6 th Grade Language Arts

Thank you for entrusting us with the important job of partnering with you in the
Catholic education of your child.
Let’s begin in prayer.

Opening Prayer
Oh Heavenly Father, make me a better teacher/parent. Teach me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say.
Keep me from interrupting them or contradicting them. Make me as courteous to them as I would have them be to me. Holy Spirit, always fill my heart with joy and love for my precious child. Amen.

Teacher Introductions
6 th Grade Team
 Miss Foley –B.A. English and Multiple Subject Credential, UCI
-Substitute for Serra Catholic last year
-Local resident of RSM
 Mrs. Thilken - B.A. English Lit and Single Subject Credential,CSUF
- Tenured SVUSD High School English Teacher
- Serra parent of three
• Mrs. Daley
 Mrs. Pantano

 Curriculum
 Book Clubs
 Writing Program
 Homework Policy
 Classroom Management

Language Arts Curriculum
 Literature
 Book Clubs
 Text /workbook
 Novels
 Writing/Grammar-6 Traits of Writing and Jane Schaffer
 Language Arts Enrichment/Vocabulary
 Vocabulary Book and 6 day cycle
 Do Now Grammar Exercises

 Book Clubs
 Novels
 Okay for Now
 Number the Stars
 Stargirl
 Tuck Everlasting
 “In the Zone” Reading
 Textbook/workbook

Who: 6 th Grade Language Arts students, hosted by Mrs.
Thilken and Miss Foley
Where: 6A and 6B Classrooms
What: Structured discussion meetings with a small group of peers who are also reading the same novel
How: Participate in “In the Zone” reading and weekly Book
Club meetings; read one assigned novel per trimester, and complete 1 trimester project, as well as weekly Edmodo posts
When: Designated Fridays

 A closed, secure educational site that allows for communication and opportunities for use of technology
 Look for information and log in information
 Mrs. Muzzy and many Serra teachers presently using this site
 Students will post comments to each other about their selected book club books-structured by teachers
 All posts supervised by teachers

Using the Internet, go to the edmodo site by typing http://www.edmodo.com/ into your browser
Next:
Enter the site as a student

Once you have signed up as a student you will access your edmodo page along with the group assignment….
Customize your page by clicking on “Settings”

Consider the following quote from Jerry Seinfeld’s book Sein Language, 1993, p. 164:
 “I always did well on essay questions. Just put everything you know on there, maybe you’ll hit it.
And then you’d get the paper back from the teacher, and she’s written one word across the entire page, “vague.” I thought “vague” was kind of a vague thing to say. I’d write underneath it,
“unclear,” send it back.

Ideas: the heart of the matter; generates thought and holds the interest of the reader; focuses on the main goals or points of subject; reasonable and thought provoking
Organization: strong coherence and order to sequence of events in writing; strong transitions that keeps the reader on the right path; effective leads and conclusions
Voice: generates emotion/feeling/opinion; demonstrates comfort with topic; written with passion, a careful eye, and zest

Word Choice: selection of words that are like “Baby Bear” from Goldilocks “just right” (not too verbose and not too limited); words selected create visual images that paint a
“showing” not telling picture; stimulates the senses
Sentence Fluency: sentences flow easily and effortlessly; a variety of complex, compound, and simple sentences are present
Conventions: Application of accurate knowledge of grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation; allows piece to be understood and prevents frequent re-reading of text

Sample Graded Essay Based on 6 Trait Writing
Stargirl’s Triumphant Fall from Grace: Analytical Essay
Ideas: 2 Organization: 2
Word Choice: 2 Conventions: 2
Sentence Fluency: 3 Voice: 2
Comments: You identified one part of the main idea in Stargirl’s fall from popularity, and how this is foreshadowed by Spinelli.
Definite improvement noted from your original draft. You are moving closer to the middle of the river on the 6 trait writing guide! Keep swimming! Be prepared with one question you would like to ask me when I conference with you about this piece next week (How can I improve my word choice? I don’t really understand how to come up with better ideas for my work? ).

Jane Schaffer
 Writing program which specifically addresses organization
Created by a classroom teacher
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Simple formulaTS , CD , CM, CM, CS
Response to Literature, Analytical Writing
Skelton that assists students in excelling in 6 Traits

 R emember
 E very
 S ingle
 P erson
 E xpects
 C ourteous
 T reatment

Classroom Management
Weekly Merit/Conduct Card
Responsible behavior
 Toward all others while on campus or representing
SCS on a field trip, retreat, etc.
Work Habits
 Are they turning in work, homework, signed parent notices on time?

Positive and Negative Consequences
Positive Consequences
 Commendations, Raffles, Positive encouragement, and
Class jobs and privileges
Negative Consequences
 Natural consequences-if disrespecting peer verbally=compliment peer verbally
 Loss of merit point(s)

 Teacher web pages
 Announcements
 Events
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Homework assignments
Attachments-students need to print assignments online
 Preferred method of communication/contact – email tthilken@serraschool.org
kfoley@serraschool.org

Organizational Skills
 During September please help your child stay on track by :
 Checking student’s planner
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Before starting homework
After finishing homework
 Check the teacher web page with your child
 Help your student pack his/her backpack for the next day of school

Organizational Skills
Also, please help us teach them to problem solve and accept personal responsibility by:
 NOT bringing forgotten items to school
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 homework lunch books clothes

Language Arts Late Work Policy
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1 st Day Late- 25% will be deducted from grade; teacher will offer student opportunity to attend a lunch time ZAP (Zeroes Are not
Permitted) session the day the assignment was missing or incomplete supervised by middle school staff
2 nd Day Late-50% will be deducted from grade
3 rd Day Late- 0% (Essays will be required to be written in class that day for no credit)
Student Responsibility Absent/Test Make
Up

Siempre
Adelante
“Always Forward”