1. Ms. Lawhorn’s 6th Grade Language Arts Classroom #111 All Students Are Welcomed All Students will learn. New Arizona Middle School 15 Grove street Irvington, NJ 973 372 6512 klawhorn@horizons.edu We are an interactive and inclusive classroom. Welcome Dear parents I would like to take this time to welcome you and your students to my classroom. Here in room 111 your child will be given the opportunity to learn in a safe and family like environment. I promote individuality and team work. Through a variety of instructional methods your child will learn. I encourage you to not only come and join us in class, but to also chaperone some of our class trips. I would also hope you will be an vital part of your child’s success by supervising the completion of homework and projects. In this brochure I will give you a sample of the kind of things that will take place in my classroom. Should you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me via phone or email. Class Schedule  Monday thru Friday  Period 1 8:00 - 8:50  Period 2 8:52 - 9:37  Period 4 10:40 –11:25  Period 6 11:55 - 12:40  Period 7 12:45 - 1:30  Period 8 1:35 - 2:20 Being on time for school is the first sign of a responsible student ! Instructional Strategies As a result of having different learning styles in the class, the following strategies will be utilized for instruction and assessment:  Multisensory instruction  Performance based  Hands on projects  Group discussions  Journal writing  Learning centers  Oral reports  Tests, and quizzes  Peer debates  Portfolios Classroom Routines  Students will enter classroom saying good morning and leave saying good bye.  Students will come prepared for school everyday.  Students will take their assigned seats upon entering the room.  Students will participate in all activities.  Students will respectfully and patiently engage in group discussions.  Students will clean up before leaving.

2. Diversity As a result of the diverse population of students in the class, we will demonstrate mutual respect for each other by organizing a series of “Getting To Know You” activities throughout the year. These activities include:  Show and tell me about your culture.  Sending letters around the world.  Let me walk in your shoes for a day. (swapping boy and girl issues)  Can we be buddies? (peer tutoring)  Breakfast or lunch from your native land. Parents, your participation in helping our students prepare for these activities will be extremely important. Therefore, if you have time please come and join us to see the results. We will be excited to have you here. Thank you for joining my class and I look forward to starting the year with new students and open minds. — Ms. Lawhorn Curriculum The curriculum will be designed to meet NJ core curriculum standards in the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, Viewing and Media Literacy. The following standards will be an important factor in the development of the curriculum and lesson plans:  STANDARD 3.1 (Reading) All students will understand and apply the knowledge of sounds, letters, and words in written English to become independent and fluent readers, and will read a variety of materials and texts with fluency and comprehension.  STANDARD 3.2 (Writing) All students will write in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.  STANDARD 3.3 (Speaking) All students will speak in clear, concise, organized language that varies in content and form for different audiences and purposes.  STANDARD 3.4 (Listening) All students will listen actively to information from a variety of sources in a variety of situations.  STANDARD 3.5 (Viewing and media literacy) All students will access, view, evaluate, and respond to print, nonprint, and electronic texts and resources. Classroom Design Each student will be assigned to a permanent seat. These seats will be arranged in a “U” formation in order to promote group discussions. This formation will also allow each student to have visual contact with the instructor, view overhead projections and/or any other media device. In each corner of the classroom, a learning center will be created so the students will have space to read novels, research information, use computers and review their portfolios. Teamwork In order to assist the students in being successful, this class will also have two teacher assistants. These teacher assistants are certified to work with regular and special education students. In addition there will be support staff within the building that will periodically pull the students out for our Fast Forward Reading Program.