Students: If you are looking for a good book series, I strongly recommend The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer!

(These directions will be given in class on Monday, March 14th)

6th Grade Language Arts

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Final Project Options

*Upon finishing the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, you will be required to complete one of the projects listed below. You need to be ready to present your project during class on Friday, March 25^th. You will be given time in class to discuss and brainstorm your ideas, and some time to work on these projects in class. All work is expected to be neat, organized, and legible.

Option 1: Choose 15 scenes from the novel to put onto a timeline. Each scene needs a picture and 3‐4 sentences explaining what happened in that scene. Your timeline should be in chronological order of when these events (approximately) would have happened. Scenes need to be colored, and you should be prepared to explain why you chose the scenes pictured. This may be on a poster or other large display board.

Option 2: Create a new book jacket for this novel. You must include a front cover with a neatly illustrated scene from the novel, the author and any awards for this book; an 8-10 sentence summary on the back cover, separated into paragraphs; at least 5 selected quotes from the novel on the inside of the jacket (left side); and an explanation for why you chose those specific quotes on the inside (right), as well as a brief explanation as to why you chose the scene on the front of the cover.  

Option 3: Create a “quilt” of different scenes from the novel. You will use 12 (6‐inch by 6‐inch) squares of construction paper. Choose 12 scenes from the novel (one from each chapter) with one significant quote relating to each scene/event. Draw and color each of these scenes with the related quote onto the paper squares, then arrange the pieces into a “quilt.” They can be glued onto a poster or other large display board.

Option 4:  Choose a historical figure that has been influential in the Civil Rights Movement. Research all about this person and type a 1-2 research paper about his/her life and how they were influential in history. Paper should be at least 2 pages, double-spaced and must include a “Resource” page of the web sites and/or books used to find information.

Option 5:  Pretend that you will interview a character. You will write out the script for the interview, and then perform the role of the character. Your responses must align with how the character would actually act. (Note: I will ask you the interview questions, so this grade is based on how you perform the role of the character.) You must write the script with at least 10 questions about certain scenes from the book. You may have a script with you while performing, but it must be obvious you have read through the script and are prepared for the presentation while you are “playing the role” of that character during the interview.

Option 6: With one other person, choose 4 scenes to act out from the text.  You must be the same character for each of these scenes, so the scenes should be related and ongoing.   For example, you may choose to be Stacey and TJ, Cassie and Lillian Jean, Papa and Mr. Granger, etc.   You will write 1 paragraph (4‐6 sentences) for each scene explaining why you chose it, as well as a paragraph telling how your character changed from the beginning to the end of these scenes.

Option 7: Choose 2 scenes to rewrite as a character other than Cassie.  For example, perhaps rewrite the chapter where Mama gets fired from Mama’s point of view, or the final scenes from TJ’s perspective.  Maintain the character’s point of view that you are writing from.  The scenes you choose should use the same character in each, and each should be about 1 page long.  Be prepared to share what you have written as well as an explanation for why you chose those scenes.

Option 8: List 8-10 major events in the book. Illustrate these events on index cards and write a 1-2 sentence summary for each one at the top of the picture. Attach them to a ribbon or string so they hang in sequential order. This is a visual book report!

Option 9: Think about the story and what has taken place. Choose at least five of the most important scenes from the story. What words would you use to describe the mood of these scenes? (Examples: hatred, frightening, peaceful, funny.) A thesaurus or a dictionary might give you some ideas. Divide a large sheet of construction paper or poster board into those sections, and label each section with the chapter in which the scene occurs. Put your “mood description” under each heading. Next, think of the colors that remind you of those words. For instance, if you wrote down the word “angry,” perhaps the colors dark red, purple, or bright orange come to mind. Write these colors next to your descriptions. (Hint: pastel or light colors are usually considered peaceful, happy, colors. Dark or intense colors are often thought of as relating to intense emotions, such as anger or hatred.) Draw the scene using the colors you felt would relate to the mood of that scene. Pastel chalks work well.

Option 10: When you finished reading the story, did you have some questions that were left unanswered? Well, here’s your chance to make-up an answer for them! You will continue the story by adding whatever you wish to it. Note: This is NOT an alternate ending; you are simply adding to the existing ending. Write or type a two page paper that continues the story. (If you type, you must use size 12, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, please). Be creative and be sure to watch out for grammar and proper punctuation! 

