Earth Day

In our 6th grade reading and writing class, we will be discussing Earth Day using articles and the movie, The Lorax.

While watching the movie, students will fill in the graphic organizer to help them understand the causes and effects of the events in the movie.

Students will write reflectively about how the events of the movie made them feel and why protecting the Earth is important to them.

After watching the movie, students will write reflectively and argumentatively about the importance of recycling and protecting our Earth.

Students will read the below articles and use the information to help write a letter to Mother Earth and to help them write an argumentative essay in the form of a letter to a parent or neighbor that explains the importance of recycling.

While reading, students will complete visual note-taking.

Why Recycling is Important

Water Bottle Pollution

In an effort to make a difference in our world this week, students will collect paper and plastic all week to be recycled.

To Kill a Mockingbird

In our 6th grade reading and writing class, we will be reading the screenplay of To Kill a Mockingbird. In order to help you further understand the intricate plot and character development, we will also read the Cliff's Notes of the book chapters. We will compare and contrast the screenplay to the book. To conclude, we will watch the movie and do a final analysis which describes how the film is different from the book. We will film book and movie reviews to demonstrate our understanding and learning. While we are reading, we will research the Civil Rights Movement to gain a better understanding of the time period the characters lived in and how our lives would be different if the Civil Rights Movement hadn't happened. We will also look at what responsibility we hold as citizens to continue to ensure equal rights for all.

Cliff's Notes To Kill a Mockingbird

5 Paragraph Informational Poetry Essay

The questions is, what do I need to know in order to analyze and write poetry?

You will first make a list of things you will have to know.

Then you will create a list of questions to ask yourself while you research and learn about poetry.

You will use your Cornell Notes sheet to collect important terms' definitions.

Your next step is to read through this website, Introductory Paragraph.

You will then need to learn about a thesis statement by clicking here.

We will then view the 5 paragraph essay powerpoint.

After you have an understanding of how to write a good introduction, you will begin to fill out the below outline.

Compare Different Media

Students will learn to compare and contrast the themes, imagery, plot and character development differences when reading a story to when listening to a story.

Students will read the story, "The People Could Fly," as well as listen to the clip, The People Could Fly.

Students will use a Venn Diagram or a T-Chart in order to organize their information.

Context Clues

It is imperative that students be able to read complex pieces of texts and use word attack skills to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. If given the proper skills, students will be able to read at an increasingly higher level. Click the below links to go through lessons over Context Clues.

Context Clues Lesson

Mrs. Getty's Context Clues Lesson

Modern Day Slavery and the Holocaust

Often, we find ourselves in this imagined state of a post racial society. But then, we come across a news article, a video or a friend's account of someone calling them a racial slur. In our class, we are learning about the Holocaust as we read the story, Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We will be answer two major questions. How could the Holocaust happen? Could something like the Holocaust ever happen again? Our culminating project for this unit will be to design and publish a magazine or newspaper that is devoted to answering one of these questions. Your newspaper/magazine must have the following components:

Theme (You can use a quote from videos we watch or anything we read to develop the theme of your project)
A combination of 6 Articles/Poems/Fiction/Book Review/Movie Review
6 Photographs
2 Advertisements

As the editor of your newspaper/magazine, the only thing you will write in your project is the Editor's note. You will take submissions of writing from your classmates and you will have to submit writing to your classmates' magazines/newspapers.

Lets begin on the journey of discovering the answers to our questions by watching the below videos.

CNN and The Freedom Project

Understanding Prejudice

Oprah intervies Elie Wiesel

One Clip at a Time

More Figurative Language and Now Imagery

We are going to continue to discuss figurative language throughout the year. Please watch the below videos so that you can get an idea of how to use figurative language.

Imagery or sensory language is the language that appeals to your 5 senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Please use the below pictures to write a paragraph that is full of imagery or sensory language.