English Language Arts s9
Mount Pearl Intermediate
Grade 6 Intensive Core French
Curriculum Night Information
for
Parents/Guardians
2015-2016
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Promotion Requirements
(Policy Excerpts)
306.7
Promotion/Non-Promotion in K-9 shall be made in the best interests of each student. Consideration shall be given to the students’ level of cognitive, intellectual, social, and emotional development as well as present and past levels of achievement.
306.7A A student in K-9 following an Alternate Curriculum-Pathway 5 shall be placed each year with appropriate adjustments made to his/her Individual Support Service Plan. These adjustments shall be made by the student’s Support Services Planning Team.
306.7B A student accessing Pathway 4 supports (Alternate Course/Enabling Course) shall be considered for promotion/non-promotion as outlined in 306.7D, E and F in accordance with the student’s ISSP.
306.7C A student accessing Pathway 3 supports (Modified Courses in designated programs) shall be considered for promotion/non-promotion, as outlined in 306.7 D, E and F in relation to meeting the determined modified outcomes of the Prescribed Program in accordance with the student’s ISSP.
Appropriate adjustments shall be made to the student’s ISSP as necessary. These adjustments shall be made by the student’s Support Services Planning Team.
306.7D Promotion of students in K-9 following the Prescribed Program (Pathway 1) or accessing Pathway 2 and 3 supports shall be considered with the following context:
(1) Promotion decisions at the Primary/Elementary level shall be based on the assessment of the whole student in relation to learning outcomes.
(2) Students shall usually be promoted through the prescribed curriculum of the Primary/Elementary grades with their peers.
(3) Promotion decisions at the Intermediate level (Grades 7 – 9) shall use the following criteria:
A student on the prescribed program (Pathway 1) or accessing Pathway 2 and 3 support shall pass (receive a grade of at least 50%) Language Arts or Francais, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Core French and any two others of the following subject areas:
Technology Education Health
Religious Education Music
Home Economics Art
Physical Education
Note: Students enrolled in the French Immersion Program must pass Français to continue in the French Immersion Stream.
Assessment and Reporting Schedule
190 Teaching Days
2 Administrative Days
TERM ONE
September 9, 2015 – November 27, 2015 (56 days)
1. Term One ends November 27, 2015
2. Reports released November 30, 2015
3. Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
- Thursday, December 3, 2015
TERM TWO
November 30, 2015 – March 11, 2016 (67 days)
1. Term Two ends March 11, 2016
2. Reports released March 14, 2016
3. Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
- Thursday, March 17, 2016
TERM THREE
March 14, 2016 – June 23, 2016 (67 days)
· Reports released on June 23, 2016
Guidance
The Guidance Department at Mount Pearl Intermediate is responsible for a wide range of services. The guidance program provides leadership opportunities, coordinates the Tutoring for Tuition program, and, through the Character Counts! Program, works to create a positive school environment where all can feel safe and respected. This program also promotes an atmosphere of acceptance, trust and responsibility for others.
In addition to these services and programs, the Guidance Department provides individual and group counseling, mediation, formal and informal assessments, and consultation with students and parents/guardians. Guidance counselors are also involved in the development of Behavior Management Plans, monitoring of students with particular learning and/or behavior needs, and direct involvement in Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and Individualized Student Support Plan (ISSP) meetings. Referrals and consultation with outside agencies are made on an as needed basis.
Student Support Services
The Special Services Department at Mount Pearl Intermediate provides a wide range of supports for students with exceptionalities. Instructional Resource Teachers consult and collaborate with classroom/subject teachers in order to develop and deliver supports and programming for students with exceptionalities. Instructional Resource Teachers also assist in differentiating the instruction in the inclusive classroom in order to meet the diverse learning styles of our students. Teachers working with students with pervasive needs may deliver programming and supports in the inclusive classroom and/or a small-group setting, depending on the need.
The Special Services Department is also involved in pre-referral/referral, IEP and ISSP meetings, formal and informal assessment, and the development and implementation of Behavior Management Plans.
