Ms. Hall’s 5th and 6th Grade ELA Syllabus 2024 - 2025
Welcome! I am so excited to have you in my class this year. I have been at LPCS since day one, both of my children attended school here, and I have taught here for 21 years. I earned my masters degree in May, 2019 in literacy and writing, curriculum development; I am thrilled to use this knowledge as a 5th and 6th grade ELA teacher. Please know I am here to help and support you throughout the year. Most assignments will be completed using Google Classroom, and students will receive feedback in Google Classroom; however grades will be posted in Infinite Campus. The best way to reach me is by email, and I will answer emails during regular working hours as quickly as possible. I’m here to help and am looking forward to a great year ahead!
~ Ms. Hall
Email: smhall@lps.k12.co.us
Teacher webpage: https://sites.google.com/lps.k12.co.us/ms-hall/home
Google Classroom and Homework Calendar links can be found on my teacher page.
Daily Homework can be found in the ⅚ Google Classroom. Please look here when you are absent to see what we did in class and what is due.
What We’re Reading!
5th Grade
The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt
Look Both Ways, by Jason Reynolds
Biography of Choice
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper
9th Ward, Jewell Parker Rhodes
Front Desk, by Kelly Yang
Time for Kids Magazine
6th Grade
Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt
Merci Suarez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
El Deafo, by Cece Bell
Salt, by Helen Frost
A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park
Lizzie Bright, by Gary D. Schmidt
Novel of Choice
Time for Kids Magazine
Passion Project
Classwork and Homework:
Nightly Reading - Students will be assigned a set number of pages to read each day from the novel we are reading. Completing this nightly reading is critical to students being prepared for discussions and completion of daily classwork, which may include reflection questions, or a quiz from the previous night’s reading.
Quick Writing – This activity will be done in class and graded for completion. This writing strategy is used to build confidence and the ability to generate ideas on various topics. We will build on this strategy using 5-7-10 exercises where we will expand our quick writing into longer pieces of writing.
Writer’s Notebooks – Notebooks will be randomly checked several times a quarter and be checked for completion. Students will use these mini-notebooks to write down examples of beautiful writing from books they are reading. This tool helps students to read as writers, noticing examples of exceptional writing by authors and recognizing how sentence structure and word choice affect meaning and build interest for the reader. With continued practice, students will begin to utilize words and structures they’ve noticed while reading in their own writing.
Lexia - 40 minutes of Lexia Power Up is required by each student in 5th grade and 6th grade, unless the student has completed the program. The grade is calculated by the number of minutes a student works on Lexia each week. If a student works on Lexia for 30 minutes in a week, the student will earn a 30/40 or 75%. This grade will be posted under Work Habits in Infinite Campus. Students are encouraged to work on Lexia for 10 minutes a day in ELA, ELO, or for homework.
Grading Categories:
Summative (includes tests and projects) 60%- Scores for a test, assignment or project used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period.
Formative (includes classwork, quizzes, homework) 40%- class worksheets, notebook checks, vocabulary work, and discussions etc. used to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson or unit.
Writing grades will based upon the following criteria:
Students will be given a rubric explaining writing assignments in detail for more involved writing projects, including what the goal of the assignment is and what must be included for the assignment to be complete and to earn available points. Students can resubmit work to earn points if they choose during the unit of study with improvements based upon comments or a conference about changes that need to be made with Ms. Hall.
Writing Philosophy
I encourage you to allow your student to complete assignments independently so that I can assess their grade-level skills and provide support where needed so we all have an accurate picture of their writing skills. Please know that providing support like brainstorming and checking the rubric for goals for the assignment is welcomed and appreciated.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Using any AI tool, such as ChatGPT or an online translation device, to construct written responses in place of original student responses is considered cheating. Teachers may use various AI detection tools to determine if AI has been used to construct answers. Please refer to the Academic Honesty policy for more information. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s3qWYI5grp36MS4GCBtzhpWsug5h3ttfbh-bcm7plBY/edit
40 Book Challenge!
All students, and me, have a 40-book goal for the year; this goal is to encourage students to read purely for pleasure. Students may read anything they choose and can keep track however they’d like; there will be periodic check-ins to monitor progress towards the goal. A formative grade will be entered once each quarter for progress toward this goal. AR will be available, and participation is encouraged for those who want to earn AR dress days and make personal goals, like becoming a Million Word Reader! AR Dress days will be awarded weekly during ELA class and t-shirts will be awarded as they are earned.