Skills For the Week

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Be sure that you have signed up for Active Parent (contact Taylorsville Attendance Center @ 601-785-6942), so you can keep a DAILY/WEEKLY check on your child's grades.If you need to contact me via email, my school email address is: kim.sullivan@smithcountyschools.net

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Conferences: I cannot have parent conferences at my classroom door, so if you need to speak with me, please call the office (601-785-6942) to set up a conference, or send me a note, and I will be glad to set up a conference (phone or in person) with you. You can also email me. I feel that a major factor in a student's success is great communication between the teacher and the parent.

**************************************************************** 2018 - 2019 School Year

April 8 -12, 2019

Note: If students are completing their bell work, class work, and any other assignments as well as checking their work, and listening/participating, they should be adequately prepared for the test(s).It is important that students realize that sometimes some questions from bell work is incorporated into some of the tests.Remember: The teacher deems to give a pop test unannounced. This ensures that students are listening and working in class.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PARENTS

NOTE: It will not be long now before state testing begins. The sixth graders will take their ELA tests on April 18 and 19 and the Math tests will be the following week. PLEASE encourage your child to try his/her best, to try to answer every question to the best of his/her ability and to not rush through any of the test. Each test takes approximately two and a half hours and no one is allowed to leave the testing area until all tests are completed; therefore, the students need to use the entire time to complete the tests. Also, please make sure that your child gets plenty of rest/sleep and if possible, eats breakfast. To the students, the testing time seems to be long and therefore, if they have not rested, they get extremely sleepy. THANK YOU so much for your help, concern, and support.

Test Information

THERE WILL BE A BELLWORK/READING TEST ON MATERIAL WE HAVE LEARNED IN CLASS ON WEDNESDAY 4/10.

Vocabulary Test-

Bell work Quiz: (This ensures that they are trying, checking, and learning from their bell work)

Bell Work Information

Students will complete a grammar skill or skills for bell work. Students will take quizzes on the skill or skills taught via bell work. As of now, there will not be a set day for the quiz/tests.

READING LITERATURE INFORMATION

First Story of the Week: The Autobiography of a Horse: Black Beauty (as well as other stories/poems). We have completed this story and will be eventually watching the movie to compare the story to the movie.

We are also studying other stories.

As well as working on various Reading and English skills sporadically throughout lessons

Topic(s)/Skill(s) for the week: Theme/Central Idea, Character Traits, Citing Evidence, Figurative Language, Vocabulary, etc.

VOCABULARY INFORMATION: (Wordly Wise)

Sixth Grade: Lesson 10

Seventh Grade: Lesson 17

Vocabulary lessons consist of: Definitions,completing various worksheets (application), Writing, Synonyms/Antonyms, Inferring, Application, etc.

Students are learning vocabulary words and how to use them. I use the Wordly Wise curriculum. Vocabulary is an essential component of state testing. They will be given a list of vocabulary words and definitions. They are to learn the definitions so they will be prepared for the VOCABULARY TEST. They will also have test questions from worksheets and assignments we have done in class pertaining to the vocabulary lesson. A vocabulary lesson usually lasts approximately two weeks. If students are completing their work, checking their work, and listening/participating, they should be adequately prepared for the test. I usually try to give a VOCABULARY TEST every other Wednesday.

SOCIAL STUDIES (Sixth Grade Boys Only)

Chapters 6: Review (Discussion, notes, questions/answers, tests)

Students are reading, discussing and completing assignments for Chapter 5.

Note: Also, the students will be instructed to write their key terms and definitions which will be for a grade and need to study for their test.

Please note: When they have a test, it will be posted on this website.

WRITING

There will be some writing in the application part of literature. (Students will have to write an explanation or paragraph to answer some questions to the literary stories they have read)

No formal writing assignments at this time.

For general information about writing, please scroll down to "Writing Information".

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GENERAL NOTES

***Students are given bell work on a daily basis. Randomly, bell work will be taken up for a grade/check to ensure that students are doing their bell work. Sometimes, some of the bell work will be on their tests to ensure they are doing the work as well as checking their work.***I teach English, Vocabulary, and some Writing. I usually alternate English tests and Vocabulary tests when possible.***I also teach one class of 6th grade Social Studies. These tests will also be on Wednesdays.***There are no study guides for tests. Test material comes from lectures, notes, worksheets, and/or work completed in class. (There are also speaking/listening standards and these are often evaluated via tests and/or projects.) I usually review students prior to the test, so they will know what to study.***Tests are usually given on Wednesdays. If there is a change, students will be notified. I also try to write the type of test and when it will be given on the board. (I try to give my tests on Wednesdays, so parents will know and encourage the students to study for the tests.)***I will notify students about assignments and tests by:Announcements in class and/or the information will be written on the board
**** Teacher deems the right to give pop tests/quizzes, which will count as a test grade.

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*******POP TESTS AND CHANGE OF PLANS*******

The teacher may give students random pop tests and/or graded assignments. This ensures that students are thoroughly completing and understanding class work as well as other assignments, are listening in class to important information, reading and/or taking notes, and are frequently studying.

Disclaimer:The teacher has the right to change or modify the lesson(s) or test day if needed. If there is a change on the test day and/or lesson(s), I will inform the students and post it on this site as soon as possible. If any changes are made, they are based on the pace in which students work and/or the needs of the students, other testing, programs, holidays, as well as unplanned interruptions.In Conclusion......

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WRITING INFORMATION

Students will practice writing via the discussion questions at the end of stories, worksheets, and units they do in class.
They are instructed to use the RACE (and extended RACE) method when writing.

Information about RUBRICS:(Students have been given a couple of writing checklists to aid them in ensuring that they have checked over their work, provided all the required material, and are presenting a well-written work.Rubrics will be determined on the assignment (and skills that have been previously taught). I will always be looking for:Criteria: *Heading on paper*Neatness (possibly typed)*Spelling *Complete sentences (correct word order, makes sense, no fragments, no run-on sentences,etc.) *Correct capitalization (follow capitalization rules)*Used correct punctuation (follow punctuation rules. Don't forget about using commas!)*Followed the directions*Wrote in the correct format*Wrote on the assigned topic*Provided details or reasons*Elaborated on the details or reasons*Topic sentence(s)*Concluding sentence(s)*Turned in on time (An assignment date for the assignment will be posted)*Subject-verb agreement*Used assigned skill(s) correctly*Stayed on the topic*Provided and introduction*Provided a conclusion

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Encouragement/Assistance:

Please encourage your child to study what he/she has learned in class each day and practice. The Internet has some awesome sites which include tutorials, videos, practice sheets, games, and so much more that can be used for daily home enrichment.
For example, just go to GOOGLE and in the search box type the grade and the topic (The more specific, the easier it is to find what you are looking for). Examples: Sixth Grade practice sheets on the complex sentences; Sixth Grade videos on complex sentences; Sixth Grade games on complex sentences.
Motivate, motivate, motivate! Please encourage your child to continue to climb the ladder to success. We do not want him/her to stay on the same step... we want him/her to climb the ladder with the goal of reaching the top (or beyond) by the end of the year. Some students tend to either feel that they are at a level they want to be and do not continue to climb toward the top, but on the other hand, some students get discouraged and do not think they can climb the ladder. Unfortunately, this causes the students to either stay at the same step never moving any further OR falling down the ladder. All students have the same opportunity to climb the ladder to success.... they may just need a push (encouragement, motivation, study time, etc..).

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