Welcome to
6th Grade
Mrs. Walsh
Ms. Anselmini
Room 234
Welcome to Sixth Grade Language Arts. I am looking forward to a positive and productive school year.
This handbook will help guide students through the 2017-2018 school year.
All supplies are due no later than Monday, September 11, 2017. It is imperative that all students have their school supplies on this day; students will be assembling their Language Arts Handbook, Writer’s Notebook, Smart Notes Notebook, and Homework folder.
Below are the supplies needed for Language Arts. During the course of the school year, students may need to replenish their supplies. These supplies are needed in class each day.
o Colored pens for corrections (color of your choice – to be used for corrections and annotating)
o Pencils with erasers (at least a dozen)
o Highlighters (colors of your choice)
o A two-pocket folder (for homework)
o A three-subject spiral notebook with pocket dividers (to be decorated and left in the classroom)
o One 2 ½ or 3 inch, three ring binder (to be left in classroom)
o A pack of tabbed dividers (8-10 tabs)
o Lined notebook paper (50 sheets)
o One 4x6 landscaped photo (to be glued to project and displayed in classroom)
o Notebook decorations that reflect you, the student (photos, stickers, etc. – cut to size and placed in a clearly labeled Ziploc bag or envelope.)
A summer reading assessment will be conducted in class on Tuesday, September 12. All students should bring their novel(s) and completed organizers to class. Extra copies of the Summer Reading organizers can be found on the school website. Students will write about one of the two books they read during the summer. Later in the week, students will use their second organizer to complete a project and take an Accelerated Reader quiz.
In order for the class to run smoothly, all students are expected to follow the Classroom Rules.
· Be on time, on task; be prepared to learn everyday.
· Listen carefully and follow directions.
· Try . . . and then try again.
· Be responsible for your own learning.
· Respect yourself, your teacher, other students, and property.
Failure to follow these rules will result in a reduction of class participation points for the marking period. There will be no exceptions to these rules.
All students received an assignment calendar for recording homework assignments. The calendar is designed as an organizational tool. Students will record homework assignments at the beginning of every week. At times, updates will occur. It is recommended that parents and students work together to ensure the assignment book becomes a habit.
Additionally, homework dates, test dates, and most materials are available in Google Classroom and on the class website. Some materials, however, cannot be linked in Google Classroom. Therefore, students are responsible for any hard copies handed out in class. Both students and parents should take time to become familiar with Google Classroom and the website; they are valuable resources.
**Please note that due dates are subject to change. Student planners are the primary source for accurate due dates.
Weekly/Daily Assignments:
Regularly occurring homework is assigned in Grammar and Independent Reading. Other Reading and Writing assignments may also be assigned.
Additionally, students are required to read independently.
Homework will be graded as follows:
· Day homework is due = 100%
· One day late = 50%
· Two or more days late = 0%
· Homework will NOT be accepted late for unexcused absences.
** It is important to note that homework is LATE if a student does not bring it to class during his or her regularly scheduled class period.
Students will not be allowed to retrieve homework from their lockers or another classroom during their regularly scheduled class period.
When a student shows the work to the teacher EITHER the next period OR the next day, it is considered late and scored at 50%.
If a student is in school but excused from Language Arts class for SOAR or Band, he or she must submit all homework prior to going to these pull-out sessions.
Reading/Writing Responses, Process Writing, and Long-Term Assignments:
Assignments in this category include Reading Responses, Essays, and other long-term projects.
These assignments will be graded as follows:
· Any assignment that is past the due date will result in FIVE points off the total score for EACH day it is late.
· Any assignment that is not turned in within ONE WEEK of the assigned deadline will no longer be accepted and will be recorded at 0%.
If a student is absent on an assignment due date, but was in school on the day the assignment was given, the assignment is due one day after his or her return to school. Additional time to complete the assignment will not be allowed.
There will be times when students miss class for a variety of reasons.
Any missed classwork or homework will be clipped to the whiteboard in the classroom. It is a student’s responsibility to meet with a teacher upon his or her return to school.
If a student misses a quiz or a test due to an excused absence, he or she will have one week from the day he or she returns to school to make up the required assignment(s). It is the responsibility of the student to schedule make-up assessments.
If an absence is unexcused (i.e., vacation), students will be required to make up any work missed one day after his or her return to school. This includes tests and quizzes.
When a student misses class, the student’s name will be written on the board for one week as a reminder that he or she has outstanding work. After one week, the name will be removed from the board, and the student will receive a zero in PowerSchool for that assignment.
The online literature textbook will allow students to make up any reading classwork.
The literature textbook can be accessed at http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com.
The username is the student’s first initial, last name and grade @vvs. (ex: Jane Sagan would be jsagan6@vvs). The password is student20.
It is strongly recommended that students bookmark this website on their chromebooks for future use. This will allow students to catch up on reading classwork when not in school.
Work missed throughout the marking period will not be accepted at the end of the marking period.
SOAR and BAND LESSONS
Students in SOAR and Band will be pulled from class periodically.
Students should first come to the classroom to inform the teacher that they have SOAR or Band. At that time, students may turn in any homework and receive any classwork/homework they will miss during class.
Students MAY NOT attend SOAR or Band if there is a test in class or if they have outstanding work.
Students attending these pull-out sessions are responsible for all work missed.
LOST BOOKS
If a student loses a book or novel, he or she must pay for a replacement. Replacement books range from $10 to $20.
Payment should be made via check, payable to “Watchung Borough Board of Education.”
