Welcome to 6 th Grade Language Arts & Reading

1. Welcome to 6th Grade Language Arts & Reading Mrs. Lauren DEgnan 2013-2014 ldegnan@mpsdk8.org

2. “All About Me” Born and raised in Madison, NJ Attended Fairfield University in Connecticut and received a BA in English/Minor in Education I am currently in my 9thyear teaching. I have worked as a maternity leave in Harding Township Schools and as a full time Language Arts/Reading teacher in Randolph Township Schools. In May 2o12, I received my Masters in Education (with a focus in Reading and Literacy) from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

3. Rules and Procedures As a class, we discussed the rules in the classroom and came to an agreement on the consequences. Sign In/Sign Out (bathroom, books) “Do Now”s (Readers Response, Pair/Shares) I expect all students to have an “IRB” with them at all times.

4. Stop Signs Please STOP what you are doing and make better choices!

5. Reading 2013-2014

6. Reading Class: What is an IRB? Independent Reading Book IRBs are free choice books that students should have with them at all times. Students should read their IRBs when they finish an assignment early, to signal to the teacher(s) that they are ready to move on, or during any other classroom “down time”. When we begin Battle of the Books, the book they are responsible for should become their IRB.

7. Reading Class: Strategies Making Connections Questioning Visualizing Summarizing Inferring Synthesizing

8. Reading Class: Core Novels Tuck Everlasting Freak the Mighty Number the Stars Maniac Magee

9. Reading Class: Why Battle? Battle of the Books is a fun, competitive way to engage students in reading. The Battle of the Books also encourages team work and communication between students. We “battle” with 2 other schools: Mountain Lakes and West Caldwell. Students will work in teams. By the end of our BOTB unit, each team should have read all 15 books. Although they are working in teams, students will receive an individual grade for each Learning Activity, Question Sheet, and Memory Jogger they complete.

10. New Additions to Battle of the Books Savvy Al Capone Shines My Shoes

11. Language Arts 2013-2014

12. Writer’s Notebook It is more than just a “journal” Designed to help students use the world around them as a supply of writing ideas Help them to use their own experiences and real life experiences to connect to a text

13. We will use the notebook for: Generating ideas/ “Type 1” “Writings Daily Entries Collecting Around a Topic Editing, Grammar Notes

14. Collins Writing Program Type One- brainstorming/getting ideas on to paper Type Two- TTQA, Response to a prompt, Graded as a quiz Type Three- has FCAs, skip lines, self edit, graded Type Four- has FCAs, skip lines, peer edit, graded Type Five- has FCAs, skip lines, peer edit, teacher edit, graded, “published”

15. Outside the Notebook we will: Create Drafts Do Revisions Work on Editing Create Final Copies Publish our work

16. Genre Writing Memoir/ Personal Narrative Sensory Writing Letter Writing (Letters About Literature) Persuasive Essay Speculative Writing Explanatory Writing

17. Grammar and Vocabulary Grammar Text (Grammar for Writing- Red Level) and use of Collins Writing Checkmate Vocabulary Workshop Level A (Common Core Enriched Edition)