1. Welcome to Back to School Night 2013 Grade 6 Language Arts Mrs. Kelly Csizmadia

2. About the Teacher… Graduate of Fairfield University with B.A. in English (Dual concentration in writing and literature) Master’s Degree in Special Education from Fairfield University Certified in both Secondary English and Comprehensive Special Education Sixteenth year teaching at Hillcrest Hillcrest Teacher of the Year 2009-2010 Purple Team Leader Mom of two boys, coach’s wife, Trumbull resident.

3. Grade 6 Language Arts – Curriculum Overview Our curriculum is based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) which include reading, speaking, listening, and writing components. Literature is used to model strong writing and the use of author’s craft techniques. Mentor texts from a variety of genres including fiction and informational reading are at the core of our instruction. Writer’s workshop activities promote the exploration of various topics while students learn to “live as a writer,” paying closer attention to the world – observing, questioning, wondering, having opinions, and seeing other perspectives.

4. Writing Genres Personal Narrative Expository & Compare/Contrast Essays Short Researched Report/ Oral presentation Poetry ArgumentativeWriting supported with evidence from informational text. Writer’s Notebook / Sustained, Silent Writing (SSW) ______________________________________ Activities will align with the 6 Traits of Writing: Ideas, Organization, Fluency, Voice, Word Choice, and Conventions

5. Grammar Grammar is embedded in writing units. Topics include various parts of speech, punctuation, composing and revising skills. Grammar is taught with an emphasis on application in written work. Individual student skill folders allow students to track progress on specific editing and revising skills and enables teacher to target instruction. Grammar Skill Days and Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.) program reinforce learned skills and introduce new ones. Please check my website for practice links: http//trumbullps.org/hms. On my page under “links”

6. How Instruction is Informed What do we want students to learn? How do we know if they have learned it? What do we do if they have not learned it ?

7. Differentiation = Opportunities for Remediation & Enrichment REMEDIATION On-going assessment of strengths and weaknesses to form flexible groups Targeted instruction with assistance from Language Arts/Reading Specialist (Mrs. Lisa Ryan) both in and out of my classroom Skill Days to continue to address essential language arts skills Re-teaching days to review skills not yet mastered. ENRICHMENT Mentor texts that are more complex and promote deeper critical thinking and application skills. Flexible grouping to challenge those students who have mastered the basic content. Writing opportunities including occasional writing contests. After-school activities such as: HMS literary magazine, (Expressions) school newspaper, Young Authors, etc.

8. Grading and Homework Grades are a combination of: Quizzes Tests Assignments (including polished writing pieces) Class participation/responsibility/effort Homework is posted on my homework board and my website. Larger writing assignments are broken down into manageable deadlines to teach responsibility and time management. Parents will be contacted if missing work becomes a recurring problem. Progress reports are distributed for each trimester and give parents a “grade range” at that point in the trimester

9. How Parents/Guardians can Help: Provide a quiet, structured time for homework and review of daily notes. Encourage frequent keyboarding practice whenever possible. Encourage your child to use the agenda pad each night as a to-do list, checking off assignments and planning long-term projects. Check your child’s agenda pad each night for any notes or stamps regarding missing or incomplete work. Familiarize yourself with my website by going to www.trumbullps.org/hms. (located under information/staff directory) Daily homework, upcoming assessments, and important announcements will be posted. www.trumbullps.org/hms Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns regarding your child’s well- being or academic progress. Please include a telephone number in your e-mail where I may reach you between 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. We are in this together!

10. What I can do to help : Language Arts class issues: Extra help is on THURSDAY afternoons and by appointment. Late buses run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Encourage self-advocacy and responsibility. Peer Tutors : Wednesdays afterschool for help with any subject area, or organization of materials. Issues outside of Language Arts class: At Hillcrest, we stand for making everyone physically, mentally, and emotionally safe. If your child has been a target of anything mean, let us know.

11. Parents, You’ve Made it to Middle School…. Now, let’s work together to make this school year a great one! Thank you for coming