6th Grade Language Arts
6A Alpha Dogs
Sara Adams
sadams@kyrene.org
480*541*6113
The Two Sculptors
Author Unknown
I dreamed I stood in a studio,
and watched two sculptors there;
The clay they used was a young child’s mind and
they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher; the tools she used were books,
and music, and art;
The other was a parent who worked with a guiding
hand and gentle loving heart;
Day after day the teacher toiled with a touch that
was deft and sure,
While the parent labored by her side and polished
and smoothed it o’er.
And when at last their task was done they were
proud of what they had wrought;
For the things they had molded into the child could
neither be sold or bought;
And each agreed they would have failed if they had
worked alone,
For behind the TEACHER stood the SCHOOL, and
behind the PARENT, the HOME.
Parent Communication
Progress reports every 4.5 weeks – Please check grades weekly
Report cards every 9 weeks
Email – If your email address changes at any time throughout
the year, please make sure to contact the front office ASAP.
Phone calls
Parent/student/teacher/ conferences
It’s important to check the whiteboard everyday.
Class assignments, homework assignments,
and tests will be written in different
colors to separate.
Check daily - subject to change
Odds and Ends
• Your child’s attendance is extremely important.
• Please check the website on a weekly basis.
• Your child has an agenda that they will be filling in daily. It is very
helpful for everyone if you go through their agenda daily to make sure
they are keeping up-to-date with their homework.
• Free tutoring available during Learning Lab Tuesdays & Thursdays
3:15-4:00 AND Fridays 7:15-8:00 and grades are accessible on-line
through ParentVue and StudentVue.
GRADING POLICY
Homework/Class work= 20%
Reading=80/20%
• Book reports
• Tests and quizzes on
literature
• Reading pages
Writing= 80/20%
• Essays
• Research reports
• Narratives
• Journals
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GRADING POLICY-ADVANCED LANGUAGE
ARTS
Classic Greek and Latin Roots= 20%
• Two Lessons per test-one
lesson per week.
• Tests are given every two
weeks on Wednesday.
Homework/Class work= 20%
Writing= 80/20%
• Essays
• Research reports
• Narratives
• Journals
• Reading=80/20%
• Book reports
• Tests and quizzes on
literature
• Reading pages
Late Work
Our expectation is that all work will be turned in on the date that it is due.
Turned in and completed by due date = Full credit
Class work or homework :
1 day late = 1/2 credit
2 + days late = 0 credit
Assignment must still be completed even though it will receive 0 credit.
Projects
1-3 day late = 10% per day
4+ days = 0 credit
Students are expected to complete and turn in any assigned project that is more than 4
days late even if they do not receive credit for it.
These assignments help us ensure that the students have learned the
objectives that we have set out to teach them. If we do not have an
assignment, we have no way of assessing the mastery of those
concepts.
Absences
If students have homework, it will always be written on the
white board, posted on my website, and papers will be on the
“While You Were Out” board. Students are expected to make-up
any work they have missed while they were absent. Students
have two days for everyday that they missed to turn in work.
READING PAGES
Requirements:
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300 pages the 1st quarter
400 pages the 2nd quarter
500 pages the 3rd quarter
600 pages the 4th quarter
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One book each 9 weeks should be from a genre not read before.
Books read in class can be recorded.
A parent signature for each book read is required on the form each 9 weeks.
Books should be selected that they enjoy and that are at their reading level.
• Points will be earned for 100 pages read. For example:
400 pages = 40 points
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Expectations for Advanced Language Arts Class
•Higher level literature books (novels)
•Vocabulary book (Classic Roots) SAT prep
•Reading Book Log Pages
•400 pages the 1st quarter
•500 pages the 2nd quarter
•600 pages the 3rd quarter
•700 pages the 4th quarter
•Book reports = higher level
•Expected to maintain a B average or above
•Quicker pacing
•Depth of discussion, written responses
•Making inferences, Interpretations
Reading Strategies
 Questioning
 Connecting
 Predicting
 Reviewing
 Evaluating
6 + One
The Writing Process
Read these before leaving 6th Grade
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Hatchet
Bridge to Terabithia
Island of the Blue Dolphins
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
My Brother Sam is Dead
Where the Red Fern Grows
Holes
The Cay
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Esperanza Rising
Wringer
My Side of the Mountain
Indian in the Cupboard
The Wish Giver
Tuck Everlasting
Series of Unfortunate Events
Some TRUE stories that are amazing:
Alive (Andes survivors)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
The Climb (Mt. Everest)
A Child Called It (need parent permission to check out)
If you have books at home that are at
a 6th-8th grade reading level, and you
would like to donate to our classroom
library, we would LOVE to have them!