 6th for a year, and 4th for 2 years! This was the time of teachers being RIF'd(Reduction in Force) so I was transferred to whatever position was available. Then we moved yet again to Concord, CA where I subbed for a year, taught 5th for a year, then 2nd for half a year. Finally, we moved back to Peoria, AZ where I finished out the year in 4th and now I am in my tenth year as a 5th grade  teacher at Sierra Verde STEAM Academy(BEST SCHOOL EVER!!) What a crazy and blessed life I have!

I love my job and do whatever it takes to help kids succeed and believe in themselves. I strive to be the best and work hard to learn new things every day. I am proud to be a teacher.

Happy 2024-2025 school year!

     My name is JoLynn Copenhaver, and I am going to be your child’s 5^th Grade Math teacher! I have been teaching for 24 years with a variety of grade levels taught throughout those years. 

     I have been married for 23 years and have 2 awesome kids. My husband Ryan is a Golf Course Superintendent and is the best at his craft. My daughter Hannah is 21 years old and is going to be a Senior  at Northern Arizona University! Go Jacks!  (where did the time go?!?!) , and my son Ross is 18 and is a Senior at Mountain Ridge. We love to stay busy by hanging out with friends, going camping, swimming, and playing sports.

   I look forward to getting to know you and your child this year. If you ever have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me. It will be a great year and I am looking forward to all the adventures ahead!

   A few of my favorite things…

• My Birthday ~ September 15
• Favorite Color ~ Bright colors
• Favorite Restaurants ~ Top Shelf, Chilis, Arrowhead Grill
• Favorite Fast Food ~ Chick-fil-A, Pei Wei, Panda Express
• Favorite Drinks ~ Sonic Limeaid, Ice Tea, Water, Arnold Palmer
• Favorite Snacks ~ Trail Mix, Milk Chocolate Chips, Extra Spearmint Gum
• Favorite Hobbies ~ shopping, swimming, playing sports, reading, going to the movie
• Favorite Vacations ~ Going back home to Wyoming and Montana
• Favorite Place to Shop~ Amazon, JC Penney,
• Favorite Stores~ Target, Kohls.
• Favorite Sports Team~ Denver Broncos
• Favorite Things~ colored pens, fun decorative pens, any cool writing utensil
• Favorite Flower~ House plants

• 5th Grade Math Curriculum

  What does math look like at the 5th grade?
  The state of Arizona follows the Standards for College and Career Readiness of Math (formerly known as Common Core).  These standards were designed by a council of national math instructors who wanted to create a national curriculum that would decrease the gap between the skills students were graduating from, and what was needed to be successful in college and career fields.  Below you will find links to websites having to do with the College and Career Readiness (Common Core initiative) and specific links to 5th grade math standards.
  • College and Career Readiness Math Document for 5th Grade (PDF)
  • Common Core Math Site (Online)
  • Arizona Department of Education Common Core Math Site
  
  What should my child know before coming to 5th grade?
  5th grade is a jump up in curriculum.  It is critical that students have mastered the skills they were supposed to learn in 4th grade to be successful and not struggle in 5th grade.  If you child has struggled in any one of the following areas, please work with them over the summer to shore up these skills:
  • Basic measurement conversions (iches to feet, inches to yards, ounces to gallons, etc.)
  • Basic addition and subtraction facts 
  • Multiplication and division facts from 1's to 12's.
  • Read, write, and speak numbers through the millions place.  
  • General sense of numbers and how they work.
  • Multi-digit addition and subtraction
  • Single digit multiplication by a multi digit number
  • Double digit multiplication by a double digit number
  • Division of a multi digit dividend by a single digit divisor 
  • Basic understanding of benchmark fractions
  • Basic understanding of decimals and the base 10 place value system
  
  *You can visit my "links" page to find websites that will help out with these skills. 
  
  Instructional Approach to curriculum in 5th Grade?
  With the introduction of the College and Career Readiness standards, the approach to learning mathematics has shifted from a focus on learning the formula or algorithm of how to solve a math problem, to students creating their own understanding and strategies for solving math.  For years we have taught "one way" to solve math problems.  However, not all strategies make sense to every student.  The human brain is complex and thinking varies from student to student.  In fifth grade we provide multiple strategies based on making meaning of the math and it is focused on understanding the process of math.  Students need to be able to explain why the math works and make sense of it.  This doesn't mean that we don't teach the algorithm; the way you and I learned growing up.    However, students won't understand the algorithm until they are able to make sense of the concepts behind the algorithm.  Then it will have a lasting impression and they will have long term understanding.
  
  Below are links to three examples of strategies we use in 5th grade.  Click on them to watch videos on how to use the strategies: 
  • Bar Model method for solving problems
  • Area Model for solving multiplication problems
  • Big 7 method for solving division problems
  • Area model for division

  Topics of Study in 5th Grade:  For the 2024-2025 school year, Deer Valley USD is utilizing the i-READY Classroom for instruction of the College and Career Readiness Standards. 

   

  The Topics of Study we will be exploring this year are: 

  • Whole Number Operations and Applications: Volume, Multiplication, and DIvision
  • Decimals and Fractions: Place Value, Addition, and Subtraction
  • More Decimals and Fractions: Multiplication and Division
  • Measurement, Data, and Geometry: Converting Units, Using Data, and Classifying Figures
  • Algebraic Thinking and the Coordinate Plane: Expressions, Graphing Points, Patterns and Relationships

   

   

• Math Retake Contract                                        

  I encourage your child to work hard and do his/her very best on each and every assessment.  However, everyone has a moment when they don't perform up to their potential.  For this reason, I have created a retake contract to help out with this.   The retake process is designed to ensure that your child has had the opportunity to master the previously-taught material and will involve additional work and at-home practice.  It is a time-consuming process and not intended to be a quick grade-booster but rather an opportunity to demonstrate improved understanding of the content. 

  *NOT ALL ASSESSMENTS are eligible for retakes. 

  Retakes are optional for students who earn a score of 70% or higher on a major assessment and wish to demonstrate a higher level of understanding. 

  *Retakes are required for students who earn a score of 69% or lower on a major assessment.  This ensures students learn the required material that they need to know to successfully pass on from 5^th grade and be prepared for 6^th grade. 

  1.   The student will need to complete ALL elements of the contract prior to taking the retake assessment.  The student may not show up the morning of a scheduled retake session without having previously submitted the contract for review.  

  2.   Once all elements have been satisfactorily completed, the student and teacher will set a date and time to retake/redo the assessment.

Math Homework

My motto: The only way to get better at something is to practice.

With that being said, students WILL have homework every Monday- Thursday night. Your child is expected to do at 3-5 problems a night.  Homework needs to be completed by the child and turned in on time. 

*Students who are struggling with the concept/concepts need to come see me for additional help. 

 3 IXL Skills are expected to be completed weekly. All IXL skills supplement the learning within the classroom. All concepts assigned in IXL will be review problems. Students will have a Quick Check on Friday to assess their understanding of the skill.