1.  Welcome to Sixth Grade Mrs. Freeman, Miss Scism, Mrs. Silver 2014 – 2015 School Year

2. Introduction and Communication Mrs. Freeman  Sixth Grade Website: https://sixthgradebc.pbworks.comhttps://sixthgradebc.pbworks.com  Reading ~ Mrs. Freeman: daniellefreeman@ncolonie.org x4482daniellefreeman@ncolonie.org  Math ~ Miss Scism: jscism@ncolonie.org x4464jscism@ncolonie.org  Science and Soc. Studies ~ Mrs. Silver: kellysilver@ncolonie.org x4469kellysilver@ncolonie.org Our preferred method of communication is email. Newsletters will be sent home each month.

3. Classroom Organization Mrs. Freeman  Raffle tickets and our expectations  Extra help can be accessed during the Intervention Block and during Dismissal (Study Hall)  Planners/Study Skills  Schedules (Sneakers; Instruments Day 1,2 and Lesson Days)  Technology  Water bottles and Peanut-Free Snacks  Birthdays (peanut-free snack that students can have during lunch or other activity)  Book Orders (Freeman code: JC73C Scism code: FMPVV)

4. Student Progress Miss Scism  Progress Reports (October 21 st, February 3 rd, and May 12 th )  Report Cards (December 9 th, March 24 th, and June 24 th )  CAT tests (September 16-18)  NYS ELA Test (April 14-16) & NYS Math Test (May 22-24)  In-School Conferences, Room Parents, and Sixth Grade Activities (Please Sign Up)  All tests and quizzes need to be signed  Homework Communication, Monthly Celebrations, and Friday Detention

5. Science FOSS (Full Option Science System) Kits Mrs. Silver  Hands on group work  Outdoor exploration  Textbook/ebook  Notebook Writing  Movie clips  Units: Soils, Rocks, Landforms and Sun, Moon, Planets  Assessments: Check up quizzes, Tests, and a Final

6. Social Studies Integrated Social Studies/ELA Curriculum Putnam/Northern Westchester Boces Mrs. Silver Units  Neolithic Revolution  River Valley Civilizations  Classical Civilizations  Middle Ages  Emerging Modern World  Contemporary Issues

7. Reading Mrs. Freeman  This year in reading we will be working with rigorous texts to build comprehension and skills. Students will be reading and writing on a daily basis. Your student will be immersed in fiction and non-fiction reading. We will spend time working independently, in partnerships, and also in small groups.

8. Reading Logs and Blogs Mrs. Freeman  Students are asked to record their daily reading in school and at home. Students will be required to read 4 days during the week and can choose a day to read on the weekend, for a total of 5 days.  Logs will be checked daily. Please sign these nightly.  This is an important part of their reading development. It allows them the opportunity to practice comprehension strategies we learn in class, build stamina, and increase fluency.  This will occur through a teacher controlled and secure site- Kidblog.com  If students do not have internet access at home they may use: Band and orchestra time, morning arrival or dismissal time, recess or the IE block.

9. Reading Report Card Info Mrs. Freeman  Students will receive grades for a number of skills. For students who are meeting grade level expectations you can expect to see 3’s. If students are achieving above grade level they may receive 4’s in some categories.  In the past, a students ELA score has been reflective of their reading grades on the report card.  Please keep in mind although the skills are the same as last year, students are asked to demonstrate these skills with a challenging sixth grade text.

10. Writing and Spelling Mrs. Freeman  This year in writing we will be using the Lucy Calkin’s Units of study to drive our instruction.  Spelling will look different than years past. We have moved to a word study model. Students will be manipulating word sort cards in a number of ways to develop their understand of how letters and patterns represent sounds and meanings in language.  Goal is to organize and classify words in order to learn relationships and spelling patterns  Weekly assessments will still be given

11. Math Miss Scism  GoMath series has an online ThinkCentral component  Homework  Labels provided in class located in math notebook  Videos to support understanding are located on the sixth grade website  Assessment (all require a parent signature):  Open Book/Open Note Quizzes  Unit Tests  Each assessment will include an in-class post-review lesson and a homework post-review activity

12. Curriculum Additions Mrs. Silver  Adolescent Growth and Development  Steps to respect with Mrs. Satterlee  Russian  Bronx Zoo Field Trip  High School Honor Students are available at the Town Library to help with homework free of charge on Monday evenings 5:30 – 7:30 and Tuesday afternoons 3:30 – 5:30 beginning September 29 th