Mrs. Anestad English language arts Voyager

A little about me This is my fourth year as a teacher in PVSD This is my third year teaching sixth grade at East (I was at West my first year in PVSD) I have been teaching for 9 ½ years Worked in Human Resources as well as teaching preschool before becoming a public school teacher I have been married for 21 years and have two teenaged children, a 15 year old girl Rebecca and a 17 year old boy Marcus (a high school senior!!)

Contacts E-mail is the best was to contact me! I check it regularly and will get back to you as soon as I can. manestad@pvsd.org (listed in the staff directory on the PVSD web page) If you prefer to talk over the phone, e-mail me and let me know and I’ll call you

Teacher web page On my staff page there is a calendar which will have assignments and upcoming quizzes and tests Mrs. Terry’s homework assignments are also listed on this same calendar Students should be using their assignment books to write down homework and tests/quizzes All students get an assignment book thanks to our great Home and School Association

Class structure 53 minutes Reading Comprehension and Writing Skills Big focus When answering a question about something we have read, using text based evidence to support it Close reading - Reading the selection two or three times for increased comprehension. Different types of writing (narrative, argumentative, informational). Some done in ELA and some during Literacy Explorations.

Independent Reading Students are expected to read during Advisory for at least 20 minutes Students should always have an independent reading book with them (not just to ELA, but to other classes as well) For the first marking period students are expected to read 650 pages. (This is about 15 pages per school day.) Each book for the marking period must be from a different genre (genre examples: biography, poetry, historical fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, sports fiction, humor, graphic novels…) Read at their level, something they enjoy – NO project afterwards, this helps support more authentic reading.

Independent Reading Continued For every 50 pages in the book, a written response is completed. This helps with reading comprehension and is also a way to hold them accountable for their reading. When book is finished they turn in their written responses and then I meet with them for a book talk The 650 pages per marking period counts towards the practice portion of their grade (more on grades in a moment…). If 650 pages or more are read, then 25/25. If less than 650 pages then grade is based on pages read, for example 500 pages would be 19/25.

Where can my child get books? Borrow from my classroom library Scholastic Book Orders – each month, starting in October, Scholastic flyers will be sent home. It’s a great way to get books without spending a lot – most books are $1 - $7 (unless hardcover). Books typically arrive 7-10 days after I place the order, so about 2-3 weeks from the day the flyers are handed out. Go to the library during Advisory to borrow books.

Grade What is your child’s grade based on? 25% Practice 75% Assessments All of the English Language Arts teachers use this same grade breakdown (both at East and West)

Practice 25% of your child’s grade Typical practice assignments include Homework assignments (more about this in a moment) Classwork that’s mainly graded for completion Open book “quiz” on reading selection we did in class – can work with partners “5 lines” of writing In class worksheets Parts of the writing process before the final writing piece (such as a graphic organizer)

Homework I rarely give new work for homework. When classwork is not finished in class, it is to be finished at home. Typically finishing the classwork at home will take 15- 30 minutes. If you find it is taking your child more than 30 minutes of on-task time on a regular basis, please let me know. Keep up with the independent reading; especially if in chorus/band/orchestra and have less advisory time for reading

Assessments 75% of grade Quizzes – point value varies, but typically10-40 points Collections unit assessments – one per marking period (approximately 50 points for multiple choice and 10- 25 points for written response) Graded writing assignments (points will vary based on assignments, typically 20-30 points) Projects (points will vary depending on length and depth of project, could be as little as 10 points or as high as 50)

Collections Assessments The Collections assessments can be quite challenging. The grades on these assessments will most likely be lower than other graded assignments in the class.

Collections – Main resource we will be using this year Balance of complex texts with including fiction, nonfiction, and informational Many of the texts are challenging – read and reread Textbook – both hardcover and online Different reading selections about similar topic Fear Animal intelligence Making your voice heard Decisions that matter Tales and Myths

Other resources that we use In addition to Collections we use Yellow lit book and workbook Selected poetry Selected nonfiction texts Newsela articles