WELCOME TO SIXTH GRADE (AGAIN!)

1. WELCOME TO SIXTH GRADE (AGAIN!) • Please have a seat anywhere and complete the following: 1- sign-in sheet 2- yellow contact form

2. CURRICULUM NIGHT2013-2014 Mr. Craig Crafton Mrs. Marybeth Foody

3. Reading and Language Arts

4. COMMON CORE STANDARDS • The expectations and standards for students and for teachers are greater than ever before! • The Common Core State Standards are a set of rigorous learning skills, set benchmarks, and guidelines outlining what each student should learn. The new standards are much more challenging and rigorous than the previous Illinois State Standards. • The goal is to increase student accountability and create a learning environment where the teacher is a facilitator of the student’s learning. Teachers will continue to guide student learning and instruction, but will be moving away from a more traditional approach of direct instruction. While direct instruction will still play a role in the education of your child, it will no longer be the primary focus of instruction. • Compared to previous achievement tests, common core assessments will likely be more complex. Ideally, instead of multiple choice tests, students will be analyzing and synthesizing information, writing essay responses in all subjects, and answering in-depth questions to show how much they understand. • As the common core is implemented, students will be expected to read more complex text and discuss what they read at a more complex level. The focus is on informational and expository text.

5. COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES • Predicting • Summarizing • Connecting • Questioning • Inferring • Imaging

6. READING SKILLS • Plot Structure • Figurative Language • Cause & Effect • Main Idea • Text Structure • Making Judgments • Author’s Purpose • Drawing Conclusions • Compare & Contrast • Point of View • Theme

7. MATERIALS USED IN READING • Reading literature series • Leveled readers from lit. series • Lexiled materials from various sources • Supplementary materials chosen by the teacher

8. INDEPENDENT READING • Based on Lexile score from ISAT test. • Novels will be assigned or chosen based upon individual student’s Lexile range • Weekly reading assignments • Students will be assessed via chapter tests or projects

9. THINK CENTRAL • www.thinkcentral.com • Home access to reading textbook and resources • User name and password are the same: • 5 digit student ID (can be found on student schedule, ID, and SchoolMax) • NOTE: If ID is only 4 digits, add 0 in front

10. LANGUAGE ARTS • Sentence structure • Types of sentences • Parts of speech • Correct grammar usage

11. TYPES OF WRITING • Expository – explain • Narrative – story form • Argumentative – take a position and defend it

12. SPELLING • MONDAY- pretest and lesson introduced • THURSDAY- workbook pages graded • FRIDAY – spelling test

13. GRADING • Test and long-term projects = 3 grades • Quizzes = 2 grades • Spelling tests and homework = 1 grade • Spelling workbook = Avg. two lessons • Grammar worksheets = Avg. of 5 for 1 grade

14. GRADING AND HOMEWORK • Students will be graded on a variety of homework, quizzes, tests, and projects • Please refer to I-Parent • Missing Assignments Day 1: Ticket and 10% reduction Day 2: Assignment turned in with 10% reduction OR zero grade if not turned in (3 write-ups = detention)

15. Are there any questions?

16. CURRICULUM NIGHT2013-2014 Mr. Craig Crafton Mrs. Sarah Flentge

17. Reading and Language Arts

18. COMMON CORE STANDARDS • The expectations and standards for students and for teachers are greater than ever before! • The Common Core State Standards are a set of rigorous learning skills, set benchmarks, and guidelines outlining what each student should learn. The new standards are much more challenging and rigorous than the previous Illinois State Standards. • The goal is to increase student accountability and create a learning environment where the teacher is a facilitator of the student’s learning. Teachers will continue to guide student learning and instruction, but will be moving away from a more traditional approach of direct instruction. While direct instruction will still play a role in the education of your child, it will no longer be the primary focus of instruction. • Compared to previous achievement tests, common core assessments will likely be more complex. Ideally, instead of multiple choice tests, students will be analyzing and synthesizing information, writing essay responses in all subjects, and answering in-depth questions to show how much they understand. • As the common core is implemented, students will be expected to read more complex text and discuss what they read at a more complex level. The focus is on informational and expository text.

19. COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES • Predicting • Summarizing • Connecting • Questioning • Inferring • Imaging

20. READING SKILLS • Plot Structure • Figurative Language • Cause & Effect • Main Idea • Text Structure • Making Judgments • Author’s Purpose • Drawing Conclusions • Compare & Contrast • Point of View • Theme

21. MATERIALS USED IN READING • Reading literature series • Leveled readers from lit. series • Lexiled materials from various sources • Supplementary materials chosen by the teacher

22. THINK CENTRAL • www.thinkcentral.com • Home access to reading textbook and resources • User name and password are the same: • 5-digit student ID (can be found on student schedule, ID, and SchoolMax) • NOTE: If ID is only 4 digits, add 0 in front

23. INDEPENDENT READING • Based on Lexile score from ISAT test. • Novels will be assigned or chosen based upon individual student’s Lexile range • Weekly reading assignments • Students will be assessed via chapter tests or projects

24. LANGUAGE ARTS • Sentence structure • Types of sentences • Parts of speech • Correct grammar usage

25. TYPES OF WRITING • Expository – explain • Narrative – story form • Argumentative – take a position and defend it

26. SPELLING • MONDAY- pretest and lesson introduced • THURSDAY- workbook pages graded • FRIDAY – spelling test

27. GRADING • Test and long-term projects = 3 grades • Quizzes = 2 grades • Spelling tests and homework = 1 grade • Spelling workbook = Avg. two lessons • Grammar worksheets = Avg. of 5 for 1 grade

28. GRADING AND HOMEWORK • Students will be graded on a variety of homework, quizzes, tests, and projects • Please refer to I-Parent • Missing Assignments Day 1: Ticket and 10% reduction Day 2: Assignment turned in with 10% reduction OR zero grade if not turned in (3 write-ups = detention)

29. Are there any questions?

30. CURRICULUM NIGHT2013-2014 Mr. Craig Crafton Mrs. Sarah Flentge

31. SOCIAL STUDIES

32. SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM • Geography and Map Skills • Ancient Mesopotamia • Ancient Egypt • Ancient Greece • Ancient Rome • World Wars I-II • Holocaust

33. Jr. Scholastic Magazine • Every two weeks • Worksheet assigned on Monday • To be done at home or in free time at school • Due on Friday

34. RESEARCH PROJECTS • There will be one project assigned each large unit • Some research will be done in school, and some will be done outside of school • Independent or partner(s)

35. CNN STUDENT NEWS • CNN Student News utilizes CNN's worldwide resources to bring each day's top news stories to middle and high school classrooms. The 10-minute, commercial-free program encourages student participation and provides classes with context for understanding current events. The team of show producers and educators keeps the Common Core Standards and other education standards in mind when producing the show and Daily Curriculum. • Students are given 3 short-answer questions to complete while watching the program. If students are unable to answer the questions or are absent, they are responsible for watching that day’s program at home. • Weekly multiple-choice quiz at end of week : *Questions come from daily question slips *Students are allowed to use their question slips from the week during the quiz www.cnnstudentnews.com

36. Grading and Homework • Students will be graded on a variety of homework, quizzes, tests, and projects • Please refer to I-Parent • Missing Assignments Day 1: Ticket and 10% reduction Day 2: Assignment turned in with 10% reduction OR zero grade if not turned in (3 write-ups = detention)

37. Are there any questions?