Week of September 28- October 2, 2015


Writing:

This is the 6th week of the 1st six weeks.  This week we will be finishing our narrative essay.  Also, we will be reviewing for our six weeks exam.  Make sure you study your interactive notebooks.

Wordy Words:

This week we will be working on our lesson 2 mini videos.  Remember that they are due by Wednesday.


Reminders 

* Study for all your tests
* HESTEC $5

Week of September 21-25


Writing 

During the week we will be working on complex sentences.  Also, we will continue to work on our narrative essays. We will continue to discuss the criteria needed to have a well developed essay.

Words of the week:

jocular - playful or joking
                 ex. My friends and I have a jocular time together.
rancid - having a rotten smell or taste
                 ex. A rotten egg would smell rancid.

Wordy Words

This week we will start with lesson 2.  As a class we will discuss words and analyze them.  Don't forget that the end of the first 6 weeks is almost here.  We will work on a mini video with our words  next week.



Reminders:



*Monday  - Attendance pledge must be signed and returned to homeroom teacher.

* Wednesday  -  Early Release September 23, 2015  

*HESTEC trip planned for October.  Students need to bring in $5 for trip.

Week of September 14-18, 2015


Writing

This week we will be learning sentences.  We will be learning simple, compound and complex sentences.  Also, we will continue writing our essays. Lets make this week a productive one.

Words of the week:
        emotive - showing emotion
                      ex. A smile is an emotive expression.
         upbraid - scold strongly
                      ex. Yesterday my teacher upbraided me from talking in class.

Wordy Words

This week we will be writing an essay on What Freedom Means to You. We will work on it during class. Think about it. What does freedom mean to you?


Reminders: 
Friday: University T-Shirt Money and order forms due. $15.00

Week of Sep. 7-11


Writing

This is already the 3rd week of the 1st 6 weeks. Time is flying by, so lets make the best of it. We will be learning verbs this week: action, linking, and helping verbs. Also, this week we will be taking our 3rd week mini assessment.  This assessment will cover: parts of speech, nouns (proper, common, concrete, and abstract, verbs (action, linking, and helping), and the writing process. Lets make this week a great one.

Words of the week:
temperance - self-control
                   ex.  I have to show temperance when I eat cookies.
Obscure- hard to figure out or understand
                   ex, The answer to  the math problem could be obscure.



Wordy Words
This week we will start with the mini video representation of your words.  Remember that the video has to represent your word, also  students have to include the definition of their word, and a short explanation.

Reminders:
*3rd week mini assessments this week
Friday: Cookie dough Orders and money due

Aug 31 – Sep 4, 2015

Honors Writing 

Hope you all enjoyed your first week at school.  I am looking forward to spending the rest of the year surrounded by spectacular students. This week we will be going over nouns (proper, common, concrete and abstract). We will also be going over the writing process.  Let’s have a great week this week and remember to give it all.  

Wordy Words

We will continue with the second section of lesson one.  I have enjoyed looking at all your composition note books, let’s continue embellishing them with your work. 

Reminders:  

* All forms must be turned in by Monday.  

 *T-shirt money due Monday.

Week of August 24-28


Welcome back students! Its going to be a great year full of fun activity. During this year, I know that together we can do wonders.
Remember that  together we S.O.A.R.!

This is a copy of the 2015-2016 Syllabus

 

6^th Grade Honors Writing

Mrs. A. Cantu

Email: acantu108@rgccisd.org

AC2E Middle School

School: (956) 352-6324

To the student:

                You are about to study writing in sixth grade. It requires more understanding and mastery of the rules of English grammar as well as a high level of skillfulness in crafting pieces of writing which expresses deep and carefully thought-out ideas. Skillful writing does not come easily for most people. It involves a lot of work and persistence in doing it right. But once it happens, the rewards are great. It is like a mother who has given birth to an adorable child! Take heart. You are about to embark on an adventure!

Materials:

Ø  2 composition notebooks

Ø  1 package of paper

Ø  1 folder with 3 prongs

Ø  1 pack of pencils

Ø  1 box of Ziploc bags

Ø  1 package of highlighters (yellow, pink, blue, green, and orange)

Course Objectives

Primarily this course requires the students to write a multi-paragraph essay in the form of a personal narrative or an expository piece. Each of these has its own requirements which will be examined in detail in the course of each six weeks. Secondly, this subject demands from the students a consistent command of usage rules as well as conventions of the English language as applied in the essays that will categorize the learners on an accomplished level.

