Learning Letters from Mrs. Ridder
Assignment & Handout Downloads
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Language Arts and the 2019-20 school year! It's going to be a year filled with learning and fun!
I feel blessed to be able to work with the students at Scott in the areas of reading and writing. I can honestly say that this is my dream job as I am teaching my passion. How many people actually look forward to going to work each day? I consider myself VERY lucky! :)
My website will be a valuable resource for you this year. The website should be able to answer any questions you have, provide links to all the websites we use in class, and fill you in on our daily schedule in the event that your child is absent. I have included a calendar that will keep you up to date on daily homework assignments and special events. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, please take a minute to peruse it. You can find my website at the following address: mrsridder.com. You can also find my website on the Scott Middle School Staff Page.
Reading is an important part of your child's education in 6th grade. Research shows that students who are avid readers in middle school and high school, excel in the areas of fluency, vocabulary development and comprehension... and, listen to this parents, avid readers also score 3-4 points higher on the ACT than non-readers (think college scholarships!) Students will be expected to come to class with a personal reading book daily. Many of the daily lessons will revolve around the titles being read by the students.
Because reading is an essential life skill, homework for Language Arts will be personal reading. Students will be asked to set personal quarterly reading goals. We will be meeting individually with students to help determine goals that will help them grow as readers. You may have heard that we have challenged the kids to read 40 books this year from a variety of genres. You can help reinforce the importance of reading by helping your child find a time and quiet place to read daily and to discuss the books he/she has chosen. We appreciate your help in establishing a routine of reading every day. We want all of our students to experience the joy associated with reading a good book and to become readers for life.
Be on the lookout for a second letter in the next few weeks about writing in our classroom.
Again, I'm looking forward to a fantastic year! Thanks so much for sharing your child with me!
Kim Ridder