A.R.

Reminder: The 3rd quarter A.R. cut-off date is next Tuesday, March 15th! The goal for 6th graders is to earn 15 points per quarter, which is taken as a Language Arts grade. To earn the school-wide reward, students must exceed the goal by at least 3 points and earn 18 points or more. Thank you!

Scholastic Reading Club

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub

One-Time Class Activation Code: PQ7ZJ

Dear Families,

Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club!

With Scholastic Reading Club:

•  Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library

•  You can choose from handpicked, grade-level and reading-level-specific books for your child

•  You'll find the best values on a variety of formats

Your child will be bringing home Reading Club flyers occasionally. Together you can choose from books hand-selected by teachers and experts, and then order online or send your order form and payment to me at school.

I'd also love some help growing our classroom Reading Club. If you'd like to help out, please let me know! I'm excited to get our class reading more!

Thank you for your support,

•   VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub

•   ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code (PQ7ZJ)

•   SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books and value packs

•   SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom

•   All book orders will be shipped to our classroom so we can celebrate the joy of reading!

The 3rd quarter A.R cut-off has been moved to March 15th due to snow days. Thank you!

We are planning to read the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor as our next novel. This novel is more advanced than the novels we have read so far this year in the areas of comprehension, vocabulary, and content. It is an excellent story with many teachable concepts and life lessons! 

The story is set in Mississippi during the 1930s where a little girl named Cassie and the Logan family is forced to endure discrimination and prejudice because of their race. They must stand up for what they believe in, show true courage, and fight for their rights to keep their land and their dignity. In order to stay true to the tragic events of this historical time period, there is some language in the book concerning these discriminatory issues. Please let me know if you have concerns or questions about this. I plan to read this novel aloud during class just as we did last year. This novel is worth 10 points on AR. 

Book of the Month

The recommended book for the month of January is:

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

Book of the Month

Recommended Book for December:

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Recommended Book for November

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

AR

As you know, this was the final day for first quarter AR and the end of the quarterly grades. The goal in 6th grade is to earn 15 points for the grade in Language Arts. In order to earn the school-wide reward, students must exceed the goal by at least 3 to earn 18 points or more. The reward will be after fall break. In 6th grade, the average percent correct is also taken as a grade for AR. Out of all the books a student tests over in that particular quarter, this is the average percent of how many questions they answered correctly. Our goal is at least 80% correct.

We also took the end-of-the-quarter STAR reading assessment. Each of my Language Arts classes will be logging this information into our data folders in class, so please check your child's data folder (on the "AR Goals and Data" page and the "STAR Reading" page in the back) for their individual results.

Thank you and have a safe and wonderful fall break!  

Literary Elements

(Students took these notes in class on Friday.)

Literary Terms to Know:

~Sound Devices~

Alliteration- two or more words have repeated initial consonant sounds

Example: Fly away my fine feathered friend! Sally sells sea shells…

Onomatopoeia- words that mimic the sound they make

Example: pop, buzz, beep, bang

Personification- when inanimate objects are given human-like traits

Example: The wind yells as it blows. The moon smiled down on us.

Imagery- when a writer uses sensory details to explain a scene in depth so that the reader can picture exactly what is happening

Example: The bright moon beams reflected off of the sparkling blue lake.

Dialect- the way characters speak; a reader can often tell a lot about a character based on his/her dialect

Example: “Ah, good evening madam. How delightful to see you!”

               “I ‘spect they’ll be comin’ on home soon ‘nuff.”

Simile- a comparison between two unlike objects using “like” or “as”

Example: The stars are as bright as diamonds.

Metaphor- a comparison between two unlike objects NOT using “like” or “as”

Example: The stars are bright diamonds.

Hyperbole- a statement that is an over-exaggeration of the truth

Example: I have a ton of homework.  I’m starving!

Oxymoron- opposite words that form a new meaning when put together

Example: pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp

Idiom- an old expression that doesn’t mean at all what it says

Example: I really put my foot in my mouth when I said that. Break a leg! 

October Book of the Month

The recommended book for the month of October is Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Book Suggestions

I have monthly book suggestions and recommended reading for 6th graders. These are not required, but they are suggestions for any students looking for a good book. 

