In Language Arts the students continue to focus on point of view.  We reviewed the types of point of view and did a gallery walk to determine point of view in various examples.  The students presented their point of view poster to the class.  When this was completed, students revisted the story, “Eleven,” to identify the point of view correctly.  We discussed what it means to use specific examples from the text and practiced doing this with an elbow partner.

Homework: Complete Moby  Max pretests on grammar and vocabulary.

Have a great weekend!

Point of view can be a challenging thing to grasp.  For this reason, the students and I continued to look at it today.  We watched a video that helped us to review point of view.  We also created a flow chart to help us remember what to look for when trying to identify the point of view.  The students received copies of the flowchart that they glued into their interactive notebooks.  We created a study sheet in our interactive notebooks to help us remember the definitions for first person, second person, third person limited, and third person omniscient.  Once this was completed, I showed the students a point of view rap song that let them practice identifying the point of view in various examples.  I have attached the song and video to this blog post.

Homework: Reading Logs are due tomorrow.  Please make sure parents sign them tonight! 🙂

Have a wonderful evening!

https://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/pointofview/

https://www.flocabulary.com/point-of-view/

In Language Arts today we began to discuss point of view.  The students were introduced to the concepts of first, second, third person limited, and third person omniscient points of view.  They were given a note sheet to help them determine point of view.  We glued this into our interactive notebooks.  We also looked at a powerpoint about point of view.  I have attached the powerpoint to this blog post.  Additionally, we read the poem, “On Turning Ten,” with a partner and determined what the point of view is.  When the students returned to their seats, I asked them to point to the part of the poem that helped them figure out what the point of view was and why this helped them.  We discussed that when we use specific parts of our reading to figure out something that goes along with the story, this is called using specific evidence from the text to support our thinking.  We will be working on this skill frequently throughout the course of the school year.

Homework: Reading Log

Announcement: The last day to submit money for vocabulary books is this Friday.  Please make sure that all money is turned in to me by then.

Enjoy your evening!

Author’s Point of View Powerpoint (1)

Today in Language Arts, we continued our conversations about an author’s purpose for writing a story.  We began with a matching activity.  Students worked with their elbow partners to match examples to the appropriate reason why an author would write.  We then glued this to the left side of our interactive notebooks on page 8.  If you child has not purchased their interactive notebook yet, it is vital that they do so as soon as possible.  From this point forward, students will be behind if they are unable to get a notebook.  If there is an issue, please email me so we can resolve this.

The students listened to reading for the story, “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.”  While listening, the students were responsible for identifying the author’s purpose for writing this story.  We wrote these thoughts and our reasons down in our interactive notebook on page 7.  When we were done, we shared them with our elbow partner.  I have attached the link to the video on this blog post.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=i+know+an+old+lady+who+swallowed+a+pie&safe=active

Homework:  Reading Log

Announcement: If you plan on purchasing a vocabulary book for your child this year, it is $13 and the money is due tomorrow.  If you do not want to purchase a book for your child, I will have school copies available for them to use.

Have a great evening! 🙂

Today I began focusing the students on gaining more independence and learning as opposed to team building, bonding with classmates, and determining what a good fit book is.  To transition the students into this, I showed them a video I created and that I have attached to this post.  The students also received their first reading log.  These will be going home every Monday and they are due back every Friday.  Please make sure they are reading at home at least twenty minutes each night and that you are singing their reading log every Thursday.

The students began their first official lesson in Language Arts today.  We discussed what Author’s Purpose is and the three main reasons why an author would choose to write.  I have attached the powerpoint I used in class today to this post as well. We helped students remember this by creating the acronym PIE:

• Persuade
• Inform
• Entertain

Each child created their own PIE and colored the various pieces. This was glued into our interactive notebook as our first note tool.  Many students left their interactive notebooks at home today.  We put in the table of contents, numbered the first twenty-five pages, and made page five our list of all the books we have read in sixth grade. If your child left their notebook at home, they will need to complete all of this for homework tonight.

Have a great evening! 🙂

Welcome to Sixth Grade LA Video

authors_purpose_slideshow

Happy Friday to all!

