6th Grade

Reading and Writing

Mr. Somen (easomen1@cps.edu) & Mr. Birden (pbirden@cps.edu)

Google Classroom

Click here for access to Google Classroom:

Room 304

Room 308

Contact us!

Mr. Somen: easomen1@cps.edu

Mr. Birden: pbirden@cps.edu

Hello 6th Grade Families!

We will miss seeing our 6th-grade students in person, but we are excited about the chance to see each other virtually every day while we do Remote Learning. Please encourage your students to reach out directly to us with questions and for support. They also can lean on each other by reaching out to peers for help or even just to share their independent reading and writing.

The most important thing students can do each day is carve out time for meaningful independent reading. It's our hope that students read a book of their choosing for 30 minutes each day. They will have the opportunity to discuss this book online in google classroom through discussion posts and through our classroom commentary blog. Lastly, encourage your middle schoolers to read aloud to younger siblings, to grandparents, etc. Any and all reading is meaningful!

We will be meeting as a whole class for at least a portion of each school day starting at 8:50 (304) & 1:45 (308). Please see Google Classroom for all links to Google Meets. You will also be receiving email updates on Sundays from your student's homeroom teacher that will give you some additional insight on the plans for each week.


304: Click here for Virtual Plans (updated weekly)

308: Click here for Virtual Plans (updated weekly)

Digital Books Database- Use these books for your independent reading books if you would like.

Independent Reading Tips:

  • Find a quiet space and create a consistent reading nook

  • Make sure your book interests or excites you

  • Always know what you're going to read next (make a plan or start a series!)

  • Log your reading, so you can start to notice trends of when you focus on your reading best and when you read the most

  • Always find someone to talk to about your reading (friend , sibling, parent, grandparent, guardian etc. Use technology!)

  • Read with post it's or a reading journal nearby, so you can jot 10% of the time.

Check out the sites below for additional reading resources.

Students have logins and access via their CPS login information.

Hoopla is a digital media service offered by your local public library that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV!

Epic is the leading digital reading platform—built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world’s best publishers—that safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence

CommonLit is built on a foundation of over 2,000 high-quality free reading passages for grades 3-12, with follow up questions, interim assessments, and growth-oriented data.


Enrichment, Google Classroom, and Independent Reading Resources

Enrichment Resources:

Review resources available outside of just ELA (Free books, NY Times Contest, Nonfiction Read Alouds, Fiction Read Alouds and Lunch Doodles , Broadway Plays to watch from home, Story Time from Space, Virtual Tours of Museums, Zoos and Theme Parks

Independent Reading Options:

Student Book Access (Free choice by preference or availability and Free PDF’s (listed above)

Common Lit (Students login using their cps google email)

Things to know:

Students can access all they need on google classroom via Due Date (there are assignments with resources, graphic organizer, mini-lessons, exemplar writing pieces etc.)

Review the Google Classroom Interface (attachment above)