Rooms 301 & 303, Mrs. Piedade & Mr. Berg
Classwork: Sixth grade continues to use Glencoe Math for instruction. This includes two volumes of workbooks and a strong, online component to incorporate into learning. Each student has been given a user name and password which they can use to access our math book online at www.connected.mcgraw-hill.com. Available resources include activities for building vocabulary, animations and videos of lessons, short tutorials to illustrate examples and problems, virtual manipulatives, self-check quizzes to monitor progress, and access to the ebook version of the workbooks. We encourage kids to check out the online component whenever possible!
For ELA activities and reading, we will use a combination of the Treasures Series and novels. Some novels will be small group novels, some whole class. Two of these novels whole class this year will be Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, and Tom Sawyer.
Activities during class range from independent work, to partner work, to group work, to teacher-directed and guided activities. It is very important that students are attentive and involved in the learning process during class. We ask students to try their best at all times.
Homework: There is an expectation that sixth graders should be working on homework for 60 minutes each night. Homework is meant to reinforce skills that are being taught. Time is taken to go over homework assignments as a class. It is important for students to share and participate when correcting homework, so that math skills are strengthened. For Math and Science/History - Any homework that is not completed will have an opportunity to be made up for half credit. For ELA and Reading, all classwork is due Day 5 of each session which will occur on Fridays. Each night, students are expected to read at minimum, 20 minutes of an independent book. If students are frequently missing homework assignments, they are often requested to make them up during lunch/recess.
Computation: Time is devoted daily for an individualized approach to improving students’ accuracy and efficiency in performing computation problems. Students are expected to achieve at least 80% accuracy when solving computation problems involving operations with whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers. Students also work on problem-solving strategies, word problems, and open-response type questions during computation time.
Quizzes/Tests: Students should expect a math quiz/test every 1 to 2 weeks. Study guides and practice problems are distributed prior to testing so that students know what to expect. Mrs. Piedade also meets with students in small groups the day before testing to help them prepare. For ELA, Mr. Berg will allow students to review all of their classwork each night. Quizzes on the weekly concepts and reading portion will be each Friday. Mr. Berg will have a study guide prepared for Unit Tests (approximately every 5 weeks). Quizzes in ELA, except for Unit Tests, can be retaken during recess, one day the following week. Expectations are high, and while reading tests will be open book, open response questions are going to need to be thoroughly developed. Grades are updated weekly on Power School so that parents/guardians have access to their son/daughter’s achievement at all times. Power School may be linked from www.belchertownps.org.
Organization: Students need to provide sufficient effort in all that they do. Organization is key for sixth grade and beyond. Students should have separate folders or sections in their binders for Math, Science/Social Studies, ELA, Writing and Homework. They should also be copying homework assignments, dates for quizzes/tests, and reminders of important events into their agendas to use as communication between school and home. Class time is devoted to filling out agendas. It is a helpful tool for parents to know and understand what is expected. We will work on helping students organize materials throughout the year.
Science/Social Studies: Every marking term, students will have approximately five weeks of Science and five weeks of History. Students will have quizzes for each section of each chapter, including a culminating chapter test. Study guides are distributed prior to testing. Once quizzes/tests are graded, they may be accessed online at Power School.
Writing: Every day students work on a writing piece. Each piece is written over the course of multiple weeks, starting from idea generation, graphic organizer, rough draft, editing and a final published piece. Writing is a huge part of the ELA curriculum and grade, encompassing almost one hour per day dedicated to it. The expectations for student writing has grown leaps and bounds over the past few years, and will continue to do so this year. The expectation will be high, but the results will be amazing.
Specials: Students in homeroom 301 have PE on Wednesdays and Fridays, Art on Mondays, and Music on Tuesdays. Student in homeroom 303 have PE on Wednesdays and Fridays, Art on Tuesdays, and Music on Mondays. Both homerooms have rotating Library/Technology on Thursdays. Full band is on Thursdays, while chorus is on Wednesdays.
Thank you in advance for your help and support at home. Together, we can help your son/daughter have a successful year. Please feel free to contact us if you ever have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Piedade & Mr. Berg
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[email protected]