Intensive Core French
Bonjour! Welcome to Intensive Core French! This program began in Newfoundland and Labrador as a research project in 1998 in two districts, and is now available as a provincial option to all students in grade 6. It is defined as an enrichment of the Core French program that enables students to receive in one school year up to four times the number of hours of instruction normally devoted to Core French. Intensive Core French: A Curriculum Guide Grade 6 is available online at:
http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/K12/curriculum/guides/corefrench/elementary/Intensive%20Core%20French%20Curriculum%20Guide.pdf
Approximately 80% of the program is devoted to oral communication and 20% to written communication. French is the language of instruction, and communication is the focus of the program. Listening and speaking represent two key skills required by students to experience success with the program. Each day students will interact with each other in a respectful environment by sharing and increasing their vocabulary in meaningful activities. Cooperative learning and technology are common elements of the project-based approach used in ICF. The program design is organized around the strands:
· Communication
· Culture
· General language education
The topics examined under these strands are:
· Family, friends, self
· Hobbies, interests, sports, adventures
· Animals, pets, nature, environment, weather, seasons
· Music, arts, technology
· School, community
· Holidays, celebrations, calendar
· Health, food, nutrition
· Travel and transportation
· Canada and the world
Livret de Sac (Baggie Books): Monday to Thursday, students shall select a book. They should read the book to themselves and/or to a guardian if they wish. Students should record the book in their Reading Log and two vocabulary words they have learned.
Les Medias (The Media): Three times a week, students are requested to spend a few minutes (15) watching French television or listening to French radio. This may be a sports broadcast, a cooking show, cartoon, etc. This activity provides students with exposure to other accents and voices speaking French other than the teacher’s. The French/English dictionary is quickly becoming your child’s new ‘best friend’ and it is wonderful to see how adept they have become with its usage.
Novel: Students will be required to complete two English novel studies. They will be given approximately 4 weeks to complete each novel and the assigned questions/activities that accompany the novel. This work is to be completed at home.
Evaluation is an on-going process, which includes your child’s participation and efforts with listening, speaking, reading, and writing with the identified strands.
We look forward to a great year working with your child! If you have any questions/concerns please contact us at school by email or contact the school secretary and leave a message.
Art
The Art Program presents to the student a variety of professional artistic works which exemplify the application of certain elements of art. Through activities based on a particular element, the student explores the dynamics of that element with his/her own creativity.
Topic A: The Elements and Principles of Design
1. Color 6. Unity
2. Line 7. Movement
3. Shape 8. Balance
4. Texture 9. Contrast
5. Space 10. Rhythm
Topic B: Art Skills
1. Painting Skills
2. Pasting Skills
3. Modelling and Constructing Skills
4. Cutting and Tearing Skills
5. Crayon and Stick media
Student evaluation:
Cooperation, participation, art appreciation, expression of opinions about personal art work and the work of others.
Core French
Text: Acti-Vie 3
In Elementary Core French, student outcomes are organized around the following strands; communication, culture and general language education. Students acquire language using real life contexts.
The Elementary Core French themes include:
1. L’environnement et moi
2. Soyons Branchees
3. C’est l’hiver
4. Explorons l’univers
5. Voyageons dans le tamps
These topics are presented in a thematic approach. High frequency items including numbers, classroom expressions, colours, and greetings are incorporated into the routine management and daily activities of the classroom.
Student evaluation:
Interviews, role plays, oral and written presentations, listening activities, quizzes and tests.
English Language Arts
Text: Moving Up With Literacy
At the Grade Six level, the English Language Arts curriculum helps students increase their power over the language processes of reading, speaking, listening, writing, viewing, and other ways of representing meaning. The Writing Process and the phases of the writing experience (Preparing to Write, Composing a Final Draft, Revising, Editing, and Publishing) will be worked on extensively throughout the year.
The Grade six English program will focus on but is not limited to:
· English Language Arts: focus on vocabulary, comprehension, purpose and creating text
· Literacy: focus on cognitive process (making connections, evaluating, predicting, inferring, analyzing, sequencing)
· Text: a focus on reading, viewing, creating text types using non- fiction texts, media texts, graphic, texts, fiction and art.
