1. Our Partnership This Year Will Help Your Child Be Successful My mission as your child’s English teacher is to instill in students a lifelong love of learning. My goal is to help students learn to believe in themselves, and to become independent readers and writers, responsible, and self disciplined individuals. All of us know, that through effort, taking chances, and some failure, we can grow and learn. I will also respect their individual differences and do everything to help them believe in themselves and develop to their true potential.

2. Fun Facts About Me Grew up in Minnesota Bachelors Degree, English Education at Coe College in Iowa. Masters in Literacy: Curriculum and Instruction Taught in Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, and Massachusetts. 17 th year teaching I have two children: Anya (8) and Hannah (4) I coach JV improv. Attended Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Writing Workshop in the summer of 2013 and Reading Workshop this summer 2014.

3. Communication… The Key to a Successful Year Email is the best way to reach me. hmoser@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us Schedule a meeting with me and/or the team if you are concerned about your child. Please check my website, your child’s agenda book, and your child’s binder on a weekly basis. If your child is absent from class, he/she needs to be responsible to check the absent folder, check in with me and other classmates on what they missed, and check my website. Cathy Boege and I are team leaders for Pegasus. Please email us both if you have any team related questions or concerns during the year.

4. Why Writer’s Workshop? We need to teach every child to write. Almost every day all children need between fifty-sixty minutes of writing and writing instruction. – Laucy Calkins. “You don’t learn to write by going through a series of preset writing exercises. You learn to write by grappling with a real subject that truly matters to you.” Ralph Fletcher

5. Writing with independence is our main goal.

6. Components of Writer’s Workshop Mini lesson (5-10 minutes) Active Engagement (20-30 minutes) Independent Writing The teacher gives all students a quick opportunity to try out the new skill or strategy. Students practice the strategy. Students often “turn and talk” with their writing partner. Conferring (During Independent Writing) Celebration Day! Time to Share Writing (Pair Share/Large Group) Publishing/Assessment Homework: Students are expected to write every night for at least 20 minutes during a writing workshop unit. They must write within the genre of study.

7. Short Fiction Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Interpreting Poetry Nonfiction Traditional Literature Oral Storytelling What is a “just right” book? A child should understand 96% of the vocabulary (phonetically and definitions) and 85% should be comprehended correctly on one page of text.

8. What is Reading Workshop and Book Clubs? We kicked off the year with Book Buzzes and Reading Marble Jars to inspire students to read books that are “Just right”, they love, and can understand. Readers think about what they are reading at home and at school. Students will be gathering their ideas in their reader’s notebook. Students are given the opportunity to pick a novel from the genre we are reading during our reading workshop units. Students are encouraged to choose “a just right” book. When students meet in their book club, students will work cooperatively to think and discuss their read aloud texts from class and also their independent reading novels. Discussions will revolve around plot, characterization, and theme. Students will be required to read for 30 minutes every night during the reading workshop units. If you notice your child seems to be stuck in a book, they may not be reading a “just right” or “almost right book.” Encourage your child to choose another book.

9. What about Grammar/Mechanics? Goal: 6 th 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. Why do Lexington English Teachers approach grammar/mechanics in this manner? An English department decision was made to teach grammar/mechanics within the context of writing. Research indicates that direct instruction of grammar/mechanics does NOT work. We will use mentor texts to help students learn proper grammar/mechanics usage. Students will apply these skills to their own writing and identify the skill within mentor texts.

10. Why Mindfulness, Yoga, and Meditation, and Improv? This year all 6 th grade students will periodically participate in yoga and meditation for the first or last 3-5 minutes of class. I will also use improv in the classroom during reading and writing units. I will give students strategies to de-stress, wake – up, improve focus, and energize during a midday slump.