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Raptor Reader Deadline – Feb. 13th

5 Feb

Screen Shot 2015-02-05 at 8.16.25 AM

The Raptor Reader, AISC’s literary journal/blog, is calling for submissions. If you have a story, poem or writing piece you would like to share with the AISC community, please email it to the raptorreader@aisch.org by Friday, February 13th.  The Raptor Reader link: http://raptorreader.com/

See Mr. Martin, if you have questions. Thanks!

 

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2015 Visiting Author

16 Jan

News from the ES/MS Library and Mr. Jet:

This year we have the pleasure of bringing Lauren Stringer as our author and illustrator for 2014-2015. An award-winning writer and illustrator, Lauren has been entertaining students for years and now she is coming to AISC. She will be with us the week of February 9-13. If you would like to find out more about Lauren Stringer, click HERE and visit her website. Lastly, Lauren Stringer is joining us as part of this year’s Book Week. This year’s theme is “Books and the Arts.” More information about Book Week and the author will be coming out soon!

Image source: screen shot from Lauren Stringer's website.

Image source: screen shot from Lauren Stringer’s website.

 

 

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A Book and a Hug – Find a New Book!

1 Dec
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Click this screen shot to make enlarge.

As it has for years, A Book and A Hug hosts reviews of thousands of books for young readers. You can search for books by keywords, age of the reader, genre, geographical setting of a book, and reading level. A Book and a Hug is a book recommendation site that we just discovered. There is a ten question quiz that you can complete to find out what kind of reading “superhero” you are. The quiz is designed to help you determine the type of books you might be interested in reading. The site also has a book review form that you can complete to submit your own book reviews (you could copy book reviews from our book review site to this one, if you wish).
How can this site help you? Along with our book blogs, this site is a tremendous aid in your search for your next favorite book. We will add a link of this site to our book blogs. Check out this site!

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The Benefits of Reading

16 Nov
Designed by: gosiarysuje.pl

Designed by: gosiarysuje.pl

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Behind Every Writer…

15 Nov
Image source: TitleWave

Image source: TitleWave

Here is an image we shared with parents during the student-led conference. We have shared it before, but it’s always worth sharing again:

20minutes

 

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I Want a Great Book!

13 Oct
s49wzrp1xg2ax9d9o8cnStudents are always looking for new books to read. We have reviewed many places where you can find new books. Here is a list of some links. Remember, your friends are always the best source of ideas!
Mrs. Hall/Ms. Jaya’s Book Blog
Mr. Martin/Ms. Jaya’s Book Blog
Popular Grade 6 Books from goodreads (scroll down and click the next page to find more!)
Great books for boys 
Great books for girls
Awesome 6th grade books
You can also find books by reading level, as well as other links on our Moodle page.

Remember to write a book review this week!

 

 

 

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Writing Tips from Marshfield Dreams Author

4 Oct
In our Language Arts class, we have been working on writing our memoir and hearing read ‘alouds’ from various memoirs, including Marshfield Dreams by Ralph Fletcher. Author Ralph Fletcher has a nice website and it includes some helpful links for young writers. Check out this page on writing tips and a Q & A (question and answer) page with for the author, as well as a list of other books by him. If you have enjoyed Marshfield Dreams, you can find it in the library along with other books by him. Please continue to work on your memoir with the aim of finishing your first draft by next class.  Have a nice weekend!

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October Author of the Month: Linda Sue Park

1 Oct
Photo by: Jaya Shanker

Photo by: Jaya Shanker

The next time you step into our Grade 6 classroom library, check out our author of the month series. Linda Sue Park is the “daughter of Korean immigrants, she has been writing poems and stories since she was four years old, and her favorite thing to do as a child was read.”  Take a look at the Facts (aka FAQS) page on her website to learn more about her and see the books she has written. Her website features all kinds of information about Linda Sue Park. Sign out one of her books to read. Finally, you are all added to our book review blogs. Congratulations and thanks to the students who have already written and shared book reviews. Please write a review about a book you have read this year, or find new books on our blogs.
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Photo by: Jaya Shanker

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Word Hippo

1 Oct
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Image Source: Word Hippo

Vikram shared a really cool website with me and some of this table partners today in Language Arts. Word Hippo is a website that you can use to find word meanings, rhyming words, word forms (past tense, future, tense, and much more!), example sentences, and translations. It looks like a great website that would be helpful to all students. We are always looking for great sites to add to our Moodle pages and our class blog. If you find helpful websites for Language Arts or Social Studies, please send the links to Mrs. Hall, Ms. Jaya, or me. Thanks, Vikram!

Thanks! Mr. Martin

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Memoirs

21 Sep

Here is a video playlist which nicely describes memoirs.

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Scholastic Book Fair!

7 Sep

Book-Fair-ArrowThere will be a Scholastic Book Fair from Monday to Wednesday this week in the Black Box Theater (BBT). Stop by before class, during recess or lunch, or after school. We hope you find something great to read!

 

 

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New Books in the CIC!

