Happening Now:

 

Independent Reading Projects / Genre Study

Currently, your child should be reading a novel in the genre of Realistic Fiction. The first project is due on October 31st. Check the Independent Reading Projects page for more information. 

 

SpringBoard Unit 2

SpringBoard is the textbook we use in ELA class, and students got their copies this week. We are starting in the middle of the book with a unit on explanatory writing. The summative assessment for this unit will be an essay written in class, and will take place in about a month. In class this week, students completed a baseline writing assessment. They will receive feedback on their writing skills and use that feedback to set goals for the unit. See more about SpringBoard units and resources here. 

 

Article of the Week 

As you know by know, this is a weekly assignment that's handed out on Monday and due by Friday. (Next week, it will be due by Thursday). Each month, we will  shift the focus of the reading and writing skills practiced with the article. Therefore, the instructions will vary slightly. I will always walk them through the instructions in class, but it never hurts to have them read all directions again at home when they are working on it. Thanks for your help with that! 

See more about the AoW assignment, including archives, on the Article of the Week page. 

 

Coming Soon:

 

Greek and Latin roots TEST 

Next week, we'll complete the fifth unit of Greek and Latin roots vocabulary. After every fifth unit, it's time for a cumulative TEST on the ROOTS ONLY. That test will take place on Friday, October 20. This will be the first summative assessment (summative assessments are worth 70% of the total grade) so it will have a big impact on their current grade. The test will cover the 15 roots we've studied so far. Students will need to write down the meaning of each of the 15 roots from memory. The goal is for students to remember these roots for months and years to come, so that when they come across unfamiliar words that contain the roots, they might have a better chance of making sense of those unfamiliar words. Therefore, this is one area where I encourage rote memorization.

Most students have caught on by now that at bit of studying at home is required to be successful on the weekly quizzes. Want to help them avoid a stressful cramming session the night before the test? Help them remember to review a little bit each day, they are far more likely to remember the information long term, and that will make the unit tests much easier. 

 

Conference week! 

Please mark your calendars for conferences (10/23-10/26) and stay tuned for more specific information from the school. I would love to meet with you and I plan to be there for all sessions. 

 

Other info and tips:

 

Worried about your child's grade? 

We are far enough into the semester that you might be able to notice some general trends. If your child is missing several assignments or failing every quiz, it might be time for us to partner up and figure out some ways to help. Please reach out to me if you want to meet or have a chat over the phone. 

 

Worried about your child's organizational skills and task management? 

First, instead of asking, “Do you have homework?”, try asking “What is your homework tonight/this week?” and follow it with a glance in their Ike pages (planner). If they don’t have anything written down, it means they forgot to write it down class, not that they don’t have homework. I ask students to write in their planners every day, and I believe a majority of their 6^th grade teachers do the same. If this remembering to do this seems to be a problem for them, perhaps you can set up a reward system for them if they do remember. (I personally have mixed feelings about extrinsic rewards for basic responsibilities, but many parents find this strategy helpful.)

I am also more than happy to help set up an organizational system for the binder that goes home and the ELA binder, which stays in class.  I’m hoping to arrange an after school session in the near future for students who need some help getting a system in place. Stay tuned!