Language Arts - 6th Grade - Mrs. Aulds
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Week of November 3 - 7, 2003
Welcome to November! Can you believe how quickly this school year is zooming by??

This week in Language Arts, we will be reading the story "The Boy Who Lived With Bears." This story is an old Indian folktale about a boy who goes to live with his uncle. The uncle mistreats the boy and leaves him in the woods to live on his own. That is how this boy came to "live with bears." This folktale teaches a lesson about treating others, especially family members, with kindness and respect.

Monday - We will preview the story (p. 148) and learn several new vocabulary words and phrases that will be used in the story. Students will define these and for homework, there will be a vocabulary practice worksheet.

Tuesday - Today, we will review story vocabulary and phrases before reading our story. After reading the story, students will complete reading workbook pages 20 and 21. These will be finished for homework, if necessary.

Wednesday - After checking workbook pages, we will orally go over textbook page 154 to further review our story. We will discuss and practice "retelling" a story. We will learn what a "circular" story is. Homework tonight will be to study story vocabulary and phrases, review the characteristics of a folktale, and review story for tomorrow's test.

Thursday - Today, we will complete a test on this week's story and story vocabulary.

**For advanced classes, in addition to the above:
Vocabulary Workshop - This week is another review week in voc. wksp....we will complete pages 81-83. Monday night homework is page 81; Tuesday night homework is pages 82-83. No test this week!

Friday - It's LIBRARY day again!!:)

*Don't forget if you are completing a 2nd six weeks' book report for extra credit, it's due Friday, Nov. 7.

*2nd six weeks grades will cut off this week!

Extra points for this week: Research and find out if any humans have actually ever been raised by animals. Write a brief report on your findings and what sources you used.

Have a great week! Send my an e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.

PS. Please be advised that this website does not take the place of finding homework assignments and other information posted in my classroom. If for some reason any information gets left off this website, it is still necessary to be informed about what's going on in class. Some students do not even have access to a computer, so all needed information is available in the classroom!

Language Arts
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Week of October 27 - 31, 2003
This week in Language Arts, we will be reading a nonfiction expository selection about Koko the Gorilla!

Koko is a very special gorilla that has learned to communicate with humans through the use of sign language. I will show the class different websites that they may want to visit to find out more about Koko!

Monday - Today, we will be introduced to the story and the story vocabulary words. We will look these words' definitions up in our textbook, glossary, and dictionaries. Homework will be to complete these defintions, if necessary, and to complete a vocabulary practice sheet.

Tuesday - We will go over and review new story voabulary words. We will talk about how animals and humans communicate. Just think.....what if animals COULD really talk!! Students will read this short selection silently. A review worksheet will be given out to be completed for homework, if necessary.

Wednesday - Today, we will review, review, review what we read about Koko. Students will complete workbook page 23 in class. We will further discuss what expository text is and complete an outline. This might have to be finished for homework tonight. Tomorrow, we will have a test on the story voacbulary and the selection. Students will NOT be allowed to use their textbooks during this test. So study those vocabulary words tonight!!!

Thursday - Today, we will complete a test on the story and the vocabulary. No homework tonight! BUT...don't forget that tomorrow is the final due date for the "Through Other Eyes" projects! (One of choice for a grade; the other for extra credit, if so desired!)

Friday - Today, we will watch a National Geographic Video called "A Conversation with Koko."

Bonus Points for this week.....Find out and list 5 different websties that give information about Koko. Then, visit some of them and find out what you can do to help "Save the Gorilla!" (Turn in the list of 5 sites.)

Have a great week! Send some candy!! Happy Halloween!!:)

What's New in 6th Grade Language Arts?
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Week of Oct. 20 - 24, 2003
This week, in language arts, we will be studying idioms.

Monday - We will finish our tests on "Brother Wolf" and "Why Dogs are Tame." Then we will become familiar with some idioms. Each student will choose an idiom to research for tonight's homework. They should write it down, find out what it means, and be able to report their findings to the class tomorrow!

Tuesday - Today, we will hear students tell what they found out about the idiom they researched last night.
Homework tonight will be a practice worksheet on idioms.

Wednesday - We will finish listening to students' idiom research, if necessary. I will pass out an idiom study guide with 35 common idioms and their meanings on it. These will be tested on Thursday. Homework tonight is to study. This test will be matching the idioms to their meanings.

