25 Book Challenge

Today's Goal:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently

The Plan:

1. Computer/Planner/READ!
2. Reading Survey
3. 25 Book Challenge and Classroom Sticker Chart
4. Cup Stacking Challenge

Reminders/Homework:

• Read for 20 minutes every single day!
• Update your Reading Notebook (it's in Google Classroom AND in your Google Drive)
• PERIOD SIX ONLY:
• Please complete your One-Word Project
• On the back: I chose the word _____ because ________. Write 4-6 sentences about WHY you chose that word and how it will apply to Language Arts this year.

Reading Survey

Please CLICK HERE for the survey. Please be honest and as detailed as you can. Use complete sentences!

25 Book Challenge

This year I am going to ask you to read 25 books or more!

You get to choose the books, but I have some requests for genres. This year we will talk about different types of genres and look at examples of lots of types of books. You will be asked to sample at least one book from each, and then you will get choices beyond that. 

You will find your 6th Grade Reading Notebook on Google Classroom right now!

In addition, each time you read a book and FINISH it, you will get to add a sticker to your periods reading chart. Yay!

Ms. Keller thinks she's going to win this by having the most stickers. I think she's fooling herself.

Today you will update your Reading Log.

Digital Organization and One-Word Project

Today's Goal: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6
Use technology, including the Internet, [...] to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills

The Plan:

1. Computer/Planner/READ!
2. Digital Organization, Part 2
3. Join our Google Classroom and turn your slides in
4. One-Word Project

Digital Technology Organization, Part 2
We'll be using a lot of Digital Technology in our Language Arts class this year, and in your other classes, too! This work today will ask you to

You will need:

1. earbuds
2. your table partners
3. Your slides, which you will find in Google Drive

This presentation asks you to do a number of things, but it shows you how to do them all. Here is a short list of all the skills you will practice:

• Making a copy of a document on Google Drive (DONE!)
• MLA Heading (DONE!)
• Bookmarking your important pages (DONE!)
• Taking Screenshots (DONE!)
• Accessing MyPlan and its resources (DONE!)
• Organizing your Google Drive Folders
• Changing your Google Profile Picture

WOW That's so many things! 
There are screencasts in the slides that you can play that will show you how to do everything. 
Yay!

One Word Project (We'll see where we get for this)



Reminders/Homework:

• read your independent reading book (20 minutes or so every single day)
• Finish your One Word Project
• Period 6 only: you do not have this for homework. Cross it out!

• We will use them next class! You need them to be complete!
• Slide 17 above has the directions.

Digital Organization

Today's Goal: 
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6
Use technology, including the Internet, [...] to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills
The Plan:

1. Computer/Planner
2. Read
3. Digital Technology Organization
4. One-Word Project

Digital Technology Organization
We'll be using a lot of Digital Technology in our Language Arts class this year, and in your other classes, too! This work today will ask you to

You will need:

1. earbuds
2. a partner
3. THIS slideshow presentation about technology and organization

This presentation asks you to do a number of things, but it shows you how to do them all. Here is a short list of all the skills you will practice:

• Making a copy of a document on Google Drive
• MLA Heading
• Bookmarking your important pages
• Taking Screenshots
• Accessing MyPlan and its resources
• Organizing your Google Drive Folders
• Changing your Google Profile Picture

WOW That's so many things! There are screencasts in the slides that you can play that will show you how to do everything. Yay!

Reminders/Homework:

• Finish Slides 1-14 on your 6th Grade Technology Setup Slides
• To get to them, go to drive.google.com
• You should be able to find it! It has your name on it!
• Find yourself an independent reading book and read it!

Getting to Know Our Space

Today's Goal: Get to know more about each other and our classroom

The Plan:

1. Writing Activity
2. Kahoot!
3. Syllabus/Class Blog
4. Poem to End Class (Jack Prelutsky)

Period 1, 2, 5 Writing Activity: Investigate the Teacher
I will be giving you a piece of paper that asks you to observe, analyze, and summarize the evidence you gather about your "Suspect" (Ms. Black). It will require you to look for details and write very specific statements. Can you do it?

Ms. Black is .......

All I ask is that you write as much as you can as specifically as you can. Use the back if you need to. This will help me see what your writing looks like!!


Period 3, 6 Writing Activity: Letter to Ms. Black and Mrs. Huerta/Mrs. Poirier

Dear Ms. Black and Mrs. Huerta (Period 3),
Dear Ms. Black and Mrs. Poirier (Period 6),

Hello! My name is ___________.

Some questions you might answer:

• What is your family like? Who do you spend time with?
• What sports or hobbies do you spend time doing? What do you love about it? What makes it fun?
• What kinds of things do you like or hope for at school?
• Who are your friends and what do you do together?
• What is your favorite food, drink, car, sport, color, book, etc.?

All I ask is that you write as much as you can. I just want to see what your writing looks like! If you would prefer to write a story, you can do that, too!

Syllabus
I need you to see the syllabus and do a few other things so that we get ready for the year ahead.

1. Class Syllabus
2. Class Website (that's this one that you're on right now.

You will need to get the second sheet of paper I give you signed, and put your syllabus in your Language Arts Section of your binder.

Reminders/Homework:

• Show your parents the syllabus and ask them to complete:
• the paper signature
• the Parent/Guardian Data Form
• Bring it back next class
• If you did not come to "School Year's Eve" last night or the paper ran out, here is the WELCOME LETTER that was posted on my door. Feel free to review.

Welcome to Middle School!

Today's Goal: Get to know each other a little bit and create something!

Please do not touch the Play-Doh on your desk until instructed to.

My name is Ms. Black. As long as your schedule doesn't get switched around, I'll be your Language Arts teacher this year!

The Plan:

1. Name Tent
2. Play-Doh Activity
3. Questions/Concerns

Name Tent
Find a seat and begin to make your name tent!
Fold it the long way, please!

Play-Doh

After instruction, you'll grab a tub of play-doh and use it for one of the following prompts:

Your creation should (CHOOSE ONE):

• represent something about you (a food, an activity, a hobby?)
• something or someone that is important to you
• a goal or a dream you have for yourself

Reminders/Homework:

• Find yourself an independent reading book. I have no requirements except that you choose it and you are willing to read it.
• If you can, see if you can visit this website at home. I have published MyConnect so you always have access to this on the home page, but you'll have to be patient: I'm still learning how to use MyConnect!
• If you did not come to "School Year's Eve" last night or the paper ran out, here is the WELCOME LETTER that was posted on my door. Feel free to review.

2019-2020 School Year

Welcome to 6th grade Language Arts!!

You're going to be receiving a lot of information in the next few days, and we're probably going to be discovering a lot of things together, as well.

On this website, you will find daily plans, resources, important links, and procedures for our classroom. This will be your home-base for almost everything we do in English this year (don't worry, you'll have access to it on MyConnect as well). Share it with your parents or guardians. If you're absent, come here first. If you forget something, see if you can find the post that will help you.

I suggest that the first thing you do right this second is "bookmark" this page. Do you know how to do that? Does your friend? Does YouTube? I bet you can figure it out!

In addition, we will be utilizing Google Classroom, No Red Ink, Google Drive, MyPlan and MyConnect, and a number of other online resources. Some we will discover together. Some I will teach you. Some you might find and say, "MS. BLACK I WANT TO TRY A NEW THING." I can't wait for you to discover new tools to share with me and your classmates.

Note: if you scroll down, you're going to find posts from last school year. Each day the new post will be at the top of this page, and trust me: there's no way to cheat by looking at my old posts. There are often lots of changes!