Sailing into 6th Grade!

Our 6th graders are sailing right into the new year and growing in confidence as they move around the building. All those fears about getting lost in the halls and not being able to open lockers have dissipated. Practice and routine is setting in!

In our English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, we have been busy studying narratives (stories) and the elements and plot structure that make a good narrative.

Students read the story, Eleven, and learned to diagram the plot. After studying what key elements and techniques writers use to create narratives, we got busy starting to write our own.

We played a simile sorting game to learn how to identify similes and sort them by emotion, appearance, or actions.

Our 6th grade scholars are currently writing their narratives, and then will publish them in a variety of ways. Some chose to create a podcast, a picture book, graphic narrative (comic book/graphic novel format), Diary entry, or traditional essay. We have a ton of authentic real-world writing happening, and we are excited to see the final products. Stay tuned!

We try get outside and use our outdoor classroom when we can!

Lastly, we have taken time this week to continue to refine our work expectations and become more familiar with the middle school grading scale. Coming from elementary, students are not always familiar with letter grades and percentages. As a family, you can talk about what grades you value/expect at home, and what you think your child is capable of achieving. Remember, a perk in our class is that we work toward mastery. I do not expect perfection from students, but I do expect their best and I want them to feel proud of their work, their grades, and feel confident in their skills. To achieve this, students can revise ANY assignment up to one week before report cards are due quarterly to earn their best possible grade and improve skills. YAY! I hope they take advantage of that!!

Please take time to browse our classroom website, and check out the grading scale HERE. Be sure to have those conversations around academic achievement this week as a family!

I hope to see you at the homecoming parade and game Friday! Here are some fun pictures from homecoming spirit days! Enjoy! GO VIKINGS!!!