Welcome to what
promises to be a very rewarding and unique new school year! I am very excited
to be your child’s 6th grade Language Arts
teacher!
READING INFORMATION:
Our classroom reading will be filled with literature that will attract readers of all types and incorporate various genres. Students will focus on Independent Reading Time that will be incorporated in the Reader’s Workshop, as well as different novels we will read together as a class. Every two weeks students will be assigned a specific genre to use to choose their Independent Reading book. Students will have time in class to read daily, but will have to read at home as well in order to finish their selected books by the due date given. Each Friday at the end of the two weeks, students will complete a Reader’s Workshop assignment (book report) in class. This assignment will be due by the end of class on that day.
Students will have the opportunity to check out books from my classroom library as well as from the Spartan Room (middle school library). As a class, we will visit the Spartan Room every other Tuesday.
Students are required to get their chosen books approved by me before they begin reading them. Students may not ask to have their books approved the day before their Reader's Workshop is due for that week. Students will receive 5 points for having their book approved and in class with them while completing their Reader's Workshop.
Below is the tentative schedule for the genres assigned for Reader's Workshop 2013:
September 5th- Your Choice
September 19th- Realistic Fiction
October 3rd- Science Fiction or Fantasy
October 17th- Historical Fiction
October 31st- Horror or Mystery
November 14th- Autobiography or Biography
December 5th- Your Choice
December 18th- Realistic Fiction
WRITING INFORMATION:
Writer's Notebook
One major component of my class will be keeping Writer’s Notebooks. A Writer’s Notebook is a place where seed ideas or writing ideas are “planted”. This notebook will not be graded on mechanics of writing (spelling, punctuation, and other grammar). It's purpose is to provide an outlet where students can take risks and explore their ideas and learning through their writing. It is this tool that will give students a place to start their writing process. Entries will generally be written in class, but occasionally it may be necessary for students to finish their entries at home. The writing program we will be using is a combination of keeping Writer’s Notebooks, coupled with mini-lessons, conferences, and a supportive writing center; all leading up to various writing projects that integrate the different genres of writing.
Daily Grammar Practice (DGP)
Daily Grammar Practice, or DGP, is a grammar approach the 6th grade team has adopted here in Waynesville that helps scaffold students' understanding of how language works. DGP requires students to work with one sentence a week where they complete a new task each day to improve mechanics (i.e. identifying parts of speech, sentence parts and phrases, clauses, and punctuation, etc.). This is the main method I will be using to evaluate students on their grammar skills. The daily tasks for DGP are not graded but are meant to help prepare students for everyday writing and for a DGP quiz that takes place almost every Friday over recent material that was focused on that week.
The goal of teaching students the foundations of grammar in this routine is that the knowledge should carry over when students are taking risks in their everyday writing, in their Writer’s Notebooks, and on formal writing assignments. I've found that using this routine enables students to truly understand the "tools" they need and the reasons for using grammar correctly.
Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I look forward to a rewarding year working with your son/daughter. Your parental support and involvement means so much!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Snell
[email protected]
READING INFORMATION:
Our classroom reading will be filled with literature that will attract readers of all types and incorporate various genres. Students will focus on Independent Reading Time that will be incorporated in the Reader’s Workshop, as well as different novels we will read together as a class. Every two weeks students will be assigned a specific genre to use to choose their Independent Reading book. Students will have time in class to read daily, but will have to read at home as well in order to finish their selected books by the due date given. Each Friday at the end of the two weeks, students will complete a Reader’s Workshop assignment (book report) in class. This assignment will be due by the end of class on that day.
Students will have the opportunity to check out books from my classroom library as well as from the Spartan Room (middle school library). As a class, we will visit the Spartan Room every other Tuesday.
Students are required to get their chosen books approved by me before they begin reading them. Students may not ask to have their books approved the day before their Reader's Workshop is due for that week. Students will receive 5 points for having their book approved and in class with them while completing their Reader's Workshop.
Below is the tentative schedule for the genres assigned for Reader's Workshop 2013:
September 5th- Your Choice
September 19th- Realistic Fiction
October 3rd- Science Fiction or Fantasy
October 17th- Historical Fiction
October 31st- Horror or Mystery
November 14th- Autobiography or Biography
December 5th- Your Choice
December 18th- Realistic Fiction
WRITING INFORMATION:
Writer's Notebook
One major component of my class will be keeping Writer’s Notebooks. A Writer’s Notebook is a place where seed ideas or writing ideas are “planted”. This notebook will not be graded on mechanics of writing (spelling, punctuation, and other grammar). It's purpose is to provide an outlet where students can take risks and explore their ideas and learning through their writing. It is this tool that will give students a place to start their writing process. Entries will generally be written in class, but occasionally it may be necessary for students to finish their entries at home. The writing program we will be using is a combination of keeping Writer’s Notebooks, coupled with mini-lessons, conferences, and a supportive writing center; all leading up to various writing projects that integrate the different genres of writing.
Daily Grammar Practice (DGP)
Daily Grammar Practice, or DGP, is a grammar approach the 6th grade team has adopted here in Waynesville that helps scaffold students' understanding of how language works. DGP requires students to work with one sentence a week where they complete a new task each day to improve mechanics (i.e. identifying parts of speech, sentence parts and phrases, clauses, and punctuation, etc.). This is the main method I will be using to evaluate students on their grammar skills. The daily tasks for DGP are not graded but are meant to help prepare students for everyday writing and for a DGP quiz that takes place almost every Friday over recent material that was focused on that week.
The goal of teaching students the foundations of grammar in this routine is that the knowledge should carry over when students are taking risks in their everyday writing, in their Writer’s Notebooks, and on formal writing assignments. I've found that using this routine enables students to truly understand the "tools" they need and the reasons for using grammar correctly.
Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. I look forward to a rewarding year working with your son/daughter. Your parental support and involvement means so much!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Snell
[email protected]