Student Evaluation:
Assessment is the process of gathering information on student learning. Assessment may include checklists, observations, projects, portfolios, questioning, rubrics, journals, and presentations to name a few from the reading, writing, listening and speaking domains.
Health
Text: Young Canada Health 3
The Health Program promotes sound decision-making regarding health and well-being, and fosters a positive self concept. It takes a comprehensive approach which covers a variety of components.
Topics include:
· Mental health
· Relationships
· Physical growth and development
· Dental health
· Healthy living
· Injury prevention and safety
· Drug education
· Consumer health
· Environmental health
· Self care
Student evaluation:
Assignments, presentations, role plays, tests and quizzes.
Mathematics
Text: Math Focus
With this new course students will incorporate the seven mathematical processes; communication, connections, problem solving, reasoning, visualization, estimation and technology to embrace lifelong learning in mathematics.
Specific curriculum outcomes to be explored include those related to:
1
1). Numeration
2). Number Relationships
3). Patterns in Mathematics
4). Data Relationships
5). Motion Geometry and 2D Geometry
6). Ratio and Percent
7). Fractions
8). Multiplication and Division of Decimals
9). Measurement
10).Probability
1
Student evaluation:
In-class work, quizzes, tests, assignments, group work, class discussion and participation.
Music
The elementary program continues to provide students with musical experiences that further develop the musicality innate in each child. The elementary program follows a pedagogical sequence of hearing, singing, playing, moving, deriving, writing, and creating to build upon skills and knowledge acquired in the primary grades. Cognitive and psychomotor skills are developed through musical literacy, movement, and the creation and performance of their own works and the works of others. In addition to playing classroom instruments, students study the recorder and explore the use of music technology.
Repertoire is expanded and includes songs and works from their own and other cultures, works of recognized masters, and contemporary compositions. Students analyze, interpret, reflect and respond to their own works and the works of others, and make connections in local and global contexts.
Choral experiences are an integral part of the elementary music program. Students study choral repertoire and the technical aspects of good choral singing in a choral setting. Choral experiences are to be offered along with the classroom program but are not to replace the allocated time for the core classroom music program.
Instrumental skills may be further developed through a band or string program. The decision to introduce band and/or string programs is a district and school prerogative. Beginning grade levels may vary. Band and string classes are an extension of the classroom music program and provide reinforcement and application of musical concepts. However, at no time are band and string classes to replace the classroom music program. Further information on instrumental programs may be found in Instrumental Music: An Administrative and Curricular Guide.
Evaluation:
On the elementary report card for music, students are assessed using two descriptors:
1. Listens and responds to music
2. Understands musical concepts
A rating scale of 1 to 5 is used for these two descriptors.
Physical Education
The Department of Education determines the Physical Education Curriculum in the Elementary School and the program introduces the student to a variety of sports-related skills and modified games fostering positive participation in movement experiences. There are also a variety of individual movement, cooperative games, fitness and rhythmic skills presented to enhance the student’s personal growth and development.
Activities
The activities offered at Mount Pearl Intermediate for this school year originate from the categories listed below:
Sport Related Skills
· Kicking, passing, dribbling – demonstrated through soccer
· Catching, passing, dribbling – demonstrated through basketball
· Volleying, spiking, serving – demonstrated through volleyball
· Running, jumping, throwing – demonstrated through track and field
· Throwing, catching, base running – demonstrated through softball
· Batting (using implements) – demonstrated through paddleball, scoopball, and badminton
Movement Skills
· Body awareness – shape, laterality, weight transfer and balance
· Quality of movement – speed and force
· Space awareness – personal, general and directions
Rhythmic Skills
· Interactive movement – demonstrated through aerobics
· Creative movement – demonstrated through movement and dance
Co-operative Games
· Games – low organized, lead-up, and relay
Physical Fitness
· Exercises – strength, agility, flexibility and endurance
Student evaluation
An individual student profile is completed in Physical Education for each reporting period during the school year. This assessment is based upon the positive aspects of student participation and reflects the degree to which a student:
· Expends energy appropriate to the activity
· Contributes positively to the success of the activity
· Co-operates with others to achieve activity goals
· Demonstrates an awareness of fair play and sportsmanship