Welcome to Period 2, 6th Grade Language Arts A little about me I have a Bachelor's degree in journalism from Pacific Lutheran University and a Masters degree in Teaching from University of Portland.  I began teaching in 2001 and have taught middle school students in the Issaquah, Bellevue and Snoqualmie Valley School districts.  I am in my second year of the National Board certification process for teachers, thanks to the support of the Issaquah Schools Foundation.  I enjoy what I do every day and feel fortunate to be teaching at Pine Lake Middle School. When not at school, I'm with my 3 kiddos - a 5th, 6th and 7th grader – and a 1 1/2 year old Golden Doodle.  I am living middle school life both here and at home.  We ski, go to soccer games, jazz band concerts, dance lessons, cross country and track meets, martial arts, and on and on.  Middle school is my favorite age, because of all the craziness and evolution.  With that being said, I do understand (and sympathize) with you and your children's busy lives too.  If you ever have a question, please check my website or if you simply need to contact me, please email - bullards@issaquah.wednet.edu 

6th Grade LA Sequence for the Year Reading & Writing Workshops Interactive Read-Aloud Freak the Mighty 4 weeks How Writers Work 2 weeks Personal Narrative 5 weeks Humor RW Feature Article Hero’s Journey RW Argument Essay Scope Magazine – 2-3 weeks poetry – vocabulary – independent reading Tri 1 Tri 2 Tri 3

Trimester 1 Interactive Class Read-Aloud Freak the Mighty & How Writer’s Work & then write a Personal Narrative

Trimester 2 Humor Booklist for Reading Workshop & Write a Feature Article

Trimester 3 Hero’s Journey Booklist for Reader’s Workshop & Write an Argument Essay

LA Homework Expectations Reading - Ideally students should be reading their own books most evenings. We go to the library on Wednesdays for books and reading time and will also have some reading time twice a week. I conference with students about their reading during our library time. Writing – Students should be able to complete the majority of their writing work in class, but some will need more time or their own space to finish assignments at home. Journals – Student will be keeping a Reading/Writing notebook at school for the majority of their work. I will be checking journals on a weekly basis. Other Assignments – will always be posted on my website

My expectations of your students Adhere to the values of Pine Lake Middle School at all times. Community Discovery Respect Integrity Excellence

Grading Information for LA I am a part of the Secondary Grading Project for the Issaquah School District. Briefly… The goal of the grading project is to provide you with the most accurate and informative picture of where you are with your learning. An important difference with this system is the separation of academic achievement from non- achievement/behavior factors.

Grading Information All assignments will be scored on a four-point scale (converted by Skyward on Family Access to % for letter grades).

Grading Information Only summative academic achievement will be figured into the letter grade for the class. Formative assessments and non-achievement/behavior factors will be recorded as no-count. Parents and students can check student progress on the online grading program, Family Access.  With the mid-trimester and trimester grades, you will also receive a report from me on the non-achievement/behavior factors. In the four categories of Work Habits, Initiative, Collaboration and Citizenship, students will receive either a 3 = Consistently, a 2 = Sometimes or a 1 = Rarely.

Grading Information The emphasis is mastery of learning goals, as opposed to the path taken. For formative assessments, students may revise and resubmit assignments based on the feedback they receive prior to the trimester closing date. Students earning less than a 4 on a summative assessment, may retake the assessment after completing any missed assignments AND demonstrating a new understanding of the learning goals. That means there is no penalty for late work. AGAIN, the emphasis for the grade is mastering learning goals.

Helping your child at home Organization & Routines Help them keep their binders organized. Encourage them to use some sort of planner. Have them check my website (and their other teacher’s websites) on a regular basis to make sure they are on top of their assignments. Check Skyward (Family Access or Student Access) for grading feedback on assignments. Support a regular reading habit. Bring library books (& ASB cards) to school on Wednesdays