Welcome to Room 613 Mrs. McDonald’s Language Arts

1. Back-to-School Night Presentation Welcome to Room 613Mrs. McDonald’s Language Arts

2. Communications • Teacher Web site: http://bvms.tvusd.k12.ca.us/~KMcdonald/index.htm • Phone: 294-6600x3613 (Do not leave message.) • BVMS Web site: Go to Staff,McDonald- HW Calendar, web pages • Email is best! Class Policy Tear-off info is a must. • See student grades with ID and password • Students upload Google Chrome to use Google Docs and share. Teacher gives feedback on writing.

3. Infinite Campus New System • See BVMS web site and click on Grades. • Put in student’s ID and password. • See Grade Report and possible comments • Symbols may indicate assignments are: T= turned in, M= missing, I=incomplete,X=excused, L=late?? • All grades have weights with points, exceptpractice has no points.

4. Writing takes time to grade, so I indicate if received or not. The actual grade shows later. • In LA, large Writing/Reading Assignments collected on due date can indicate: “3” means received on time, completed. “1” or blank means no work or incomplete “2” means received late Student must check Google Docs for feedback. If indicated, he/she can revise andmark “ret” in the Assignment name window.

5. Grade Weights - 6th Grade LA/SS -Practice is 10% with small points, or it has no value, depending on the assignment.-Application work, ie. drafts to essays, vocabulary work, Quick Writes, or quizzes are 30% and for more points. • -Assessments, including district Unit Tests, essays, or reading projects are 60% with most point value.

6. LA Common Core Standards stress: • Critical thinking involving reading of fiction and non-fiction, using vocabulary in context to arrive at and create meaning.-Signposts in reading are used so students will notice, note, question, and connect to their reading with annotations. This is called Close Reading. • Writing with an emphasis on forming a central idea and using aspecific organization based on author’s purpose to put it across. • Language skills using varied sentence structure • Speaking with academic language and Listening with partner

7. Reading performances • Million Word Log or a Reading Response Log (parent sign) • Novel Projects – One-Pager or Book in Bag analyzing theme (Must have Book Commitment Form signed.) Novel packet analysis • Biography/Autobiography –Visual and oral presentation+listening • Central Idea: Formative and Summative Assessments • Summarizing skills practiced with note taking for LA and SS • Methodspracticed with marking up a text for understanding, questioning, inferring, and summing up. Coding signposts, leading to questions and meaning. This is called annotating a text.

8. Nonfiction Informational Texts • Textbooks, reference materials, primary documents, You Tube videos • Biographies, diaries, journals, speeches • Magazine, news articles • All non-fiction materials provide researched viewpoints and are used for text-based citations when students write arguments. (MLA method)

9. Fiction – Core literature + Choice • Identifying and tracing themes in literaturelead students to analyze life. • Choose a novel with parent approval for P-3 DEAR or enrichment • 1st Semester: Read Outsiders or short storiesMaroo of the Caves, or Escape From Warsaw • 2nd Semester: Read Escape From Warsaw,Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, or other

10. Forms of Writing Explanatoryexplainsideas: compares-contrasts, relates news story, explains cause and effect, a problem-solution, or how to Summaryexplains in brief exactly what author wrote. No personal views or interpretation. Argument informs on both sides of an issue with a thesis which must be supported with cited evidence from a text.Example is an argument or response to literature essay. Personal Narrative explains one incident: My eyes immediately met the hard, bright lights hanging directly above. I soon realized that I hurt all over. .

11. Writing: Google Docs/Feedback/Peer Review/Revisions/Portfolio • Teacher or peer feedback encourages revisions. • On-Task Writing during class gets a performance grade. Peer editing is crucial.Students will share writing on Google Docs and be required to give feedback to two others. • Sometimes we trade in class and peer edit.Revisions expected. • All writing is placed in Gdocs Lang. Arts folder.

12. LA District Assessments* First Semester • Central Idea- Summing up • Argument Writing*Will teach explanatory structure first • District Summative Assessmenton reading and language in December before the Semester 1 ends. Second Semester • Literature: Figurative Language, Theme • Literary Response Compare-Contrast • Narrative Writing • District Summative Assessment

13. Reading and preparing • Fill in HW Planner. Watch web site HW calendar and subject area pages with links to print. • Practice, application, and preparation make it easier for students to discuss ideasand participate using academic languageto express their understanding.

14. Ideas about Common Core • Thinking DeeplyEmphasizes critical thinking by insisting on citing areas of a text that explain their understanding. • Integrating Learning • Learning across disciplines with emphasis on tasksrequiring use of math, social studies, and reading inorder to produce concise constructed responses. • Showing how they know • Must show proof of understanding with cited evidence from text.

15. How do parents encourage this deeper thinking for Common Core? • Ask why when child tells you he/she wants something. Ask for a specific reason and example. • Explore their questions by researching with them. • Discuss an issue or problem, but show bothsides with examples. Brainstorm solutions. • Compare how things alike or different. • Respect your child’s opinions, but ask forreasons. • Explain what you value and why.