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
The majority of class assignments and homework assignments are posted in Google Classroom. Google Classroom also contains reference materials for students to use throughout the school year.
Whenever possible, Google Classroom will include links to any handouts distributed in class.
Chromebooks
Students are expected to have their charged chromebooks with them each day; we will be using the chromebooks on a regular basis. Students will lose participation points if their chromebooks are not available for classwork.
All students will adhere to the Guidelines established for Chromebook use.
GRADING/POWERSCHOOL
All grades will be posted to PowerSchool weekly. PowerSchool provides parents with “real-time” access to grades and attendance. It is also a communication tool that promotes parental engagement – a key to student success.
Tests and quizzes will NOT be sent home. Tests and quizzes will be reviewed in class with students when returned by the teacher. All graded work will be kept in a folder or in student binders in the classroom.
Parents will be contacted if a student is not meeting class expectations. Parents and students are encouraged to review PowerSchool regularly.
Interim reports will be sent at the midpoint of each marking period if a student is earning a C- or lower.
Students will receive two grades for Language Arts: Reading and Writing.
Grading Scales can be found on the next two pages.
WRITING
o Written responses related to our Literature Anthology
o Regular, timed On-Demand writing assessments / 20%
Process Writing
o Pre-writing assessments related to Writing Workshop
o Writing workshops conducted regularly during class / 15%
Tests
o Grammar Tests
o Projects related to our Literature Anthology
o Post- writing assessments related to Writing Workshop / 20%
Quizzes
o Scheduled and unscheduled Grammar Quizzes
o Grammar homework occasionally collected and scored as a Quiz / 15%
Homework
o Regularly assigned Grammar exercises
o Additional assignments related to process writing / 15%
Class Participation
o Students receive participation points for class work and group work.
o Students receive participation points for following the classroom rules.
o Students lose points for the following:
- Excessive talking or disruptions
- Failure to stay on task
- Disrespectful behavior
- Failure to participate
- Failure to have required materials in class
- Coming late to class without a pass
- An uncharged Chromebook/no Chromebook
o Violations of the code of conduct may result in a zero for class participation for a day, week, project, or marking period. / 15%
READING
Testso Selections in the Literature text
o Novel study
o Independent Reading Projects / 30%
Smart Notes
o Weekly Independent Reading Requirements / 20%
Quizzes
o Reading On-Demands
o Accelerated Reader Quizzes
o Reading Quizzes on literature anthology selections or novel study / 20%
Homework
o Assignments related to the literature anthology
o Vocabulary / 15%
Class Participation
o Students receive participation points for class work and group work.
o Students receive participation points for following the classroom rules.
o Students lose points for the following:
- Excessive talking or disruptions
- Failure to stay on task
- Disrespectful behavior
- Failure to participate
- Failure to have required materials in class
- Coming late to class without a pass
- An uncharged Chromebook
o Violations of the code of conduct may result in a zero for class participation for a day, week, project, or marking period. / 15%
Grammar:
Grammar instruction will take place on Mondays and some Tuesdays.
The materials have been compiled from Pearson Writing and Grammar, Prentice Hall Literature, and Sadlier Writing for Grammar.
Students will receive a note packet for each lesson as well as a unit packet of worksheets to be completed as homework.
At the end of each unit, students will receive a study guide packet in preparation for the unit test.
Whenever possible, extra copies of the worksheets will be available on Google Classroom.
Units of study this year will include: Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and the basic sentence. A review of capitalization and punctuation will take place throughout the year.
Reading:
The reading textbook, The Prentice Hall Literature Common Core Edition, is a comprehensive literacy program that teaches the Common Core standards and helps students become better readers, better writers, and better thinkers.
Each unit addresses a BIG Question to enrich exploration of literacy concepts and reading strategies. Students will examine a wide range of reading incorporating both fiction and nonfiction selections. Lessons in reading and literary skills will follow and will provide students with an in-depth exploration of genres and standards.
The Common Core Literature textbook is available online and can be accessed on the same site and with the same login/password as the Science textbook. Students can access the textbook as well as the audio version of the stories covered in class.
Writing
The 6th Grade Writing curriculum ensures that allstudents receive instructionand writing opportunities needed to reach grade level expectations in writing. Students will participate in Writers' Workshop where they will work independently, with peers, and with teachers to navigate the writing process and master their writing skills.
During Writers' Workshop, students will participate in a variety of writing mini-lessons and/or pre-writing activities. Students will maintain a Writer’s Notebook to use during these sessions.
The types of writing to be covered this school year will include, but are not limited to: personal narratives, analysis, compare/contrast, argumentative, research, and poetry
Students are required to read one teacher-approved, independent reading n
ovel at the student’s appropriate reading level PER four-week cycle. The novel must be available in theAccelerated Reader program.
Students will account for their reading progress and complete “Smart Notes” on a weekly basis. Twice per cycle, the students will use their “Smart Notes” to complete an in-class Response to Reading. At the end of each cycle, students will also complete an Accelerated Reader Quiz. The Response to Reading and Accelerated Reader Quiz assessments will allow teachers to monitor each student’s reading level and move each student up the Grade 6 – 8 text-complexity band.Students areNOT allowed to abandon an independent reading book, so they should choose carefully and ask for advice as needed.
Students have an opportunity to earn extra credit points for reading more than one novel per four-week cycle. In order to qualify, students must complete “Smart Notes” and receive an 80% or better on the related Accelerated Reader Quiz.