Mr. Vital's Website

AMSA ELA GRADE 6 Syllabus

2009 - 20010

Week

Date

Topic

Significant

Assessments

Test, quizzes, projects, reports

1

Sept 2-4

MONDAY – AUG 31, NO SCHOOL: GRADE 6 ORIENTATION TUES. SEPT 1

Intro to Speaking, Listening and Discussing Skills – Intro to Portfolio; Intro to Process Writing

Portfolio as product

2

Sept 8-11  

MONDAY – SEPT 7 LABOR DAY, NO SCHOOL

Process Writing, cont.

Understanding Word Origins: historical, cultural and technological influences on English;

Summer Reading Review Sheets due:

Launch point for Spelling:  May use Personal Spelling List, Most Commonly Misspelled Words, or set up Vocab/Spelling Notebook for vocab/spelling related to literature.

BEGIN discussion on GRAMMAR: *Use Grammar Pacing Guide / Supplement at teacher’s pleasure / discretion: PHWritinig/Grammar, Part II.

Summer Reading Review Sheets

3

Sept 14-18

Process Writing Cont: – Review and Prep for the year

Any grammar-check-ins, or mini-lessons, as needed; quiz or organic exercises, as needed.

Quiz – 5 stages PW and subcategories of each

4

Sept 21-25        

Structure and Style; Sentences, Paragraphs, Combinations and Transitions:  Continue with Spelling/Vocab as needed

Product examples

5

Sept 28- Oct 2

Intro Narration; Non-Fiction: Writing First Person Narrative Essay; “My Best Talent”: Rubric and Expectations within Process Writing construct

6

Oct 5-8

OCT 9, PROF DEVELOPMENT DAY: NO SCHOOL

Review of First Person Narrative Essay: Check-ins for topic-selection; rubric-checks; planning sheets.

Work toward rough drafts

Grammar Check-ins, as needed; Spelling ongoing. 

7

Oct 13-16

Monday- Columbus Day- no school

First Person Narrative Essay; Check-ins; Revision Stage;

Rough Drafts

8

Oct 19-21

Editing and Proofreading:  *Germane use of PROOFING for spelling, and grammar work, responding to student need

9

Oct 26-30

Final edits and revisions 1^st Person Narrative Essay

First-Person  Narrative Essay due

10

Nov

2-6

DESCRIPTIVE EXERCISE

Figurative Language; Sensory Exercises:  Macabre phrases for collaborative themed poem or individual macabre thematic poems; (other poetry concepts at teacher discretion: focus: description, sensory images)

END OF TERM, FRIDAY, NOV. 6

Descriptive or poetic exercises due

11

Nov 9-13

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11:  Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL

Exposition: Compare-Contrast:  Elements of, Rubric, Process Writing structure:  Gilgamesh and Bible Flood stories

Grammar check-ins, as needed

Exposition, compare-contrast notes / outlining

12

Nov 16-20

TUES: NOV 17 AMC 8, GRADES 6, 7, 8

Check-ins for drafting of Expository Compare-Contrast exercise

Work toward ROUGH DRAFT

Rough draft exercise due

13

Nov 23-25

Thursday  and Friday  – Thanksgiving

Proofing/for spelling, grammar, vocab, on compare contrast exercise.

Final Compare-Contrast Exercise due

14

Nov 30-Dec 4

Wednesday, Early Release – PD

INTRO Narration, Fiction; Intro to Writing The Short Story; topic selection strategies; Rubric using Process Writing;

Freytag’s plotline; short story structure, character profiles, dialogue, story crafting.

Pre-writing Stage:  begin early drafting

Notes on Short Story, Freytag’s plotline (Story Mountain), characterization

15

Dec 7-11

Friday Dec 11 – Professional Development Day – NO SCHOOL

Check-ins using rubric on short story progress.  Draft Stage

Grammar check-ins: exercises or grammar assessments as needed

16

Dec 14-18

Check-ins for short story progress.  Revision Stage

17

Dec 21-23

Check ins for short story progress, Edit/Proofread:  Publish.

Rough Draft: Short Story EXERCISE due

18

Jan 4-8

INTRO TO Persuasion:  understanding rhetoric, written persuasion; rubric and Nestorian Order; rubrics through PW; select topics.

Topic SELECTION; notes on Persuasion / Rubric

19

Jan 11-14

FRIDAY, JAN 15 – PROFESSIONAL DEV’T: NO SCHOOL

FINAL Topic-Selections approved by teacher; drafts started with check-ins for rubric-targets. 

