2. Welcome to 6 th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Amanda Rossi

3.  8 th year teaching 6 th grade L.A.  B.A. from Elmhurst College; M.A. from National-Louis  Interests include reading (of course!), exercise/fitness, singing, cheering on the Chicago Bears, and spending time with my 10 month old, Jack. Let me introduce myself…

4.  In sixth grade, reading and writing are combined with other disciplines, such as speaking and listening, to become Language Arts. Grammar skills, spelling and vocabulary are taught at this level also.  We have a lot to do so we need every minute we can get! Why two periods long?

5. New Common Core State Standards…

6.  Elements of Plot (setting, conflict, rising action, climax, resolution)  Characterization and analyzing characters  Theme and author’s purpose  Predictions  Connections  Questioning  Summarizing  Making inferences  Compare/Contrast  Critical Thinking/Logic Skills  Context Clues  Response to reading (extended response) Reading and Literature Skills

7. Novel Studies Letters from Wolfie Patti Sherlock The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 Christopher Paul Curtis

8. Writing This year we will work on: Argument (persuasive) Expository – to inform and explain Response to literature (extended response) Narrative As we work on our writing we will concentrate on: Focus/content, organization, conventions (just to name a few!)

9. Independent Reading *Life-long love of reading *Silent Reading time in class *Bi-weekly trips to LRC *Book presentations: 2 per year *Book reviews and suggestions *Please encourage reading at home!

10. TR’s New Homework Policy Homework will be assigned as applies to our class and we will check it as a class on the due date. We will keep a record of homework completion on Home Access: 2 = homework is completed, 1 = homework incomplete or late, 0 = homework missing. As homework is meant to be practice, it will not be counted towards the student’s overall grade. *Disclaimer: This does NOT mean that students do not have to complete homework! Students are to complete the homework or suffer natural consequences. That’s not to say that anything that comes home will not be assessed and taken for a grade. Long-term projects or assignments that were not finished in class but need to be completed at home are not considered homework.

11. Tips on how to help your student be successful in Language Arts:  If we are working on a writing piece, please proofread your student’s work before they turn it in. If you spot an error, just let them know where it is. Please allow the student to correct his or her own errors.  Students need a flash drive. 4GB is recommended.  Please encourage your child to stay organized by going through his or her folder together every so often. They should keep anything that was recorded for a grade until the end of the quarter.  Keep up with your child’s progress via Home Access available through the district website. Remind them to write in their assignment notebooks throughout the day. Check my website, too! http://new.schoolnotes.com/AEaster / http://new.schoolnotes.com/AEaster /