Stephen Decatur Middle School
6th Grade Reading/Language Arts and Social
Studies
Ms. Patterson
|
Email: Rhonda.Patterson@pgcps.org Phone:
301.449.4950 ext. 262
Class Website: www.pattersonscholarowls.blogspot.com
Room: 62
|
Course
Description:
Welcome to 6th Grade Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies!
This year we will use the ELA SpringBoard Curriculum! We will continue to
utilize reading strategies to build literacy, fluency, and strong vocabulary,
and explore many genres of literature. We will build on our writing skills by
responding to texts, as well as compose many forms of writing (narrative
essays, short stories, letters and research) while using the writing process.
- Curriculum and
Instruction –
Independent Reading and Strategy Instruction
During our first two weeks of school, students will
be reintroduced to the six Comprehension
Toolkit strategies: Activate and Connect, Infer Meaning, Ask Questions,
Monitor Comprehension, Determine Importance, and Summarize and Synthesize. They will utilize the strategies during a
variety of activities, including their independent reading time. Each day in ELA classes, students self select
books and read for 10-12 minutes before responding to their reading in
journals. Lessons and activities to
compliment strategy instruction are included in our revised Prince George’s
County Public Schools English/Language Arts Curriculum Framework Progress Guide
(CFPG) and in the Comprehension Toolkit. In addition to reading in the ELA class,
students are expected to read 20-30 minutes at home every day. Reading logs - with dates, titles, pages
read, and an assigned strategy entry should be completed after each reading and
returned to school for a homework grade.
Out goal is for each student to read 25 books this school year. The home and school reading time will help
students reach this goal.
Program
of Instruction and Core Text
All ELA classes will implement the SpringBoard program of
instruction. SpringBoard is the College Board’s official Pre-AP program,
developed to provide a roadmap for attaining the knowledge and skills students
require for success in Advanced Placement courses and in college-level
work. In addition to the AP Standards, SpringBoard aligns with the Common Core
State Standards (you may view The Common Core State Standards for reading,
writing, speaking and listening, and language at the following Website: http://corestandards.org).
SpringBoard expands the academic capacity of all students
through systematic skill development in Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening, and Media Literacy – the four domains of English Language Arts
instruction. Our core textbook for the SpringBoard
program is English Textual Power. For a quick look at the contents and
instruction for each of the five units taught in SpringBoard, please refer to
the attached grade level Unit-At-A-Glance document. To learn more about SpringBoard, visit this
Website: http://springboardprogram.collegeboard.org/ To access
the student online textbook and other resources, students may log in here: https://springboard.collegeboard.org/SB/login.action?notLoggedIn=true To log in,
students should type their first
name.last name (that’s first name dot last name, all lowercase), and use
the last 6 digits of their student ID# as their password. Our school code is 131322.
Materials: The following are required daily for class. Please see me if you have any
problems.
- One 3 Ring Binder
- Mechanical Pencils (no pencil sharpners and pencil shavings)TissuesHand Santizer6 Composition book college ruled 5 for RELA/1 for SSNotebook Paper college ruled2 Pens (black/blue)2 Colored Pens (no red)Colored pencils or crayonsGlue StickScissors
- School
agenda book: It will
be part of the binder check and we will record assignments & test
dates.
Grading
- Assessments and Projects: 50%.All assessments and projects
will be announced, and students will be given sufficient time to prepare.
- Class work: 25%. Any work we do in class including warm-ups,
silent reading, notes, class
assignments, class/small group discussions and participation points.
- Homework: 25%.
Homework will be assigned 3-4 days a week. It is due at the start
of class and should be placed in the orange bin.
Homework
Students should read at home every day for
20-30 minutes and record details on a reading log. In addition, teachers may assign strategy or
extended activities in connection to the home reading or daily
instruction. Students received a
supplemental textbook to take home for additional practice of literacy skills
and/or strategies. Titles of the take-home texts include: Holt Literature, Holt
Interactive Reader, Language of
Literature, or Bridges to Literature. The book issued to students should remain at
home for assigned readings and/or activities that will compliment those in our
core textbook. Books should be returned
to school in June.
Behavioral
expectations
Teachers and students collaborated to generate a
list of class rules, rituals, and routines.
The school-wide PBIS expectations are the foundation for those in the
classroom. They are: E – Earn and give
respect; A – Accept responsibility; G – Generate a positive attitude; L – Lead
and not follow; and E – exhibit appropriate behavior.
To stay abreast of what’s happening in ELA classes,
please visit our School Google site. When at the Prince George’s County Public
School Website, find Stephen Decatur Middle School listed at the “schools”
tab. Links to several ELA teachers’
Websites will also be located there.
Thank you.
This information will also be posted on the blog as
well.
I look forward to an exciting school year with your
student.
Educationally yours,
R. Patterson
6th Grade RELA/SS Teacher
Pattersonscholarowls.blogspot.com
Rhonda.patterson@pgcps.org
Social Studies
5 MOD ONLY
We will be exploring Geography and World Cultures
in Social Studies
Unit 1:
Foundations of Geography
Unit 2: United
States and Canada
Unit 3: Latin
America
We will be
applying the same reading strategies from Reading/Language Arts to help us understand
the skills needed in Social Studies.
Students will need to bring in a current event
article beginning September 4, 2012.
Current
events must be incorporated into classroom instruction throughout the school
year. Weekly assignments should pertain to the content being taught and should
be collected and graded. These assignments assist in the instruction of
content, development of reading proficiency, and expose the students to people,
places, and ideas outside of their school and community environments.
Assignments
should include:
Article
Title:
Article
Source:
Article
Date:
Summarize:
TOPIC:
What is the article about?
WHAT:
What is the issue or event discussed in the article?
WHERE:
Where is the event taking place?
WHEN:
When did the event take place? Is it still going on?
WHY:
Why is the event taking place? Why is it important?
WHO:
Who are the people involved?
Interpret:
To me, this article means…My reaction to this issue/event is…
Articles
should be from a variety of sources, such as newspapers, newsmagazines,
newscasts, the Internet, etc.
Grading
- Assessments and Projects: 50%.All assessments and projects
will be announced, and students will be given sufficient time to prepare.
- Class work: 25%. Any work we do in class including warm-ups,
silent reading, notes, class
assignments, class/small group discussions and participation points.
- Homework: 25%.
Homework will be assigned 3-4 days a week. It is due at the start
of class and should be placed in the orange bin.
This information will also be posted on the blog as
well.
I look forward to an exciting school year with your
student.
Educationally yours,
R. Patterson
6th Grade RELA/SS Teacher
Pattersonscholarowls.blogspot.com
Rhonda.patterson@pgcps.org
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