Course Overview

Among the main topics of this subject are the parts of speech, sentences, sentence structures, combination of sentences, punctuations, conventions; drafting essays with a clearly defined focus, appropriate organizational strategy, precise word choice and vivid images, use of simple, compound, complex sentences, internal and external coherence, and effective introductions and concluding paragraphs.

Teaching Strategies

This course will employ various methods that have been found effective in enabling students to learn and are supported by data as to their usefulness. Cooperative learning, lecture, Socratic questioning to elicit student responses and understanding, the use of depth and complexity in planning and implementing lessons, journal writing, oral presentations, recitations, role playing, mnemonics, acronyms, diagramming of sentences, thinking maps, open response questions, and rubric scoring will be utilized as part of classroom techniques of instruction.

Grades

Ø  Grades will be computed according to two categories: class work (75%) and tests (25%). Class work involves participation, recitation, assignments, homework, projects, journals, binders, writer’s notebook, book reports, and others. Tests entail quizzes, six weeks exams, and benchmarks.

Ø  I will not assign a grade of “A” for late work. I will count 10 points off per day of late work. If work is turned in and is of good quality, it will not be assigned a grade lower than a “70”.

Ø  Work not turned in will be recorded as NHI (not handed in) or M (missing) on the student portal so that grade reports will compute the grade as zero until handed in.

Tardy Policy

Tardies are minutes taken away from learning. Students who are chronically tardy waste the most valuable commodity in school - time.

Tardies at Ac2E Middle School accumulate all day and start over at the new 6 weeks. These will be referred to the office with consequences.

Ø  Tardies 1-4 Teacher records and warns the student.

Ø  Tardy 5 – Referral to administrator. Parent contact

Ø  Tardy 6 – Referral to administrator. Parent,  teacher, administrator meeting

Ø  Tardy 7 – Referral to administrator. ISS at home campus assigned.

Ø  Tardy 8+ - Referral to administrator. Student will be transferred to home campus.

Discipline Plan

1. Follow teacher’s written and spoken directions the first time given all the time.

2. Ask permission before leaving seat, talking, going to and from anybody and anywhere in the classroom.

3. Keep hands and feet to oneself.

4. No gum, food, or drinks are allowed (except when permission is given and during special occasions).

5. Talk softly and respectfully.

Classroom Rules

1. Follow directions quickly and the first time they are given.
2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.
3. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourselves.
4. Respect your classmates and your teachers.
5. Adhere to district uniform policy at all times.
6. Keep your Teachers Happy  J

Consequences

Everything we do in life has consequences. Consequences are the things that happen to you when you choose not to obey the rules.  This is what will happen if you choose to violate one or more of the classroom rules.

1. Verbal Warning/Reassignment of seat
2. Student and Teacher Conference
3. Parent Contact: Letter or Phone call
4. Parent and Teacher Conference/with Student
5. Referral to principal

-During special circumstances first 4 steps can be bypassed.

Work Expectations

Journals, assignments, homework, book reports, projects, presentations, and other products will have their specific formats to be explained and required by the teacher. They must show professional quality (neat, in correct formats, deep and insightful content, presentable to professionals).  They have to be consistently followed by the students. Any digression or non-compliance of these expectations will result in the work not accepted or not graded until the format is followed.

Blog

This class will have a blog where I will be posting reminders, due dates, and things that will be discussed in class. Sometimes it will be daily and others weekly depending on the information that needs to be given. Students and parents should check the blog daily to make sure that no new information has been posted.  http://www.ac2emsacantu.blogspot.com

Contact

If you have questions feel free to come in and see me during my 8^th and 9^th planning periods which are from 1:50 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. You may also call me at (956) 352-6324.

Week of May 18-22

ELA
We will continue with the Action Adventure Project.  We will Finalize our projects Monday and Tuesday, and start presentations on Wednesday. Remember to include all components discussed (sensory details, dialog, make setting clear, you are the main character).  Lets work together to achieve what we put yourself to do. 

W.W.
  Lets Continue to explore the wonders of words.Remember not to wait until the last minute to turn in assignments. .

Having Fun at Fiesta Texas