Mrs. Sweredoski - Grade 6 Reading

A book is a gift you can open over and over again!

 BOOK: A Built-In Orderly Organized Knowledge device. This unique entertainment system requires no wires, or batteries, no electric circuits or connections. An added feature is that it is portable and easily transported to any location.  Requires no assembly or written instructions and is so simple even a child may operate.

     One of the best ways to increase reading ability is to just read. Students must have easy access to books. In addition to a school library, the classroom library is the next best thing. I have an extensive classroom library geared toward the middle school reader. This is my gift to my students. I will share my love of reading and books via read alouds, sharing new additions to the classroom library, my own journal entries, and model book reports. If a student has lost the love of reading then I hope to turn him or her back on to reading.

    Reading provides students with a mirror to connect text to self, a window to connect text to the world in which they live, and a doorway to places they have never been. The more texts that students read the more they are able to make connections between texts. This in turn increases their background knowledge. So, what texts will students in sixth grade read? Read on to find out!

     During the school year students in sixth grade will read at least 6-8 books, of their own choosing, for outside reading. These books will be shared via alternative book report presentations, literature circles,  and in journal entries. Additionally, students will also read the following: whole class novels about WWII, Ancient Egypt, nonfiction texts in the Reading for Information book, Time for Kids magazine, Greek and Roman mythology, fables, and a variety of genres in the Ancient World Content Area Reader will also be covered. SRA reading kits will be used for independent practice to develop comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, word analysis, and study skills. As students read from a wide array of nonfiction and fiction texts they will increase their background knowledge.  Additionally, students will also be learning how our English language became what it is today with a special emphasis on how the language of the Ancient Greeks and Romans have influenced our language. Students will learn new Greek and Latin roots and prefixes and suffixes in the Classical Vocabulary Roots book. Furthermore, students will receive a copy of the Watertown Daily Times each Monday. The mini pages, which is included specifically for students, is printed on a variety of topics. Students will learn the parts of a newspaper, and in January they will read a new serial story, with the opportunity to enter a writing contest. Finally, students will listen to teacher read alouds and also have an opportunity to do Reader's Theater so that everyone can listen and learn how to assume different roles when reading and put inflection in their voice.

The goal is for students to improve in their reading ability, increase background knowledge, increase their listening, speaking and writing vocabulary, and have some fun along the way while doing so.

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