1. MRS. MCNAIR 6 th Grade English Language Arts kmcnair@fcusd.org

2. PARENT ROLE Develop self-reliance Check student agenda against my website regularly for assignments and due dates Hold student accountable for completion (trust but verify) Match completed work to assignment (“show me”) Check Power School for scores regularly (M=missing; L=late pass)) Advise student to “use your resources” to problem solve Allow student to work through disequilibrium Encourage perseverance; avoid removing obstacles Model self-advocacy (role play initiating teacher or peer contact ) Let student do his own work

3. PARENT ROLE Develop organizational skills Hold student accountable for maintaining binder or folder system for each class Check all papers are placed under tab or in folder (no loose papers) Keep all student-created models Enlist student to monitor required supplies and ask for help to replenish when needed Work with student to break down long-term assignments or test preparation into manageable “chunks” Guide student to use agenda to prioritize work and map out daily work/study schedule, including breaks Help student maintain home study space

4. COMMON CORE-BASED INSTRUCTION Skill Overview: Think: support answers, ideas, opinions, claims with evidence - “prove it” Express: effectively communicate thinking orally and in writing Collaborate: work with others to broaden thinking Innovate: apply thinking to a new challenge Developed Through: Reading – navigate and use informational text, understand elements of fiction through novels, build comprehension of complex text Vocabulary – acquire academic language, elevate expressive language, hone word-attack strategies Writing – build on basic paragraph structure to construct narrative, informational, and argumentative essays using correct grammar and punctuation conventions Focuses on developing critical thinking skills -- how students get to the answer

5. HOMEWORK AND GRADES Posted daily on my classroom whiteboard and website. Students are instructed to copy assignments in agendas each day. Late work not accepted without a late pass. Each student provided with 3 to use first trimester with teacher approval. Attendance is critical to student success. Make-up work cannot replace direct instruction, modeling, practice, and feedback provided in class. Students have two days for each day absent to make up missed work. Students are responsible for arranging make up tests and turning in make-up work following an absence. Assessments (quizzes, tests, paragraphs, essays, comprehension questions, culminating projects) carry significantly higher point values than practice (classwork, homework). Report cards are performance-based.

6. Powerejjcdfg SMS School Code: DRMT Powerschool for Parents

7. HELPFUL PARENT RESOURCES SOAR Study Skills by Susan Kruger Woodcock (www.StudySkills.com)www.StudySkills.com Parenting With Love and Logic and Teaching With Love and Logic (www.loveandlogic.com)www.loveandlogic.com Step Up to Writing Student Folder (in student backpack) Sutter Middle School Style Guide (and on website) Student-created samples or models English Composition Notebook (in student backpack)