Welcome to the Firecracker

Team!

Firecracker Teachers

Mrs. Melson Language Arts

Mrs. PledgerMath

Mrs. JohnsonScience & Social Studies

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)• What is it?

– A national movement for all states to have the same educational standards so that each student graduates high school ready for college and/or a career

– 44 states have adopted the standards– Arkansas is a pilot state

• What does this mean?– Clarksville Schools will follow CCSS beginning this year.

• What can I expect as a parent?– More technology: blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. – At-home reading assignments– Algebraic equations in math

Additional information on CCSS can be found at http://www.corestandards.org

You can view the literacy curriculum maps at http://www.commoncore.org/maps/

Language ArtsMrs. Melson

• Students will create a blog using kidblog.com. This will be done during school hours.

• Storybird.com will be used to write our first narrative, a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Students will have the option of publishing their own books through this website if parents wish to purchase them.

• We will have several required readings throughout the year. Nightly reading assignments will be required at times, and must be completed prior to the next class meeting.

• Accelerated Reader Program is used as a way to assess reading comprehension and growth. More information will be sent home at a later date.

• Throughout the year students will have Individual writing conferences when writing assignments are given.

• Four-Square Writing Method by Judith S. Gould and Evan Jay Gould is used to organize assigned essays.

• All essays are graded using the 4-point rubric based on the Benchmark Exam.

Language ArtsMrs. Melson

• Spelling and vocabulary focus will be on learning the meaning of prefixes and suffixes, as well as reviewing commonly misspelled words. Our word lists will come from the assigned texts that we are reading.

• Some of the books that we will read this year:– Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson– Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad by Rosemary Sutliff– Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling– The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton– The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Enzenberger and Berner– Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll– Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep– We will also read about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass

MathMrs. Pledger

• Accelerated Math is an individualized math program that helps students master and practice required math skills at their own pace. Monthly objectives are required.

• Algebra will be the main focus for students in the sixth grade as we focus on Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Science & Social StudiesMrs. Johnson

• Hands-on science labs will enhance student learning. Sixth graders dissect animal hearts and eyeballs! Lots of fun!

• Social Studies focuses on the Reconstruction Period to the present.

• We plan to have the Holocaust trunk from the Houston Holocaust Museum (HHM) available for the Firecracker students November 28 through December 2. It will be in our building until December 16. This service is provided through donations and funding by Holocaust survivors in the Houston area.

Activity Classes• Activities are 60 minutes long. At the

beginning of each of these activities they will have 20 minutes of AR time. – Music– Art– Library– Computer Lab

• PE is one hour with no AR time. • PE days: Monday—Pledger, Tuesday

—Melson, Wednesday—Johnson • Please remember to wear tennis shoes on

your PE day.

Classroom Community• We spend a tremendous part of our day

with each other. We have guidelines to help us get along.

• Main classroom rules:

–SHOW RESPECT–SOLVE CHALLENGES–MAKE GOOD CHOICES

When do I return school forms?

ASAPIt is very important that we have your current information on file.

Please return all required forms to your child’s homeroom teacher as soon as possible so that we can

get it turned in to the office.

School Supplies

• Please send requested school supplies as soon as you can.

• If you need a list, you can pick one up in the office.

• There is no fee for school planners.

Monthly Calendars

• Each month a calendar will be sent home with test dates and other important information. The same information can be found at our webpage www.firecrackersteam.pbworks.com

• 6th graders are not always good about getting information from school to home so please inquire about these monthly calendars.

• Calendar information should be transferred to their planners

to keep up with important dates.

How Much Homework?

• Classes are 80 minutes long. Most days, students should be able to complete their work at school.

• In light of the Common Core Standards, your child may have homework rather than just unfinished class work.

• Please encourage your 6th grader to use their class time wisely. This includes ASKING QUESTIONS to better understand assignments.

• If homework ever habitually takes longer than an hour to complete, please let us know so that we can work together to solve the problem.

Late Work/Incomplete Assignment6th Grade Level

• 6th graders will be able to turn in ONE late paper per nine weeks for full credit in EACH subject.

• ½ credit will be given on the 2nd late paper.

• All other late papers will be a ZERO!

Incomplete Assignment:

An assignment is considered incomplete when 3 or more questions are left blank.

In the case that your child should not understand the question(s), it is their responsibility to get assistance BEFORE grading or handing in the assignment.

Appropriate times to seek help are in the morning between 7:45-8:05 a.m., after lunch, assigned study hall times or other appropriate time assigned by the team of teachers.

When is make-up work due?

• The number of days missed will be the same number of days your child has to make-up assignments and tests before it is treated as late work.

• Example: If absent 2 days, you will have 2 days to make up the work. (Handbook, p. 43)

• When a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to get their missing assignments from each class.

Sixth Grade Discipline PolicyMarks will be given for any misbehavior which hinders the learning or safety of any child in our school. This includes missing or incomplete assignments. If a child chooses to misbehave, he/she will receive a mark against them. This is recorded on the homeroom's clipboard. Homeroom teachers will tally marks weekly, and they will accumulate through each MONTH. At the beginning of each month the demerit total will start over. The consequences are as follows:

2 demerits Loss of recess; letter or phone call to parent from teacher

An office referral is required for the following discipline actions:

4 demerits Two day of lunch bunch with Mrs. Price

8 demerits One day of after school detention (student stays until 4:00)

11 demerits Three days of after school detention

14 demerits Three days of In School Suspension (ISS)

We are looking forward to a great year. Thank you

for taking the time to attend Open House. See

you Monday morning!