Silver Hawks Soar to Success!

1
Silver Hawks Soar to Success!

• Teacher Web site http//bvms.tvusd.k12.ca.us/KMc
  donald/index.htm
• Grades, Assignment Calendar, Models, Rubrics,
  etc.
• Phone [phone]x3613
• BVMS Web site Go to Grades or Staff websites
• See Grading Scale and Rubrics for Work Habits
  and citizenship.

2
Assessment for Learning

• Only assessments/tests count for a grade.
• In LA, Writing Assignments collected receive
• 3 means received on time, completed.
• 0 or blank means no work received
• 2 in LA means writing is received late
• No late practice work recorded in SS.
• It takes 1-2 weeks to enter all LA essay
  scores,but you can see immediately if it was
  handed in or not with this number system.

3
Pinnacle Grading

• See BVMS web site and click on Grades.
• Put in students ID and M/F for male/female.
• Screen will show overall grades, but must click
  on left drop-down menu for each class report to
  see progress.
• Comments by assignments or narratives explaining
  an assignment are important.
• These comments do not show up in email.

4
Set up Pinnacle E-mail

• Pinnacle will ask you about emailing grade
  reports to you.
• Set the filter for whatever you want.
• Can set for it to email every time a grade drops
  to 70 in any class.
• Comments will not show in email.

5
Language Arts

• Grade 6 has more standards than the other middle
  school grades.
• Areas are reading to include vocabulary,
• writing, spelling, and grammar.
• Language Arts has 48 minutes only versus several
  hours in elementary school.
• Homework is crucial nightly.

6
Language Arts Reading

• Vocabulary 6th Grade Focus Roots List, shades of
  meaning, and usage activities with context clues
• 240 Words 6th Grade Kids Need to Know,
• or word analysis of student monitored words
  from their reading, and class-wide core novel
  words
• Million Word Log keeps track of reading minutes.
• Weekly Reading Logs or Novel Packets stress
• reading standards for Grade 6.
• See LA Sem1 in my web site for details.

7
Reading Assessments

• Million Word Log
• Biography/Autobiography Poster Essay
  Non-fiction
• Main Idea 6th Grade Mini-Assessment to prepare
  for summarizing
• Summarizing skills practiced in Cornell Notes for
  SS
• Reading analysis of literature using Reading Logs
  or
• Novel Packets covering specific reading
  standards. Examples are
• Book in a Bag Project exploring Story Elements
  and Theme
• Reading Logs analyzing effects of setting,
  character conflict and effects

8
Structures and Features of Informational Texts
and Materials

• Textbooks, reference materials, historical
  documents
• Biographies, diaries, journals, speeches
• Magazine and news articles
• Websites
• Internet features
• Brochures
• Applications
• How-to-Directions

9
Spelling and GrammarSee LA 1-2 Semester under
Language Skills

• Spelling Know basic rules. See web.
• Grammar for Sentence Structure
• Most Frequently misspelled and confused words.
  (accept, except, effect, affect,
• their, theyre, there)
• Sentence Variety
• Write using simple, compound, and complex
  sentences.

10
Forms of Writing

• Explanatory explains ideas compares-contrasts,
  relates news story, responds to a piece of
  literature, explains how-to, and more.
• Summary explains in brief exactly what author
  wrote. No personal views or interpretation.
• Persuasion/Argument pushes an opinion, ie.,
  Letter to Editor or Business Letter of Complaint
• Narrative tells a story
• Johns eyes immediately met the hard, bright
  lights hanging directly above him. He soon
  realized he hurt all over. . .

11
Writing Assessment

• On-Task Writing in class for all drafts
• Best Writing is handed in attached to prior
  drafts, rubric, and model.
• To let you know writing received on time, I will
  show a 3yes, 2late, or 0not recd
• Actual rubric score and points for grade are
  recorded much later and returned with teacher
  feedback. Revisions encouraged.
• All graded Writing is returned to Portfolio.

12
Reflecting on Writing

• Portfolios hold the Best Writings with 5 point
  rubric scoring guides attached.
• Opportunity to reflect on outcomes by studying
  Proof-reading marks and comments
• Revision is necessary for any student receiving a
  3 or less when announced.
• The revision must be attached to original
• and the rubric.

