Welcome to 6th Grade English Team Athena Krystal Wettstone Team Leader

Communication – My Professional Goal Team Blog – Feel free to check that out. We will be updating it shortly with new information about the upcoming units. Attached to the team website Google Classroom will be used, so please encourage your child to share their drafts with you. The communication feature within Google Classroom will be used. Social Media – Twitter will be used to share what is going on in the classroom and around school. My goals is to share positive stories throughout the year as well as communicate concerns.

Welcome! Meet the Teacher Professionally: This is my 15th year teaching – 11 th year in Lexington. Outside the classroom I am the coach of Varsity field hockey team. I am a co-advisor for the Student Council along with Josh Sideman. I am a co-advisor for the Diamond Dispatch.

Units of Study This year’s goal is to introduce the students to a variety of genres, both reading and writing. Writing Reading Narrative Writing (Personal) Reading Narratives (Short Stories) Responding to Literature Reading Fiction Argumentative Writing Responding to Literature (CCEAL paragraph) Poetry Language Historical Fiction Speaking and Listening Traditional Literature (Myths)

Learning Targets (4 points) Standards Based Grading Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Progressing, and Developing Learning Targets (4 points) Writing Reading Comprehension Speaking and Listening Language Academic Habits (10 points) Readiness Reflection Collaboration/Participation Responsibility Because the overall grade is based on the standards, these points will be use for communication with myself, the student, and home.

Standards based Checklist

Writing Workshop This year we will be following a writing workshop model. The students will be engaged in developing their writing abilities as they work through the writing process to produce various pieces such as personal narratives, argumentative essays, and informational pieces. They will have multiple opportunities in school and at home to practice this craft. Students will write about what interests them. At times, they will be working with more than one draft until they “find” the one that they are ready to “work” with. Writing conventions and grammatical usage will be reinforced and expanded. W3.Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. W4. Clear and Coherent Writing to task and audience W5. Writing Process with support from adults and peers

Argumentative Writing English Science Social Studies Common Language Research / Committee Work

CCEAL Paragraph – Argumentative Writing

Reading Workshop – Realistic Fiction unit (Lit. Circles) A variety of short Stories (Introduce CCEAL paragraph and Argumentative Writing) Literature Circles (Select from a list) of books Freak the Mighty – Mentor Text Objectives  2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.  3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

What about Grammar/Mechanics? Goal: 6th grade students will understand and define the basic parts of speech and sentence structure. Grammar/Mechanics are taught within the context of writing and reading. Our Do Now is being used to directly teach grammar and mechanics. The threads will be assessed throughout the year.

Scholastic Book Clubs CLASS CODE: NDBTG VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code (top of this letter) SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books, value packs, and Story Books SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom All book orders will be shipped to our classroom, and your children will bring home their orders as soon as they arrive

Ext 67805 kwettstone@lexingtonma.org Questions? Please feel free to leave your name and email address on the index cards. Feel free to ask any questions, and I will definitely answer in a timely manner. If you need to contact me you can write a note, email or phone me. The best communication is e-mail because I check it daily. My contact info: Ext 67805 kwettstone@lexingtonma.org

Thank you for taking the time to attend Back to School Night! I look forward to working with your child and know this year is going to be filled with exciting learning opportunities.