LA+Letter

Dear Parents/Guardians, Welcome to another exciting year of exploration and growth. We are excited to present to you an overview of the ways in which we integrate Language Arts teaching and learning at BCS. Effective reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are at the heart of not only a successful academic experience, but a meaningful and rich life as well. Fifth and sixth grade students at BCS will experience a seamless connection between theses four areas of literacy, and how they relate to their lives in immediate and powerful ways. Students are expected to read independently a wide variety of literature of their own choosing for pleasure. Whether they elect chapter books, poetry, drama, graphic novels, or non-fiction trade books - both in-print and digitally - the emphasis is to help them lead literate lives with reading at the core of all they do. We expect each student to read at least 20 minutes each night (Sunday through Thursday) with the understanding that most students will read far more than this. Students will be afforded the opportunity to share these rich reading experiences through monthly //Response and Exploration// assignments. The Houghton-Mifflin reading anthology enables our students to explore a variety of literature centered around three broad themes. The stories in these reading units of study will be related to the types of writing the students will be expected to craft. Students will essentially be asked to live a writerly life, that is, to notice the world around them and realize that what they experience in their everyday lives provides ample opportunity for the creation of meaningful pieces of writing. Students will keep a writer’s notebook, in which they will jot down “seed” ideas for larger pieces of writing. The emphasis is on helping students understand the real-world applications of writing and its life-changing potential. We will explore several writing experiences with our students this year that involve the creation of effective narratives, expository essays, fiction, poetry, and memoir. As the students read these genres, they will see the connection between reading and writing, and continue their journey as writers. As digital natives, our students are accustomed to navigating the Internet and utilizing web-based tools. We will continue to develop the unique styles of writing found in a variety of digital applications, including email, blogs, websites, discussion forums, podcasting, wikis, and digital storytelling. Our students are expected to belong to a courteous community of literate people. As such, they will respect their classmates by actively listening to them as they share stories and writing. Real listening (not just passive silence) is a challenging skill, and we will model this behavior accordingly. Students are expected to speak in ways appropriate to their audience, with confidence and conviction. Their pride should shine through in the ways in which they present their work.
 * 5/6 Team **
 * Language Arts and Social Studies **
 * Program Description **
 * 2008-2009 **
 * // Reading //**
 * // Writing //**
 * // Digital writing //**
 * // Listening //**
 * // Speaking //**

// Frameworks //
The above activities are all in alignment with the curriculum frameworks in the Language Arts for the State of Michigan. We are excited to share what promises to be an outstanding school year on many levels. Please contact us with any thoughts or concerns at any time throughout the year. Sincerely, The 5/6 Teaching Team