Week of August 27 - 31

Welcome to Week 3 of the first semester.

Last Friday,  my substitute collected your bell ringer responses from last week.  You should have completed five bell ringers (one for each day of the week), and all five of your responses should have been on only one piece of paper and clearly labeled as I have instructed.  Please remember my late policy, and be sure to turn in your bell ringers no later than Tuesday (8/28) to receive credit for your work.

On Monday and Tuesday (and possibly Wednesday), all students will be taking the District Baseline Critical Thinking Exam.  After all students have completed this testing process, we will continue our study of how to write complete and accurate sentences.

Wednesday: Students received a handout on Sentence Agreement and Sentence Review (see pictures below).  Their homework is to complete the FRONT side of this worksheet at home.

Thursday: I will lead a discussion to help the students accurately complete BOTH SIDES of the worksheet.  We will also review the information learned from this work.

Friday: The students will be quizzed on their understanding of this worksheet.

Please remember to check your grades in FOCUS on a regular basis to make sure you have turned in all assigned work.

This week's bell ringers are as follows:

Monday & Tuesday:  NO BELL RINGERS due to District Testing
Wednesday: Would you rather have more time or more money? Answer the question, and explain your answer.
Thursday: What are the steps you must take to replace a "0" that you will receive if you turn in an assignment without your name on it?
Friday: Copy the following quote, and explain why the second comma is necessary.
"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."  - George Orwell

Handout:

Week of August 20 - 24

Welcome to Week 2!

We began this week continuing our discussion about how to create an "accurate written response." The students were given the following handout last (see below) and should be using it as a guideline to know how to write the highest level response when writing an answer to a question.

As well, we began going deeper into how to write accurate and complete sentences by working together to complete two worksheets (see below) and then taking a quiz to see how much the students were able to apply what they have learned.

Bell Ringers for this week are as follows:

Instructions: Students are asked to answer the following questions, applying all that they have learned about accurate written responses and complete sentences.

Monday: What are the two requirements of an accurate written response?

Tuesday:  Would you rather live with the Internet or live without A/C and heating?

Wednesday:  Would you rather lose your sense of taste or lose your sense of smell?  Explain why.

Thursday:  Why is it important to begin class with three deep breaths?

Friday: What is the most difficult rule to follow in this class? Why is this the most difficult rule for you to follow?


Next week, we will continue our study of writing accurate and complete sentences after the students take the Baseline Critical Thinking Exam on Monday and Tuesday.

Week of August 13-17, 2018

Welcome to the first week of 6th grade!

This week we will be spent initially taking care of some organizational issues.  I will go over the class grading policy, classroom expectations, and classroom rules.  As well, the students will be completing colorful name plates so that their fellow classmates and I can get to know their names.  This is a BIG TASK for me because I am teaching ALL of the 6th grade students once again this year (about 250 students)!

On Tuesday, I will be taking the students to have their STUDENT IDs re-made.  Each student must have their ID "on and visible" each day of school.  This is a District policy, so please remember to wear your ID!!

Because using proper grammar is a necessary leadership skill, we will begin our leadership learning with a brief study of grammar.  I have discovered that grammar is not sufficiently taught at all elementary schools, and this is why I make a point of covering it in the beginning of my curriculum.  We will start our study by focusing on how to write a complete sentence so that all students will have this necessary knowledge. 

1st HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:  DUE WEDNESDAY
Return the PINK paper on which you have written down the Class Participation Rubric to class COMPLETED AND SIGNED BY YOUR PARENT on Wednesday.

WELCOME to the 6th Grade LEADERSHIP & CRITICAL THINKING Class!

Greetings 6th Graders!

Welcome to the first year of your leadership experience at Julia Landon College Preparatory & Leadership Development School. During your 6th grade year, you will gain a foundational understanding of leadership by studying The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Although your foundational leadership experience will center around learning all about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, a book written by Sean Covey, son of Stephen R. Covey (award-winning author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), you will also discover even more about effective leadership as I introduce you to many other aspects of foundational leadership.

A strong leader must be an effective communicator.  Therefore, during the first couple of weeks, we will have a refresher course in basic grammar and proper sentence structure.  As well, you will be held to a high standard of verbal communication as you continue to develop your public speaking skills throughout this course.  Among the many other important leadership skills that you will learn in this course, time management and organization skills must be acquired if you wish to become a highly effective leader.

After completing your study of "the 7 Habits," you will learn many things about emotional intelligence and mindfulness.  A highly effective leader must not only learn to manage difficult emotions but also to practice mindfulness.  Finally, you will discover many new critical thinking skills, primarily in the second semester of this course.

Please remember that your grade in this course is based not only on mastering the material but also on demonstrating effective behavioral leadership during the class period.  Although you will be given some homework to complete, most of the activities will be completed during the class period.  As such, it is extremely important that you show up to class each day ready to actively participate in class.

Your grade in this course will be determined as follows:

Written Assignments:  45%
Class Participation: 45%
Final Exams: 10%

LATE GRADE POLICY:

If you turn in your homework 1 class period late, you will automatically lose 10 points.
If you turn in your homework 2 class periods late, you will automatically lose 20 points.
I DO NOT ACCEPT HOMEWORK THAT IS MORE THAN 2 CLASS PERIODS LATE

SUPPLIES NEEDED for this course:
1.  A 3-ring binder (1 1/2" recommended)
2.  A package of notebook dividers (set of 5)
3.  A package of college-ruled paper
4.  At least 2 sharpened pencils
5.  A red pen
6.  A hand-held pencil sharpener
7.  Colored pencils
8.  Pencil pouch (recommended to hold pencils, pens, and sharpener)
9.  Box of Tissues
10. Ream of Paper (requested)
11. A bottle of hand soap (requested)

If you have any questions throughout the year, please reach out to me for help. As I mentioned the first week of class, if you want to be successful in this class, MAKE IT YOUR GOAL TO BECOME HIGHLY EFFECTIVE.  If that is your goal, you WILL be successful in this class because, remember, MY GOAL IS SIMPLY TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOAL.

So, lets get started....