Dear Parents,

 

            The sixth grade curriculum is called Social Skills Strategies.  Developing social-emotional competence is a combination of skills that allows people to understand and deal with the social-emotional conditions of their lives so they can interact with others, learn, grow, and solve problems.  We will be learning to:

1. Determine which social behaviors are appropriate in situations.
2. Determine which verbal and non verbal social skills are appropriate.
3. Accurately perceive verbal and nonverbal cues from another person.
4. Adjust to feedback from others.

 

            The way I have chosen to present this curriculum is by reading two books to the students:  Swear to Howdy by Wendelin Van Draanen and The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman.  I have discovered that 6^th graders love this approach to learning social skills.  We analyze the subjects in the books and talk about their social behavior and their cognitive planning and problem solving styles.  We focus attention on all kinds of family and society issues through the books.  This non-threatening approach to social skills really works for me.  When the book’s characters are having a problem, the kids can act out the scene and ‘teach’ the character what he or she should have done…

            If you want to see the materials I use, please drop by and I’ll be happy to show them to you.

 

Nancy Fleming

 

In First and Second Quarter we’ll spend some time reviewing study skills and adjusting to Middle School life.  Then we begin work on Swear to Howdy.

 

Third and Fourth Quarter we’ll be working on  The Schwa was Here.