In Language Arts today the students met with one of our librarians, Ms. McCarty, to learn about how to use our library and what we can use it for.  We also helped her create a list of all of the books we would like to have in our school library.

When we returned to class, we reviewed the five strategies for Daily 5 that we have been discussing this week.  We then had a few minutes to read to ourselves.

Homework: Complete the Vocabulary and Grammar pre-tests on mobymax.com.  The amount of time that these pre-tests takes varies with each student. I told students that if it was taking them two or more hours per test, they could finish sometime next week.  Students will know if their test is completed because the border around the question will change from blue to green.  When the border becomes green, students may stop.  All students have their username and password in their planners. Vocabulary book sign ups is due on Monday.  If you would like your child to have their own vocabulary book, please send them with their money and the form on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello,

In Language Arts today the students were introduced to a program called Moby Max.  This program can be found on mobymax.com.  It is designed to help students improve their Language Arts and Math skills by providing them with additional support at their level.  Mrs. Cosenza and I will use this website frequently to assign homework.  For now, I would like my students to focus on getting used to the grammar and vocabulary sections.  I have my program set so that every time a student spends three minutes on an activity, they earn themselves one minute of game time from the game section.  I am not assigning homework from this website tonight but I will be tomorrow.  I encourage parents to explore this website with their children over the weekend.  Students have their username and password tapped to the inside of their planner for the convenience of families.

During our mini lesson, the students focused on the comprehension strategy, “go back and reread.”  We discussed when it is appropriate to use and the value of the strategy.  We also modeled how to go back and reread.  The students were then given twenty minutes to practice Reading to Self.

Homework:  Success Starters due tomorrow and read twenty minutes of your Good Fit Book.

I sent home a form for vocabulary books that we will be using this year.  If you would like to purchase one for your child to write in, I will need the $13 by Monday.  If you would like your child to use a school copy, they will be able to.  However, they will not be allowed to write in them.

Have a great evening!

Today in Language Arts the students continued to learn about Daily Five CAFE.  We discussed and modeled various strategies while silent reading including checking for understanding, retelling, cross checking, and finding/using interesting words.

Tonight is open house.  I have sent the students home with a list of their teachers and room numbers.  Please meet in the auditorium at 6pm.  I look forward to meeting all of you!

In Language Arts today the students took their first trip to the school library.  At this point, there is no reason why each student should not have a Good Fit Book to take to all of their classes.  Before going, we discussed what it means to select a Good Fit Book.

Once we got back from the library, I allowed the students to vote on a children’s book for me to read to them.  My second and third hours read Knuffle Bunny Free and my fourth hour selected The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.  The first time we read the stories, the students told the tale solely by looking at the pictures.  The second time, I read the story to them.  We talked about the difference between reading the pictures in a story and reading the words.  We also discussed how this relates to Reading to Self during our Daily 5 Cafe time.  The students were then given a few minutes to practice reading to self.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is Late Start and Open House . Thursday is Picture Day.

I hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

Today in Language Arts, the students were given a writing pre-test.  They were asked to write a five paragraph essay on one of the following topics:

• What did you do over your summer vacation?
• Write about a time you were excited.
• Write about a time you were scared.
• Write about a time you were embarrassed.

The students were given 60 minutes to complete this task.

Additionally, the students began to put their portfolios together.  Over the course of the school year, I will be holding on to their goals for Language Arts, their writing assignments, and their tests.  At the end of the year, the students will write a reflection piece on their growth in Language Arts this school year.

At this point, I have updated Student Connect to reflect each student’s current grade in my class.  Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.

The permission slip for watching movies at school was due today.  The All About Me poster was due as well.  I have graded the Summer Reading Reflection Assessment and posted that grade to student connect.  I will have the essays graded and posted as soon as I can.

Tomorrow will be our first trip to the school library to check out books.  Please make sure that your student remembers to bring his/her planner with them to my class tomorrow to make this possible.

Reminders:

• Late Start is Wednesday
• Picture Day is Thursday

Have a great evening!