How to Use This Website:
The goal of this website is to distribute information on A LOT of topics as efficiently as possible. Generally, there will be links on related Edmodo assignments to help you zero in on what you are looking for.
Please note that this website includes information for all levels of 6th grade LA: Core, Explore, and Quest. As a result, some sub-pages do not apply to every student. Information is divided into subcategories, and if you hover over the links at the top of this page, you will see a drop down menu of the sub-pages included in that topic. I have done my best to organize information intuitively.
I include a lot of classroom materials, assignments, and extra resources on this website as well, so if students need extra support at home or forget an assignment at school, those resources will hopefully help you.
Of course, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at any time!
Please note that this website includes information for all levels of 6th grade LA: Core, Explore, and Quest. As a result, some sub-pages do not apply to every student. Information is divided into subcategories, and if you hover over the links at the top of this page, you will see a drop down menu of the sub-pages included in that topic. I have done my best to organize information intuitively.
I include a lot of classroom materials, assignments, and extra resources on this website as well, so if students need extra support at home or forget an assignment at school, those resources will hopefully help you.
Of course, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns at any time!
Parents:
How to Contact Me:
Email is the best way to reach me for a quick response. If you'd like to speak on the phone, please leave a message on my voice mail and I will call you back. If you need to speak to your child right away, please call the office and have the secretary page me or your child. If you'd like to set up a conference please let me know some times that work for you so I can check my calendar before getting back to you.
Powerschool:
PowerSchool is a great tool for students and parents alike. This is where you can view your child's grades as well as comments on his/her work, and find out if any assignments are missing or late (there are symbols that denote each one respectively). Powerschool also has a great feature where you can subscribe to updates and get emails regarding your child's grade each time it is updated, or on a weekly basis.
Please note that seeing dashes in the grade area just means your child's assignment either has not been graded or they are exempt from the work. It is not a zero and does not negatively impact his/her grade. If work is missing and there is a zero, children can make up work for late credit up to a week after the original deadline.
If you have questions about PowerSchool please feel free to contact Amy Lamberti at alamberti@lfschools.net. She will be happy to help you.
Please note that seeing dashes in the grade area just means your child's assignment either has not been graded or they are exempt from the work. It is not a zero and does not negatively impact his/her grade. If work is missing and there is a zero, children can make up work for late credit up to a week after the original deadline.
If you have questions about PowerSchool please feel free to contact Amy Lamberti at alamberti@lfschools.net. She will be happy to help you.
Edmodo:
Edmodo is a place where you can view your child's homework calendar and get information about daily assignments and due dates. Student can also sign in to post messages/questions to their classmates, and private message me as well.
Parents can retrieve the Parent Code from their child’s account; it will be visible on the lower left side panel of the student screen. Honestly, I suggest signing in as your child so you can view class folders and all the posts your child would see. The parent view has some limitations.
If you have questions about Edmodo please feel free to contact Amy Lamberti at alamberti@lfschools.net. She will be happy to help you.
Parents can retrieve the Parent Code from their child’s account; it will be visible on the lower left side panel of the student screen. Honestly, I suggest signing in as your child so you can view class folders and all the posts your child would see. The parent view has some limitations.
If you have questions about Edmodo please feel free to contact Amy Lamberti at alamberti@lfschools.net. She will be happy to help you.
Powerschool/Edmodo PowerPoint from the Tech Dept.
powerschool-edmodo_presentation_-_curriculum_pm.pdf | |
File Size: | 2128 kb |
File Type: |
Students:
Online Resources That You Should Be Using
PowerSchool Parent/Student: Use this to check your grades, view comments on your work, and see if you have missing or late assignments.
Edmodo: Use this to see your homework calendar, post messages/questions to your class, or private message me. Sometimes you will also use Edmodo to take quizzes or turn in assignments.
Edmodo: Use this to see your homework calendar, post messages/questions to your class, or private message me. Sometimes you will also use Edmodo to take quizzes or turn in assignments.
Getting Extra Help
If you realize you're confused or need to tell me something, please feel free to email me. However, please know that I see independent problem-solving as the most important skill that needs to be developed in sixth grade. That does NOT mean that I won't help you. It just means that I want to see you try to help yourself first.
I expect that if you are contacting me with a question about an assignment, it is because you really need my help, and not just because you don't want to go through the trouble of problem-solving something you could figure out for yourself. Listen and participate (ask questions) in class, read over materials given to you, check this website for extra help, and ask a friend if you just need to check or review something.
If you need extra help beyond the stuff you can do yourself, you have some choices depending on how much help you need. You can either email me, or come see me outside of class time. If you need to work with me for a while to catch up, that's fine, but please come see me at a time when I can really give you individual attention. Remember, I cannot catch up one student while the rest of the class waits, so it is important that you use the times below for extra help.
I expect that if you are contacting me with a question about an assignment, it is because you really need my help, and not just because you don't want to go through the trouble of problem-solving something you could figure out for yourself. Listen and participate (ask questions) in class, read over materials given to you, check this website for extra help, and ask a friend if you just need to check or review something.
If you need extra help beyond the stuff you can do yourself, you have some choices depending on how much help you need. You can either email me, or come see me outside of class time. If you need to work with me for a while to catch up, that's fine, but please come see me at a time when I can really give you individual attention. Remember, I cannot catch up one student while the rest of the class waits, so it is important that you use the times below for extra help.