Thursday - Idiom test; no homework

**Don't forget that students have a project due. If they are doing both projects, try to turn one in tomorrow (Friday, Oct.24). As long as I have one or both by Oct. 31, that will be fine!:) *see hand out for details

Friday - Today, we will get to visit our library again!! This week has been "Teen Read Week" in the library with all kinds of fun things going on! Hopefully, while we are in there today, students can participate in any of the contests still going on!

Bonus points for this week: Find an idiom that is very unusual (one that we have not had yet) and write it down with its meaning and turn it in to me! Tell me where you found it! Be sure and put your name, date, and period on it.

Have a great week! We could use some more candy!!:) If you have old magazines at home that I can have for use in the classroom, please send them this week or next. Thanks!

6th Grade Language Arts
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: Week of Oct. 14-17, 2003
This week, we will be starting Theme (Unit) 2 in our reading textbooks, "Through Other Eyes." Students will be given a handout explaining 2 projects that go along with this theme. One project is for a test grade, and the other project is optional for extra credit. Students may choose which project they want to complete for the grade. I also handed out a copy of the grading sheet I will use when grading these projects. These projects are due on or before Oct. 24 and Oct. 31. In other words, by Oct. 31, I must have anything students want to turn in! If you have old magazines at home that we could have, please send them to school with your child!

Tuesday - We will become familiar with our new theme. We will get a list of story related vocabulary. Homework tonight is to complete the vocabulary worksheet, if necessary.

Wednesday - We will review our story vocabulary. We will read 2 selections. No homework!

Thursday - We will finish reading selections, if necessary. We will discuss and review both - Quick Check review sheet, text review questions, and workbook pages 16-17. Homework tonight is to review vocabulary and story for tomorrow's test.

Friday - test on both selections and vocabulary

Advanced classes will complete Vocabulary Workshop Unit 5 this week, in addition to the above.
Homework:
Tuesday - p. 62
Wednesday - p. 61
Thursday - pgs. 64 & 66
Friday - none

6th Grade Language Arts

What's Going On in Language Arts?
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Week of Oct. 6 - 10, 2003
We have completed our study of poetry. We have written some really great poems! Come by our 6th grade hall and seem them on display!

Monday - We will begin a new story, "The All-American Slurp." This story is about a Chinese family that moves to the United States. They will have to adjust to some unusual American table manners!
Today, we will visit a website page about Chinese chopsticks. We will become familiar with the new story vocabulary words. Homework tonight is to complete the vocabulary practice worksheet, if necessary.

Tuesday - We will first review understanding a Web Site by completing an activity sheet. Then, we will read our story aloud (pgs. 40-48) and discuss it. Homework tonight will be to complete the Quick Check review sheet, if necessary.

Wednesday - We will be reviewing the story today by checking the Quick Check worksheet, going over textbook page 49, and completing workbook pgs. 7-8. Tonight's homework is to review the story and the story vocabulary for tomorrow's test. Students will be allowed to use their textbooks while taking the test! We need to practice our searching skills!

Thursday - Today, we will complete a test covering this week's story and story vocabulary words.

Friday - We will go to our school library today!

Advanced classes will follow the above agenda, with the addition of Unit 4 in Vocabulary Workshop.
Mon. - go over pages 51-53; hw. page 55
Tues. - check hw; tonight's hw. - pages 45 & 56
Wed. - check hw; complete pg. 56; test tomorrow on Unit 4 (It will be matching words to their definitions...it will be open book! - due to short week)
Thurs. - Unit 4 test
Fri. - none

Hope to see you at Open House Tuesday night!!:) Have a great week!

This week's extra credit is: one page report or a poster on table manners!!:)
Other options for extra credit: see the Extension Activities on the Media Connection worksheet - do any of the 3 choices given

What's Going On in Language Arts?

What's Going On In Language Arts
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Week of Sept. 29 - Oct. 3
This week, we will continue our study of poetry!

We will not have any "DR" (Daily Reading), Vocabulary Workshop, or Vocabulary Power. This is so we can focus only on poetry.

Monday, we will go over textbook pages 176-177 and answer a study guide covering the information on these pages. Students are to finish this study guide for homework, if necessary.

