What is worth fighting for?

Students are writing an argumentative paper about what they believe is worth fighting for. They have explored various "big ideas" about what is worth fighting for...

 what has been fought for in the past...

...and what seems like it's worth fighting for but really isn't. 

Socratic seminars

We have been busy discussing stereotypes in preparation for a discussion/debate in the Socratic seminar style on Tuesday, Jan. 20 and Wednesday, Jan. 21. The topics we are discussing are gender stereotypes and stereotypes of Pit bulls. Over the long weekend, please ask your child about their feelings on these stereotypes and what their talking points will be. We prepared on Friday. This will be an opportunity for me to assess their speaking and listening skills. The rubric I will be using can be seen here.

To find out more information about Socratic seminars, here are some resources:

Read.Write.Think: Socratic seminars in middle school
Paideia Active Learning: Staging a Socratic seminar
Example seminar:

Wednesday, January 14

Argument Video

https://sites.google.com/a/adams12.org/claybacks-classes/6th-grade

Identify the speaker's argument.
Find 3 claims that are supported with evidence.
Find 3 claims that are not supported.

Example: 
Supported claim: Most sixth graders don't like school.
Evidence: 85% of sixth graders say they like school, according to education.org.

Unsupported claim: Most kids don't like school.

Study Session Day Change

Please note that my study session day has changed. Language Arts study sessions are now Tuesdays after school (3:45-4:15) or by appointment. Students should come to a study session prepared with what they would like to work on. 

New Year Motivation

For the past couple of days we have been discussing motivation as the first building block for our new unit: The Power of Arguments. We wondered: what motivates us to do the things we do? We explored intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I've asked your children to talk to you about motivation and the different reasons we do things for ourselves and for others. They discussed reasons they do chores, try to get good grades, and play sports. 

This weekend, students have homework to bring in an example of motivation. This can be a picture, a quote, a newspaper/magazine article, or a personal anecdote. It can either be written down on paper, clipped from a source, or emailed to me and I will get it printed for them.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back!  I hope you had a very relaxing/fun filled two weeks with your friends and family!  

We will be beginning our next unit about the power of arguments. Our overarching concept for this unit is personal accountability, so while we learn about reading and writing in an argumentative style, we will look at arguments through the lens of personal accountability.

In this unit, students will explore, analyze, and discuss various texts that deepen students’ understanding of personal accountability. We will begin a new read aloud, where students will analyze the text to understand the personal accountability of characters and how their actions affect others in their lives and around them. We will examine our essential questions using different forms of text and media to analyze and broaden our understanding of this concept.