13
Writing Projects

• Argument/Persuasion District Writing Prompt by
  late November.
• -Biography project with essay reading
  non-fiction
• Explanatory/expository essays as needed in LA
  and SS
• Literary Response District Writing Prompt in 2nd
  Semester
• Poetry with theme and tone (An ode)
• Explanatory Essay required
• Research techniques stressed in Social Studies
  Small project
• note taking skills, cited sources using
  bibliography format
• Technology Standards format word docs., note
  taking
• research databases, use electronic text
  Used in SS research

14
LA District Assessments

• First Semester
• Argument/Persuasive Writing in late November.
  (not sure)
• District Language Arts Assessment in December
  before the Semester 1 ends.
• Second Semester
• Explanatory Writing Prompt in April?
• District Language Arts Assessment in May

15
Social Studies

• Ancient Civilizations
• Focus Understand what makes up a
  civilization Acquire knowledge of ancient
  civilizations and analyze the effects of
  geography on how they lived.
• Knowledge of terms essential as a foundation
• Comprehension through outlines, Cornell notes,
  summing up
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Analysis of Cause and Effect, decisions,
  leadership
• Evaluation of Problems and Solutions
• Synthesize understanding by writing a
  Research PaperAcquire skills for researching in
  a library using computer databases, books,
  references, and their textbook.

16
What is Ancient History?

• It concerns the distant past, from the earliest
  humans through the first great civilizations.
• Prehistory (Before written records)
• 
  
  B.C. / A.D.

Prehistoric time Paleo and Neolithic
Ancient History civilizations
17
Chapter Terms

• Students define all the red, blue, and italic
  terms for a chapter on a Hide-and-Study Paper.
• archeologist artifact
• historian prehistoric
• geographer ritual
• social scientists Ancient History

18
Define civilization? on a Hide and Study Paper

• Civilizations have a stable food supply to feed a
  large population. Organized systems of managing
  food distribution became necessary. This led to
  systems of counting, writing to keep records,
  laws, social levels, job specialization, and
  more.
• Ex. cities, trading, technology

19
Cornell Notes

• Reading strategies practiced
• Summing up paragraphs
• Total Chapter summary

Main Ideas Supporting Details
20
Headings and Bullets Notes

• Students will learn how to do these notes as the
  year progresses, and learn to create their own
  notes. Resulthigher quiz scores
• Heading Difficulties of Environment of
  Mesopotamia
• Food shortages in hills
• Uncontrolled water supply
• Must maintain irrigation systems
• Attacks from neighbors

21
Keep it together! Use Folder

• Questions of the Day
• Hide-and Study Paper with defined terms and a
  quick-draw icon for each
• Chapter Notes
• Geography Challenges/Maps
• ISN-Interactive Student Notebook
• All are organized in a paper folder with
  fasteners and handed in on Chapter Test day for
  credit
• 3 all completed
• 1 incomplete- affects understanding
• No late work for practice recorded

22
Time Periods and Civilizationsfor First Semester

• Earliest hominids to 70,000 BCE hunters and
  gatherers Hominids to Homo Sapiens
• 12,000-9000 BCE Last Ice Age Neolithic Age
  and beginning of Agriculture
• 3500-2000 BCE Start civilizations with writing
  Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush
• Permanent sheltersCharacteristics of
  civilizations
• 2500-1700 BCE Indus River Valley

23
Go Beyond

• Differentiation/enrichment in place of the usual
• Chapter work. Must Achieve A 3 times on SS
  tests to do. Must come to beginning meeting at
  start of a unit. Cannot come into mid-Unit.
• Deeper exploration encouraged through the GO
  Beyond Club that meets at lunch as announced.
• Independent approach to SS Standards
• Open to all students
• Some Go Beyond assignments explained and
  offered to all students. Will be posted on
  calendar and in Planners under Saturday.