Tuesday, we will check our study guides and review. We will go over textbook pages 178-179 to continue our study of how to read poems. We will read and discuss the poem "The Naming of Cats" in our textbook on pages 181-182. This is the poem by T.S. Elliott that the musical "Cats" was based on! By the way, "Cats" is coming to the Civic Center this spring! You should go see it! We will have a short quiz on the study guide tomorrow, so homework tonight is to study it.

Wednesday, we will take our quiz on the poetry study guide. We will read "The Giving Tree," by Shel Silverstein....who is becoming our favorite poet!
We will also read his poem "Whatif?" on textbook page 495. I will hand out a guideline sheet for writing a poem. Tomorrow, we will begin writing our own "Whatif?" poems! No homework tonight!!:)

Thursday, we will begin our first drafts of our poems in class. Students may work on their poems for homework, but we will finish them in class tomorrow.

Friday, we will write our final drafts of our poems. These will be turned in for a test grade. We will read a few other poems in class today. No homework.

FYI:
-the 2nd six weeks starts this week (Tuesday)
-the next extra credit book reports are due by Nov. 7
-report cards will go home at Open House on Oct. 7
-students need to be reminded to keep their notebooks in order - they receive a notebook grade each six weeks (some students already need a new binder!!)
-Halloween is a great time to help replenish our candy supply!

****Students may earn some extra credit this week only if they will complete a one-page, handwritten or typed, report on Shel Silverstein!!!!

6th Grade Language Arts
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Week of September 22 - 26
These are the things we will be doing in class this week in my Language Arts classes:

We will begin a study of poetry! We will read some poems and write some poems over the next two weeks.

Monday - We will read and go over the poem in our textbook on page 32 - "To Young Readers." We will complete reading workbook page 5; finish for homework, if necessary.

Tuesday - We will read and go over the poem in our textbook on page 33 - "Arithmetic." We will answer questions on page 35 orally. No homework!

Wednesday - We will review both poems read this week to prepare for our test on them, which will be Thursday. We will discuss and practice context clues and complete a worksheet on this skill. Homework is to read back over poems and go back over the review questions on textbook page 35. (test)

Thursday - We will complete a test on the poems read this week.

Friday - All of my classes will visit our school library for a lesson on note-taking and more fun with poetry!

Advanced Classes (3rd & 6th periods):
In addition to the above, we will do the following in Vocabulary Workshop:
Mon. - Unit 3 - orally go over the words; homework
page 39
Tues. - check pg. 39; homework pg. 38
Wed. - check pg. 38; homework pg. 40
Thurs. - check Page. 40; homework pg. 41 and study for
test on Unit 3
Fri. - test on Unit 3

FYI:
-extra credit book reports are due this Friday
-I will be doing a "Binder Check" on Monday, Sept. 29. I will be looking for everything to be neat, organized, and there! This will count for a test grade.
-Report cards will go home at Open House on October 7!

**Don't forget that with Halloween time coming up, there's lots of good individually wrapped candy that we could add to our supply! Send extra if you can!! Thanks!

If you have any questions or concerns, please send me an e-mail!:)

Week of Sept. 15-19, 2003
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: What's Going On In Language Arts?!
This week we are going to write our very own autobiographies!!

We will talk about it on Monday. We will get a comprehension worksheet to begin in class and finish for homework.

On Tuesday, we will get a personal questionaire for each student to fill out. This will help get our minds thinking about the type of things to write about in our autobiographies. This questionaire will be finished for homework.

On Wednesday, we will make sure our questionaires are complete. Then, we will get a guideline sheet to go over that will help us know how to write our autobiographies. No homework tonight!

In class, Thursday, we will finish writing our autobiographies and turn them in for a test grade. No homework tonight!!

On Friday, we will complete pages 11-12 in our Vocabulary Power.

**My advanced classes will do the same as above in addition to working in Unit 2 of Vocabulary Workshop:
Monday night - pg. 32
Tuesday night - pg. 31
Wednesday night - pgs. 33 & 34
Thursday night - study for Unit 2 test

On Friday, we will have a test on Unit 2. It will be the same format as the Warm-Up test done last week.

Remember to watch for sign and return papers on Thursday!!

**Don't forget that our first "Extra Credit" book reports are due September 26!!! Some of you may need these extra 25 points!!!!

Have a great week! E-mail me if you have any questions or conerns!!:)