 Welcome to
Ms. Smith's Class! West Rowan Middle School
6th Grade Language Arts/Reading
Phone: (704) 633-4775 Extension 239
E-mail: smithj@rss.k12.nc.us
Welcome to 6th grade!!
A NOTE TO STUDENTS:
You've finally made it to middle school! Gather your strength and knowledge, and get ready to put forth your best effort in the coming school year. Together we can achieve great success!
Dear Sandpiper Parents,
Thank you for entrusting me with the care of your child and giving me the opportunity to teach him or her. I truly learn as much from my students as they learn from me. I am dedicated to making this year a positive and productive year for our class, and I appreciate your efforts and those of your child, as well.
An open line of communication between parents, students, and teachers is vital to student success. I may be contacted by email at smithj@rss.k12.nc.us. You may also leave me a voice message at school by calling (704) 633-4775, extension 239, or you may contact me by writing a note in your child's planner. I check planners each Friday.
If you would like to schedule a conference to discuss your child's progress, please do not hesitate to contact me through the methods mentioned above. Thank you in advance for prearranging a conference. Unfortunately, I cannot entertain unscheduled conferences during the school day as it directly interferes with my instructional and supervisory duties.
THIS YEAR IN LANGUAGE ARTS:
We will be exploring a variety of genres in reading including short stories, myths, folktales, legends, poetry, fictional novels, and non-fictional works. We will continue to develop our grammar, writing, and problem-solving skills on a daily basis. Every week, we will be enriching our word base through vocabulary and spelling study. Additionally, we will be integrating technology, science, mathematics, and social studies into our studies in language arts. Language Arts is a combined subject of five disciplines:
Reading- howto read and understand fiction and non-fiction on the sixth grade levelas outlined in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (access thelink at the bottom of this web page for more information). Sixth gradereading emphasizes critical stance, or taking the role of a critic asone reads. We will be reading many different types of literaturethroughout the school year and gradually increasing the level ofdifficulty and complexity of those readings as students progress intheir ability. Please encourage your child to read, read, and read somemore in their spare time. Practice makes perfect!!
Wedo not use Accelerated Reader in 6th grade; however, I require thatstudents read a minimum of 30 minutes a night, five nights a week. Theymust also keep a reading log to be signed by a parent/guardian eachThursday night. The reading log allows me to see, with yourverification, that your child is engaging in sustained silent readingon a regular basis. Sustained silent reading is proven by research tobe a great factor in advancement in reading skill.
Writing- composingwritten works as outlined in the North Carolina Standard Course ofStudy (by hand or by using word processing). A limited description ofwriting would include creating stories, poetry, drama, essays, reports,and correspondence (letters). We will be composing written assignmentsthroughout the school year.
Ifwe are revising an assignment at home, please allow your child to dotheir own writing, so that I may assess their true ability level andwork with them from where they are. Several writing assignments will begraded and kept at school in the writing folder, but grades will gohome via the agenda or with a graded rubric in the graded work folderso that you may see your child's writing performance.
Vocabulary- learningto understand and use a wide variety of words. Possessing an extensivevocabulary is essential to becoming a skilled reader and writer. Ourvocabulary study will center on prefixes, suffixes, and root words.Students will learn how to decode a word to figure out its meaning.Vocabulary study will alternate weeks with spelling. Chapters willnormally begin on Thursday with the test being the following Wednesday.
Spelling- puttingthe correct letters in the correct order to form a desired word.Correct spelling is essential to effective writing and editing. Thisyear in spelling, common spelling patterns and rules will be learned.We will begin by learning the spelling of high-frequency words,homonyms, and commonly misspelled words.
Iwill give spelling words every other week on Thursday, beginning theweek after Labor Day. The test will normally be on the followingWednesday. I do assign homework with spelling, and students arerequired to study their words outside of class time in addition to whatwe do in class.
Grammar- studyinglanguage dealing with forms of words and their arrangement, or in plainEnglish: the rules of speech and writing. Correct grammar ensures thatthe intended meaning of speech and text is conveyed, (or you say whatyou mean to say vs. what you might really have said).
Theuse of correct grammar in speech and writing is a primary skill inhuman communication, which is an essential for success in our modernage of service and technology. Learning it requires effort anddiscipline. Unfortunately, people often won't recognize intelligence ifit is accompanied with bad grammar. Parents, please try to reinforcecorrect grammar at home with your own speech. Students learn what theyhear:)
First Quarter Language Arts
Literary Terms/Reading Skills/Literary Genre Vocabulary
Literary Focus: author’s purpose, author’s stance, characterization, audience, context, dialogue, suspense,
theme, setting, plot, irony, point of view, symbolism, inference, main idea, context clues, drawing
conclusions, compare and contrast, climax, interpretation, summarizing, resolution, exposition, rising action,
denouement (falling action), bias, mood, tone, style
novels, autobiography, myths, essays, magazine, plays, informational texts, pattern poems, blank verse,
fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry
North Carolina Standard Course of Study
Goal 5: The learner will respond to various literary genres using interpretive and evaluative processes.
5.02 Study the characteristics of literary genres (fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry) through:
• reading a variety of literature and other text (e.g., novels, autobiographies, myths, essays, magazines, plays, pattern poems, blank verse).
• interpreting what impact genre- specific characteristics have on the meaning of the work.
• exploring how the author's choice and use of a genre shapes the meaning of the literary work.
• exploring what impact literary elements have on the meaning of the text such as the influence of setting or the problem and its resolution.
*Integrate Year-Long Goals:
1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 2.01, 3.02, 3.03, 4.01,
4.02, 4.03, 5.01, 6.01, 6.02
Writing and Grammar Focus
Writing Focus: Writing process/pre-writing skills: Expressive literature-based sample with pre-writing
Grammar Focus: Review subject/verb agreement, Identify and correctly punctuate complete sentences vs. fragments, sentence types—complex, compound, compound-complex, simple
Vocabulary Focus
NCSCOS 6.01 We will demonstrate an understanding of conventional written and spoken expression by:
* determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words by using context clues, a dictionary, a glossary, a thesaurus, and/or structural analysis (roots, prefixes, suffixes) of words.
* extending vocabulary knowledge by learning and using new words.
Spelling Focus: We will study spelling words weekly alternating with vocabulary as stated in the class syllabus.
NCSCOS 6.02 We will identify and edit errors in spoken and written English by:
* reviewing and using common spelling rules, applying common spelling patterns, and developing and mastering an individualized list of words that are commonly mispelled.
Reminders: Please remember to check your child's planner and sign it each Thursday night. You may want to look back through the week for notes from your child's teacher.
Regarding class preparedness: students are expected to come to class with at least two pencils and a supply of notebook paper every day. We need every minute of our class time for learning, which means being prepared for class is very important!
I have a mailbox in the classroom for students to ask for help with school supplies if there is a financial hardship. The mailbox may also be used for confidential communication with me if a student is having difficulty in any area (social, academic, etc.) and doesn't want to speak to me in front of others.
Thank you for supporting your child's opportunity to learn!  Homework
Sandpipers' Homework is recorded each day on the Homework Hotline. The number to call is: 704-633-9561 ext. 6200
The Homework Hotline (704-633-9561 ext. 6200 after 1:00 p.m.) is available for you and your child to check on homework assignments. The Sandpiper extension is 6200 for all core subjects. If your child is absent, they may call homework hotline to hear important announcements or hear what was assigned for homework while they were out.
Have a wonderful day! 
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