Course Syllabus

Course Title: Language Arts Grade: 6

Teacher’s name: Patricia Rigley Email: patricia.rigley@ssdsboston.org

Best way to contact me: email Telephone: (617) 928-9100 x

Periods per week: 15

Major curricular themes/objectives:

Students will be introduced to both classic and modern literature and approach stories using literary

terms such as protagonist, point of view, conflict, irony, etc. Students will respond to literature

through a variety of writing assignments including note taking, journal responses, original poems and

expository essays. Students also will be involved in whole class and small group discussions, Socratic

Dialogues, oral presentations and research projects. Each student will have a Portfolio which will

contain all assignments. The units based on Medieval Times and Julius Caesar will connect to units in

our Social Studies textbooks. A weekly syllabus, a Plan Book, a Portfolio, and homeworknow.com

will be the basis for staying organized about assignments.

Course outline/specific units/approximate weeks of study

Unit Sample of Activities/Content Approximate Weeks

of Study

Summer

Reading Books

Good Masters!

Sweet Ladies!

Laura Amy

Schlitz

The Green Glass

Sea

Ellen Klages

Students will review a Middle Ages timeline

Discuss the facts about characters that are

reflective of the roles each would play in

Medieval Time

Assume roles and concentrate on portraying

individual characters and scenes to the class

Understand both the fascinating (knights,

troubadours) and dark (anti-Semitism,

plagues) aspects of Medieval Times

Concentrate on researching one topic from

this era

Students will connect the historical and

fictional characters and events

Discuss the themes of isolation, self-image,

relationships, bullying, etc.

Recognize symbols and allusions

Review the book’s historical significance

Learn more about The Manhattan Project

from research and a guest speaker

5

The Odyssey

Gareth Hinds

(a graphic novel)

Students will use graphic novel terms as

they discuss Gareth Hinds’

vivid depiction of the great classic

epic poem

Learn to analyze Hinds’ use of color

and design

Discuss themes/ideas of hubris,

revenge, loyalty, hospitality, etc.

Review the history of Homer and

oral storytelling

Connect the famous events and

characters with artwork, pottery,

sculpture in our 4th

/6th

MFA program

3

The Giver

Lois Lowry

Students will discuss the ideas of a

Utopia and Dystopia as they examine

Lowry’s complex society

Review themes of identity, courage,

rebellion, individual freedom, etc.

Learn and use literary terms to analyze

the novel for protagonist, foreshadowing,

resolution,etc.

Connect characters’ names (Jonas,

Gabriel) to Biblical significance

Connect Lowry’s novel to other literary

works (poems, short stories) with similar

themes

Prepare a creative writing piece or

artistic project based on a key event in the

novel(also connecting to our MFA program)

2

Classic Heroes

Students will read Robert Nye’s

Beowulf, Robin Lister’s The Story of King

Arthur as well as other myths and legends

Learn and then identify the classic

hero characteristics in classic stories

Discover the poetry (similes, metaphors,

alliteration, etc.) in vivid prose

Read, listen to, understand, and memorize

stanzas of more challenging epic poetry

versions(Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf

translation)

3

Out of the Dust

Karen Hesse

Children of the

Dust Bowl

Jerry Stanley

Students will be introduced to the free-

verse prose style of Hesse’s writing

Learn historical facts about The

Depression/Dust Bowl events using

Stanley’s pictorial/personal

documentations of life in the 1930s

Create insightful journal responses

blending fact and fiction

Prepare a research piece on one aspect

of this period

Prepare poems based on famous

photographs of this period by Dorothea

Lange and other FSA photographers

2

Short Stories

Students will be introduced to the structure

of a short story ( conflicts, theme, etc.)

Read stories by classic (John Steinbeck,

Carson McCullers) and modern (Sandra

Cisneros, Walter Dean Myers) writers

Compare/contrast coming of age themes

Recognize and then create opening

sentences that “grab the reader”

Prepare at least writing assignments such as

“ One Moment in Summer,” an Ancestry

Story or Coming of Age Essay

Short segments

spaced throughout the

year that often connect

to a specific unit

Lizzie Bright

and the

Buckminster Boy

Gary D.

