Literacy Skills for September 29-Oct. 3, 2008

6-1 Literacy Skills for September 29-Oct. 3, 2008
Reading Reflections--The packet will be revised for October as we veer toward writing "extended responses." One of the State goals for sixth grade is : "The student will respond/analyze literature." With differentiation, if the student is selecting one of the question choices on the cover of the pamphlet and responding with careful thought ( a minimum of one page), the aim is to build toward one thorough extended response.
Due: Five Reading reflections, signed by student and parent, are due Monday, September 29.
Five Reading reflections are due Monday, October 6.

Novel work: Upon completion of the novel, The Summer of the Swans , by Betsy Byars, a novel exam will be completed. We will read a second Byars novel, Cracker Jackson to compare and contrast characters, setting, plot, and problem resolution. This will provide a common reading experience we will refer to through the year with other realistic fiction novels.
The students will complete an AR test on Summer of the Swans and Cracker Jackson .

BRING THE NOVEL, HOOT TO CLASS BY OCTOBER 6.
A differentiated unit will be instructed. Students will have a project selection list, discussion opportunities, and research assignments with this novel.

To implement differentiation in Literacy Skills, students will be moved forward in class to complete novels, participate in literature circles with open-ended questions, and read novels within their "zone of proximal development." For example, students will be encouraged and expected to read novels in their reading and comprehension range.

New assignment: The student will read one biography per trimester.
By the first week of November, every Literacy Skills student in my class will have read one biography. The written report includes: Knowledge: List five events from the person's life you read about in the order in which they occurred. Comprehension: Write a short summary of the person's life and explain what specific reasons this person is remembered . Application: Pretend you are the person you read about. Write a diary entry during a special time in your life. Analysis: Would this person have made a good friend? Tell why or why not. What are some qualities a famous person possesses? Synthesis: What if the person you read about lived 30 years in the future? Write about the kinds of things he/she might contribute to society in the future. Evaluation: Do you think a biography should have been written about this person? Explain. ( This report is due by Nov. 14. )