English 6th Grade (Period 5) Assignments

This week we are focusing on 1st and 3rd person narration, suspense, atmosphere, and writing responses to literature.

We will read "Exploring the Titanic" on page 379 of the Prentice Hall Text. We will complete pages 114-115 from the Skills Workbook.

Then, we will research facts about the Titanic and it's demise.

Finally, we will write a letter from the point of view of someone on the ship. The letter must include facts, opinions, suspense, atmosphere.

Please see the writing criteria in the link below.

We are well into the Response to Literature Unit. This week, we will focus on the following standard:
R 3.2- Analyze the effect of qualities of character on the plot and the resolution of the conflict.

The students will read two stories: "King Grisly Beard" and "The Tortoise and the Hare."

We will analyze the motivations of each of the characters, identify the theme in both stories, and use the graphic organizer (see the link) to determine if the character's qualities effect the plot and the resolution of the story.

After completing the graphic organizer (the pre-write), the students will complete two paragraphs to articulate their ideas. The rubric is included.

We are continuing to build on Standard R 3.8, which determines if a character is credible and the plot is contrived or real. We will read "Thank you Ma'am" by Langston Hughes. Then we will chart out the thoughts, actions, words of the character to determine if the character is credible/not. We will also chart out the plot events to determine if the plot is contrived/real. Then we will write an essay using the pre-writing chart that we created earlier in the week. See the criteria for the writing below.

Welcome to Second Semester (Spring Semester). We will be starting the third unit in the ELA, which is Response to Literature. In this unit, we will be reading stories, poetry, and articles. Then we will connect, compare, and dissect the reading, the author, and the ideas.

The first week, we will clean out our folders and add to our portfolios. We will discuss the new unit English Standards and we will review the academic vocabulary for Response To Literature.

After reading several examples out of the "Book of Qualities" We will be personifying a variety of character qualities that match people that we know in real life. Then we will produce a flip book to preserve our writing piece. Attached are some of my examples, the rubric, and some writing prompts to start the brainstorm process.

1. Students are working on development of assertions (statements of opinion vs. fact). After reading a "murder interrogation" skit, the students will determine if the suspect is guilty, not guilty, or if there is not enough information. They must support their assertion with textual evidence and then write a 3-paragraph assertion paper. They have been given a prewriting packet and a criteria for the assignment.

2. Fact/opinion worksheet

3. Drawing Conclusions worksheet

This is the week we will be taking the ELA Assesment. Please Please Pleas Do NOT Be absent!!

We will be working on collecting research and resource information (bibliography) for the next two weeks. Your final draft Research Report will be completed after two full weeks of research and production. This will be the culminating project for the Exposition Unit and will be the final grade on the 20 week report card.

Book Report Final Drafts are Due with the rough draft attached and the reading log attached as well.

ATTENTION ATTENTION!!

Be aware that Audubon teachers will be assigning winter packets for the Core Subject Areas. Each student will be issued a packet with checklists and pacing guides (for the students to complete over the winter recess). They will be due on their first day back to my class after the holiday!! Have a lovely holiday!!

Compare/Contrast the "Two Salt Lakes" - 3 paragraph essay.
They will then turn this into a travel brochure that will ultimately attempt to convince someone to visit one of the Salt Lakes (using the compare/contrast technique).

Se the file below!

"Lob's Girl" Skills pages 83-85 and if they haven't finished the Reader's Companions questions, those are due as well.

Book Report Final Draft #1 due. It must be edited and revised in blue or black ink or typed.

Students are being introduced to the various purposes of expository writing and the types of expository reading/writing they will be exposed to over the next ten weeks. Using an interactive worksheet, they took expository notes of a powerpoint presentation on the exposition unit. Now they will write a short essay paraphrasing (which is an expository skill) what they learned. The criteria are included in the PDF below.

Book Report Rough Draft #1 Due. See the criteria below.

Students will be learning about Greek/Latin derivatives (including prefixes, suffixes, and root words).

In class, we will cover prefix/suffix, root word definitions.

In class, we will start brainstorming examples of words that contain the various prefixes/suffixes, root words.

1. The homework will be to continue brainstorming examples of words. Then, they will play a game called "Word Frankenstein" where they piece together different prefixes/suffixes/root words to make up brand new words (real or fake) based on the word meanings. They will log their new words on a worksheet.

2. The second half of their homework is the root/suffix/prefix practice worksheets.

This is not a homework assignment, rather it is a reminder. The students will be taking the district assessment for the Narrative Unit that we are completing. Please make sure your child has eaten a well-balanced breakfast and had a healthy night's sleep. The assessment will close out the first unit "Narrative" and prepare us for the upcoming unit "Expository."

Good Luck! Take your time! Read, Re-Read, Re-Re-Read! Highlight, underline, take column notes!

Students have been guided to collect ten current event articles and ten pictures to match those articles. These should be related to a theme (Peace is the Answer, Save Mother Earth, Preserve Education to preserve our future). We will watch the Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" Youtube video (with pictures related to the topic of War) and we will discuss the lyrics and identify the theme that "War is Not the Answer."

Students will then produce their own "What's Going On?" theme collage by using the articles they have collected.

See the criteria below.

After reading "The Highwayman" (which has a great deal of figurative language) they are to draw pictures and label four pieces of figurative language from the poem.

Complete the final draft of the "Dragon Dragon" storyboard. I gave each student the sentence strip to start the assignment.

Students are required to start reading a novel approved by the teacher. They will read 30 minutes a night, Monday-Thursday, and cite a quote and page number related to Setting, Plot, Theme, Character, and Opinion. They will read and log for five weeks and upon completing the book, they will complete a book report.

1. Read "Dragon Dragon" from Prentice Hall Lit.
2. Complete pages 129-130 from the PH Skills Workbook.
3. Review the attached "elements of a plot" and "storyboard assignment".
4. Complete the rough draft.
5. I will give the students the final draft "sentence strip" once I see their rough draft is completed.

We will watch a powerpoint on the various sentence types and structures.

I have included the worksheet that the students will use to define the academic vocabulary (which will go in their Reader Writer Notebook).

At the completion, they will complete the "Crack it Open" activity to provide sentence variety using more complex sentence types.

Genre Umbrella helps us identify what a genre is and the two major genres we work with in English (Fiction/Nonfiction). We also discuss the four sub genres (narrative, expository, persuasion, and response).

Complete the rough draft umbrella, providing examples of each type of genre and complete the quiz on page two (number 1-5).

Finally, turn your rough draft into a colorful final draft Genre Umbrella.

Three paragraph letter. See file below.