3 Sep
CIC Party

CIC Party

The Collaboration and Inquiry Center (CIC) has over 1,500 new books for students to check out, beginning on Thursday. There are a wide range of new books from fiction to non-fiction, and we have many that support our curriculum that are in Japanese, Korean, and other languages. You can see the books on display now, if you visit the CIC (bottom and top floors). The CIC catalogue of books can be found HERE and at the bottom of this blog. Mr. Jet and his staff, along with your teachers, encourage you to visit. Check it out!

 

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How to become a better writer

26 Aug

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Dangerous Books?

24 Aug

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Has any book changed your life?

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Find that ‘Just Right’ Book

20 Aug

Just right books Just right books 3

I_Pick_Good_Fit_Books_Poster

 

General Reading Expectations:

  • Always bring the book you are reading to L.A. class.

  • Read every night for a minimum of 20-30 minutes.

  • You can take your literacy notebook home, but you need to bring it to L.A. class.

  • Choose a wide variety of genres that are age-appropriate and at your “just right” level.

  • Maintain your 40 Book Challenge!

What is the first book you are reading in 6th grade Language Arts? Write a comment and tell us the title and author.

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What should I read next?

18 Aug
Source: Thinkstock

Source: Thinkstock

20minutes

Tomorrow, the remainder of the 6th grade will go to the CIC (library) during advisory to meet Mr. Jet and his staff and to learn more about the M.S. CIC. All students will go to the CIC to get books during L.A. on Wednesday and Thursday.  In order to help you choose a book, take a look at the two book review blogs that your 6th grade L.A./S.S. teachers created last year:
Mr. Martin/Ms. Jaya’s Book Review Blog
Mrs. Hall/Ms. Jaya’s Book Review Blog
We also discovered this cool website – What Should I Read Next? Click on the links and find a book to read. The CIC catalogue link is at the bottom of this blog. Remember that you can go to the CIC before and after school and during breaks or lunch.

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Research Projects & Documentaries

26 May
Check out some of the videos that students in Mr. Martin, Ms. Jaya, and Mr. Seth’s class created for their research project.  Many were very creative and artistic and focused on a topic of the student’s choice. Enjoy!

 

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Celebration of Reading: Book Trailers and Reviews

23 May

read-books

To celebrate our year of reading, we have been creating book trailers and our final book review for our book review blogs. In 6th grade Humanities this year, we have calculated that students have read 2,180 books total (at last count). Many met the “40 Book Challenge,” several surpassed it. All students read a wide variety of genres this year, and we are very proud of them.  Some students are finishing book trailers this weekend, and we will add more to the playlist below.  Check out the book review blogs here:

Mr. Martin/Ms. Jaya/Mr. Seth  and Mrs. Hall/Ms. Jaya

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Projects, Projects!

21 May

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The students have been working hard in recent weeks on a research project in our non-fiction unit. They are currently working on creating book trailers for a book they have read this semester. This is an opportunity to celebrate our year in language arts. Student samples will be added to the blog soon!

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Reading is…

29 Apr
Image source: Edutopia

Image source: Edutopia

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Book Blogs: Review and Rate Your Book!

13 Mar
Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc

The Grade 6 Humanities team is excited to launch our new book review blogs. This will be an opportunity for you to post reviews and rate books you are reading.  You will reach a wider audience with these reviews and also have opportunities to connect with students who love the types of books you enjoy. You can also create book trailers or use tech tools to promote your book. Links to our book review blogs are in the ‘Class Resources’ Blogroll on the right side of this blog, but you can also find them below.  Post your review on your teacher’s blog, but feel free to comment on either blog. Enjoy!

Mr. Martin’s Class

Mrs. Hall’s Class

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Making Movies in your Mind

12 Mar

Women's eye - looking forward.Isolated on white.

 

Good readers create mental images before, during, and after reading, and they make connections to what they are reading through their senses. In class this week, we are reviewing this active reading strategy, and you will use it when writing your extended response due on Friday. Please see the Google Presentation we showed in class.

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Reading: Why Are Those 20 Minutes a Day So Important?

24 Feb

why-cant-I-skip-reading reading info

Twenty minutes a day = 3,600 minutes in a school year = 1,800,000 words = better vocabulary = better writing = higher success and it goes on and on . . .I saw these two Infographics on a blog I read and I thought they were powerful and important. Read these and understand why it’s important to read each day, even if it’s for 20 minutes (your minimum requirement for 6th grade).

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Gallery

Punctuation Saves Lives: Commas

18 Feb

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John Coy Talks with Grade 6

24 Jan
John Coy (Photo by Rob Martin)

John Coy (Photo by Rob Martin)

Grade 6 students had the good fortune of attending John Coy’s discussion today. They learned about the life of an author, how long it takes to get a book published, and how Mr. Coy defines revision.  Students asked a lot of excellent questions. Check out Mr. Coy’s website HERE.  Post a comment and tell us if you enjoyed his visit and anything interesting you learned from his talk.  Have a good weekend!

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