1. scoombs@kyrene.org (480) 541-6300
Meet the Teacher Night
Mrs. Coombs, 6th Grade Language Arts
(480)

2. About Mrs. Coombs
Graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State in 2010 with a BA in English literature; received M.Ed in secondary education from ASU in 2013
This is my 4th year at Aprende Middle School and my 5th year in the Kyrene District
I love books, coffee, dark chocolate, and dogs!

3. Communication

4. Communication
Teacher Sites

5. In Addition…
to (480) for Aprende notifications via text message
Update your contact information in ParentVUE before the start of school in order to receive updates on upcoming events.
Sometimes these messages do not forward to your address, but instead post in ParentVUE itself. Download the app and log in regularly!

6. Text Reminders Sign up for language arts text reminders!
If your child is in...
2nd Period ELA: to 81010
3rd Period AdvELA: to 81010
6th Period ELA: to 81010
7th Period AdvELA: to 81010

7. Last Tidbits Email is our preferred method of communication.
There are many places to find our addresses!
We will respond within 1 business day.

8. How to Check Grades

9. How to Check Grades

10. How to Check Grades
Kyrene’s ParentVUE gives you immediate access to your student’s grades.
In fact, you and your student should log on to check them together once a week!

11. How to Check Grades
If you have never used ParentVUE before -OR- you need to update your address from last year, please fill out the form on the clipboard at the back of the room before you leave this rotation tonight.

12. What will my student be learning this year?
Reading
The district has adopted a new ELA curriculum entitled myPerspectives.
There will be four thematic units that include various reading selections such as short stories, informational text, poetry, novels, etc. There units are: Childhood, Animal Allies, Modern Technology, and Exploration.

13. What will my student be learning this year?
Writing
In 6th grade we strongly focus on determining main idea, citing textual information, and elaborating/substantiating ideas.
By the end of 6th grade, students will be able to write a well-organized essay that asserts a claim and supports it with textual evidence from valid sources in MLA format.

14. What will my student be learning this year?
Language
Vocabulary: Students will learn how to determine the meaning of an unknown word using context clues and Greek and Latin roots.
Grammar: We will focus on crafting varying sentence structure in writing, using commas correctly, and properly integrating quotes.

15. What will my student be learning this year?
Speaking and Listening
One-on-one, group, and teacher-led discussions
Presentations of work, including visual displays and/or multimedia components
Interpretation of speeches and multimedia presentations
Adaptation of speech appropriate to context

16. Supplies
Our supply list is designed to help your student be organized. If, for some reason, you are unable to purchase the colors as indicated by class, please clearly label each notebook and folder.
For language arts, your student needs to have these EXACT colors of highlighters: pink, yellow, blue, and green. NO SUBSTITUTIONS!

17. Supplies, contd.
One of the top supplies your child needs is an independent reading book. Your child should have one in his/her backpack at all times.
Ask your teacher for book recommendations—we love to share!
There is a library permission slip at the back of the room if you want your child to be able to check out 7th and 8th grade books.

18. Suggested Donations Glue sticks
Paper (lined or printer paper—white or color)
Pencils.. Lots and lots of pencils!
Coloring supplies
Highlighters
Index Cards
We don’t need any more Clorox wipes
or Expo markers, thank you! 

19. Why read 20 minutes at home every day?
Student A
Student B
Student C
Reads 20 minutes per day = 3,600 minutes per school year = 1,800,000 words per year
Reads 5 minutes per day = 900 minutes per school year = 282,000 words per year
Reads 1 minute per day = 180 minutes per school year = 8,000 words per year
     
Scores in the 90th percentile on standardized tests
Scores in the 50th percentile on standardized tests
Scores in the 10th percentile on standardized tests

20. Why read 20 minutes at home every day?
Assuming these students started reading each day in kindergarten, by the end of 6th grade:
Student A will have read for the equivalent of 60 school days,
Student B will have read for 12 school days, and
Student C will have read for 3.
Want to be a better reader? It’s easy: just read.

21. Questions?
Please me at with any questions you may have that we didn’t get a chance to answer tonight! Please include:
Your name AND your student’s name
Your question(s)