Inspired by conferences, over the last few weeks I started putting together a list of some of my favorite books. I am certainly not finished, and I know the moment I press "post" I'll think of five other books I want to add, but here it is! I have read almost all of the books on this list either recently or when I was in middle school. I divided them into genres, so you'll be able to see that my reading experience is longer in some areas than in others. For example, I am making it a personal goal to read more graphic novels this year. I have some of these books in my classroom, and the rest you can find at the school or public library. I am always happy to get and give book recommendations, so feel free to come in and chat or email about what you're reading at any time. :-)
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Earlier this week I received the following fliers from Lauren Wiepking, the technology integration coach for MVWSD. She encouraged us to share them with families, so check them out for some great online resources! It was wonderful getting to meet with some of the 6th grade families last week during conferences. Although they were rather rushed, I was so glad to get to check in and discuss students' progress. If you didn't get a chance to come in, I would still love to talk with you! Please feel free to email or call, and we can talk or set up a time to meet. In addition, if you did get to come in but still felt like our time was too short, I would be happy to meet again. Just a reminder to be checking PowerSchool (there is now a link on my "Resources" page) so that we're all up to date on grades, assignments, etc.
A request that I got from a number of students and families was for book recommendations. I LOVE giving book recommendations, and so I'm currently putting together a list to be posted soon. Keep an eye out... Reading logs are here! The students received (or will receive) their first reading logs during their block period this week. The directions for completing the logs are on the worksheet that the students received (and which is also on this website under "Documents"), but I'll give a brief overview here:
The best way to support your child with the reading logs is to remind him/her throughout the week to read, take him/her to the public library to get books, and sign his/her reading log when it's finished. Happy reading! Today we officially started our forms of fiction unit. Until mid-October we will be studying fables, folktales, myths, short stories and a novella. The students will also be writing their own fables as well as a persuasive piece about folktales and myths in modern times. Some of the stories we read will be from the textbook, and others will be from outside sources. Unfortunately we are still waiting to find the 6th grade ELA textbooks so I can't send them home yet, but until then we will just use the textbooks in class and find other resources for homework.
As we move through the unit, I would love for students to bring in fables, folktales, or myths from their cultural background. We have such a wonderfully diverse school, and I want to celebrate everyone's heritage in the classroom. Feel free to email the stories to me, send them with the student as a hard copy, or set up a time to come in and tell the story to the class! I look forward to seeing all of the stories that we can collect as a group. As some of you may have already noticed, on PowerSchool there are two grades already posted called "Homework Completion" and "Coming Prepared." They are each worth 50 points and their due dates are September 18th, the last day of P1. The way that these grades work is that all students receive an automatic 50/50 at the beginning of the progress report period. If they always turn in their homework and bring their materials, their grade will stay an A+. If, however, they are not turning in assignments on time or they do not bring their required materials consistently to class, they will lose points (the amount of points lost depends on the size of the assignment). Students and parents should track these grades to make sure that the student is staying organized and on top of their work. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
I really enjoyed getting to meet all of the parents that came to Back to School Night yesterday. Thank you for coming! For those of you who couldn't make it, I would still love to meet you, so please stop by and say hello sometime.
The students are currently exploring the different reasons why reading is important. They are doing a small group project on the block days, and then we'll be working on a writing assignment in which they reflect on their personal experiences with reading. Whether they enjoy reading or not, whether their reading level is high or low, by the end of the trimester I want all of my students to identify as capable, ever-growing readers. Wow, that was a whirlwind! I had so much fun getting to know my Home Team during welcome week, and also learning a little more about Graham. I am so excited to be a part of this community, and the more I learn about it, the more lucky I feel to be a teacher here. I think my favorite part of Welcome Week was teaching fencing during the Pursue Knowledge workshops. Some of the students got really good in just one hour!
I'm looking forward to having real classes next week, and getting started on all the things I have planned for English language arts this year. I'm still nervous about getting everyone's name right though, I think I'm going to need lots of reminders! |
Lizzy KellyI am a 6th grade English language arts teacher at Graham Middle School in Mountain View, CA. Archives
May 2017
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