Please note: This is a general plan for the year, but as teachers and students must all be flexible, the outline below is subject to change.
6th Grade Writing Skills Taught
The main goals I have for 6th grade writers are effective note-taking, turning notes into longer pieces, and experiencing writing in different genres. Each of these skills, especially those taught in the non-fiction units, builds upon the previous ones. This process will help students be more effective writers in later grades. Additionally, they will have opportunities to present their work in order to practice their speaking and listening skills.
1st Quarter: Note-taking/outlining, summarizing
· Note-taking and outlining
· Summarizing from notes
· Narrative summaries—using notes to create an original summary
2nd Quarter: Writing fictional stories from pictures; fractured fairytales
· Writing from pictures—teaching and using visualization and observation skills using various picture sources
3rd Quarter: Research reports
· Learning how to find relevant and credible research sources
· Summarizing references—short paragraphs, then longer references
· Outlines/summaries of individual and then combined references
· Research reports; can be based on topics from other classes
4th Quarter:
· Poetry
· Persuasive writing
Grammar and Vocabulary
In addition to writing, I will also teach vocabulary and grammar skills. Students will review parts of speech and sentence mechanics as I relate grammar to their writing. I will often use examples from the books they read in literature class to demonstrate how writers use grammar and mechanics to make writing correct and more interesting.
We will begin vocabulary study during the second quarter with a program called "Building Vocabulary from Root Words", which is a comprehensive program that teaches students to recognize semantic patterns using Greek and Latin roots. When students begin recognizing these patterns, they can often figure out meanings of unknown words on their own. This can also help them on the SAT and ACT.
***Please let me know if you ever have any questions about the syllabus.***
The main goals I have for 6th grade writers are effective note-taking, turning notes into longer pieces, and experiencing writing in different genres. Each of these skills, especially those taught in the non-fiction units, builds upon the previous ones. This process will help students be more effective writers in later grades. Additionally, they will have opportunities to present their work in order to practice their speaking and listening skills.
1st Quarter: Note-taking/outlining, summarizing
· Note-taking and outlining
· Summarizing from notes
· Narrative summaries—using notes to create an original summary
2nd Quarter: Writing fictional stories from pictures; fractured fairytales
· Writing from pictures—teaching and using visualization and observation skills using various picture sources
3rd Quarter: Research reports
· Learning how to find relevant and credible research sources
· Summarizing references—short paragraphs, then longer references
· Outlines/summaries of individual and then combined references
· Research reports; can be based on topics from other classes
4th Quarter:
· Poetry
· Persuasive writing
Grammar and Vocabulary
In addition to writing, I will also teach vocabulary and grammar skills. Students will review parts of speech and sentence mechanics as I relate grammar to their writing. I will often use examples from the books they read in literature class to demonstrate how writers use grammar and mechanics to make writing correct and more interesting.
We will begin vocabulary study during the second quarter with a program called "Building Vocabulary from Root Words", which is a comprehensive program that teaches students to recognize semantic patterns using Greek and Latin roots. When students begin recognizing these patterns, they can often figure out meanings of unknown words on their own. This can also help them on the SAT and ACT.
***Please let me know if you ever have any questions about the syllabus.***
