1. WELCOME TO SIXTH GRADE VERBAL GATE Please sign in and complete a survey. Mrs. Ingargiola

2. FYI:  I have been teaching at Hammarskjöld for 10 years. This is my 4 th year teaching a full schedule of 6th grade Verbal Gate.  I have extremely high expectations for my students, and I do not intend to lower them!  I never expect perfection; just excellence and effort.  This will be (and should be) a challenging, yet rewarding year for your child.  I promise that if your child works hard, he/she will see tremendous growth in both reading and writing.  I can’t do it alone - please help at home by encouraging your child to work hard!

3. THEMES OF 6TH GRADE VERBAL  Ethical Issues/Mystery -Agatha Christie’s - And Then There Were None  Justice - Harper Lee’s - To Kill a Mockingbird  Tolerance - Todd Strasser’s - The Wave

4. ADDITIONAL UNITS OF STUDY  Mythology – Students will read a variety of myths with a focus on Greek Mythology. Students will examine the purposes and structures of myths. As a companion to this reading unit, students will write an original “how and why tale”.  Pop Up Books: Within our unit on Tolerance, students will write an original children’s story with a theme of tolerance. Students will create a hard- covered pop-up book complete with a story and illustrations.  Trials - Students will participate in a mock trial using familiar fairy-tales. Students will learn courtroom procedures and complete an entire trial - start to finish.

5. ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS  Come prepared to learn and participate! (5% of grade)  Write down homework in agenda and complete all assignments (10% of grade)  Complete Words Their Way Activity (15% of grade: weekly word study quizzes - Fridays)  Reading & Writing Workshop (Each 35% of grade)

6. R EADING  Students must always have an IR book with them. They are required to read at least 5 times a week for 30 minutes.  Teacher & student conferences are held frequently. Each marking period, running records are completed during conferences.  Reader Response Journals - Entries and notes are completed on a nearly daily basis. Journals should reflect understanding of the concepts taught in each unit of reading instruction.  Throughout a unit of study and/or at the end of a unit of study, students will complete an assessment to show me their ability to apply/use the skills taught in class.

7. WRITING  Students write on a daily basis.  Myth, Mystery, Children’s Story, Drama (trial script)  Open-Ended questions- done weekly, if not more.  Small moment personal narratives (timed) (done each quarter, scored on a continuum)  Research Paper - Civil Rights topics (January)  Pen-Pal Letters - twice a year

8. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION  Scholastic Book Orders – Usually offered each month. You can order online-follow link from my webpage! Plan ahead for upcoming units of study (for now, look for mystery independent reading books). Orders due: September 30 th.  Classroom Library/Media Center

9. POP-UP BOOK UNIT…  This year, Verbal students will have the unique opportunity to read their children’s stories at Barnes and Noble in East Brunswick.  An evening of tolerance stories will take place from 7-8:30 in May.  Stations will be set up throughout the store and students will have a schedule to follow informing them of where and when to read.  Book Fair - Vouchers will be distributed. Our program will receive a percentage of all sales from the evening to be used on purchasing new books for our classrooms  We hope you’ll help!

10. QUESTIONS? CONCERNS?  Please feel free to email me: aingargiola@ebnet.org