Please consider reading these books! I have read every book that I recommend, and I put a lot of thought into which books to suggest to students. These are the ones for the first two months of school:

August- Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
September- The Giver by Lois Lowry

Number the Stars

Final Project Due by Wednesday, September 23^rd      

*As we read Number the Stars, it is important to really understand the characters and events in the story. Choose ONE of the following projects to complete by Wednesday September 23^rd.

Choice #1 Create a Comic Book

*Create a comic book (or flip book) displaying at least five major events from the story. Neatly draw and color the scenes. Use many direct quotations from the story to clearly explain the events illustrated on each page of your flip book. For example, one of your scenes/events may be the soldiers coming to the Johansen’s apartment to search for the Rosen family. If you chose this scene, you would draw and color what you think it looked like and also draw word bubbles, writing in them what Annemarie and/or other characters were saying. I should be able to look at the scene you illustrated and know exactly what part of the story it is. Put your name and class at the bottom-front of your comic book.

Choice #2 Create a Diorama                             

*Create a diorama displaying a scene from the story. Be creative! For example, you may use a shoebox for the base and glue figurines in it. (You could make the scene when Annemarie is running to the boat to give the package to Uncle Henrik.) You must use a note card to describe exactly what the scene is and why it is important in the story in at least one paragraph (about 5-10 sentences) and attach it to your diorama. Put your name and class on the note card.

Choice #3 Write a Book Summary and Create a New Cover

Write or type a summary of the most important events in the book in at least two paragraphs. Watch out for grammar, spelling and indenting! Then, you will create a new cover for the book and color it. It must be unique! Attach the cover to top of the book summary page. Write your name and class at the end of the summary.

Choice #4 Diary Entries

Think of one scene from the story and write or type 2 diary entries from 2 different characters’ points of view in that same scene. They must both be at least one page. Be sure to choose an important event so that it is clear what you are writing about from the story. For example, pretend you were Ellen when the soldiers came into the Johansen’s apartment to search and write from her point of view, then pretend to were one of the other characters like the soldier and write one from his point of view. Write about what happened and how you felt at the time. Use descriptive language! Write your name and class at the end of the paper.

Choice #5 Sequence Events

List 8-10 major events in the book. Illustrate these events on index cards and write a 1-2 sentence summary for each one at the top of the picture. Attach them to a ribbon or string so they hang in sequential order. This is a visual book report!

Choice #6 Coming Attraction

Number the Stars is about to be made into a movie, and you have been chosen to design the promotional movie poster. Include the title and author of the book, a listing of the main characters and the contemporary actors who will play them, a drawing of a scene in the book, and a paragraph synopsis of the story. Your goal is to make people want to see this movie!

Choice #7 Star of David Story Web

For this activity, you will use the Star of David as the center for a story web to represent an overview of Number the Stars. Choose a material such as plywood, cardboard or straws to construct a pair of identical equilateral (all sides equal) triangles. Paint these gold or cover them with foil. Overlap them to form a Star of David. Glue the triangles together. Mount the star on a piece of poster board or plywood and place it in the center of your story web. In the center of the star, write the title of the story. At each of the six points, write “Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?” You are writing WHO the main characters are, WHAT they did, WHEN this happened, WHERE this happened, WHY the story was written, and HOW the story developed and concluded. Then illustrate some of the characters, symbols, and/or scenes from the book.

Choice #8 Crossword Puzzle

Create a crossword puzzle using at least TWENTY of the following: important characters, vocabulary words and specific events in the story. You may type this on the computer, or use a large piece of white construction paper if you choose to write it. You must also include the answer key. The clues you give for the words in the puzzle must be very specific. The puzzle words and clues must be reasonable, yet appropriately challenging. For example, one of the clue phrases might be “narrator of the story” to which the answer would be “Annemarie”. However, there are many other clues you could give for Annemarie as well such as “Ellen’s best friend” or “blond-haired ten-year-old girl from Denmark”. They are all correct, but you may choose to only have one clue for each word.

