Welcome to open house 2010!

1. Welcome to open house 2010! Mrs. Sara Ball 6th Grade Shepard Middle School

2. 21st Century skills Class A class incorporating some of the best practices of the former 6th grade advisory Students meet in small groups with a teacher at the start of each day. The small group setting creates a sense of community, providing students with a strong, consistent adult resource.

3. 4 main facets of the 21st century skills class • Social-Emotional Learning • Themes: empathy, communication, emotion management, bullying prevention, problem-solving, substance abuse prevention • Materials: “2nd Step”: a research-based comprehensive curriculum being used across the district • Organization and Study Skills • Themes: learning how to effectively organize, manage time, plan for long-term and short-term tasks, etc. while having a meta-cognitive focus (teaching students to understand the way THEY learn and organize) • Comprehensive executive functions program from Rush Neuro-Behavioral Center

4. 4 main facets of the 21st century skills class • Team Building and Leadership • Encouraging cooperation in small and large group settings • Creating a sense of community throughout all classrooms, grade levels, and beyond • Building trusting relationships with fellow students and adults • Nurturing leadership qualities in all students • 21st Century Global Awareness and Technology • Using classroom and school-wide resources available to explore new educational mediums • Self-directed learning skills

5. Welcome to Open House! 6th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Sara Ball Room 111

6. Contact Information, etc. • Sara Ball • sball@dps109.org • 847-948-0620, Ext. 5151 • Teacher Website: • http://www.dps109.org • Click on Shepard Middle Schoollink • Select Staff Emails and Websites • Find desired teacher and view daily and long term assignments on their individual websites

7. What is language arts? • Reading • Independent reading goals • Reading logs & contracts • Units centered around class novels • Current Events • Genre studies • Writing • Projects • Persuasive, narrative, and expository writing • Grammar • Journaling All aspects of language arts incorporate a large variety of uses within technology!

8. What to look for this year: • Reading logs:(See example) Parent(s) or guardian(s) need to initial students’ reading logs after they finish each individual book. • Reading Contracts: (See example) At the beginning of every quarter, students will be bringing home reading contracts that indicate what goals they are setting for themselves and their reading. They need to be signed as well. • Assignment Schedules: (See example) Students receive these at the beginning of every week in the first quarter. It outlines the in-class and homework assignments for the specified week. This is always posted on the website to print, if needed. After first quarter, they will only be accessible online.

9. Self-directed learning • This is a dynamic component to Shepard Middle School’s population. It encourages and models goal-setting, taking initiative, and effective independent working. Please be sure to pick up an informational sheet that outlines self-directed learning. Much of what we do during our time in the 21st Century Skills class caters to the instruction of this learning.

10. Homework club • Adesignated time before and after school for students to attend if they have fallen behind in their work, or need to make up tests or quizzes from an absence • Held by a teacher in their classroom • A.M. Homework Club: 7:15-7:45 a.m. • P.M. Homework Club: 3:15-4:00 p.m. • There is no HWC on Monday mornings or Friday afternoons, and there is an afternoon activity bus that takes any students home if they need to stayto work.

11. Thank you for coming! • At this time during your child’s second period of language arts, you can report to the library to meet Karen Davis, our librarian!