24
Projects and ResearchMust use research process
for Grade 6 in Semester 2
Sparta Athens


25
History Alive!

• Purpose to create historical memory.
• Active learning involving the seven multiple
  intelligences visual-spatial, linguistic,
  deductive reasoning, body-kinesthetic, musical,
  inter and intrapersonal.
• Cooperative partnering and grouping for
  discussion and investigating ideas.
• Spiraling curriculum leading students through a
  process of discovery from knowledge to analysis
  to synthesis and
• evaluation.

Please see the S.S. TCI Parent Letter on website.
26
Caring Classroom 613

• Care for the Code of Conduct
• -Respect for Self
• Do my best
• Positive Participation
• -Respect for Others
• Concern for all
• -Respect for School
• Care to follow rules

27
Goal for LA and SS

• To prepare your student for success in Grade 7
  through mastery of 6th Grade Standards.
• To build responsibility and confidence in
• by increasing their ability to communicate.

28
Class Theme Go Beyond

• Class Mission ABC
• Achieve strong academic skills.
• Study for assessments.
• Build self responsibility.
• Planner/Notebook.
• Care to contribute as a citizen using the Code of
  Conduct

• Class Rule Be a
• Brain
• Be ready to learn.
• Respect everyones right
• to learn.
• Area cleaned. All materials returned.
• Independent learner follow directions/start!
• Never end noisy. Need
• class closing to know
• what was learned.

29
End of Presentation for LA/SS

• Please follow grades on Pinnacle.
• See teacher comments
• Be sure student comes for tutoring and/or make
  ups during DEAR in timely manner when absent.

• Communication is key. Please email or phone if
  any problems occur that I must know.
• Thank you!
• Kathie McDonald

30
Writing Skills Elective-Gd.7

• Purpose to take students through the writing
  process in order to produce clear coherent
  writing using powerful vocabulary and
  description.
• To give students an appreciation for writing in
  all areas of life.
• To encourage editing and revisions

31
Writing Warm-Ups

• Designed to practice Language Skills.
• See LA web pages for these skills with
• practice we use throughout the year.
• Practice with Quick writes using different forms
  of writing narrative, explanatory, argument,
  descriptive, summary
• Quick writes count and Mini-quizzes

32
Models

• Imitating Grammar of the Greats!
• A light kindled in the sky, a blaze of
• yellow fire behind dark barriers.
• J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
• Application Combine the sentence to create one
  in the same order of sentence parts as the model
• A noise erupted
• The noise erupted in the forest.
• The noise was a screech.
• The screech was of angry ravens.
• The ravens were in decaying trees.

33
Imitation

• A noise erupted from the forest, a screech of
  angry ravens in decaying trees.
• Model There, his black robes rippling in a cold
  breeze, stood Severus Snapes.
• J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of
  Secrets
• Ex. Upside down, his loose change falling from
  his pants pocket, dangled Devon.

34
Sharing

• Students share their writing pieces, help each
  other learn, and become more confident in their
  approach to writing.
• Only words of encouragement
• Only constructive criticism
• Read-alouds
• Word Processing stressed for revision

35
Reading leads to Writing

• Choose a song and point out poetic elements and
  figurative language
• Famous lines from the sublime!
• Beginning famous story lines and continue
  writing to describe setting and conflict
• Ad Analysis for Persuasive techniques
• literary devices

36
Advice for young people!

• The most important thing is to read as much as
  you can, like I did. It will give you an
  understanding of what makes a good writing, and
  it will enlarge your vocabulary. And its a lot
  of fun! J.K. Rowling
• When it comes to language, nothing is more
  satisfying than to write a good sentence.
  Barbara Tuchman

37
Testimonials

• This class helped me in my test scores and in my
  Language Arts class.
• I never knew there was so much to writing and it
  was in so many places.
• When I entered this class, I thought it would be
  boring, then I started learning new ideas and
  views from everyone. Mrs. McDonald is the bomb.

38
Forms of Writing

• Narrative 5 Paragraph EssayAutobiographical
  account of one event
• District Writing Prompt in early December
• Persuasive Essay
• Poetry
• Descriptive Paragraph

39
Be a Winner!

• Write down assignments in class.
• Internet check Pinnacle for grades.
• Need to check Planner/HW Calendar
• Need to set email for automatic info. on grade
• Explain to your parents what you are doing
• in school.
• Review daily work for tests and due dates.