welcome to 6th grade verbal gate

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welcome to 6th gradeverbal gate

• mrs. ingargiola
• please sign in take complete a survey!

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FYI

• I have been teaching at Hammarskjöld for 9 years.
  This is my 3rd teaching a full schedule of 6th
  grade Verbal Gate.
• I have extremely high expectations for my
  students and I do not intend to lower them!
• I never expect perfection just excellence and
  effort.
• This will be (and should be) a challenging, yet
  rewarding year for your child.
• I promise that if your child works hard, he/she
  will see tremendous growth in both reading and
  writing.
• I cant do it alone - please help at home by
  encouraging your child to work hard!

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characteristics of GATE children

• Sensitivity, empathy for others
• Eagerness, alertness
• Independence in work and study
• Friendliness and outgoingness
• Liking for structure and order
• Verbal proficiency, large vocabulary
• Power of concentration, long attention span
• Interest in brainstorming, creating

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who are the gifted?

• Albert Einstein - Attended elementary school in
  Munich before dropping out at the age of 15. At
  16, he conducted a thought experiment that led to
  his theory of relativity. He published 5 major
  papers by the age of 26 that changed the worlds
  understanding of the universe.
• Picasso - Completed his first oil painting at age
  8, finished a monthlong entrance exam for
  Madrids Royal Academy in one day at the age of
  15.
• Bill Gates - Took college math courses at 13,
  founded Microsoft at age 20. Assumed net worth of
  56 billion.

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Time magazines report the genius problem

• American schools spend more than 8 billion a
  year educating the learning disabled and just 10
  of that on the gifted.
• Squandered potential is always unfortunate, but
  presumably it is these powerful young minds that,
  if nourished, could one day cure leukemia or stop
  global warming or become the next James Joyce -
  or at least J.K. Rowling.

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themes of 6th grade verbal

• Ethical Issues -Agatha Christies - And Then
  There Were None
• Justice - Harper Lees - To Kill a Mockingbird,
  Lois Lowrys The Giver, Sharon Creechs - Walk
  Two Moons
• Tolerance - Todd Strassers - The Wave

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additional units of study

• Mythology - Exploration of Greek Mythology -
  Orpheus, Arachne, Echo Narcissus, etc. Students
  will also rewrite and present a myth from their
  own culture as well as draft an original origin
  myth which explains how and why something came to
  be.
• Poetry - Students will learn the formats for
  several types of poems including cinquain,
  diamante, haiku, limerick, free-verse, acrostic,
  etc. They will draft several poems and create a
  hard-covered poetry anthology over the course of
  the year.
• Trials - Students will participate in a mock
  trial using familiar fairy-tales. Students will
  learn courtroom procedures and complete an entire
  trial - start to finish.

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on a day-to-day basis

• Come prepared to learn! (5 of grade)
• Write down homework in agenda and complete all
  assignments(10 of grade)
• Complete Words Their Way Activity (15 of grade
  weekly word study quizzes - Fridays)
• Participate in class discussions - get involved!
• Reading Writing

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reading 35 of grade

• Students must always have an IR book with them.
  They are required to read at least 5 times a week
  for 30 minutes.
• Teacher student conferences are held
  frequently.
• Reader Response Journals - Entries and notes are
  completed on an almost daily basis. Journals
  should reflect understanding of the concepts
  taught in each unit of reading instruction.
• Journals are collected at the end of each unit
  for assessment.
• Student written responses to reading are graded
  as reading assessments.
• In most cases, I am asking students to show me an
  application of a skill taught in class. Journals
  must reflect a students best work.

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writing35 of grade

• Students write on a daily basis
• Myth, Mystery, Poetry, Drama (trial script)
• NJ ASK practice - open-ended questions- done
  weekly, if not more.
• Small moment personal narratives (timed) (done
  each quarter, scored on a continuum)
• Research Paper - Civil Rights topics (early
  February)
• Pen-Pal Letters - twice a year

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miscellaneous information

• Marbles - Students gain marbles towards class
  parties by exhibiting exemplary classroom
  behavior.
• Scholastic Book Orders - You can order online!
  Follow link from my webpage!
• Classroom Library/Media Center

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poetry unit

• This year, Verbal students will have the unique
  opportunity to read their creative poems at the
  Barnes Noble in East Brunswick.
• An evening of poetry will take place from 7-830
  in May.
• Stations will be set up throughout the store and
  students will have a schedule to follow informing
  them of where and when to read.
• Students will create an original piece of art to
  accompany their poems. We will supply students
  with their art supplies.
• Book Fair - Vouchers will be distributed. Our
  program will receive a percentage of all sales
  from the evening to be used on purchasing new
  books for our classrooms
• We hope youll help!

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questions? concerns?

• Please feel free to email me
• aingargiola_at_ebnet.org