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Stephanie Davis |
LANGUAGE ARTS INFORMATION
6th Grade
Welcome to the 6th
grade language arts class. My
name is Stephanie Clouatre-Davis, and I will be your child’s teacher
for the 2006-07 school year. As
you probably know, we are on a block schedule for language arts, and
our class will meet every day for 100 minutes. During that time, we
will work on reading, vocabulary, English, writing, and spelling.
Throughout the course of this year, I plan to engage your child
in creative activities that will enhance his/her knowledge in these
critical content areas.
Your child will be
responding to literature in a variety of ways.
Writing skills will be developed and fine-tuned as we
participate in a writing program, Write . . . for the Future.
I attended a workshop funded by the Tangipahoa Parish School
System on this topic, and I received invaluable training as well as
materials. We will also
continue to use Thinking Maps as a common visual language for
transferring thinking processes, integrating learning, and as an
assessment tool. The Thinking Maps will be used with the majority of
our writing projects. I
was also trained in Kagan Cooperative Learning strategies, which was
also funded by the Parish. In addition to reading and writing, we will
continue with the Shurley Method for English grammar. This year the
students will have a Shurley workbook, which I believe will be a
tremendous resource for them. Last,
but not least, we will have a new spelling list of 15 words each week.
As you can see, we have a very busy year ahead of us.
Attached are some policies and details that are important for you to be aware of. I am always available to answer your questions or concerns, so please do not hesitate to call me if the need arises. You can also go to www.schoolnotes.com and send me an e-mail. I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.
Textbooks
Your child will bring
home copies of the literature book and the Write Source 2000 as well
as both the Shurley and literature workbooks.
The textbooks may be kept at home, but the workbooks should be
kept in your child’s backsack so that we can use them in class.
Homework Policy
I believe homework is important because it is a
valuable aid in helping students make the most of their experience in
school. I give homework
because it is useful in reinforcing what has been learned in class, it
prepares students for upcoming lessons, it teaches responsibility, and
it helps students develop positive study habits.
I will assign homework
Monday through Thursday nights, unless there is an extenuating
circumstance. This does
not apply to long-term projects and reports, which will probably need
to be worked on over weekends.
I expect students to
work on their own, asking for help only after they have given it their
best efforts. A quiet
environment for completing assignments is one way you can assist your
child.
All homework
assignments will be listed every Monday on schoolnotes.com as well as
on the blackboard in my classroom.
Because there may be situations beyond my control that will
affect the homework, the listings on the website may have to be
adjusted. Please refer to
the assignment pad for the change. Every other week, the spelling
words will be the twenty words of the vocabulary unit we are working
on.
Homework assignments
will be worth between 10 and 25 points toward the students’ homework
grade. No
points can be earned if the assignment is not completed.
At the end of the nine weeks, the total number of homework
points earned will be divided by the total possible homework points.
The homework grade is 1/6 of their total grade.
Tests/Assessments
Your child will be tested on vocabulary units,
grammar (in the form of the Shurley Method), literature selections,
other language arts skills, and spelling.
Other forms of assessment will include book reports, writing
assignments, Thinking Maps, oral presentations, and projects.
When these additional forms of assessment are assigned, your
child will receive specific, written instructions as well as the point
value for the assignment. Although
I will not post these instructions on the website, I will post the due
date for the assignment as well as the fact that the assignment has
been given.
Tests and any other form of assessment will count as
4/6 of the students’ total grade.
“Nineweeks Test” will count as the remaining
1/6.
Make-up Work
If a student is absent, I will be glad to send
assignments to the office for pick-up. Remember, when a student
misses my class, he/she is missing two periods of the school
day. When the student returns from an
absence, he/she should check with me for missed assignments. The
work should be completed within two to three school days, and this
includes tests as well as homework assignments. Extended time
will be allowed for prolonged absences. A failure to follow
these requirements will result in an “F”.
I will be glad to work with your child to make sure
all assignments are completed in a timely manner.
Graded Papers
I will send home graded papers about every ten days,
especially after a major test or project.
A cover sheet will be attached to the graded tests,
and I ask that you sign the cover sheet after you have looked over the
tests. There will also be notations about any problem behavior
or homework not being turned in. You will have the
opportunity to ask questions or make comments on this form.
Please return the entire packet with the signed cover sheet by the
second day after which they are received. The returned
test will be put in the student’s binder. It is the student’s
responsibility to manage and be responsible for his or her papers so
that he or she may resource them for the nine weeks exam.
Accelerated Reader
This will be our second year with the AR program.
The results last year were fantastic, and I look forward to expanding
the program with the students. Each student will have an AR
folder as well as a reading log in his/her binder. Part of the
language arts homework will be to read at least 15 minutes per night.
Please encourage your child to read outside of school; it is something
you will never regret.
In conjunction with the Accelerated
Reader/Renaissance Program, your child will need to have a book for
silent reading with him/her at all times. There is a separate
attachment about AR for you to read.
Discipline Plan
A copy of the Parent-Student Handbook is on-line at
the school website. You will not receive a hard copy of the
handbook unless you do not have a computer. Please advise your
child’s homeroom teacher if you do not have a computer. It is
vitally important that you and your child sit down and review the
handbook together.
Good communication between school and home is essential to the success of the school year for your child. My role as your child’s language arts teacher is to teach new skills as well as strengthen previously learned skills. A lot of emphasis will be placed on writing skills, so please encourage your child to be creative and think outside the box. I am looking forward to working with each of you in order to make this year a truly rewarding and outstanding one for your child. Thank you for the opportunity to share this year with them.