Character Traits - WW and RW | by Slidesgo

In Reading class this month students will  focus on the characterization in their independent books.

Students should read 30 minutes a day from their choice book (or short story from the textbook) and will have quick assignments to be done during this independent reading this quarter.

Readers Workshop: Theme (Bend 3)

Students will build on their character work by noticing the trouble, or conflicts, characters face.

 These conflicts can be stated in one word or phrase motifs, like betrayal or fitting in. Students will question what the author says about the motif to determine possible theme statements. Finally, they will look at how symbolism further supports the theme statement.

Dear Family,

 You have the option to buy books for your child and support our classroom at the same time. Scholastic Book Orders :

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/HZYNK

Shop Digital Flyers for Our Grade with Your Child: https://clubs.scholastic.com/middleschool

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Class Order Due Date: ongoing

Please share the Class Page link to extended family and friends. All orders also earn FREE Books for our class.

Thank you for your support!

Ms. STILL

Read Every Day

Sixth graders are expected to read at least thirty (30) minutes every night.

How can I improve my reading level? READ.

How can I increase my vocabulary? READ.

How can I increase my comprehension? READ and then discuss what you read with a friend or family member.

Once students find their Just Right Books, they are encouraged to read everyday, 30 minutes or more, and discuss what they read friends or family.   Most students who read for fun - at home, on their own, and enjoy it - are strong readers. Most of these strong readers are at or above grade level.  


But what if I don't like to read?  Hard to believe, but true, there are students who don't like to read.  Research proves this is only because they haven't found the right book yet.  These students need help finding their Just Right Book, which is a book that is: 1. interesting to them, 2. close to their independent reading level (not too difficult), 3. hard to put down. (No longer attached was a list of suggested reading for teens and tweens titled "Some Courses of Study".)  I personally recommend the following books in a series: Harry Potter; Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heros, and Red Pyramid (all by Rick Riordan); The Giver series by Loiw Lowry; Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, and James Patterson's middle school books (I Funny; Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life; Treasure Hunters, etc.). And of course, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are hilarious and good for anyone who hasn't read them before. Update: In our Silver Core class today a student told me he has read most all the books I recommended above.  This encouraged a flow of book recommendations with well over half of the class adding to the list.  We have tons of readers who love reading! 

Check out the Books Recommended By Our Students for Students list created by all students in both cores below.

Why Reading Outside of School is Important

Welcome to Sixth Grade Reading!  

Sixth grade students at Sequoia will participate in the Readers Workshop, a relative to the Writers Workshop. The first emphasis will be on creating life long readers, followed by  reading the popular class-wide novel Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Finally, we will move into Book Clubs, both information/non-fiction fiction books and genre fiction. 

I have used this slide for years, but right now, as you know, reading at home is ESSENTIAL. Let's ensure a generation of readers grows from all the extra time spent at home during this time. My goal is to make sure every child has a book they love to read in their hands, right now.

Reading Notebook Tabs and Docs.pdf

Our class Scholastic book order link: HERE



Membean

Parents: Click on the link to  watch the information video Membean created just for parents. 

This is an engaging vocabulary development tool and one that has shown highly successful. I encourage you to sit with your student and see what it is all about the first time or two.

After completing the initial calibration for Membean to assign an appropriate word level for your student, students are encouraged to spend 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week, doing Membean lessons. That's a total of 45 minutes per week  of Membean lessons.