The students finished NWEA testing in Language Arts today!  We will begin with learning on Monday!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Homework:

1. Read for 20 minutes
2. Book Talk Presentations on Thursday, September 27th

Thank you so much to the families who came to Open House last night!  I know we were pressed for time and I apologize.  Your children are on a 4 teacher team while other teams have 2 or 3 teacher teams.  This makes Open House challenging because we get less time with families than other teams do.  I have attached the presentation I gave last night for families because I know that I was speaking very quickly and some families were unable to attend.  Please email me if you have any questions or concerns.

We continued to NWEA test during Language Arts today.  My goal is to have everyone finish by the end of the day tomorrow so we can start with learning on Monday!

Don’t forget that tomorrow is a half day! Have a great evening!

Homework:

1. Read for 20 minutes
2. 5 Read Theory Quizzes due TOMORROW
3. Book Talk Presentations on Thursday, September 27th

Language Arts Open House Presentation Blog Copy

The students continued to NWEA test today.  We began with the reading test because most students have finished the language test.  My hope is that most students will finish with the reading test tomorrow and we can do make-up testing on Friday.  When students are done, they are being given the opportunity to work on their homework.

Tonight is Open House at Bryant.  Families are asked to be in class at 6:00 so we can get started right away.  The students completed a schedule for the evening and were asked to take it home to families tonight.  Please ask your child for the schedule so you know where to be and the times everything will be taking place. I look forward to meeting families tonight! My room is room 40 in case anyone cannot find me.

I have updated gradebook to reflect students’ scores on the All About Me One-Pager.  Please check Parent/Student Connect to make sure everything is working.  Unfortunately, I do not have access to the login information for that account so if you need your username or password, you will need to contact the office.

I will see you tonight!

Homework:

1. Read your good fit book for 20 minutes
2. Pass 5 Read Theory Quizzes by the end of class on Friday
3. Book Talk Presentations on September 27th

In Language Arts today the students went to the library for the first time!  If students had their planners with them, they were allowed to check out a book.  They should now be reading for 100 minutes every single week.  I recommend that students read for 20 minutes per night for 5 nights each week.  I WILL NOT be requiring students to keep a log of their reading.  Instead, they are expected to read one book of their choosing per month and using that book to complete a One-Pager.  This will be similar to the All About Me One-Pager the students are working on at home but instead of focusing on themselves, it will focus on the book they read. They will be required to turn in two One-Pagers the week before each marking period ends. I will be giving the directions for the first two One-Pagers by the end of the month.

The students also finished the Book Swap Activity from Friday during class today.

We will be NWEA testing for the next three days.  For this reason, I will not be posting to the blog tomorrow. Students who finish early will be given time to work on their Language Arts homework.

Don’t forget to attend Open House on Wednesday!  It starts at 6:00pm.  Parents need to have a copy of their child’s schedule with them.  Each of your children has written their schedule in their planner.  You may bring your child’s planner with you that evening or take a picture of it on your phone and use that to get from one class to the other. If possible, please leave children at home since the seats in the classroom are limited.  I look forward to meeting families on Wednesday!

Have a great evening!

Homework:

1. Read for 20 minutes
2. All About Me One-Pager due TOMORROW (This will be our first grade in Language Arts!)
3. Encourage your families to attend Open House Wednesday evening from 6:00-7:30
4. 5 Read Theory quizzes due Friday-Remember, you MUST pass!
5. Book Talk Presentations on Thursday, September 27th

In Language Arts today the students added references to their interactive notebook.  We will be using these references frequently throughout the course of the school year.  Students who finished stored their notebook in their assigned cubbie and students who did not took their notebooks home to finish over the weekend.

We also spent time in class discussing what a good fit book is and how we know if a book is a good fit for us.  Then, we participated in a book swap activity.  The students were introduced to various books in our classroom and school library.  If a book sounded interesting to them, they were able to write down the title and the author so that they can check out the book next week.  We will be having our first library day on Monday. Starting Monday, all students are expected to be reading a good fit book at all times.  They will be required to read at home for 100 minutes per week.  I will not be asking families to keep a reading log. Instead, the students will be writing One-Pagers about the books they finish reading each month. The students are expected to finish one book per month for the entire school year.

We will also begin NWEA testing on Monday. Since we take the Reading Comprehension and Language tests in Language Arts, we will be testing for most of next week and I won’t be posting to the blog as often.  When students are done NWEA testing, they are allowed to work on Read Theory, read their good fit book, work on their One-Pager, or prepare their Book Talk Presentation.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Homework:

1. Make sure your ISN is ready for Monday!
2. All About Me One-Pager due Tuesday, September 11th
3. 5 Read Theory Quizzes due Friday, September 14th
4. Book Talk Presentations on Thursday, September 27th

Upcoming Events:

1. Our first Library Day is on Monday!
2. NWEA Testing is Monday
3. Open House Wednesday, September 12th 6:00-7:30
4. Picture Day Tuesday, September 18th

In Language Arts today the students were given time to set up their interactive notebook.  We designed and secured the cover, numbered all the pages, and made 5 pages for the table of contents.  If this was not completed by the end of class, it was assigned as homework.