20

Jan 18-22

MONDAY, JAN 18, Martin Luther King Day- NO SCHOOL

Check-ins on Persuasive Drafts

Grammar check-ins:

21

Jan 25-29

FRIDAY, JAN 29 – END TERM 2

PERSUASIVE WRITING/ESSAY COMPLETE:  Practice delivering orally; Intro Speech, Public Speaking, the Oratory

AMSA Competition Schedule and Rubric disseminated by department chair

Persuasive Writing submitted: graded for term 2. END TERM 2 FRIDAY 1/29

22

Feb 1-5

Delivery of SPEECHES; BEGIN Elimination Rounds

FINAL Speeches due for delivery

23

Feb 8-12

TUESDAY, FEB 9: TOP-TIER FINALISTS FROM GRADE 6 AMC-8, PARTICIPATE IN AMC-10  ( 25 TOTAL FROM GRADES 6, 7, 8)

Final Elimination Rounds: Mon-Wed (latest):

Thursday Evening, Feb 11: Fifth Annual AMSA Speech Competition

Grammar and spelling check-ins

Finalists deliver speeches 2-11 (Thurs evening, AMSA)

Feb 15-19

Winter Recess. No school entire week

24

Feb 22-26

Response to Literature – Literary Analysis; elements of literature for purpose of analysis and MCAS prep. Teacher may assign same short story and/or poem for all to analyze

25

March 1-5

Review Rubric via Process Writing; Continue work on literary analysis exercise.

GRAMMAR REVIEW; SPELLING REVIEW, review of etymology, roots/prefixes/suffixes, etc. for MCAS

26

March 8-11

Friday March 12 Prof Development: NO SCHOOL

Review student-progress; rough draft, revisions, teacher and peer-review

Ongoing check-ins for Grammar, conventions, mechanics, spelling for MCAS

Literary Analysis due Thurs.  (mini-composition)

27

March 15-19

MCAS Preparation:  short answers-practice; understand the prompt;  understand the TEST and how it is graded;

28

March 22-26

MCAS PREPARATION, Grade 6 Monday and Tuesday.  Prepare for short answers in reading, and reading comprehension;

Practice Tests;  Grammar, conventions, spelling, mechanics.

 MCAS WED. 3-24 GRADE 6, TWO SESSIONS;

 MCAS THURS 3-25 ONE SESSION

29

March 29-April 2

Intro Research Writing: purpose (fun topics to know about) elements of: (facts paraphrased from reliable sources, organized, use of source-cards):

Rubric w/Process Writing; format for research paper; discuss strategies for topic selection and available research sources

30

April 5-9

Friday April 9, End Term 3

WED, APR 7:  MCAS ELA MAKE-UP

Final approval of (fun!) topic-selection; approval of sources; check-ins for source cards; draft plans; research check-ins. 

RESEARCH NOTES, PARAPHRASING, AND SOURCE CARDS DUE Friday.

Topic check-ins; TURN IN FOR GRADE RESEARCH NOTES AND SOURCE CARDS: MAY BE ASSIGNED OUTLINE OR WRITING PLAN:  END TERM 3 IS FRI.

31

Apr 12-16

Check-ins in DRAFT stage: use rubric;

Into to paragraph citations, works-cited or bibliography.

Notes on in-line paragraph parenthetical citations and format for bibliography

April 19-23

Spring Recess. No school entire week

32

April – 26-30

Return to RESEARCH: Review of research notes, source cards, source-citation and biblio notes:  RETURN TO WORK IN DRAFT STAGE, RESEARCH PAPER.

33

May 3-7

Check-ins for drafting progress:  REVISION STAGE;

Grammar, vocab, spelling check-ins per class need

ROUGH DRAFT DUE ON RESEARCH PAPER

34

May

10-14

MON MAY 10: GRADE 6 MCAS MATH – 1 SESSION

EDITING/PROOFREADING,

PUBLISH/PRESENT/PORTFOLIO:

Research Paper complete. 

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE: submit>portfolio

35

May

17-21

Intro Media Analysis –  what are different kinds of media? Assessing media as consumer and writer.

Selection of media for student-analysis; discussion and critical review of media: television, internet, print, radio, billboards, etc.

Intro to media productions by students; select topics for presentations: (ex: news reports, political speeches, advertisement/commercial, debate, sports coverage; editorial; radio spot; video, brochure/pamphlet); select teams w/teacher assistance.  Individual media productions OK: at discretion of teacher and student-choice.

Grammar and Spelling Check-ins

Notes on Media and media analysis;

Media Productions: Presentations to class when feasible and/ or collect products.

36

May

24-28

FRIDAY MAY 28 PROFESSIONAL DEV’T: NO SCHOOL

NATURES’ CLASSROOM WEEK FOR GRADE 6:

37

June 1- 4

Monday – Memorial Day NO SCHOOL

Oral / Dramatic Readings:  (Could swap a Poetry Unit for this, and have students prepare to present their own poems as literature.)  BRIEF:  NOT MORE THAN 3 MINUTES.

Drafting or selecting performance-piece; may read/perform when ready this week

38

June

7-11

FINISH all Oral Presentations (drama or poetry) –

 STUDY GUIDES FOR ELA FINAL: PREPARE FOR FINAL

Complete Dramatic readings/presentations  – STUDY GUIDE FOR ELA FINAL

39

June 14-18

FINAL ELA REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM

FINAL EXAM, ELA

FRIDAY JUNE 18: END OF TERM 4

TERM 4 ENDS FRI; JUNE 18

FINAL EXAMS