My web site address is:
http://TeacherWeb.com/CA/StPatrickSchool-Rodeo/MrsFrancis-Language Arts/
WELCOME to MIDDLE SCHOOL AND MY TEACHER WEBSITE!
CHECK OUT THE LATEST FRANCIS SCOOP ABOUT THE LATEST HAPPENINGS IN LANGUAGE ARTS.
My teacher website is an important place to check daily for announcements, homework, book lists, internet resource sites, school forms, and student photos. The students will also have classroom planners for writing down their daily assignments. We do a lot of reading & writing in my classes, but I move a little slower with 6th grade at first since they are new to the program. My classes are taught as a workshop so can kids work at their own ability level, but I do have deadlines and I give a lot of long term assignments so I expect accountability and students working independently because I am preparing them for high school. Most written assignments are stored on the computer so practice those keyboarding skills over the summer. The school uses Microsoft Office 2004. Students will need to purchase a 2GB flash drive so they can work at school and at home. I will teach them how to use it as well as how to create file folders on the computer. I look forward to working with your child's success as a reader and writer.
You can now download all the documents for the workfolio this weekend,
(June 13, 2009). Remember NOT to print them back to back. Print out 2 copies
(1 set of documents for home & 1 set for school) Documents are due the second week of school. Remember to put the documents in sheet protectors; do NOT hole punch or staple them together. We will putting the work folio together during the 2nd week of school. The workfolio with the downloaded documents is a key element we will be using for my classes.
I will be gone from JUNE 20-JULY 20. This year's vacation adventure is ALASKA.
I will also be visiting my folks in St. Louis.
*Remember to send me YOUR CURRENT (HOME & WORK)e-mail addresses
Just a reminder not to send a reply from the NEWSFLASH. This page is meant to share announcements. If you wish to send an email just click on the email icon on my home page in the upper right hand corner or send a note directly to kfrancis@csdo.org using your own email provider.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOMEWORK REMINDERS
Just a reminder that all students and parents should be checking the homework website daily during the school year to make sure they have the correct information.
Each essay response is always 6 or more sentences in each paragraph.
The paragraphs vary from 3-5 depending on the genre sample.
All reading responses are 3-5 paragraphs.
During the year your child should be working independently on the portfolio and publications.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TESTING/ GRADING POLICY
Whenever I give a TEST and the student scores below 73% and/or if a GRADE DROPS below a 70% a progress report will be sent home for a parent signature.
The student has two days to return the test and/or progress report w/parent signature.
I started a new procedure for students who were struggling with grammar exercises. Any student who does not do well on the quiz and receives a 73% or lower on the quiz would have to redo it the following day. They are given the option to use the YELLOW PAGES in the Write Source textbook as a resource during the test.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READING REMINDER:
Students have been given a required 6th grade book list.
They are required to read 12 books for the year. I sent home a summer letter with reading expectations and the required reading booklist for the year. You will also be able to find this letter and booklist in the 6 documents on my website.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PORTFOLIO/ PUBLICATIONS
There is a color code for all drafts that will change in a rotational pattern every other month.
The color code for
AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER is as follows:
YELLOW is MONDAY(unless we have a holiday,then I will collect them on FRIDAY).
GREEN is TUESDAY
BLUE is WEDNESDAY
RED is THURSDAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION
We only use ORIGINAL CD's for music or they may download music from Freeplaymusic.com at school (NO FLASH DRIVE FOR MUSIC) Kids can check out the Freeplay songs at home and then bring the title selection to download at school.
For Mac users: All iLife'06-08 projects completed at home may not work on our computers at school. You are welcome to burn an iDVD and bring it to school to use for the project otherwise you will have to put the iLife '08 project at school.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FLASH DRIVES
Students are allowed to use flash drives with lanyards(cord) that contain only student documents on them. We only use Microsoft Word processing documents. Make sure the word processing document is compatible with the school's Microsoft 2004 version. Students can use text edit but they have to convert it at school to a Microsoft document. We do not use Microsoft Works. Students must have the
flash drive scanned everyday for viruses. The less information stored on the flashdrive, the faster the scanner works.It is very important that they know how to use the flash drive if they want to us it at home & school.
FROM WHAT THE STUDENTS TOLD ME, A DVD WORKS THE BEST AT HOME. I CAN ALSO READ WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER (version 9.0) and QUICK TIME (version 7.6), BUT MAKE SURE YOU SAVE IT AS A MOVIE. I CAN ALSO READ WINDOWS MOVIE VISTA (WMV).