DISCOVERING NEW ADVENTURES THROUGH
Only 2 months left of 2019, folks! I checked student planners for this week's agendas today. There were a lot of students that will not be receiving credit for this week. As a reminder, students are expected to copy the daily agenda posted on the back board daily. This is an assignment that cannot be made up. I am very concerned with the number of missing assignments. The purpose of copying the agenda is to understand what we worked on in class, so you know what needs to be done if not completed in class. Please check Skyward to make sure that your grade is not dangerously low. Assignments marked missing may be made up.
Today was a fun day in class that worked on a lot of different literacy skills. We had literacy centers that worked on vocabulary enrichment, reading fluency, descriptive language and information processing skills using different games. No homework this weekend. Come back Monday ready to learn. Agenda:
No homework tonight. However, many students did not complete homework assigned yesterday. Agenda
Homework: Read the story assigned in class. Determine the main idea and underline supporting details. Today in class we worked on finishing the essay from yesterday (due tomorrow), took a vocabulary quiz on last week's words, and filled in notes on classroom procedures.
Students are in the process of writing a reflection essay due at the end of class tomorrow. The essay should be 3 paragraphs of 6-8 sentences each about the following:
We will have a vocab quiz on last week's words tomorrow.
Don't forget: vocabulary quiz tomorrow! We began class with copying the Agenda on the board and vocabulary illustrations in our Bellwork Notebooks today. This needs to be done by Friday if it was not completed. After that, we finished The Watsons Go To Birmingham and discussed the purpose of imagery in writing.
Today in class, we started with copying the agenda, and responding to the following prompt: how is imagery used in The Watsons Go To Birmingham? Next, we had a Pop Quiz on the notes about imagery from yesterday. Students were allowed to use their notes on this small, 3 question quiz.
We read chapter 14, pausing occasionally to write down notes about imagery used in the book. This chapter talked about the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, so I showed pictures of the real event. Students were asked to write down how the pictures they imagined while reading the novel compared to the photographs I projected on the screen. There is no homework, students should study vocabulary for the quiz on Friday. Things are changing: please read Report Cards go home on Thursday, October 24. This means that we have officially ended one none weeks and begun another. A few things are changing in class. Many students are struggling with keeping track of assignments in class, some even stated that they didn't know about the midterm exam despite my posting it on this website and announcing it every class for a week. To help establish a habit of keeping track of assignments by writing them down for future reference, I am going to begin requiring students to copy the agenda each day at the beginning of class. I will check planners and bell work for a participation grade on Friday. This grade cannot be made up. Notebooks are back! I have organized them on the bookshelf at the front of the classroom with the names visible when they are stacked together. Students will resume the habit of getting their notebook as they walk in the door before sitting down. This time, it will be much easier to find the notebooks. Bell work will be done in these notebooks. Another change from the original syllabus is that we will not be doing a novel this quarter. We will be emphasizing reading skills, and the Final for this semester will assess student mastery of the skills we learn in class rather than memory. I have also heard suggestions to have more than one test per quarter, so we will have two smaller tests leading up to the Final Exam. Just a review of procedures in my class: Students are expected to follow directions and make good choices. Students must be in their seat working when the bell rings. Students not seated and/or working within 2 minutes of the bell will be considered tardy. There is no cell phone use permitted during school hours. No food, gum, or drinks (besides water) are permitted in my class. No headgear (hoods, hats, helmets, headphones, earbuds, etc.) is to be worn at school. Students must raise their hand to speak or move around the classroom. We will have interactive activities as much as possible during class, but when students are seated individually, I need students to remain seated as a safety precaution. Side conversations are distracting to the participating students and those around them. Raising hands to speak or move about the classroom maintains a safe learning environment. Today in classToday in class, we began with Bellwork: Copy Agenda, then begin to determine the meaning of the vocabulary words for the week. Next, we had a discussion about imagery (our theme for the week), and took notes in our Reading Notebook that is kept in class. This weekMonday: Vocab, imagery notes
Tuesday: Bellwork writing prompt, Watsons ch 14 Wednesday: Vocabulary Illustrations, FINISH THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM!!!!!! Thursday: Write a vocabulary quiz using this week's words, Watch the Watsons Movie Friday: Vocab Quiz, Finish the Watsons Movie, Exit ticket: How was the experience of reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham different from watching the movie? This week's Florida Standard: RL.3.7 Compare and Contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text. Include what students "see" and hear while reading compared to what students perceive while listening or viewing Today was a whirlwind - I mean whirlpool adventure!
In class we wrote a response about how water can be dangerous, then transitioned into a group activity. Half of the class worked in small groups on the computers doing guided research while the other half read chapter 13 of The Watsons Go To Birmingham with me. After ten minutes, the groups switched. After the second rotation, we collaborated and created a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting how the idea of the whirlpool was presented differently in the different genres of text. We ended class with an exit ticket of responding to the guiding question of the day: how are similar topics presented differently in different genres? |
Mrs. McCartneyIt is my goal to help every student reach their potential. Sixth grade can be hard, but it is the first step of responsibility and independence in a journey that lasts a lifetime. Archives
April 2020
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