Reading /  Language Arts

Tuck Everlasting - Core Novel Puppet Shows and Songs/Raps

Reading
Reading is fun! Reading is something you should do because you enjoy it, not because you have to. Most often, you will enjoy your books when you can understand them. When determining if a book is "just right" for you ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I know anything about this topic or story already? If not, am I interested in learning more about it?

2. Can I open the book to any page and read and understand most of the words on the page? I may not know the meaning of 1 or 2 words, but I can usually figure out the general idea of the story using context clues.

3. Did the author write an interesting hook? After the first few pages am I interested in finding out more about the topic or story?

4. Do I understand the new information about the topic being presented or what's happening in the story? If someone asked me about my book would I be able to tell them about the main ideas/events and details?

5. Have I read 4-5 chapters of the book before I made the decision to put the book down and try another one? Remember, it usually takes 4-5 chapters before the main problem is presented and the attempts to solve the problems occur.

If you've answered yes to the questions above you're on your way to learning a lot and going on a story adventure. You've probably chosen a "just right" book! Congratulations.

Spelling
Our weekly spelling test use words from the Sitton Spelling program. You (sixth graders) are expected to know all words between 600 & 800 by the end of the year, as well as words 599 and below (from previous years). Each week, you are responsible for learning 5 new words and spelling 10 – 15 review words. This enables you to learn new words and holds you accountable for review words.

Vocabulary
Context Clues - When you read a word that you don't understand you can usually determine the meaning by reading the sentence the word is in, as well as the sentences nearby.

Prefix/Suffix and Root Words
In 6th grade we'll work hard to learn new prefixes, suffixes, and root words to help build vocabulary.  In addition to these, we'll learn words that accompany each prefix/suffix and/or root.  Knowing the definition of each will help your vocabulary development as well as your reading comprehension in all subject areas, including: art, music, math, science, reading, language arts, spelling, and social studies - to name a few.

Homophone Project
A Homophone is a word that has the same pronunciation as another word, but whose meaning and spelling is different. Example: to, too, and two, or there, their, and they’re. You will be required to create your own illustrated dictionary deciphering the meaning and spelling of each word. See Project Requirements.

Remember, knowing how to spell homographs and understanding their meaning helps you with spelling, reading, and writing.

Writing
Writing can be fun.  Writing doesn't have to be something you do because you have to for school.  You can write to communicate your thoughts and opinions (we all have a lot of opinions!).  You should try to have fun with writing.  Do you want to know what the traits of good writing are? Do you want to publish your work and get peer feedback?

Parts of Speech
It's important to know the parts of speech. Knowing the parts of speech can help you determine meaning of a word, write complex sentences, and edit your own writing.