6th grade 2013-2014 Beacon Heights Elementary, Room 109 Phone: 801.481.4814 ext.

109 Guenevere Foster Shanna Lewis Class website: lewisbeaconheights.weebly.com Email: guenevere.foster@slcschools.org shanna.lewis@slcschools.org
Class Description We believe that the children of today are the leaders of tomorrow. ALL children can learn. They are full of ideas, insights, imaginations, hopes, and dreams, each child learning in different ways. As their teachers, it is our job to provide them with personal experiences, opportunities, and curriculum lessons that can and will strengthen their capacity to grow into the people they want to become. By fostering a safe classroom environment, the students can take risks in their learning. Through respect and discovery, organizational and critical thinking skills, and personal responsibility and quality work, students can take pride in their learning, making it their own. Grade Level Goals and Objectives

Open Disclosure Document

Utah has adopted a curriculum which outlines standards of learning that are essential for all students at each elementary grade level. The curriculum includes ideas, concepts, and skills to provide a foundation on which subsequent learning may be built. The curriculum for 6 th grade can be accessed on the Utah Office of Education website at: http://www.schools.utah.gov/core/Utah-Core-Standards.aspx (see attached tan sheet).

Instructional Materials

Language Arts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Storytown published in 2008

We will also be reading a variety of informational texts and fiction texts which will be used in all content areas. Students will read a variety of literary genres. Critical thinking, questioning skills, and other comprehension strategies will carry over to other areas of students work. Math: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Math Expressions published 2011 Science & Social Studies: Kids Discover Magazines and other various non-fiction texts Instructional Practices We strive to incorporate Best Practices of teaching. We will learn as a whole class, as partners, in small groups, and individually in all the curriculum areas. We encourage questioning, critical thinking, personal discovery, and respect for others thinking/opinions in our class. Assessment will be on-going and multifaceted. To gain an accurate picture of your child, it is important that they strive to complete and do their best work. We will incorporate a wide array of learning activities such as: projects, experiments, reports, field trips, simulations, and other educational exercises, to enhance students learning. Course Requirements (Assignments, Attendance, Tardies, Discipline, etc.) Students are expected to come to school on time (8:45 a.m.) and be prepared to learn, with minimal absences. Beacon Heights now uses PowerSchool to mark absences and tardies. If your child is absent, please send a note or call the office no later than the day missed; otherwise, your child will be marked as an unexcused absence.

Parents, please notify us a week in advance prior to vacation absences, so that we can prepare make-up work for students to complete while away. Make-up work will be due upon the day of their return. Make-up work due dates for long-term sicknesses or unfortunate family events will be negotiated. Parents, please also recognize that SEP Conference weeks are not times for vacation. We, as their teachers, will instruct, give assignments, and possibly administer tests during that time. Please make sure your child attends school on all days of the school year. Each student is expected to be responsible for their homework by listing their homework assignments and projects in their student planners nightly. Therefore, the planners must be brought to school every day and signed by parents nightly. Homework is also listed on our class website: http://www.lewisbeaconheights.weebly.com Students have a right to learn, and teachers have a right to teach. Students will be gently reminded of this rule until continued misbehavior warrants a stronger reminder. This stronger reminder will consist of missing part of a morning recess and writing a self-reflection describing how their misbehavior violated the class rule and what their future behavior will be. This page will be signed by the student and teacher, and taken home for parents to read, sign, and return the following day. If a student forgets to return the page or loses it, s/he will repeat this procedure the next day. Students may also call parents at home or at work to explain their misbehavior. Grading Procedures Grades will be based on academic achievement for each content area connected to grade level standards (Parents Guide to the SLCSD Elementary Report Card). Clear standards and expectations are established

for all students at each grade level. To be on grade level, students are expected to be able to demonstrate knowledge for the information that has been taught with minimal assistance from the teacher. Grades will
be based on participation, test scores, effort, and improvement. Our goal is to work toward each students improvement during the course of the year. Each child will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and show their improvement in a number of different ways. Assessment will take place each day through written and observed methods. Students are expected to put forth honest and consistent effort to reach personal goals. We believe in choice! Each student will have the choice to complete their assignments during the time provided, by working hard and not talking to their neighbor. But if the student chooses to use their time unwisely, the unfinished work will become homework for that night. The choice is up to them! Students are expected to complete quality work. Quality work is neatwithout smudges or notebook spiral edges. Quality work is legible and carefully completed. Quality work is turned in on time. Homework demonstrates responsibility and capability. Points will be deducted for late work. After a week, late work will not be accepted and the assignment score will be a Zero. Progress can be checked through the ParentStudent portal of the Districts PowerSchool program.

Class and Activity Schedule (Please see the attached weekly schedule.)

Science and Math will be taught by Ms. Foster.

Math: Your child deserves to have a positive 6 th grade math experience; therefore, it is absolutely imperative that your child know the mathematic facts (+, -, x, --) quickly by sight. Much of sixth grade arithmetic is based on this foundation. If your child merits special consideration in this regard, please communicate this to us. Please check over your childs math homework and sign Math tests and quizzes. If an error is made in the correction, please return the math test with a note, so an adjustment can be made.

Science: Students will be focusing on the Scientific Method through studying microorganisms, energy, and astronomy. Students will be participating in a mandatory school Science Fair project this year. The Science Fair will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2014. The Districts Science Fair will be held on February 12, 2014.

Language Arts and Social Studies will be taught by Mrs. Lewis.

Language Arts: Reading: Students will be reading a variety of texts during the school year. We will strive to improve our fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Because the Salt Lake City School District has adopted the Storytown basal, we will be reading stories from this basal anthology through the school year. We will also be reading novels. Various assignments will be given based upon the stories and novels read. Spelling: Students will have an individualized weekly Spelling List. Assignments will be given every day. All homework will be due and tests given on Friday. Vocabulary: It is expected that your student read the lessons story to you every night to improve fluency, expression, and see the words used in context. Tests will be given on Friday. Writing: Students will be writing, revising, editing, and publishing several writing pieces throughout the year. Please assist your child in their writing projects by editing their work. Please remember that they are 6th grade writers beginning on their writing path. Students will also write Night Writes. These one page writings are collected and graded each week. They do not need to complete a Night Write on the day their notebook is due. (YOU DO NOT NEED TO EDIT THEIR NIGHT WRITES!) They are expected to complete 3 Night Writes each week. (See attached

Night Write due dates.)

Social Studies: We will be studying Early Civilizations and their effects on Modern Civilizations. We will be participating in several simulations. We will also be discussing Current Events in our class. Students will complete ONE current event a month. Feel free to share your ideas about current events with your students. This may enhance our class discussions.