Week of August 28-September 1, 2017


Welcome back students. Hope that you had a great summer and are well rested.  I am so excited to have every single one of you this year.


Reminders: 

Monday: First Day of School
Tuesday: (make sure that you read the novel, Wonder, by this day)
Wednesday: First day of discussion on the novel Wonder
 Please turn in all Student information packets.
Thursday:
Friday: Grade Level Assembly @ 8:30am

Academy for Academic Enhancement Middle School                  

6th Grade Reading

Syllabus

Mrs. Adriana Cantu

956-488-6024

Grading Policy:

Class work, homework, class participation, quizzes, projects shall have the value of 75 % of the six-week grade.

Six Weeks or Novel Final Exam shall have the value of 25%.

A minimum of 2 grades per week will be given.

The semester grade will be the average of the three six-week grades.

Materials Needed:             

One 3 Subject Spiral Notebooks

1 pocket folder with prongs

2 glue sticks

1 pk of colored paper for interactive journal

 (*Students are required to have a pen or pencil to write with. Students will have projects to do throughout the school year and will need materials such as colors, markers, scissors, and glue, but I will let students know ahead of time when they need to bring them to class*

                                               

Expectations:       

Throughout the course of the class you will be presented with various genres of literature. The material is designed to make you a more confident reader. Throughout the school year, you will gain the necessary skills and knowledge to excel, not only in middle school, but in high school and college as well. The class is designed to discussion based student participation is a priority.

Assignments:       

Students will be required to read a different novel every six weeks. The students will read one chapter to two chapters a night and be required to answer discussion questions for each chapter. Discussion questions need to be completed every night and brought back the next day for a grade. Class participation on chapters assigned and discussion questions, along with activities from the novel will also be graded.  

Projects:               

There will be several projects throughout the six weeks based on the novels we are reading. Students should be prepared to work on their own or in groups. Projects will consist of classroom activities as well as project that will be assigned to done at home. The students will be given the information for the projects ahead of time and will be given plenty of time to complete them.

Late Assignments:              

Being present in class every day is important. Every day will build on skills needed for completing assignments. Students are responsible for missed assignments/topics when they are absent. They may ask one of their classmates, or myself, for missed assignments. Missed assignments must be turned in within five days of the absence.

Attendance:        

It is imperative that you attend class on a daily basis, as failure to do so will result in you missing out on important information. *AFTER 3 ABSENCES, STUDENT WILL BE REFERRED TO AN ADMINISTRATOR*

Participation:       

Participation in all class activities is necessary to gain a better understanding of the material being covered. A grade will be issued for participation and on class discussions over topics and or chapter questions on novels.

Tardiness:

Be in (as opposed to near) your assigned seat when the bell rings and remain there until the teacher dismisses the class. In the event that another teacher or staff member detains you, a signed excuse should be brought to me as soon as possible.

Hall Privileges:

You will have adequate time to take care of business between classes. I will allow you to make restroom trips as you feel necessary UNTIL it becomes an abuse. I reserve the right to take away restroom privileges. If you have a medical condition that requires you to need to go to the bathroom frequently please bring me a medical excuse so that I can be aware of it.

School Wide Violations:

School wide rules are strictly enforced. Violators will receive a warning as a first offense, a call home will be the second offense, and a parent/teacher conference request would be the 3^rd offense. At this point, if you are not making an effort to correct the inappropriate behavior, a disciplinary referral will be issued.

Cheating Policy:

Anyone who participates in cheating on a test, project or other assignments will receive a zero for that grade. There is no reason why cheating is ever excusable. If you did not understand an assignment, then let me know and I will explain it to you and grant you an extension.

Class Rules:

•Be prepared to apply yourself

•Be respectful of yourself and others

•Be responsible for what you say and do

•Be Diligent with your time

•Be safe for yourself and others

Daily Arrival Procedures:

I expect you to abide by the following procedures without me having to call your attention before I make my way to the front of the room:

• Come in to the classroom. If the door is unlocked and I am not inside, please make a line outside the door and wait until I arrive. This prevents accidents from occurring inside the room while it is unsupervised.

• Grab your reading journal from the appropriate shelf.

• Turn in any homework to the indicated folder. Make sure it has your name on it. No name = trash.

• Take a seat.       

• Have a pencil to write with. Not having a pencil is no excuse to not be ready for class. If you need a pencil, find one BEFORE I start teaching.

When We Have a Visitor:

- When we have someone come into our classroom that is not part of our class (teacher, administrator, student, parent) you are expected to follow the same classroom rules and procedures. You are expected to be polite to the visitor. Do not talk to the visitor unless he/she is talking to you directly. Continue working on your assignment as usual.

- If the visitor needs to speak to me privately, I expect you to remain in your seat without talking until I finish speaking with the visitor.

Two minute dismissal checklist:

To have things run more smoothly, I expect you to do the following when I say “2 minutes” & you hear the appropriate alarm:

• Put your unfinished homework away; Turn in any completed assignments.

• Put away your binder and journal in the appropriate shelf, neatly.

• Gather all of your belongings; Throw away any trash around your table and chair.

• Stand by your desk and wait to be dismissed. This does not mean to crowd the classroom door waiting for dismissal.

Cluster Planning: 

If you have any questions feel free to come in and see me during my 8^th and 9^th planning periods which are from 1:55p.m. to 3:35 p.m. You may call me at 488-6024.

Blog

This class will have a blog where I will be posting reminders, due dates, discussions questions, quotes to discussion, and other topics that pertain to the class. Sometimes it will be daily and sometimes it will be weekly depending on the information that needs to be given. Students should check the blog daily to make sure that no new information has been added. Students will be able to comment on blog and participate in discussions on blog. www.ac2emsacantu.blogspot.com.

Tentative Schedule for 6^th Grade Reading:

Required Novels:                Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Summer Reading)

                                                Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz

                                                The Giver by Lois Lowry

                                                Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

*Students are required to purchase their own novels. They may purchase novel on electronic device. However, they may NOT purchase audio version of novel *

(If you have any questions or concerns please let me know)