The students were also assigned an All About Me One-Pager.  Throughout the school year, the students will complete 8 One-Pagers on the books they choose to read during the year.  The All About Me One-Pager is about themselves and will be used to help us get an idea of what our other One-Pagers will be like.  This assignment is due by the end of class on Tuesday. I have attached a copy of the directions to this blog post.

Blocks One and Two went to the library today for Library Orientation. All classes will go to the library to check out books on Monday at the beginning of class. We will go biweekly to the library.

Homework:

1. Finish your ISN cover, table of contents, and page number by TOMORROW
2. All About Me One-Pager due Tuesday, September 11th
3. 5 Read Theory Quizzes due Friday, September 14th
4. Book Talk Presentations on Thursday, September 27th

All About Me One-Pager

Today in Language Arts the students spent time signing up for for the various technology we used within our classroom.  They created accounts for the following websites we will be using on a regular basis:

• NewsELA
• Moby Max
• Read Theory
• Google Classroom
• iLearn
• Quizlet

Read Theory is a website used to help students with their ability to comprehend non-fiction texts.  For getting the correct answer, the students earn knowledge points.  Every Monday, I will check to see who has the most knowledge points in each of my 3 classes and I will put that student’s name on the board for the week.  I will also write the amount of knowledge points the class has earned as a whole.  Whichever class earns the most knowledge points by the end of the school year will win a pizza party! Each week, the students will be required to PASS (not just complete) 5 quizzes on Read Theory.  This will be due EVERY Friday for the entire school year.  They will be given time to work on this in class each week but anything they do not finish will be homework that is due on Fridays.  Since today is already Wednesday, I am making the first 5 quizzes due Friday, September 14th at 3:05. I will be giving them time in class to work on this between now and then.

Additionally, we reviewed pages 4 through 10 in our planners.

Have a great evening!

Homework:

1. 5 Read Theory Quizzes due Friday, September 14th
2. Book Talk Presentations due Tuesday, September 27th

Block Three students had Library Orientation today.  Block One and Block Two will have Library Orientation on Thursday.  Since the students had different meetings taking place during class, they ended up in different spots but everything will be finished by the end of the day tomorrow.

During Language Arts, the students spent time signing up for the various forms of technology we use in class.  We did not finish this today but we will finish tomorrow. At this point, any student who was present at school during Language Arts was signed up for the blog.  Their homework tonight is to teach their families how to sign up for the blog too.  I would like each student to be signed up for the blog as well as one person who helps our students with their homework.  Of course, more than one family member can sign up. If you are still struggling with this, I will be more than happy to help families sign up at Open House next Wednesday, September 12th.

We are still in need of tissue for our classroom!  If anyone has tissue they can donate, it would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great evening and stay cool!

Homework:

1. Teach one person from your family how to sign up for the blog
2. Bring your Language Arts notebook to class tomorrow
3. Get your Team Syllabus and Movie Permission Slip signed-this is LATE

Classes were much shorter than normal today because we followed a different schedule.  After Advisory, all 6th grade students attended a meeting in the auditorium with Mr. Dennison and Mrs. Turfe to discuss school rules and expectations.  Then, we had shorter classes since we also had team building activities in the afternoon.

During class time, the students reviewed what it means to be a great classmate and used that information to create classroom rules.  Then, the students who had their phones signed up for Remind 101 during class.  My goal is to have at least one family member for each student sign up for this tool as well as each student who has an ipad, tablet, or cell phone. I have sent the directions home with students today so please ask your child for the directions.  I told the students during class that it was very important for them to take the directions home to their families because I will not be posting them to the blog.  My blog is public and I am not comfortable having my Remind information available to the public.  I will also have the directions for Remind available at Open House on Wednesday, September 12th for anyone who may need them again.

Have a fantastic weekend and congratulations on making it through the first week of middle school!

In Language Arts today the students spent time reviewing our team syllabus as well as the specific suggested supplies for Language Arts.  The students were also sent home with a syllabus slip and movie permission slip which need to be signed and returned no later than Tuesday, September 4th. I have attached all of the materials that were given out in class today to this blog post.

We also continued to get to know one another during class by playing a modified version of Silent Seat Ball.  The students threw a ball with questions around the classroom and wherever their thumb landed, they answered that question about themselves.

Tomorrow the students will be signing up for a communication system called Remind 101.  I will use this tool throughout the year to send text message reminders of important things going on in class or at school.  For this reason, I did ask the students to bring their phones to class tomorrow. For students who are not allowed to bring their phones to class, I have printed out directions so this task can be done at home by families.

Remember, tomorrow is Team Building Day so please wear something comfortable since we will spend a lot of the afternoon outside.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

PG Movie Perm

Team Syllabus Brochure 2018_2019

Team Syllabus Parent Signature Page

Recommended Materials 2018-2019