1. Room 14 6 th Grade 2015/16

2.  Play Play

3.  Immigrated from Germany in 1994  MBA from Munich University of Applied Sciences  Teaching as a second career since 1999 (Ohlone College adj. faculty) and 2001 (FUSD)  Family

4.  I teach the whole child and am interested in both their socio-emotional as well as their academic growth.  I value individual as well as group achievements.  I encourage reflection on Scholarly Habits.  I encourage a Growth Mindset and mindfulness.

5.  Generally due the following school day, except is otherwise stated.  For core subjects, test make up 60% of the grade, homework and projects 40%.  Science: 40% tests, 35% homework and projects, 25% science lab (Mr. Mann); Social Studies: 40% tests, 60% projects.  Please compare student’s planner notes with homework posted on my web site and verify that your child has all of his/her homework done and ready to go in the “Done” folder.  I will supplement district curriculum with a variety of special projects and levelled assignments throughout the year to accommodate a variety of learners.

6.  Accountability, Assessment, Accommodations  web site, Class Dojo, Engrade Pro, Google Classroom, Accelerated Reader  Differentiation and Practice  10-Marks, Khan Academy, Reflex Math, FrontRowEd  Visualizing Content and Making it Accessible  Making Teaching more participatory  Kahoot!, Socratic Seminar, Collaborative Blogs/Groups  Please let me know if your child DOES NOT HAVE access to technology in your home.

7.  Not all is graded since students need a lot of practice.  Grading per project varies from smaller participatory pieces (5-20 points) to large essays (up to 100 points). Essays may involve research in other subjects and therefore count towards i.e. Social Studies or Science.  6 Traits of Writing (Ideas, Organization, Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, Conventions, Presentation)  Important is the writing process with gathering ideas, information, and moving through the drafts, re-writes, and edits, all the way to presentation.  Genres are: Narrative (writing for the moment), Expository (research, summaries, literature responses), and Persuasive (opinion pieces, pro/cons).

8.  California Treasures reading program for basic comprehension skills, spelling, and vocabulary  Classroom reading (The Cay, Boy of the Painted Cave, Hatchet, Catherine Called Birdie, A Single Shard)  Small group literature based on reading level and interest, as well as individual literature.  Subscription to Times for Kids.  Grades based on reading comprehension tests, literature response, projects, and reading blogs.

9.  Springboard Math supplemented with additional materials from New York Engage program, MARS tasks, Problem of the Month, various math projects as well as 10-Marks and Reflex Math for differentiation.  Springboard has an online component which is supposed to be fully functional by the end of the month.  Topics: number concepts, integers and coordinates, expressions and equations, ratios, geometry, data analysis, and personal financial literacy.

10.  We are slowly shifting from the current curriculum to NGSS standards (full implementation not before 2017/18)  Focus on Earth Science and Earth’s systems (geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere)  Some chapters may be omitted to accommodate new NGSS standards.  Important new areas are energy and heat transfer between Earth’s systems, human impact, and science and engineering.

11.  World history / ancient cultures  Work includes homework reading notes, written responses or research reports, artifacts and artwork, timelines, flashcards.  There will be a good mix of hands-on projects with some testing (40%)  If there is sufficient parent support, I would like groups to stage a small play and/or video at the end of the year. The topic will be chosen by the group (i.e. Greek myths, on the Silk Road etc.)

12.  Field trips: Monterey Bay (December 3 rd, cost per child around $25-30), Science Camp (4 days in January or February, cost tbd.)  Volunteers: We need volunteers for a variety of things, such as preparing materials, some special projects, field trip, science camp, classroom library.  Finances: field trip and science camp money will be paid by each student, classroom donations will be received by PTA via Fall Stampede donations. Please be generous!

13.  Please send me your questions via Class Dojo, or to ctestard@fremont.k12.ca.us