Schmidt

Students will be introduced to the actual

events that provided the background for

this fictional story of a friendship between

a boy and a girl from two different worlds

Discuss the theme of racism which is key

“antagonist” leading to tragic events

Discover and discuss the Biblical,

Mythological and Historical allusions in the

book

Analyze the structure of this novel in which

the author uses metaphors, names and

symbols that reflect the key events

2

Brown Girl

Dreaming

(all-school

read)

Jacqueline

Woodson

Students will be introduced to this award-

winning author through this beautiful

memoir written in poetry form

Discuss the various influences that shaped

Ms. Woodson’s emergence as a writer of

prose and poetry

Share her other books for younger children

and adolescents

Examine the Civil Rights history that is

a subtle background in her memoir

(see below)

2

African

American

History/Harlem

Renaissance unit

WordMaster

Vocabulary

Program

Students will learn about African American

history through music, poetry and

fiction and non fiction books(working in

book groups)

Write character sketches based on insightful

reading

Explore historical connections through

research

Understand the roots/connections of jazz

and blues and African American history

Connect poems by African American poets

to the novel through Socratic Dialogue

Students will learn 25 challenging words for

each of the 3 sessions during the year

Learn various ways to understand verbal

analogies/analogical reasoning

Participate in 3 different analogy meets

2

Our vocabulary

unit throughout

the year

SKILLS TAUGHT/REINFORCED:

Review clear, organized sentence writing with sentence variety and careful word choices

Become proficient in identifying parts of speech, parts of a sentence, types of figurative language

and literary terms

Use the Writing Process (brainstorming, revised drafts, proofreading)

Expand vocabulary through literature units / review commonly misspelled words

Learn and use various reading and note –taking strategies

Create an opening paragraph with topic sentence/thesis statement supported by detailed

paragraphs of evidence and a clear conclusion

Use various types of figurative language/imagery to enhance prose/ poetry

Learn approaches to research(books, periodicals, internet) and correct methods for footnotes

and creating a bibliography (working closely with our librarian)

Compare and contrast themes such as loss of innocence, family relationships, courage, etc.

Enhance communication skills through a variety of classroom experiences including written

responses, whole class and small group discussions, Socratic Dialogues and individual

presentations

One Major Goal of the LA Curriculum: Using Big Ideas and Essential Questions such as the

following to create more opportunities for the students to understand and then create

connections between the visual and literary arts

Big Idea: An appreciation of the visual arts (paintings, photographs, graphic art, etc.) often will

both enhance one’s understanding of a literary work and inspire one’s own creative response to

the arts, including the visual arts (through original poetry or original artwork)

Essential Questions: (based on a plan to frequently include the visual arts as an essential

component to the 6th

grade literature units as the 4th

and 6th

grade students prepare for our 3rd

year program with the Museum of Fine Arts)

When reading fiction(The Giver, Lizzie Bright, short stories), in what way does our ability to

“visualize” characters and events affect our enjoyment/understanding of the story? In what ways

and for what reasons did the ignorance (lack of knowledge) and in some cases illiteracy

contribute to the racism and prejudice exhibited by characters in various novels and individuals

in history?

In what ways do the characters (both human and mythological) in classic literature reflect our

own emotions and actions?

In what ways do the FSA historical photographs by Dorothea Lange and other photo journalists

enhance our understanding of the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era? (Out of the Dust/Children of

the Dust Bowl unit)

In what ways do the discoveries of art in archeological excavations support the possibilities of

actual historical events that were once considered myths? (such an excavation in Denmark is

creating a realistic story out of the epic poem Beowulf)

Major Papers/Projects: In addition to whole class units students will be expected to choose at least 5 books on a

recommended reading list of various genres with both classic and modern titles. Some of these

books will be discussed in small groups while others will require creative projects that reflect

comprehensive reading. Students also will be encouraged to share many of their written pieces

including poetry and projects with class members for positive feedback. Working together to improve

editing/proofreading skills will result in more confident 6th

grade writers.

Homework Policy: (how often, when accepted etc.)

Success in the classroom always will depend on completion of each day’s homework assignment.

Students will be encouraged to participate in all class discussions and activities.

How to get missed assignments: Students will receive a class syllabus every 7-10 days that will clearly state daily homework and long-

term assignments. A more concise version will be on homeworknow.com. This information also

should be in each student’s Plan Book.

Integrity of Student Work: Whether a homework assignment, an in-class test or a long-term

project, each student needs to be aware of the need for honesty and the serious issue of plagiarism. The

librarian and I will review these issues with the 6th

grade students early in the year.

Grading criteria:

Writing = 30 %

Tests and Quizzes =15%

Homework =30%

Class Participation =25%

Availability for extra support: I am available at Office Hours or Lunch Tutorial. Havurah time also

will provide an opportunity for questions about assignments.