6th Grade Language Arts Strategies Syllabus
2020-2021
Teacher: Miss Jenkikns
Room: E119
Phone: 355-7575
Email: tatjenkins@greenville.k12.sc.us
Textbooks:
Beers, Kylene, et al. Collections. Orlando : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. Various novels including The Lightning Thief, The Dark Side of Nowhere, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Juvie Three, The Lightning Thief or any other novels deemed necessary
Learning and Developmental Goals
But the end of the sixth grade, students will:
Draw upon a variety of strategies to comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate what he or she reads.
Write for different audiences and purposes.
Recognize, demonstrate, and analyze the qualities of effective communication
Access and use information from a variety of appropriately selected sources to extend his or her knowledge.
Course Description
The goal of the middle school language arts program is to develop lifelong readers and writers. Students will apply their knowledge and skills and expand their use of language. This course enables students to study the elements of language arts through the study of short stories, nonfiction, drama, poetry, novels, and various writing units. A strong emphasis will be placed on vocabulary development and writing. During this course, the students will utilize listening and speaking skills emphasized in the textbook.
For further information about “Reading/ English Language Arts – Grade 6,” please refer to the web page: http://ed.sc.gov/.
Instructional Units and Sequencing: (this schedule is subject to change)
Theme: Facing Fear
Dark Side of Nowhere
Me by the Numbers
Argumentative essay
Debate
Stems lists 1-3 (cumulative)
Pronoun usage (I/me)
Biography/”Wax Museum”
Paraphrasing/plagiarism
Dialect vs. Standard English
Character development
Plot structure
Elements of poetry
Text features, structures, visual elements
Purpose in media
Inference
Point of view
Opinion, fact, bias
Textual evidence
Central ideas/details
Theme: Animal Intelligence
Al Capone Does My Shirts or Juvie Three
Punctuation/capitalization
Paraphrasing ideas
Character responses
Point of view
Central ideas/key details
Anecdotes
Informative writing
Persuasive techniques
Text features, structure
Author’s purpose
Information in different media
Argument
Stems lists 4-5 (cumulative)
Poetry/figurative language
Theme: Making your voice heard
Al Capone or Juvie Three
Theme
Internal/external conflict
Characterization
Figurative language
Author’s style
Persuasive techniques
Argument
Mini Research Project
Main Idea
Stems 6-8
Irregular Verbs
Theme: Dealing with Disaster
Myths and fables
The Lightning Thief
Short story
Narrative writing
Independent Novel Study
Stems lists 9-10
Alliteration, figurative language
Dialect
Poetic forms
Narrative nonfiction
Technical language
Author’s style
Cause and Effect organization
Elements of a documentary
Information in media
*** Because our primary goal is to maximize student achievement, material may be added, deleted, and/or substituted at the teacher’s discretion based upon the individual needs, levels, and learning styles of each class. Creative projects, written assignments, and supplemental materials may be included also throughout the year as opportunities arise.
Weekly and Ongoing Assignments
Starters- Monday through Friday, we will have standards: Standards. After every 10 standards, standards will be taken up for a possible grade.
Stems- Stems tests are given at least every month and each test is cumulative. The stems list is given two weeks prior to each test.
Materials and Resources
*three-ring binder *loose-leaf paper *one subject notebook *book-ring
*pens or pencils *note cards *dividers for notebook
Assessing, Evaluating, and Recording Students’ Progress
Student grades are determined using the District grading scale, which is posted in the room. Grading is based on the school district weighting system of 50% minor (including but not limited to quizzes, small writing assignments, other class work, and homework), and 50% major (including but not limited to tests, formal writing assignments, etc.). All tests are exhaustively reviewed well in advance, and I am available for special tutoring upon request.
All of my grades are in my grade book and students may know their averages upon request. Tests are usually returned the day after they are taken and are immediately gone over so the students know why they missed what they did and how to correct it. Students are required to keep everything passed out to them or back to them in their language binder.
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
59 and under F
Rules and Procedures
Classroom rules are posted on the wall of the classroom. My classroom rules are simple and easy to follow. My classroom rules are:
BE PROMPT.
-Be in your seat before the bell rings.
BE PREPARED.
-Have your materials every day.
-Bring a novel to class every day.
BE POLITE.
-Respect other people and their belongings.
-Respect me.
-Respect yourself.
I reserve the right to be creative in dealing with discipline problems, as the situation warrants. The basic class rules are clearly posted and there should be no confusion in this regard.
Communicating with Parents
Parent contact is made regularly. I respond promptly to all messages from parents. Notes are given to students for a variety of reasons and a log is kept of all parental contact. Parents may contact me through the school or directly through my email address listed at the beginning of this document.
Homework Policy
Homework is graded on completion. Missing homework will be completed on Thursdays during working lunch, but will receive a NHI until then.
Extra Help will be available before school on Tuesday's and after school Thursdays.