Back-to-School Night 2009 Mr. Miller Sixth Grade September 2, 2009

Tonight's Schedule 7:00 - 7:30 Mr. Miller's Presentation Part 1: Who is Mr. Miller? Part 2: What does my child's day look like? Part 3: How can I best support my child's learning? 7:30 - 8:00 Observe Mr. Peters’ or Ms. Christie’s Presentation? 8:00 – 8:30 Attend the Outdoor School Presentation in the Cafeteria

Part 1: Who is Mr. Miller? Grew up in upstate NY Graduated from Binghamton University (NY) with BA in Environmental Studies Naturalist at Santa Cruz Outdoor School Teaching at Valencia since Fall 2001

Part 2: What does my child’s day look like? Five periods –Period 1: 7:50 – 9:10 –Period 2: 9:10 – 10:04 –Period 3: 10:16 – 11:08 –Period 4: 11:08 – 12:00 –Period 5: 12:35 – 1:50 –Period 5 does not happen on Tuesdays

Period 1: 7:50 – 9:10 Monday: PE Tuesday: Science with Mrs. Guiley Wednesday: Art and Library Thursday: Computer Lab Friday: Science with Mrs. Guiley

Physical Education (P.E.) As a class, we will participate in units on… Soccer Softball Four square Handball Ultimate frisbee Volleyball Basketball

Periods 2 – 4: 9:10 – 12:00 Math with Mr. Peters Reading with Mr. Miller Writing with Ms. Christie

Math Textbook – CGP Publishing Course One All students have access to a textbook and a homework book.

Math It is possible to access the textbook and workbook online: username : Student.50 password : student.50

Math Students are expected to complete their math homework every night. Please encourage students to show their work on homework, tests, and quizzes. Attach a separate scratch sheet to their homework paper if necessary. All students have been given a sheet of guidelines for math class. Mr. Peters has additional copies available upon request.

Writing Students will learn the following in writing this year: Narrative- stories (creative writing) Responses to literature-analyze character and how it affects the plot, resolution, etc.

Writing Students will learn how to write in the following genres: Persuasive Expository- research report, compare/contrast, problem/solution, description, summarizing non-fiction text

Reading In reading we will be reading and analyzing selections from the following textbook…

Reading We will also be applying the skills and strategies that we practiced on the textbook selection to our independent chapter books…

Reading Accelerated Reader Students will take online reading comprehension quizzes on the books that they finish Based on their quiz performance, book difficulty, and book length, they will earn points

Reading Access Accelerated Reader online: Sample QuizLogin Page

Period 5: 12:35 – 1:50 Monday: Spelling/ Social Studies Wednesday: Read Aloud/ PE Thursday: Silent Reading/ Social Studies Friday: Spelling/ Social Studies

Spelling Students’ spelling words are found in two places… 1.Language Arts Workbook 2.Online:

Social Studies We will be using the following textbook:

Social Studies We will be exploring…

Part 3: What can I do to support my child’s learning? Be familiar with our classroom blog: Textbooks Homework

What homework should I expect? Reading 20 – 25 pages of their chapter book Math assignment from Mr. Peters Writing assignment from Ms. Christie Blog/ writing assignment from Mr. Miller

Where can I find a list of my child’s homework? 1.Classroom blog 2. Binder Reminder 2.

What should my child bring to school? Pencils Binder paper Some type of organizational system Independent chapter book Binder reminder

How will my child be graded? Some assignments will have percentages Most assignments will be graded between 1 – 5 –5: Shows advanced application –4: Shows proficient application –1: Shows far below basic application

Do you accept late work? Yes, I do. I will check with students periodically, but I ultimately hold them responsible.

What does the class need? Tissues… Hooks for backpacks… Parent volunteers… –Field trip drivers –Classroom library –Organize papers

How can I contact you? 1.Phone the school: 688 – Leave a comment on the classroom blog

What should I do before I leave? 1.Sign in. 2.Leave a note for your child. Thanks for coming! I look forward to a great year with your child!