Faubion School

6^th Grade Language Arts and Social Studies

2011-2012 Syllabus

Ms. Kim Bess

Faubion PK-8 School/ Room 9

Phone: 503-916-5686/ Email: kbess@pps.net

Language Arts

• Reading & Literature- reading comprehension strategies, novels, short stories, poetry, informational text
• Writing- writing process, developed essays, narratives & poetry, correct use of English language conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation)
• Speaking, Listening, & Viewing- speeches, analysis of media, appropriate behaviors

Social Studies: Ancient World Studies

• Civilizations of Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome

• Culture
• Time, Continuity, and Change
• Geographical Influence
• Development of Identity, Groups, and Institutions
• Power, Authority, Governance, Civil Ideas, and Practices
• Economics
• Global Connections through Time
• Social Science Analysis

How I Run My Classroom

Students…

• I will treat you with respect so you know how to treat me
• You are free to do anything that does not cause a problem for anyone else
• If you cause a problem, I will ask you to solve it
• If you can’t solve the problem, or you choose not to, I will do something
• What I do will depend on the special person and the special situation
• If a you feel something is unfair, whisper to me, “I’m not sure that’s fair,” and we will talk

Homework

Homework will be assigned weekly and daily depending on the assignment.  I provide students with an assignment sheet for each class and require that they use it to record homework and in- class assignments that will be graded.  Asking to look at this each night is a great way to know what assignments they are doing in class and what they should be doing at home.

·         Weekly Word Work (grammar, spelling, or vocabulary)- assigned on Monday, due & take quiz Friday

·         Weekly Reading Log (students are required to read something of their choice for about 20 minutes each night, five nights a week)- due each Monday. The back of the reading log will have a place for you to write questions or comments for me, which I will respond to and return to your student to take home by the next day.

·         Daily homework as needed (occasionally it will be necessary to finish an assignment at home that was started in class, or to prepare something for an assignment we will be doing the following day

Late Policy

I will accept late work up to two weeks after the original due date (with the exception of reading logs which cannot be made up).  Each week the work is late, it will go down a full letter grade.  After two weeks, I will not accept the work and the grade will remain a zero in the grade book.  Students who turn in incomplete, incorrect, or illegible work will be given the opportunity to do the assignment over; however, the late policy will apply. Since I understand that sometimes “life happens”, each quarter I will give each student a coupon good for one free late assignment J

Grading System

Most daily assignments and homework assignments will receive a grade of

plus (   ), check (   ), or minus (   ).  All larger assignments, like projects, tests & quizzes, or finished writing pieces will be graded using a standard letter grade scale.

Grade               Points                           Mark                            Points (Grade)

A                      94-100                                                

A-                     90-93                           Plus                              10         (A)

B+                     87-89                           Check                           8.5       (B)

B                      84-86                           Minus                           7          (C)

B-                     80-83

C+                     77-79

C                      74-76

C-                     70-73

I do not accept “D” or “F” work from students.  Any work turned in that does not meet the criteria for a minimum ‘”C-” grade will be returned to the student so that they may do it over for a better grade.  If it is not done over and turned back in within two weeks, the grade will remain a zero in the grade book.