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

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

2. FYI: • I have been teaching at Hammarskjöld for 12 years. • 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 • WONDER: A young-adult novel by R.J. Palaccio. This novel connects to our unit on tolerance as it tells the story of a 5th grade boy with a facial deformity and his quest to fit-in. • 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 • Write down homework in agenda and complete all assignments (10% of grade) • Complete Words Their Way Activity (10% of grade: weekly word study quizzes - Fridays) • Reading & Writing Workshop (Each 40% of grade, total 80%)

6. READING • 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 – Notes and thoughts are completed on a 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. • Mystery, Children’s Story, Drama (trial script), Genre of choice pieces. • Open-Ended questions- done frequently. • 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 28th. • Classroom Library/Media Center

9. WONDER • A unique opportunity for our students! • Thank you to the East Brunswick Education Foundation: Our program was awarded a grant to purchase Wonder by R.J. Palaccio for all Verbal students to read. • Students will read the novel in class.

10. WONDER http://youtu.be/QOXDD3atWco

11. 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 PM in late May or early June. • 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 will help!

12. questions? concerns? • Please feel free to email me: aingargiola@ebnet.org