Grade 6 English 2011-2012

Meg Parry Tim Benford Rena ORegan Kristen Feren Myra Lepp (ESL Support) Elaine Serrano (Learning Support) Kate Jackson (Learning Support) parrym@ismanila.org benfordt@ismanila.org oreganr@ismanila.org ferenk@ismanila.org leppmyra@ismanila.org felicianoe@ismanila.org jacksonk@ismanila.org

Instructors

E-mail

ISM Middle School English Program_____________________________________________________

Students build upon their fundamental knowledge about language and communication to start exploring their own strengths and areas for improvement as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. A strong emphasis is placed on the idea of applying appropriate strategies as readers and viewers to make meaning from texts and of using these same strategies to craft written, visual, or oral pieces that are sophisticated and accessible to the audience. Patterns and structures in text are explored to help students transfer their use of skills from one literacy context to another, be it between informational and creative pieces of writing, fictional and non-fictional pieces of written or visual text, or formal and informal oral discussions. Students should begin to move towards using figurative and non-figurative language in their composition of text, attempting to express themselves in ways that challenge them to show their understanding with more complexity. Emanating from the standards and indicators that have been aligned K-12 through the divisions of our school, the curriculum guides students towards achieving the ISM School-wide student goals: inquiring and reflective problem solvers, knowledgeable and skilled learners, effective communicators, self directed and balanced individuals and responsible, caring and ethical contributors.

English 6 CourseDescription____________________________________________________________
To ensure transfer of understandings and skills, rich concepts have been designated for the core subject areas in the Middle School. These concepts guide the development of each unit of study within the English curriculum and reinforce the interconnectedness of the core curriculum for students. Grade 6 Themes Structure Relationships Cause and Effect Discovery

We want our students to heighten their enjoyment of reading in a variety of genres, and we will incorporate regular trips to the Media Center to support students in finding enjoyable reading materials. As well as independent reading, we will undertake focused studies of several texts. We will begin the year with group discussions in Book Clubs, and will also read further novels and nonfiction texts throughout the year. In writing, our program is based on the Six Traits model. Within this model, we will help students develop writing skills in the areas of Ideas, Organization, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, and Conventions. There will be several opportunities in the school year for students to hone their oral language skills through a variety of activities including classroom discussion, small group discussion, conferencing, and public speaking. We will stress the areas of reflection and personal management in the learning process.

Content/Skills_____________________________________________________________________ ___

As a skill-based course, the English program cycles through revisiting the same fundamental components of reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing throughout each grade level in the Middle School. By varying the complexity of texts and genres used as well as the sophistication of student thinking, the curriculum each year directly builds upon the curricula that came before and prepares students for the curricula that lies ahead. Overarching essential questions encourage students to think about communication as a part of their everyday lives. These questions will be posted all year and will help focus a students attention as to why English is studied as a part of the core curriculum. Students will come back to these questions repeatedly throughout each unit of study as questions to ponder and ask about any piece of literary or non-literary communication. Why Why Why Why read? write? speak? listen? How How How How do do do do I I I I grow grow grow grow as as as as a a a a reader? writer? speaker? listener?

Communication___________________________________________________________________ ____
Communication is a vital link between student, teacher and parent to ensure productive learning. Parents should feel free to contact us should any questions or concerns regarding your child's progress in school arise. Parents and students have access to Power School and can check for regular grade updates. You may also find valuable information on the ISM blog, which is accessible at http://ism-online.org/ and will be updated regularly. To share general classroom questions or concerns, please email the teacher directly; to arrange a time to meet, please contact the middle school office.

Daily Supplies for Grade Studies__________________________________________ 2 Clear Books (at least 40 pockets each)

English/Social

Looseleaf paper 1 A4 spiral notebook (will be left in English classroom) Pens/pencils Highlighters Independent reading book Sticky notes School issued planner

How Can I Be Successful in Grade 6 English? ______________________________________________

Come to class prepared for every session Check the blogs regularly for information Share your thinking and ideas with your classmates during discussion times Behave ethically, responsibly, and with integrity Have a positive attitude each day Use tutorials as a time to ask for more individualized support Be open to change and challenges Ask questions Take risks Be an active participant in your learning Laugh and have fun!

I have read the above information pertaining to my English class, and have shared it with a parent/guardian. I will keep this page in my English clear book for the duration of this year. Student ______________________ August ____ 2011 Parent Signature _______________________