Choice #9 Mood Mural

Think about the story Number the Stars and what has taken place. The novel is divided into five sections (chapter 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, 13-15, and 16-Afterword.) What words would you use to describe the mood of each of these sections? (Examples: hatred, frightening, peaceful, funny.) A thesaurus or a dictionary might give you some ideas. Divide a large sheet of construction or drawing paper into those five sections and label each with the chapter headings. Put your “mood description” under each heading. Next, think of the colors that remind you of those words. For instance, if you wrote down the word “angry,” perhaps the colors dark red, purple, or bright orange come to mind. Write these colors next to your descriptions. (Hint: pastel or light colors are usually considered peaceful, happy, colors. Dark or intense colors are often thought of as relating to intense emotions, such as anger or hatred.) Draw a scene from each of the sections using the colors you felt would relate to the mood of that scene. Pastel chalks work well. If you begin this project before finishing the story, wait until you read the rest of the story to complete the final section.

Choice #10 Continue the Story

When you finished reading Number the Stars, did you have some questions that were left unanswered? Well, here’s your chance to make-up an answer for them! You will continue the story by adding whatever you wish to it. Note: This is NOT an alternate ending; you are simply adding to the existing ending. Write or type a two page paper that continues the story. (If you type, you must use size 12, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, please). For example, you may write a scene that flashes forward in time to show if Annemarie and Ellen ever see one another again, a scene where Ellen reunites with her parents and they settle in Sweden or move somewhere else, a scene that shows what Denmark is like after the war for the Johansens, a scene in which Uncle Henrik is caught by the soldiers who discover what he is doing, a scene where Annemarie must go back to school without Ellen and face questions about the situation from her classmates...the list goes on and on! Be creative and be sure to watch out for grammar and proper punctuation! 

ACCELERATED READING PROGRAM

      2015-2016

This school year Mrs. Sauer, Mrs. Castlen and Mrs. Conkright will be organizing and managing our Accelerated Reading Program.  If you have any questions concerning the program, you may contact Mrs. Sauer or Mrs. Castlen. 

GOALS

4^th Grade – 10 points

5^th Grade – 12 points

6^th Grade – 15 points

Each student will be responsible for achieving a quarterly goal, which will be counted as one reading grade. For the first and second quarters, students who exceed their quarterly goal by three points, will receive a non-uniform day plus a chance to win awesome prizes.  Prize drawings will be given out during each quarterly Excellence Assembly.

QUARTERLY REWARDS

v Only those students who exceed their quarterly goal by three points will receive the rewards listed below.

First Quarter Reward – Non-Uniform Day/Prize Drawings 

Second Quarter Reward – Non-Uniform Day/Prize Drawings                          

For the third and fourth quarters, students who exceed their quarterly goal by three points will earn the following rewards:

Third Quarter Reward – “Game Day”

           

Fourth Quarter Reward – “And We’re Off”               

Quarterly goals must be reached by the following dates:

(Dates are subject to change depending on number of snow days)

           

            First Quarter Cut-Off – October 9th

          Second Quarter Cut-Off – December 18th

          Third Quarter Cut-Off – March 9th

Fourth Quarter Cut-Off – May 13th  

CLASS REWARDS

Any class with all students reaching their quarterly goal will receive extra recess.        

           

INDIVIDUAL REWARDS

Each quarter students earning 100 points or more will be recognized at our Excellence Assembly.

At the end of the school year, the top five readers will be acknowledged for their outstanding achievement.

Book Suggestion List from YOUR Classmates!

In class, volunteers made book suggestions for their classmates based on their favorite books they have read. This is the list we came up with!

The Pendragon series
The Divergent series
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud
Rules
The Keepers of the School series
Maximum Ride series
The Secret series
Dork Diaries
Kingdom Keepers
Alex Rider series
A Series of Unfortunate Events
I am Number Four series
Deep Blue
Out of My Mind 
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Suddenly Supernatural (for girls)
The Heroes of Olympus
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Left Behind
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Harry Potter series
Treasure Hunters
Chasing Lincoln's Killer
Kane Chronicles
Popularity Papers
The Quilt Walk
The Land of Stories series
Percy Jackson series
The Charlies Bones series
Survivors
Revenge of the Flower Girls
Artemis Fowl

Suggested Book List

If you're looking for a new book, here are some you might find interesting:

The Westing Game
The Giver
Bud, Not Buddy
Bridge to Terabithia
The Slave Dancer
The Watsons go to Birmingham