WELCOME TO 6 th GRADE! Please take a seat at your child’s desk.

NANCY MAGUIRE u 30th YEAR TEACHING (2ND-HIGH SCHOOL) u UCI TEACHING CREDENTIAL u MASTERS IN EDUCATION u IUSD DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR 1992 u PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING MATH 1994 and 1995 u NOMINATED FOR THE DISNEY AMERICAN TEACHER AWARD 2002 u DISTRICT MATH MENTOR, TEACHER TRAINER, AND CURRICULUM WRITER u WESTPARK SCHOOL’S TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2008

CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION u SCHEDULES u ATTENDANCE u WEB PAGE u CONDUITS u NO LATE WORK u BLUE MOONS u ABSENT WORK u TABLE POINTS, PIZZA PARTIES

HOMEWORK POLICY 90 minutes per night u 15 minutes looking for assignment u 11 minutes calling a friend for the assignment u 13 minutes explaining why the teacher is mean u 8 minutes in the bathroom u 10 minutes getting a snack u 7 minutes checking the TV Guide u 16 minutes telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment u 10 minutes at the kitchen table waiting for a family member to do the assignment u Long Term Assignments are always given the night before they are due

6 TH GRADE MOTTOS  PERSONAL BEST: “Never settle for less than your best!”  HOME COURT IS IN SESSION: Where people feel encouraged and supported to risk and do their best, just as they do if competing on their home court.  MAKE AN EFFORT, NOT AN EXCUSE: Encouraging Responsibility  AIR: Accountability, Integrity, Respect

HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD:  Encourage organization and responsibility  Avoid rescuing/helping too much  Be the coach on the side  Model thinking  Value learning  Expectations

FOCUS CHANGE IN MATH IUSD is moving towards more blended assessments in math because this is the direction the state is moving. Our students have become expert multiple choice test takers and they need to become more in-depth thinkers who can handle open-ended, complex, application problems.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS u The Common Core State Standards seek to better prepare students across the nation for college and careers, raising both expectations and achievement. u National Standards (46 states have adopted) u Smarter Balanced Assessments

MATHEMATICS  Blue book/Green book  Hands-on activities  Teaching for understanding  Problems of the Week  Brain Book  Thinking  Transitional Year

6th Grade CCSS Math u Ratios and Proportional Relationships u The Number System u Expressions and Equations u Geometry u Statistics and Probability

STANDARDS FOR MATHEMATICAL PRACTICE 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

 Currently: 6 th Grade Math Pre-Algebra Algebra 1  Common Core Math: 6 th Grade Common Core 7 th Grade Common Core 8 th Grade Common Core Algebra 1 Current 7 th Grade Common Core 8 th Grade Common Core Algebra 1GeometryNone California Algebra 1 25 Standards

ACCELERATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL u Common Core Standards for Gr. 6-8 are comprehensive, rigorous, and non-redundant. Acceleration will require compaction and not the former strategy of deletion. u The previous models for acceleration will no longer be viable, so that critical concepts are not omitted and that the continuity of the mathematics learning progression is not disrupted.

WRITER’S WORKSHOP u “Read like a Writer. Write like a Reader.” u WRITING PROCESS u PLEASE DO NOT HELP u WRITING KEEPSAKE: HARDBOUND ANTHOLOGY u CCSS: Argument, Research, Narrative

u CLASS NOVELS u JR. GREAT BOOKS: Collection of Short Stories u LITERATURE CIRCLES u TRIMESTER BOOK PROJECTS Historical Fiction; Biography; Informational Text u CCSS: Foundational Skills, Reading Literature, Reading Informational Text LITERATURE

LANGUAGE SKILLS u Vocabulary: Classical Roots u Grammar: Easy Grammar

SOCIAL STUDIES u ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS u HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS u RESEARCH SKILLS u CIVILIZATIONS PROJECT: Big Book

SCIENCE u Vicky Anthony u u Science Website u HANDS-ON EXPERIMENTS u PARTICIPATION u REQUIRED SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT: see samples in the science room tonight u TEXTBOOK/Tests

OUTDOOR SCIENCE SCHOOL u November 20-22th (Wednesday-Friday) u Pali Institute near Lake Arrowhead u Parent Information Meeting: Tuesday, August 27 th at 6:00 pm in MPR u Popsicle sales help pay for the busses.

COMING ATTRACTIONS u D.A.R.E. (Officer D’Alena) u Leadership Opportunities: Valets Green Team Student Council u IRVINE JR. GAMES u MATH FIELD DAY u SPECIAL 6 TH GRADE END OF THE YEAR ACTIVITIES (Parent meeting in May)

Volunteers Needed:  Conduits: Thursday  In Class Help: Clerical (copying, stapling, cutting, etc)  At home jobs: Scholastic Book Orders, correcting papers, project preparation  Special activities and fundraising  WISH LIST CONTRIBUTIONS  FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Nancy Maguire u u Phone: (949)

No Perfume Please!

DON’T FORGET... u Goal Setting CONFERENCE: August u Note to Child u PTA support u Shoe Drive Fundraiser