Mrs. Sorensen

1. Mrs. Sorensen 6th Grade English Language Arts

2. What can you do to help your child have a successful year? • Check your child’s agenda or my website regularly to see that assignments are being completed and that test preparation is taking place. • Check your child’s backpack regularly for organization and materials. • Check to see if your child has their assignments done and in their backpack ready to turn in. • Look over spelling and vocabulary assignments for mistakes. • Give practice tests prior to weekly Friday tests (vocabulary and spelling). • Check your child’s grade through Power Parent regularly – if you see an “M” it means the assignment is missing and that it can be turned in with a late pass.

3. Should you edit your child’s writing? • Please avoid changing your child’s writing. Please guide them and give them some ideas and feedback, but let the changes be in their own words. If you change the writing I will not know your child’s true abilities and it won’t allow me to address their weaknesses. • Final copies can be typed. Please use 12 pt font, Times New Roman, double space, black ink. • Hand written final copies need to be written neatly in blue or black ink skipping lines. Students can email me the final copy or bring it in on a flash drive and I can print it for them during advisory only. • Most of our writing will be done in class, but the final copy writing is done at home.

4. grades • Grades are updated at least twice a week. My grades are not weighted. I use total points to calculate grades. • If the grade indicates “M” that means missing. It could be from an absence or from not turning the assignment in. • Three late passes were given out and can be used for the first trimester. Late work will not be accepted without a late pass. • Students have two days for each day absent to make up the work and/or tests that they miss. • It is the responsibility of the student to arrange make up tests and turn in missing work due to absences. • Homework is posted every Monday on my website for the week. Students are instructed to write in their agendas every Monday. • IF changes are made during the week, I have students get out their agendas and make the changes necessary.

5. What will we be doing this year? • Reading and working with stories from the Holt Literature book • Grammar from the Holt Handbook • Compare and Contrast Essay – Where the Red Fern Grows novel and movie • Expository Essays • Research Report which is a cross-curricular project with science • Persuasive Essay • Poetry – analysis and writing • Book Report towards the end of the year • Novels – reading and analysis • Maroo of the Winter Caves, Where the Red Fern Grows, Detectives in Togas

6. Thank you so much for coming tonight!Email is the best way to reach me if you want to be answered quickly dsorense@fcusd.org