Welcome to 6th Grade

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Welcome to 6th Grade

• Life in the middle is just
• beginning to get interesting!

Ben DeJong- Math, ELA Nicole Goertz ELA,
Science Molly Kroemer ELA, SS Lucy Reeve
SS, ELA Robin Linnemanstons Math, Science, SS
Kurt Roeker math Samantha Champion
all subjects Tracey Schley Reading and
Literacy Specialist
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Keys to success in 6th grade

• Be prepared and organized (books / locker)
• Use assignment notebook
• Know schedule have a routine for knowing
• what to take to class when to stop at
• locker
• Have a routine for homework time / space
• Pack backpack at night
• Communication child, home, school

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Goals for students

• Advocate for themselves
• Respect self and others
• Develop and use critical thinking skills
• Become career and college ready
• Increase independence

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Math

• Whats this about Common Core?
• We are continually working in the
  Mequon-Thiensville School District to improve
  teaching and learning to ensure that all children
  will graduate high school with the college and
  career readiness skills they need to be
  successful.
• In mathematics, adopting the common core
  standards means three major changes in our
  approach to delivering the curriculum.
• Focus Teachers will concentrate on teaching a
  more focused set of major math concepts and
  skills.
• Coherence Students will master important ideas
  and skills in a more organized way throughout the
  year and from one grade to the next.
• Rigor A focus will be put on involving students
  in rich and challenging math content and
  authentic problem solving to foster perseverance
  and greater interest/curiosity in mathematics.

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What Materials Will Be Used to Support Student
Learning?

• District Adopted Resource MathThematics Book 2
• Supplemental resources are used to address
• Fraction Skills and Concepts
• Ratio and Proportional Reasoning
• Each module (chapter) focuses on a theme that
  extends throughout the module. The theme helps
  students to see important connections to other
  disciplines and identifies real life applications
  of the concept/skill being taught.

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goals of the math program

• help all students develop their abilities to
  reason logically
• apply mathematical skills to real-life
  situations
• communicate mathematical ideas (strategies and
  solutions) and arguments in a variety of ways
  using appropriate vocabulary, equations, and
  visual models
• feel confident in using quantitative and spatial
  information to analyze and solve both routine and
  non routine problems.

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Key skills and concepts developed include, but
are not limited to

• Apply and extend previous work with fractions and
  decimals to understand the concept of rational
  numbers
• Learn the concept of ratio and proportional
  reasoning and use tools and visual models to
  solve word problems.
• Write and solve equationsmathematical statements
  using symbols, such as 20x 35and apply these
  skills in solving multi-step word problems.
• Apply and extend knowledge of multiplication and
  division to divide fractions by fractions using
  visual models and equations to represent the
  problem.
• Solve word problems involving ratios, fractions,
  multi-digit numbers, rational numbers, polygons,
  and statistical data and explain and justify a
  solution strategy.

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How will the mathematics be taught/delivered?

• Learning opportunities that
• Connect conceptual understanding with real world
  applications to build powerful mathematical
  thinking and expand mathematical proficiency.
• Develop critical thinking through high-level
  questioning.
• Utilize concrete and visual models and
  mathematical diagrams (appropriate to each grade)
  to bring meaning to abstract mathematical
  concepts, procedures, and properties.

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While Working With Your Student at Home

• Ask your student to explain how they got their
  answer or to explain their thinking. Restate back
  to them what you heard them say so they can
  self-check for accuracy and clarity.
• Ask your student to use a representation, such as
  a mathematical diagram drawing or visual model,
  when they are explaining their thinking.

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ELA - ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

• Curriculum is being aligned with the Common Core
  State Standards
• Goal To prepare students to be college and
  career ready when they graduate from high school
• Integrated literacy model of instruction
• Reading, writing, speaking, thinking, and
  listening
• Sub skills
• grammar, vocabulary analysis, classical root word
  study

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6th Grade Units of Study in ELA

• Plot
• Character
• Theme
• Autobiography / Biography
• Mythology, fables, folklore
• Poetry

• Independent Reading
• Read every night 15-20-30 minutes
• Improve vocabulary, word attack skills, and
  fluency

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Instructional Methods in ELA

• ELA two full class periods each day
• Structure of class whole group, small group,
  partner, independent work, one-on-one
• Variety of texts (fiction, non-fiction,
  textbook, novels)
• Flexible grouping to meet the needs of learners

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Assessing Student Learning in ELA

• Assessment looks different depending on
• the goal
• Assessed in a variety of ways in reading,
• writing, language, speaking and listening
• Assessments FOR learning and
• assessments OF student learning are
• embedded throughout the course

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SCIENCE Units

• Weather
• Catastrophic Events
• Energy, Machines, Motion

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What Science looks like

• Inquiry
• Labs / Investigations
• Projects
• Written Assessments
• Technology
• Group work / individual
• Writing activities

Learning Targets are addressed and assessed
through these activities.
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Social Studies

• Ancient Civilizations
• Tools of History Earliest Human Societies
• Ancient Mesopotamia Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Nubia Ancient India
• Ancient China Ancient Greece
• Ancient Rome
• Current Events
• Online news for kids Newspaper
  news magazines

SS textbook is online!
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Learning Targets for SS

• Learning targets will be handed out to students
  at the beginning of each chapter
• Learning targets guide teaching and learning
  throughout the chapter
• Assessments are based on the chapters learning
  targets

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Assignments / assessments in SS

• Notes / learning packets for each lesson
• Quizzes after each lesson (every few days)
• Chapter tests
• Projects
• Document-based questions

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Resources for students Parents

• MTSD site
• BYOC (Build Your Own Curriculum) Calendars
• Lake Shore site
• Announcements /forms
• IMC reference page
• Teacher websites homework posted at end of day
• Online book access for science and social studies
• Power School online grade book for students
  parents
• Updated weekly
• Help monitor students academic progress
• Separate login / password for student and parent

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Grading - Grade level

• Process Homework and Daily Classwork
• 15 of final grade
• Progress Quizzes / Check-in assessments
• 35 of final grade
• Performance Chapter Tests, Projects
• 50 of final grade

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Camp Anokijig next week!Thursday Sept. 19
Friday Sept. 20

• Two FULL day field trips. Leave at 8 AM . . .
  .return at 315 PM each day
• Focus on teamwork, collaboration, personal
  challenge and growth
• Dress accordingly to weather. . . be prepared!
• COLD lunch and drink / water bottle / 2 snacks
  (please NO soda)

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Activities at Camp

• Canoeing
• Glacial hike
• Aquatic Habitats lake pond water exploration
• Team building activities / adventure challenge
• Orienteering (map and compass skills)
• Extreme living / outdoor architects

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Thank you for joining us!

• Please make sure you take a copy of all the
  policies for the various academic classes.
• Remember to pick up your Power School Parent
  Login Envelope.
• We look forward to a great year!