Warm up:

Think back to 5th grade…answer the four questions on your paper:

1. What did you like best?

2. What did you like least?

3. What was your greatest success?

4. What was your greatest struggle?

When you are finished, DO NOT turn your paper over!

Class Meeting:

Today’s Meeting: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Meeting procedures:

1. Raise your hand if you would like to speak, I will throw you the fish

2. Sit quietly3. Look at the person who is talking4. Put your hand on your head if you have a

thoughtful question or comment (the speaker may call on one person)

Today’s Agenda:

1. Procedures reminder

2. Hopes and goals for this year

3. Create classroom rules

4. Teambuilding: HUMAN KNOT!

5. Begin personal timeline

Signal for Quiet

There will be times in class when I need everyone’s attention. I will hit the chime

when I need your attention. When you hear the chime I expect you to be:

1. Quiet 2. Sitting still3. Looking at me

Break SpotThere may be times during class when I ask you to take a

break.

The break spot is for someone who has made a mistake, broken a rule, or simply needs a few minutes to collet

his/herself. It is NOT a punishment!

If you are sent to the break spot, you will have time to think about:

– Why am I here?– What should I do differently when I return?

Once you have gathered your thoughts you will be welcomed back into the group.

Bathroom Procedure:

It is important for you to be in class the entire time.

If you must leave to go to the bathroom, give me the bathroom signal. I will either ask you to wait or tell you to go.

Best times to go to the bathroom:• Group work time• Individual work time

Worst time to go to the bathroom:• Whole group instruction

Pencils:

You are expected to bring a pencil to class. If you do not have one, take one from the “sharpened” cup. At the end of class, return it

to either the “sharpened” or “unsharpened” cup.

Best times to sharpen your pencil:• Warm Ups

• Individual work time• Group work time

Worst times to sharpen your pencil:• During a lesson/whole group activities

• When the teacher is talking• When a student is talking to the class

Cell Phones:

Leave your cell phones in your lockers—if we use technology I will let you know ahead of

time!

Gum:

You may not have gum in class!

When the teacher or a student is talking:

When the teacher or a student is talking to the entire group you are expected to be listening

respectfully. This means you are:

• Seated• Quiet • Looking at the speaker• Raising your hand if you have a question

Warm up:Think back to 5th grade!

1. What did you like best?

2. What did you like least?

3. What was your greatest success?

4. What was your greatest struggle?

Brainstorm:What are some goals we could set to help us be

successful in 6th grade?

Ms. Cruickshank’s Goal:

This year I hope our classroom will be a safe place to learn, where students share ideas, respect each other’s opinions, and do their

best work.

What are your hopes and goals?

Write at least two, no more than four hopes or goals that will help you be

successful in 6th grade.

Turn and Talk:

You have two minutes to turn and talk to your neighbor. Share at

least two of you goals.

After 2 minutes we will each share one goal.

If these are our hopes and goals, what rules will we need to help us make them

come true?

Final Rules:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

What do these rules mean?

With your table group:1. What does this rule mean?2. What does it look like in our classroom?3. Write down at least 5 words or phrases to

explain this rule to the class!

If the rules are broken:

If you make a mistake and break a rule, I will ask you to take a break.

If you are consistently breaking a rule, there will be consequences:

1. I will talk to you2. I will talk to your parents3. I will send you to the dean

Human Knot:

1. Stand in circles of 12 or 13, HOLD HANDS.2. Let go of hands, reach into the circle with your right hand.3. Take the right hand of another person.

– DO NOT take the hand of the person next to you.– If there are an odd number of people, the person left over will

take someone’s LEFT hand.

4. Reach into the circle with your left hand.5. Take the left hand of another person.

– DO NOT take the hand of the person you are already holding.– DO NOT take the hand of the person next to you.

GET UNTANGLED!

Timelines: Turn and Talk!

1. What is a timeline?

2. What do timelines help us do?

Timelines help us see:

1. Events in chronological order (what happened first, second, third)

2. Change over time

3. How much time passed between events

4. Cause and effect (did one event cause another?)

Timelines:

Personal Timeline:

One of your first assignments will be to create a personal timeline of your life. Before we

begin, think of 5 important events that happened in your life. Then, write 1-2 sentences explaining why each event is

important.

Ms. Cruickshank’s 5 events:

1. April 7, 1989: I was born.

2. December 1999: I got my first guitar.

3. 2001: My grandfather died.

4. January 2012: I studied abroad.

5. August 2013: I started my first year of teaching.

Packing up procedure:

1. Clean out inside of desk (no trash, pencils, materials)

2. Clean underneath tables 3. Gather materials and stack neatly on desk

Personal Timeline:

Using your 5 events, create an illustrated timeline of your life.

Be sure to include at least one picture and one key phrase to

explain each event.

Create a timeline of your life:

1. Place your ruler on the black line

2. Every 2 centimeters, make a mark with your pencil

3. Each line will represent one year