If you have an old SchoolNotes account, click here to migrate your account into New SchoolNotes.

 
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28
Upcoming Events
6th Grade Language Arts
Nicole Hales
KNOX MIDDLE
Contact Nicole Hales

Page Last Updated Dec 17, 2009
Number of Visits: 318

Notify Me when this page is changed.
(Remove me from Notify List.)



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you for visiting my web page. 
Please feel free to contact me via email or call 704-633-2922 ext. 607
Monday - Thursday our students have homework, we ask our students to write their homework assignments in their agendas . If they are not sure what was assigned, you may call our homework hotline; 704-633-2922   ext. 607

     READ         READ        READ       We encourage all our students to read for 25-30 minutes each night. 


We will visit the Library as a class on Thursdays; 
January 7 and 21, Feb. 4 & 18.

Scholastic book orders will go home in Thursday folders on Thursday, Jan 21st and orders are due Wednesday, Jan. 24th. This is an inexpensive way to build a great home library for your child. It is important that your child is reading chapter books between 5th and 7th grade reading levels. Every student is asked to have a personal reading book with them in their book bags to read when they are finished their classwork. 

Grammar Focus 

Pronouns

Verbs

Vocabulary 

WordSkills - Lesson 5,

Activities 1,2,3,5 & 6 will be assigned for Homework. Activity 6 is a word search, students need to find the word parts we are learning in print - by reading newspapers, magazines, internet - cutting the word or picture out and attaching it to the workbook page.   

Spelling

Words that begin with the prefix DIS-

People & Places

Words that begin with the prefix AD-

Reading Strategy:

Main Idea and Supporting Details

Literature 

We finished December with an author study of Gary Paulsen. The students seemed to really enjoy learning about Mr. Paulsen and his survival with the bare necessities of life. They were amazed that he was happy to live with very little in the wilderness. Having no electricity or running water in the small cabin he, his wife and son lived. We read his autobiography, an essay called Older Run and a memoir from Woodsong. In January we will read Hatchet, a great book about a young boy, Brian, who learns to survive in the wilderness with only the clothes he was wearing when the plan he was flying in crashes and a hatchet he received from his mother. Brian must put thoughts of his past, his parents divorce, behind him and try to figure out how he can stay alive. After we finish Hatchet, all the students will read a sequel to this book in our Encore classes. Your child may read; Brian's Winter, Brian's Return or Brian's Hunt. If your child comes home and wants to read more books written by Gary Paulsen there are many to chose from, some which we have in our Knox Library are: Dogsong, WoodSong, My Life in Dog Years, The Beet Fields, Call Me Francis Tucket, The Cookcamp, Danger on Midnight River, The Glass Cafe' . . .   

Larry Bell's 12 Powerful Words: 
Please use these words in conversations at home with your child. These words challenge our students to think on a high level. Many of our questions that we are asked to answer on standardize tests use these words. It is hard to answer a question in any subject if you do not know what the question means or is asking.

TRACE: List in Steps
ANALYZE: Break Apart
INFER: Read between the Lines
EVALUATE: Judge
FORMULATE: Create
DESCRIBE: Tell all about
SUPPORT: Back up with Details
EXPLAIN: Tell How
SUMMARIZE: Give the Short Version
COMPARE: All the ways they are Alike
CONTRAST: All the ways they are Different
PREDICT: What will Happen Next

READING STRATEGIES: 
As your child can tell you I believe in "Actively Reading" which I ask all my students to do. I want them to use a pen or pencil - not a highlighter and bookmark the text. 
CIRCLE important words: names, dates, bold and italic print.
UNDERLINE supporting details, why did you circle that word?
In the margins SUMMARIZE (text message yourself) the main idea of each paragraph.

What makes students better readers????
Good Readers do the following:

1. Make a CONNECTION with what you are reading
Text to Self, Text to World, Text to Text

2.  Ask yourself QUESTIONS about what you are reading - before you read, while you're reading and after you finish a section.

3.  Make PREDICTIONS, draw conclusions and make inferences - think about the details that are provided in the reading passage. Use these details to figure out or understand information that is not explained. 
I think _______________ is going to happen.

4. VISUALIZE, imagine what you are reading in your mind.
I can see _____________. The image I have in my mind is ______________.
As I read, I picture __________________ the taste, smell, feel, sound.

5. SUMMARIZE what you read:
Sequence:  __________, ___________, and then _____________ happened
Cause and Effect: Cause=Why something happens. Effect=the result
Comparing and Contrast: Compare=Same, Contract=Different
Fact & Opinion: Fact=A statement that can be proved. Opinions cannot be verified.
Identifying Author's Purpose: Why do people write? for PIE = Persuade, Inform, Entertain
Identifying Author's Tone: Positive, negative or neutral
Story elements: Setting, Plot, Themes, Characters
Interpreting Figurative Language: Similes, Metaphors, Idioms



If you have any questions and need to contact me, please send an email.