1. Mr. Burke’s Curriculum Night 2010-2011 ELA / Social Studies

2. Mr. Burke Contact Information –burketom@wantaghschools.orgburketom@wantaghschools.org –516-679-6490 ext. 326

3. Be Prepared Your child needs to have these materials in class every day. –Binder with supply of loose leaf paper and folders –Writing utensils –Agenda –Textbooks Be ready when the bell rings!

4. Backpacks Your child is assigned a cubby so he/she can store textbooks when they are not needed. There is no need to carry all of the books.

5. Homework Students are expected to complete homework assignments daily (Mon. – Thurs.) Occasionally, weekend homework may be given. Everybody starts off with a 100 homework grade. Incomplete or missing homework will result in a reduction of the homework grade. –2 points for each missed homework. –Lack of preparation will also result in a deduction of the homework grade. At the end of the semester, the homework grade will be used as a quiz grade.

6. Grades Quarterly grades will be based on tests, quizzes, homework and projects. Tests count twice, quizzes count once.

7. Extra Help Extra help sessions will be held after school from 3:05 – 3:35 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. If your child would like to come to extra help, please let me know. Extra help is a time when questions for clarification can be asked.

8. Absences and Lateness Your child has a homework buddy. If for any reason your child misses class, he/she should call that homework buddy to find out what they missed. It is your child’s responsibility to make sure all notes are completed. If your child arrives late to class, he/she will have to get a late pass from the office or the teacher that kept him/her.

9. Class Rules -Show respect for yourself and others. -Be prepared and involved in class. -Every student has the right to learn. -Do not abuse the privilege of leaving the room for the bathroom. -Food, drinks (other than water bottles), candy and gum are not permitted in the classroom.

10. Upcoming Events Refer to monthly calendar for upcoming events. Our first book report is due Monday, Trip to Caumsett State Park is Wednesday –We are planning three trips this year. –More information will follow.

11. ELA Curriculum This year, the sixth graders will prepare for their ELA test in May.

12. Reading We will be reading several different novels to improve our comprehension skills. –Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH –Tuck Everlasting –From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil e. Frankweiler –D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

13. Writing An emphasis will be placed on process writing as well as ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and presentation. Modeling of excellent writing and author studies will enhance student awareness and allow for creativity and risk taking. We will also work on improving our grammar and editing skills through our written pieces.

14. Listening and Speaking Listening / Speaking – Several times throughout the year, your child will be given the opportunity to verbally present to the class. A critique sheet with suggestions and / or comments will be given after each verbal presentation in order to make your child aware of areas that need improvement and areas that are successful.

15. Social Studies Curriculum The focus of our study is World History. We will use a combination of two text books. –Eastern Hemisphere –The World Your students will use notes from the Power Point Presentation to understand the given lesson. We will also be utilizing the Smart Board this year to enhance our curriculum.

16. Note Taking Students will view good note, through the power point presentations, and begin to develop strategies that will help them take notes on their own. The importance of note taking will strongly be emphasized.

17. Writing Our Social Studies curriculum allows us to blend writing into our study. There will be many chances for students to combine the subjects of writing and history.

18. Skills Based Learning Our Skills Based Learning class will target ELA skills. Reading and writing skills will be addressed here. It allows us to work closely with the students on the skills they will need to reach success. This is a pass or fail course. Read About – This program will concentrate on non – fiction pieces of literature. It will work to both support and enrich nonfiction reading skills.