Come see Me At These Times:
- Homeroom
- Most mornings before school starting at 8AM (email to check that I don't have a meeting)
- Lunch (by appointment only)
- After school most days
Late Work Policy
- Students who were absent due to illness have as many days as they missed to make up work without any penalty. Still, remember that you need to talk to your classmates and me to find out what you missed. PLEASE see me outside of class to get caught up. I cannot catch up one student while the rest of the students wait. Homeroom is a great time for this, if you do not want to come in before or after school.
If you do not turn in your work on time for a reason other than illness (or family emergencies, things like that--just have your parents write me a note), you will receive a late grade:
- After class through 1 day late: -10% penalty
- After one day: -50% penalty
- Late work is NOT accepted after a week from the original deadline and you will receive a 0% (a BIG hole in your grade that will surely drag you down). The reason I cannot accept your work after that, is that you are supposed to be able to use your work in class while we are studying a topic. By then, the class has likely moved on.
Extra Credit/Re-Do POlicy
- On occasion, I will offer extra credit as part of already existing assignments (like monthly reading logs), but I do not think extra credit on its own is fair because it undermines the value of daily work throughout the year.
- Please do not ask me if there is anything you can do to bring up your grade if your grade has dropped due to missing work or lack of effort, as I will not provide you with extra opportunities. My only suggestion would be to turn in any work that is late from that week, and try harder in the future. The reason for this, is that I truly believe students learn best from consequences, both positive and negative, and that those consequences have to be predictable and consistent. If you are unhappy with your grade, the best thing you can do is learn from the experience and commit to improving your effort. I can help you come up with a plan for the future, but I want to deal with your past in a way that is fair to all my other students.
- If your grade has dropped but you have been trying hard and turning in your work, we can discuss redoing some assignments for more credit. Please do not wait until the end of a grading period to ask about this, as I will be unable to accommodate the extra grading required at that very busy time.
Tips from the Teacher:
How to Do Well In LA Class
1. Above all, I am looking for evidence that you TRIED no matter what. Even if you're unsure of yourself.
It is much better to bring in work that shows how you tried to problem solve the best you could. If you bring your work each day and you have done it to the best of your ability, it is seriously almost difficult to get below a C on your report card.
If you turn in work where you've skipped difficult parts or just written, "IDK" or "I don't know," you will not do well. You will never get credit for "I don't know," but you might get some credit just by giving your best guess and explaining your thinking. I OFTEN give partial credit for wrong answers that show you've tried hard.
JUST TRY YOUR BEST!
2. People make mistakes and forget assignments. It has happened to me, and chances are, it will happen to you at some point this year. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes. If you bring in your work after class on the due-date, or by the very next day, you can still earn an A-, which is a very respectable grade.
If you try to forget about your missing assignment by avoiding it, you will probably end up with an F on your assignment, which can dramatically impact your grade. That's right--each little assignment plays a surprisingly large role in your overall grade, and that role can be negative or positive. Let's go for positive!
I'll say it again, because this really is the most important thing to understand: It is up to YOU to turn in your late work. Please try to think from my perspective. As a 6th grade teacher, I'm doing my best to keep track of almost 100 students. I need to see that you're doing your best to keep track of yourself. If you meet me halfway, I'll do everything I can to help you but I don't want to feel that I'm working harder than you are, when it comes to earning your grade. Ask questions, get extra help, turn in your work, and hustle if you miss a deadline. Don't wait until I notice something is missing, and don't expect reminders.
3. If you need an extension, talk to me as SOON as possible. I'm more likely to see your request as part of proactive problem solving if you don't wait until the last minute. Not all requested extensions are given, but if you have a difficult circumstance, please talk to me.
4. Please get in the habit of checking PowerSchool and following up on any problems you notice.
It is much better to bring in work that shows how you tried to problem solve the best you could. If you bring your work each day and you have done it to the best of your ability, it is seriously almost difficult to get below a C on your report card.
If you turn in work where you've skipped difficult parts or just written, "IDK" or "I don't know," you will not do well. You will never get credit for "I don't know," but you might get some credit just by giving your best guess and explaining your thinking. I OFTEN give partial credit for wrong answers that show you've tried hard.
JUST TRY YOUR BEST!
2. People make mistakes and forget assignments. It has happened to me, and chances are, it will happen to you at some point this year. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes. If you bring in your work after class on the due-date, or by the very next day, you can still earn an A-, which is a very respectable grade.
If you try to forget about your missing assignment by avoiding it, you will probably end up with an F on your assignment, which can dramatically impact your grade. That's right--each little assignment plays a surprisingly large role in your overall grade, and that role can be negative or positive. Let's go for positive!
I'll say it again, because this really is the most important thing to understand: It is up to YOU to turn in your late work. Please try to think from my perspective. As a 6th grade teacher, I'm doing my best to keep track of almost 100 students. I need to see that you're doing your best to keep track of yourself. If you meet me halfway, I'll do everything I can to help you but I don't want to feel that I'm working harder than you are, when it comes to earning your grade. Ask questions, get extra help, turn in your work, and hustle if you miss a deadline. Don't wait until I notice something is missing, and don't expect reminders.
3. If you need an extension, talk to me as SOON as possible. I'm more likely to see your request as part of proactive problem solving if you don't wait until the last minute. Not all requested extensions are given, but if you have a difficult circumstance, please talk to me.
4. Please get in the habit of checking PowerSchool and following up on any problems you notice.