What to Expect from 6th Grade EnglishAs students evolve in their education, English Language Arts as a subject also evolves.
Prior to sixth grade, students focused on learning how to read. Fluency, literal comprehension, context clues for vocabulary meaning were the students’ main focus. While these skills are still immensely important, without them a student cannot understand a text more deeply, in middle school we are moving students beyond literal comprehension. Students are expected to make literal meaning on their own and as a class, with structure and guidance, we will look more deeply at text. We will analyze figurative language, critique characters and events, discuss why the author made the choices they did when writing. These skills are meant to catapult students to a more critical understanding of the things that they read. In middle school students will write, and write, AND write. Composition is a skill that benefits students for their whole educational careers and will be present in almost any career they choose. Students will start with paragraphs and move into full length essays. This is one of the most important skills that I will nurture in your students this year. It is so very important that students complete every writing assignment as each new assignment builds on the skills we learned in the last. Composition is a skill that takes time, focus, effort and practice. Students will have homework almost every night. It may be something small such as vocabulary practice, it may be spending some time working on a writing assignment or project, or reading a book of their choice. Last year, as 5th graders, students had two and half hours of class time for English; this year we have fifty-four minutes. Students will need to practice new skills at home; students will have homework almost every night. Middle school is going to be a big change for both you and your student, but the teachers of C-Quad are here to help ease the transition. Please feel free to email your student’s teachers when and if you have questions. Welcome to 6th grade and C-quad. Let’s have a FANTASTIC YEAR!
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