Mrs. Anestad English language arts Voyager

A little about me This is my fifth year as a teacher in PVSD This is my fourth year teaching sixth grade at East (I was at West my first year in PVSD) I have been teaching for 10 ½ years I worked in Human Resources as well as teaching preschool before becoming a public school teacher I have two teenaged children, a 16 year old girl Rebecca and an 18 year old boy Marcus (who I just sent off to begin his freshman year at Temple two days ago!)

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 to let me know and I’ll call you Follow me on Twitter @anestad131 – a few times per week I’ll post photos on what we are doing in class. It’s 100% classroom related, nothing about me and my family

Voyager web page On the Voyager page this is a document that lists assignments and upcoming quizzes and tests Mrs. Terry’s assignments are also listed on this document Students should be using an assignment book to write down homework and tests/quizzes

Class structure 53 minutes Reading Comprehension and Writing Skills Big focus When answering a question about something we have read, use text based evidence to support it Close reading - Reading the selection two or three times for increased comprehension and a specific task in mind with each reading Different types of writing (narrative, argumentative, informational).

Independent Reading Students should always have an independent reading book with them (not just to ELA, but to other classes as well) For each marking period students are expected to read 650 pages. (This is about 15 pages per school day.) Read at their level, something they enjoy – NO project afterwards, this helps support more authentic reading. They can select books but need to read from at least two different genres each marking period

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 I record their pages read and logged 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, 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 homeroom or lunch 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 a 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 – 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

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. One Collections assessment marking periods 1, 2 and 3. All sixth graders (both East and West) take the same Collections assessment

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