Dear Parents and Students,August 2015

Welcome to 6th Grade at the Renaissance Gifted Academy! Sixth grade is an exciting year as students become increasingly independent and responsible for their won learning. We are looking forward to working with your students this year as they discover and develop their gifts. Here is a quick reference sheet about our classes.

Contact Information

Mrs. Behrens– Mathematics, Science, Social Studies Mrs. Barnes – English Language Arts

Email: Email:

Phone: 623-376-4353 Phone: 623-376-4352

Website: Website:

*Mrs. Behrens teaches all mathematics classes and Mrs. Barnes teaches all ELA classes for Renaissance 5th & 6th Grades.

The Year-at-a-Glance:

Quarter 1 / Quarter 2 / Quarter 3 / Quarter 4
Theme: Global Citizenship
Language Arts:
Informational and Persuasive Texts, Historical Documents, writing and speaking
Writing: Informational Text
Latin American novel choice
Social Studies:Global Problem Solving, Geography, Prehistoric Humans & Agricultural Revolution, Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Science:Data Analysis,Oceans, Weather & Water, Climate
Mathematics:Ratios and Proportional Relationships, Rational Numbers / Theme: Development of Democracy
Language Arts: Multicultural literature, mythology, creative story-telling, literary response
Novel: (2) Asian American and Native American choice
Social Studies:First Empires, Greece, Rome
Science: Oceans,Weather, Water, Climate Continued
Mathematics:Rational Numbers cont., Expressions and Equations / Theme: Leadership
Language Arts: Reading and Writing Expository Text; I-Search research project and presentation
Novel: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Social Studies: Leadership and Government, Model Congress
Science:Climate Change and Renewable Energy
Mathematics: Expressions and Equations cont., Percent and Proportional Relationships, Statistics and Probability / Theme: Renaissance
Language Arts:Historical Fiction, Poetry, Drama
Novel: Middle Ages choice
Social Studies:Spread of World Religions, Middle Ages, Renaissance
Science: Cell Function and Structure,Microscopic Life, Diversity of Life
Mathematics:Geometry

Organization in Class and Time Use

Students will use notebooks for each subject. These will be used for note taking, creating thinking maps and webs, recording and analyzing data, summarizing and journaling, reflecting and processing information, etc. The notebooks are an integral part of our learning and must be in class every day in order for students to fully participate. All loose papers should be kept in pockets for each subject. Notebooks should be kept neat and organized. Required assignment must be present in notebooks for grading. This is an expectation!

Home/School Communication

Home/School communication is important for student success. Please establish an accountability system with your child to ensure that all communications and information from school reaches you in a timely manner.

Teacher Websites: Daily homework assignments and project due dates will be posted to the teacher websites. Please check for assignments daily. Teachers use both assignment pages and class calendars.

Planner and Take Home Folder System: Students should establish a daily routine to manage communications to and from school. A calendar/planner to record assignments and a folder are highly encouraged. It is the students’ responsibility to stay organized and current on assignments.

E-Mail/Phone Call/Note Home:Teachers will contact parents by one of these methods as needed to address any issues that may arise. Student may also be asked to call home from class to let you know of missing work or other issues.

Power Schools: Please check PowerSchools regularly to keep up with your student’s grades. Access codes are available through the Highland Lakes office.

Classwork and Homework

Students will generally have homework Mon.-Thurs. This should take approximately 45-90 minutes. Homework will include math assignments, weekly vocabulary/grammar (assigned on Fridays and always due Thursdays), reading assignments, and longer-term projects. Any unfinished classwork must also be completed for homework. The DVUSD homework policy will be followed. It is very important for students to stay up-to-date with work. Completion of all work is expected on-time with up to 30% grade deduction for late work.

Mathematics

  • 7th Grade AZ College and Career Readiness Standards with enrichment activities including some 8th grade standards based on student readiness. Students will apply the 8 Mathematical Practices through all math content.
  • Problem-Solving is heavily emphasized. Students will apply math content through problem solving activities and investigations. Assessments will also include problem-solving.
  • Resources: Primary resource is Engage New York. This will be supplemented with NCTM, and other investigations, problem-solving, and practice activities.
  • Homework: To fully prepare for rigorous assessment, students are expected to complete all homework assignments, showing all work and meeting the expectations established in class. Students are expected to correct errors during the grading/feedback process. Students will be asked to redo assignments that do not meet expectations. Calculators may be allowed for some homework, but not for computational practice. Students should note daily in agendas whether calculator usage is okay.
  • Class Materials: Binders will be used to store ENY materials. Students will also use a spiral notebook and page protector with templates for problem-solving. Students must have these in class every day in order to participate in class activities.
  • All written work should clearly demonstrate students’ mathematical reasoning and should meet expectations for neatness, completeness, quality and must be presentation ready. Students should be prepared to orally present their work and explain their reasoning on all assignments.

Language Arts:

AZ College and Career Readiness Standards in Language Arts engage students in reading analysis, writing, listening and speaking, language patterns and rules,vocabulary development, and writing. In accordance with the Standards, grading in language arts will rely heavily on written responses, oral discussions, and presentation to be evaluated by rubrics, and will include some paper-pencil assessment.Routine work:

Literature Study–Independent reading assignments will be out of class reading. Please look for these on the class website. Students are to complete an individual, research-based response to assigned novels.

Word-Study and Grammar -Word study will beWord Within the Wordand grammar will be The Magic Lens.These two curriculums will be alternated each week. Routinely, grammar or vocabulary lessons begin on Friday and are assessed on the following Thursday.

Grading Summary

In all subjects, points will be awarded for projects, assessments, classroom activities, and independent assignments to demonstrate student proficiency/mastery of the Arizona Standards. Unit projects and assessments are heavily weighted

Personal Leadership Management

Students are expected to manage themselves at all times and exhibit professional collegiality while working with everyone. Additionally, students are expected to exhibit academic integrity and digital citizenship, and demonstrate a high level of engagement in academic content. When this occurs, students are trusted to conduct investigative work with autonomy.

When students do not exhibit self-management the following strategies will be reminders:

  1. Brief removal from group or class participation.
  2. Personal written reflection.
  3. Calling home when action is recurring, or intensely disrespectful.
  4. Loss of technology privileges.
  5. Office referral per DVUSD student rights and responsibility policies.
  6. Loss of grade points for plagiarism or non-participation.

Schedule:

8:45-8:55 Announcements/Class Business

8:55-10:00 Social Studies/Science/Integrated Projects

10:00-10:45Electives Classes (Band, Chorus, PE, Art)

10:45-12:15 Math

12:15-12:55Lunch/Recess

1:00-1:50Social Studies/Science/Integrated Projects

1:50-2:00Agenda/Class Business

2:00-3:30 ELA with Mrs. Barnes

We are looking forward to an exciting year of learning with your talented and gifted students! Please stay in contact; we are here to help your student succeed! Let’s have a great year!...... Mrs. Behrens and Mrs. Barnes