1 Welcome to 6th Grade CATSDr. Ragatz and Mrs. Hall Ryan Elementary July 27, 2017

2 Team Teaching Bridge to Jr. High Equal time in both roomsMath & Social Studies: Dr. Ragatz Science and ELA: Mrs. Hall Fieldtrips, class meetings, parties, etc. will be done together 4 “periods”

3 Why the Preview? Dear Parents, Welcome to Sixth-Grade! We are so excited to begin a new year with such a great group of kids and families. Because sixth- grade is an important year, developmentally, socially, and academically, we have a lot of information to share with you. Unfortunately, the district-set the Curriculum Night times are too short to cover everything. We have gone over this information with the students and they have been tasked with sharing this information with their parents. We asked them to do this for two reasons. One, by “teaching” their parents, the students themselves will become more familiar with the information, which is a great way to start a new year on the right foot. Our second reason for the preview is to make the best use of our limited time. During Curriculum Night we will go over the most important pieces of information and then give you, the parents, time to ask the questions that are most relevant to you. Thank you for your commitment to your student! Dr. Ragatz and Mrs. Hall

4 Class Websites Each teacher has her own webpages. Please bookmark them and visit often. Some things you will find on it include: Assignments Subject Specific Information Forms Helpful Links Students are expected to be active in their learning. Please encourage them to utilize the website for the information we need.

5 Dr. Ragatz’s Website Dr. Ragatz’s Website

6 Mrs. Hall’s Website Mrs. Hall’s Website

7 Homework CUSD’s policy: 1 hour/night (estimate) Unfinished Classwork20 minutes of reading is not part of the 1 hour Unfinished Classwork Projects: some at home time, but most should be at school. Set reasonable limits.

8 Dress Code Students violating the dress code will be asked to change or call a parent to bring alternate clothes. As your child’s teachers, we would much rather put our efforts towards their education and personal well- being, instead of having to monitor the appropriateness of their dress. See handbook for specific guidelines.

9 Recess Grade-Level Recess Lunch RecessUncommon for 5th and 6th grades in other schools. 15 Minutes Long Snack Time Students may stay in for extra help. Make-Up Tests and Unfinished Tests Lunch Recess Never Taken Away 20 Minutes Long

10 Late Work Policy Expectation is that all work be turned in on time.All discretionary time will be used to get assignments turned in. All unit specific work must be turned in by the unit assessment date. Example: An assignment from chapter 8 must be turned in by the date of the chapter 8 test. Work not turned in by the end of the unit will be changed in the grade book to 40%.

11 Technology BYOT Campus Permission Slip Must Be Turned InFor Academic Uses Only Flash Drive or Dropbox Highly Recommended

12 Infinite Campus Online grade book. You can view your student’s grades anytime. You can set-up grade alerts through the free mobile app. Grades are continually updated. This is our method to communicate the status of students’ assignments.

13 Field Trips Childsplay - August Phoenix Art Museum – 2nd QuarterVeterans Oasis Park - Water Study Science Camp – Late April Mesquite Groves Pool – Mid May Cost: $180 total $150 for Science Camp, $30 for all other field trips Please pay your ECA fees ASAP through the Infinite Campus parent portal.

14 Science Camp More Information Later Chaperone Interest ListMales Always Needed Females: Possible Lottery Commitment Fingerprints Good Student Conduct Required Incredible!

15 Science Overview 6th Grade Standards Weather & Disasters OceansEnergy Transfer Cells & Cell Systems Organisms in the Environment Ecosystems Forensics STEM/STEAM Projects

16 Science Fair All Students Pairs or IndividualTopic Selection: End of 1st Quarter Work Completed During 2nd Quarter at School Volunteers Needed Science Fair is in January

17 Social Studies OverviewEarly Man Mesopotamia Ancient Egypt Ancient India Ancient China Ancient Greece Ancient Rome The Middle Ages The Renaissance Personal Finance Current Events 6th Grade Standards

18 Social Studies Along with learning about Ancient Cultures, Social Studies teaches skills that students will use throughout their schooling. Reading and understanding factual material. Finding credible sources on the internet. Cornell Notes (C-notes for short) - This is a note taking method to help students organize and summarize what they read. This will be used with the textbook. Research projects Task Cards – These are mini research projects that include a lot of choice. Each topic has over 30 options to choose from. Rubrics – Students will continue to work on using rubrics to guide their assignments.

19 ELA 7th Grade Standards Reading , Writing, Speaking & ListeningFiction and Nonfiction Cross-Curricular Literature Studies

20 Literature Studies The Time Machine: H.G. WellsStarting next week! The Golden Goblet: Eloise Jarvis McGraw Catherine Called Birdy: Karen Cushman The Taming of the Shrew: William Shakespeare We do have some copies but if a student would like their own copy, they can be purchased at most bookstores fairly inexpensively.

21 Book Reports One per Quarter Appropriate Lexile LevelNew Book (not one that has been previously read) Book Report: Choose From Menu No Repeat Genres or Reports Students will be given time at school. All Forms on Mrs. Hall’s Website

22 Math This year the students will be covering the 7th and 8th grade standards in Math, or Pre-Algebra to prepare them for Algebra in 7th grade. Since not all of our CATS students are gifted in math, there are two different classes. These classes cover the same material, but at different paces. Math class consists of the following types of assignments: Daily Classwork – Mon.-Thurs. These are practice problems for the concepts covered in class that day. The assignment is started in class under teacher guidance. If not complete, it needs to be finished that night for homework as it will be reviewed the following day. If there is more than half of the assignment left, the student has not used class time well. Quizzes/Tests – Almost every week there will be an assessment for the skills that are learned. Quizzes cover part of a chapter and tests cover an entire chapter or unit. After these have been corrected, we spend class time reviewing them and students reflect on their individual learning. These will be sent home to be signed and returned. Khan Academy – This is a free, online program to review math concepts. It is a great way to find holes in learning and also practice test taking skills. Students will get set up in this the first week of school. They will all start with the 6th grade curriculum first semester and move to the 7th during second. Highly motivated students may also complete 8th grade. Students should plan to work on this 10 – 15 mins. nightly.

23 Communication Planner Binder Group Email through Infinite CampusBloomz Appointments Websites

24 Bloomz Secure, Closed Group for Just Our Class Class AnnouncementsLike Facebook Class Announcements Volunteer Requests Multiple Ways to Communicate Individually Small Groups Whole Group Let Mrs. Hall know if you did not receive and invitation to join.

25 Classcraft Classroom Management SystemEach Student Represented by an Avatar Can Earn XP for Positive Classroom Behaviors Can Lose HP for Negative Classroom Behaviors Students Work as a Team and Individually Leveling Up Earns Students “Powers” Parent Account (optional) Track Student’s Progress

26 Tribes 5-7 Students per Tribe (group) Meet Weekly Leadership SkillsPeer/Class concerns Leadership Skills Self-Improvement Citizenship Personal Accountability Community Service Terracycle Buddies Celebrate Success

27 Questions Remind them about forms.