Welcome Parents!

1. Welcome Parents! Lisa freeman Advocacy Team 6C

2. GVMS Vision of Advocacy • Empower students toward self-advocacy • Enable students to build strong relationships with each other and their advocate • Guide students to become mentors of each other • Provide an adult who becomes an expert on the students and celebrates how they are special • Provide an intermediary for students with other adults • Provide an adult to support academic and personal development

3. Goal of AdvocacY: To promote students’ academic, social, and behavioral success by: • Promoting a positive school climate • Providing an atmosphere of security • Recognizing and embracing differences

4. GVMS Patriot Pride/Clubs • Meet 1 or 2 times per month • 36 minute periods • Beginning in September

5. Welcome Parents! Lisa Freeman ELA Team 6C

6. About Me • Grew up in Philadelphia • Undergraduate from Saint Joseph’s University • Masters Degree & Reading Specialist Certification from Saint Joseph’s University • Taught previously with the School District of Philadelphia and Penn Delco, this is my 27th year of teaching…“Oh MY!” • This is my 21st year teaching with Great Valley School District

7. More about me • I am married to my husband Jim, we have three daughters and a son. • Nikki- graduate of University of Virginia, now a big girl with a J-O-B and checkbook • JJ Junior Franklin and Marshall College • Alyssa Grade 9 DWHS • Mia Grade 8 DMS • Maltese - Snowy • LOVE- Food, exercising, going to the beach, traveling with my family, reading and walking my dog.

8. Skyward

10. Language Arts Curriculum • Language Arts Curriculum Revision • Common Core Aligned • Focused on the student and the process each student uses to achieve success in language arts • Increased focus on informational text skills to be utilized across content areas • Flexibility to incorporate differentiated & tiered instruction

11. Pennsylvania Standards: • 1.2 Reading Informational Text • Students read, understand, and respond to informational text—with an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence • 1.3 Reading Literature • Students read and respond to works of literature—with an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence. • 1.4 Writing • Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate content. • 1.5 Speaking and Listening • Students present appropriately in formal speaking situations, listen critically, and respond intelligently as individuals or in group discussions.

12. Reading

13. Reading Units • Being an Independent and Metacognitive Reader • Article of the Week • Analyzing Literary Elements in Short Stories, Informational Text, and Poetry • Reading Informational Text • Understanding Elements of Fiction (Two novel units)

14. Concepts taught include: • Figurative Language • Character Development • Active Reading Strategies • Plot Development • Conflict • Literary Elements • Literary Analysis • Making Connections In and Among Texts • Citing Textual Evidence • Informational Reading Strategies • Vocabulary and Word Study • Metacognition

15. Why we recommend at least 30 minutes of reading at least 5 nights a week: (Source: Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988)

16. CHIRP-Children’s Independent Reading Practice • Creating “skilled, passionate, habitual, critical readers” • Two days per cycle (1 day in library) • We will read BOOKS for at least 30 minutes • “Reading Log” and “Someday List” kept in class • Mini lessons and book talks given as part of the workshop • Teacher/student conferences about reading • PCR books available through the classroom and school libraries Donations to the classroom library are greatly appreciated!

17. The Coffee BeanYour homework: Ask your child if they are a Carrot, An Egg, or a Coffee Bean… #bethebean

18. Writing

19. Focus Correction Areas • Specific skills that we use to evaluate student writing

20. Units of Writing • Being an Independent & Metacognitive Writer • Response to Literature- Text Dependent Analysis • Writing an Informational Essay • Writing an Argumentative Essay • Writing a Narrative Essay

21. Grammar • Grammar lessons will be embedded into the writing units. • Formative assessments will be scored according to FCA’s to provide specific feedback on grammar concepts.

22. Concepts taught include: • Topic and Concluding Sentences • Expanded Paragraph Structure • Organization and Construction of a Multi-paragraph Essay • Domains of Writing (focus, content, organization, style, and conventions/mechanics of Writing) • Embedded Grammar (related to specific modes of writing) • Responding to Literature with Literary Analysis • Using Text Evidence to Support Claims and Ideas • Self-editing Strategies • Effective Strategies for Pre-writing and How to Construct a Graphic Organizer • Improving Style (through the use of enriched vocabulary, word choice, varied sentence structure, sensory details, and figurative language)

23. Grades • All Language Arts grades are based on a weighted scale: • 55% Summative Assessments • 40% Formative Assessments • 5% Homework

24. My Website • Go to the GVMS homepage • Click on directory • Scroll down to find “Lisa Freeman” • Contact information: • The best way to contact me is through e-mail lfreeman@gvsd.org • I am also available at 610-644-6440 x71219