Welcome to grade 6 Find out more about what you can expect this year.

Language Curriculum  Reading becomes focused on reading and understanding a wider variety of more challenging texts. We will be working on summarizing, connecting to and interpreting parts of the text. There is also a focus on the parts of different texts and how those parts help readers understand the text (for example, how do we use a table of contents or the caption on a photograph.) This will be done as a large group, in small groups and individually.  Writing will be focused on writing more complex texts for specific purposes and audiences. Ideas and details are most important but of course, correct spelling and punctuation are also needed to clearly communicate ideas.

Language Curriculum  Oral Communication is about listening and speaking in order to understand and be understood. We will look at a variety of reasons for listening and speaking and the skills required for different purposes.  Media Literacy is particularly important as young people are increasingly required to be critical consumers of media. Ideas discussed will include bias in the media, different responses to media and deconstructing and creating media texts.

Math Curriculum  Math instruction is done in a Comprehensive Numeracy model. Instruction is based on Teaching Through Problem Solving in order to support students in communicating their thinking about math concepts. There will be large group, small group and individual tasks and activities.

Math Curriculum  Some major concepts covered in grade 6  Reading, writing and working with numbers from to  Multiplying and dividing four-digit by two-digit numbers  Fractions, percents and decimals  Investigating the area of a parallelogram and triangle  Classifying and constructing polygons and angles  Sketching and constructing 3D figures  Introduction to basic algebraic expressions and equations  Describing and interpreting data sets

Science Curriculum  Space  Biodiversity  Flight  Electricity and Electrical Devices  Are you, or do you know, an expert in any of these fields? We’d love to hear from you! Having “real-life” connections to the Science and Technology curriculum is always helpful in making the curriculum come alive.

Social Studies Curriculum  Most of our Social Studies content will be covered in our Literacy Block.  Essential Questions we will discuss include:  How have different communities contributed to the evolution of Canadian identity?  What experiences have shaped the stories of different communities in Canada? What experiences have shaped the story of your own community?  Why is it important for Canada to be involved with countries around the world?  In what ways is Canada’s economy related to the global economy?  What do Canada and Canadians do for other people around the world? What else can we do?

The Arts Curriculum  Music – This term we will be focusing on vocal music and music appreciation in our classroom. Term 2, Mr. Karounos will be teaching instrumental music.  Visual Art – We will be creating a variety of art pieces in a number of forms based on ideas we discover and in the style of some famous artists.  Drama and Dance – Drama will be the focus Term 1, Dance in Term 2. Much of our dramatic work will be based on concepts in our other content areas.

Durham Forest Outdoor Education experience  This is a highlight of grade 6 for many of our students.  Winter 2015  Cost – approximately $75  Our costs were offset by our Milk Program sales last year. We are anticipating this again for this coming year.

Home – School Communication  Communication between home and school is vitally important for your child’s success at school.  Please check your child’s agenda regularly – daily would be wonderful!  My teacher website will be updated regularly. Check under the content tabs for information about what we are studying, games, video links and other activities you can do at home to support your child’s learning.  I can always be reached at the school at

Remind – electronic updates  Please sign up for or text updates sent directly to you about happenings or timelines in our classroom.  Pick up an information sheet tonight and subscribe to our class.

Learning Goals and Success Criteria  Learning Goals and Success Criteria let students know exactly what they are learning and what they need to do to be successful in the task.  Most success criteria are co-created, meaning we work together to decide on the important criteria for the task based on examples.

Descriptive Feedback  “But where is the mark?”  Often times work will be returned to students with no mark but with specific, personal comments based on the agreed upon success criteria and evidence from the piece of work.  The purpose of this feedback is to help students grow and develop their skills. (formative assessment)  Once descriptive feedback has been given and revisions have been made a task may be evaluated using a rubric or other tool. It will them be given a mark. (summative assessment)  If you have any questions about any tasks, assessments or evaluations, please contact me so that we can talk about it.

Homework  My general policy is to NOT assign homework. Research does not support the idea that homework improves student achievement. HOWEVER, sometimes work needs to be completed or materials must be collected at home, in which case, there will be work to be completed at home.  If you would like to have your child practice skills at home, there are many websites and workbooks available for purchase that can be used. Check the website to find out what concepts we are working on that you could work on at home.

Homework  Reading at home is VITAL to student success. EVERY child is encouraged to read for at least 20 minutes a night. This might be reading with an adult or independently.  Brain research tells us that it takes at least 2 hours for our brains to settle down after using a screened device. Turn the TV off way before bed and spend some time with a book.