1. WELCOME TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Mrs. Carole Pinkwasser
Room 102

2. About me
Grew up in New York and went to Brooklyn College where I received my B.A. in Education
Received my Masters in Education from NAU in 1994
My husband and I moved to Arizona in 1979
Have two grown children, my son is married and we have a 7 year old granddaughter
This is my 5th year at Altadena
Previously, taught ELA at Akimel A-al for 13 years
Before that, taught Kindergarten in Mesa for 9 years
Also taught 6 years in a preschool in Tempe
Highly qualified to teach English Language Arts and World History

3. ENGLISH Language arts
Reading Skills—read it, think it through, understand it
Pearson’s myPerspectives – new resource adoption
Novel Studies
Writing Skills—sentence structure, organization, conventions
at least one extended writing piece each quarter
journaling – two prompts per week
Grammar
Vocabulary/Spelling

4. Preparing for the future
Common Core State Standards for ELA
Clear and consistent standards for teachers, students, and parents
Relevant, real-world skills to prepare for college and careers
To prepare students to compete in the global economy
“I Can” statements, learning goals, and scales
AzMERIT in the spring

5. Reading skills
SHARED INQUIRY
Shared Inquiry is an active and collaborative search for answers to questions of meaning about a text. It is a research-supported method of learning that promotes deeper thinking through reading, discussion, and writing.
It always involves interpretive questions (questions that have more than one answer that can be supported by the text), close reading, collaboration, and reflective and critical thinking.

6. READING SKILLS (CONTINUED)
LEXILE
difficulty of the text is considered
6th grade—850 to 1050
INFORMATIONAL TEXT
majority of reading material across core subjects
LITERARY TEXT
genres, structure of stories, real-life connections, perceptions

7. Common core reading Key Ideas and Details
Read closely—cite specific textual evidence; make logical inferences
Determine theme and analyze development; summarize
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact
Craft and Structure
Technical, connotative and figurative meanings
Analyze structure
Point of view and purpose
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate and evaluate content
Delineate and evaluate claims
Analyze two or more texts

8. Writing skills Written Responses to Text Citing Evidence
Writing Applications
Argumentative/Opinion
Narrative
Expository/Informational
Short Research Projects
Literary Responses

9. Common core writing Text Types and Purposes
Support claims using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately
Narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
Production and Distribution of Writing
Produce clear and coherent writing appropriate to task
Develop and strengthen writing
Use technology to produce/publish
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Conduct short and long research
Gather relevant information from multiple sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each and avoid plagiarism
Draw evidence from texts to support analysis, reflection, and research

10. COLOR-CODED PARAGRAPHS
Students will use the color-coded paragraph to structure the writing of quality paragraphs containing at least 11 sentences.
Green—topic/concluding sentence
Blue—transition
Yellow—reason/detail/fact
Pink—examples/explanation

11. Common core—speaking and listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
Prepare for and participate in conversations and collaborations
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats
Evaluate points of view, reasoning, and use of evidence
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Listeners can follow the line of reasoning; the organization, development, and style are appropriate
Use digital media and visual displays of data
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks

12. Common core—language Conventions of Standard English
Grammar and usage when writing or speaking
Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing
Knowledge of Learning
Understand how language functions in different contexts
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials
Figurative language, word relationships, and nuances
General academic and domain-specific words and phrases

13. Typical homework—YES, EXPECT IT.
Read 30 minutes each night (minimum)
Writing
Spelling/vocabulary practice
Grammar practice
Unfinished class work

15. grading 80% assessments 20% practice Turn everything in on time.
Late homework earns a zero.
For each day a project is late, 10% is deducted.
Advocate for yourself. This is YOUR education. The 6C teachers love it when a student s with a question!
Please use the StudentVUE or ParentVUE portal on the Kyrene website to check grades frequently.

16. other School Spelling Bee Word Games/Brainteasers
Friendly Competitions in Class
Public Speaking

17. supplies
Supply lists will be given out in 4th period (PRIDE hour) as well as tonight.
3-subject notebook (college-ruled)
accordion folder
ream of college-ruled notebook paper
highlighters (yellow, pink, green, and blue)
dry erase marker and a sock to use as an eraser
Vis-à-vis wet erase marker
red pens
#2 pencils—no mechanical pencils, please
If you could come prepared on Thursday, it would be greatly appreciated.

18. www.kyrene.alt 6C team website:
weekly agenda and homework/Please check daily for updates!
ParentVUE:
grades, absences/tardies, contact information
Class website—Carole Pinkwasser:
links to practice ELA skills
The best way to contact me is through
Please put your child’s name and period number in the subject line.

19. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!

20. ADVANCED English LANGUAGE ARTS
To ensure the integrity of the class, all students are expected to maintain a B average or better. If your child is not able to achieve this expectation, placement in the Advanced English Language Class will be reevaluated after one more quarter. If your child is not able to improve his/her grade, your student will be placed in a regular Language Arts Class. We will communicate with you way before any changes are made
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?
Vocabulary—Classical Greek and Latin Roots
Above grade-level literature (seventh grade novels)
Higher levels of questioning
Challenge the views of the author and discrepancies between texts
More in-depth writing, using more complex and elaborated sentences and details