Monday, Feb. 11 through Friday, March 15
Students are beginning a multi-week study of poetry, poetic devices, and figurative language culminating in a Poetry Reading Celebration in mid-March. During these first two weeks, we will focus on the question "What is poetry?", explore various poetry books, and learn about the figurative language devices of similes, metaphors, and hyperbole and the sound device, onomatopoeia.
Assignments for our three week poetry unit will be a bit different than the homework we've had in the past. We will be analyzing various poems and using those poems to model our own poetry writing. Students will typically begin their poems during class, but will probably have to complete them at home for homework. Please expect students to have a poem to finish every night. Additionally, students may occasionally have poems to read and respond to for homework. Please visit the Homework page each week for details.
Friday, Jan. 4 through Friday, Jan. 25
During these weeks, we will be learning about nonfiction text structures. This is the term for how a nonfiction text is organized, and we will study five: chronological/sequential order, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and generalization. We will be learning the signal words that indicate each of these text structures and how to read these texts and complete appropriate graphic organizers using the information. Initially, we will practice reading paragraphs and identifying the signal words in each that indicate text structure. Students will have examples of each text structure, signal words, and accompanying graphic organizers in their interactive reading notebooks for review. Additional resources for nonfiction text structures are below:
Monday, Nov. 12 through Friday, Nov. 16
During the next three weeks, students will be learning how to find the main idea and supporting details in nonfiction texts. Additionally, students will be creating summaries of these nonfiction passages. Students will read material on a variety of topics, including Abraham Lincoln, King Henry VIII, How to be a good employee, Cheating, School Uniforms, and bizarre stories from Ripley's Believe It Or Not. Below are some additional resources for students to learn more about main idea and summarizing.
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Monday, Oct. 1 through Friday, Oct. 5
This week we are continuing our study of theme. Theme is the central, underlying message or lesson of a piece of narrative writing. It is the lesson or idea that the author wants his or her readers to understand or know about the world. Theme is NOT expressed in one word, what the story is mostly about, or the conflict of the story. A theme can either be stated directly in the text (like in Aesop's fables) or implied through character's actions or changes.
To help find the theme of a story, follow these steps:
1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence summary-- use the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then strategy
2. Identify the subject or main character of the of the text
3. Identify the insight or truth that the character learns... ask yourself, "How did the main character change?" and "What lesson did the character learn by the end of the story". Often the lesson learned or change the character goes through is related to the message the author wants you to learn.
4. State how the plot presents the insight or truth the character learns
5. Write a statement about the message of the story... "You should..."
This week we will complete various activities to learn about finding theme in songs, poems, picture books, and comic strips.
Below are some additional resources for theme:
To help find the theme of a story, follow these steps:
1. Summarize the plot by writing a one-sentence summary-- use the Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then strategy
2. Identify the subject or main character of the of the text
3. Identify the insight or truth that the character learns... ask yourself, "How did the main character change?" and "What lesson did the character learn by the end of the story". Often the lesson learned or change the character goes through is related to the message the author wants you to learn.
4. State how the plot presents the insight or truth the character learns
5. Write a statement about the message of the story... "You should..."
This week we will complete various activities to learn about finding theme in songs, poems, picture books, and comic strips.
Below are some additional resources for theme:
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Monday, Sept. 24 through Friday, Sept. 28
This week, we will be studying characterization. Characterization refers to how an author reveals the personalities of his or her characters. Characterization can be direct-- the author telling us exactly what a character is like, ex. "She was as mean as a snake."-- or indirect, when the author reveals a character's personality through his or her thoughts, actions, appearance, or by sharing what other characters think of a character. The following Prezi explains characterization in more detail:
Character traits are all of the aspects of a character's behavior and attitudes that make up their personality. Everyone has character traits, both good and bad.
We will be reading several stories in class to better understand both how author's create characters and how those characters change as a result of the conflicts of the story. Some of the selections we will reading include "The Sweet Perfume of Good-bye", "Thank-you, Ma'am", "Max Swings for the Fences", and "A Bad Road for Cats".
Additional learning resources for characterization are below:
We will be reading several stories in class to better understand both how author's create characters and how those characters change as a result of the conflicts of the story. Some of the selections we will reading include "The Sweet Perfume of Good-bye", "Thank-you, Ma'am", "Max Swings for the Fences", and "A Bad Road for Cats".
Additional learning resources for characterization are below:
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Monday, Sept. 17 through Friday, Sept. 21
We will be studying conflict in narrative literature this week. Conflict is what drives a story... without conflict nothing would happen in a story. It is what makes a story exciting and interesting to read. Students will learn to categorize conflict as internal (happening between the character and him/herself) and external (happening between a character and another character, a character and nature, or a character and society). They will also analyze conflicts in pieces of literature to determine which is the central conflict in each story.
Below is a prezi presentation explaining the different types of conflict in more detail:
Below is a prezi presentation explaining the different types of conflict in more detail:
Monday, Sept. 10 through Friday, Sept. 14
During these two weeks, students will be focusing on learning about narrative plot structure. We will complete pages in their interactive notebooks and read several fictional pieces for students to practice identifying plot elements. During the first week, we will read "The Monkey's Paw". During the second week, we will focus on how setting influences the story's plot and can at times function as another character in a story. We will analyze the setting of the painting The Wanderer and then students will choose several descriptions of setting from various novels and analyze their influence on plot.
Below is a youtube video explaining the elements of narrative plot: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling, action, and resolution.
Below is a youtube video explaining the elements of narrative plot: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling, action, and resolution.
Additionally, below is a Prezi presentation on plot structure that we will work through in class on Monday and Tuesday.
Tuesday, Sept. 4 through Friday, Sept. 7
This week in reading class, we will be practicing the reading strategy of monitoring comprehension. Monitoring comprehension basically means that you understand when you don't understand something you read. When we actively read something, we are constantly aware of whether or not what we are reading makes sense. Alongside being able to monitor our comprehension is the ability to use fix-up strategies when we realize what we are reading isn't making sense. These fix-up strategies can include re-reading a sentence, paragraph, or section; reading ahead and then returning to the confusing section; slowing down the reading; remembering the purpose for reading; using pictures or other graphic aides in the passage; and using the context of the passage.
Often, middle school students simply read the words on the page without stopping periodically to reflect on how well they understood what they just read or what pieces of information they read are important to remember. By training themselves to stop and reflect as they read, students learn to be active readers who continuously monitor their understanding.
Below is a video from which explains the strategy of monitoring comprehension:
Often, middle school students simply read the words on the page without stopping periodically to reflect on how well they understood what they just read or what pieces of information they read are important to remember. By training themselves to stop and reflect as they read, students learn to be active readers who continuously monitor their understanding.
Below is a video from which explains the strategy of monitoring comprehension:
This week, we will work on building students' ability to monitor their comprehension in several texts, including Gleam & Glow, The Red Book, Tuesday, and several reading passages appropriate to students' reading levels.
Monday, August 27- Thursday, August 30
This week we will focus on learning procedures and expectations for sixth grade in general and language arts in particular. I will also be giving several assessments to get a better idea of students' reading strengths and areas for improvement. Assessments will include:
* Qualitative Reading Inventory IV
* Benchmark Reading Assessment
* Developmental Spelling Analysis
There will be no homework this week as we participate in these assessments. Homework for next week will be posted on Sunday, September 2.
* Qualitative Reading Inventory IV
* Benchmark Reading Assessment
* Developmental Spelling Analysis
There will be no homework this week as we participate in these assessments. Homework for next week will be posted on Sunday, September 2.