DISCOVERING NEW ADVENTURES THROUGH
Midterm exam grades have been posted in Skyward. I gave a generous curve on the exam and many students did well. However, many scores were still less than desirable. I will be sending the tests home tomorrow. Students who would like to improve their grade may make corrections to the test. I will give half-credit for any correct revision. The tests MUST be returned by Monday morning before homeroom in order to be counted for credit. Grades must be finalized by lunch that day. After that time I can no longer change grades.
Today was library day and we had a lesson about fake news. There are many different ways news articles can be faked to look real and we addressed some methods of identifying non-credible sources. Students also had an opportunity to check out a book at the end of class. Read something enjoyable tonight.
One-pager projects were turned in at the beginning of class. Any students who were not finished with their project were allowed to complete their project for full credit in a different location to allow them to focus, and return to class upon completion. Full credit will be granted through tomorrow. In class, we had a review of all topics covered on the midterm by playing Jeopardy, went over the midterm review handed out on Friday, and answered any questions about the midterm exam. There is no vocabulary this week. The midterm exam comprises 30% of student grades and needs to be taken seriously. The Jeopardy review game can be accessed at https://jeopardylabs.com/play/midterm-review-2620 and the review list is on the Assignments page of this website.
Study and get some rest tonight. See you tomorrow. Concept maps about chapters 1-11 (bellwork yesterday) were checked for completion and midterm exam study guides were handed out. The review content can also be found on the Assignments page of this website. We had our weekly vocabulary quiz today and used the remaining time in class to work on our One-pager projects. These projects are due Monday and represent a significant portion of student grades for this quarter. Instructions are on the Assignments page of this website.
Students were instructed at the beginning of class to have their vocabulary illustrations out while they worked on the bellwork: using each vocabulary word in a sentence. I checked for completion using a class roster. Students are required to keep this for later in the week and it should remain in their binder.
Next, students were given a "reverse" quiz about the reading we did in class yesterday. Students were required to write a five-question quiz about chapter 10 of The Watsons Go To Birmingham, and include the answer key. Students had the option to use the book, but they only had 10 minutes to complete the quiz. Finally, we took focus-notes and read chapter 11 of The Watsons Go To Birmingham. Students were expected to write a 2-sentence summary of chapter 11 at the bottom of their notes. The vocabulary sentences and chapter 11 summary will be checked for completion tomorrow. Information about a bonus assignment that can replace the lowest test grade was given today. This can be found on the assignment page of this website. I have scheduled the midterm exam for Wednesday of next week. We will be doing a "one-pager" project and class review to prepare for this test. More information for this project can be found on the Assignments page of this website. The exam will cover all reading strategies, literary devices, and novel content we have covered up to and including today. The best way to prepare for this exam at home is for students to review their notes and assignments from class. Today we started class with a vocabulary illustration activity. Students wrote the words in the boxes of the provided grid and drew a picture to represent the meaning. This is not an optional assignment and will be checked tomorrow at the beginning of class.
Next, all classes had a brief review of context clue strategies, then most classes had a quiz. Second period did not meet yesterday due to the assembly, so they caught up on the assignments that were missed. The rest of class was filled with reading chapter 10 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham. There will be a quiz on this reading tomorrow. Welcome to the ninth week. Report cards go home Monday, October 24. Once grades are finalized, I can no longer change grades. All missing or late work assignments are due by NEXT WEDNESDAY, so I have a chance to grade and update assignment scores before grades are locked in. Also, be prepared for a mid-novel test coming soon. Today, we began class by writing down all the strategies we knew about context clues by responding to the following prompt: you are reading and come across a word you do not know. What are some strategies you can use to determine the meaning? Afterward, we watched a BrainPOP video about context clues, defined context and added 3 strategies to what we had written. We practiced using context clues with made-up words and discussed how we came to that conclusion. Finally, students were given the vocabulary words for the week and a context sentence to go with it. Students were asked to re-write their notes using any format of their choosing for homework. Using context clues to determine meaning is a skill that we have learned about previously, but many students are struggling with. For the weekly vocabulary in context activity, I do not accept "I don't know" or "I can't" as an excuse to not do this assignment. Sixth graders are required by Florida English Language Arts Standards to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words. This is a crucial reading skill students will need as academic and literary text they are exposed to becomes increasingly harder as they progress through school. In order to promote student participation in working on this skill, I will post a copy of the vocabulary words and their context as it was given in class until Wednesday when the definitions will be added to the post under the Assignments page of this website. What to expect this weekMonday - Context clues and Vocabulary
Tuesday - Vocabulary illustrations, Context clues quiz, Watsons Go To Birmingham ch. 10 Wednesday - Use vocabulary words in a sentence, Watsons Go To Birmingham ch. 11 Thursday - One-pager project assigned. Friday - Vocabulary Quiz, Reading skills game day Today we had 10 minutes at the beginning of class to finish up the concept map assignment from yesterday. Those who had finished played vocab bingo. Next, we took the vocabulary quiz. We finished class by reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham and drawing a picture or cartoon strip about the story.
Have a great extended weekend! |
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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