September 4, 2009



Dear Family Member,

As your child's new Language Arts teacher, I would like to welcome you and your child to South Orange Middle School. I'm excited about this year and launching our readers' and writers' workshops to inspire and help your child grow into a stronger and more passionate reader and writer.

Our beginning unit is "Finding My Place" in which your child will delve into issues of identity, diversity and respect. During readers' workshop, lessons will focus on developing comprehension, stamina and fluency. We will look at how to create individual goals to improve our reading, and we will learn and practice "fix-up" strategies to assist us in improving reading comprehension. In this unit, your child will choose independent books that are appropriate for him or her. Also, throughout the year we will learn how to purposefully apply the reading strategies that proficient readers use in a variety of genres.

In writers' workshop, lessons will focus on writing with details, planning and organizing one's writing through the different stages of the writing process, and targeted grammar and proofreading skills and strategies. Through process writing, your child will write a story of personal significance, exploring techniques and strategies that "real" writers use. In addition to various other pieces of writing within this unit, your child will also learn to write quality written responses to books read, using textual evidence to support his or her point.


Of course, your help is important to your child's continued success. You can best support your child's efforts by providing a quiet environment for him or her to complete nightly assignments as well as teaching your child how to organize his or her time and to plan ahead for assignment deadlines. Also, you may assist your child by checking over assignments together, especially final published pieces or projects.

Your child will need the following materials in this class by Tuesday, September 8th (I encourage you to reuse gently used materials you may already have at home.):
- 1 1/2-inch binder with inside pockets**
- 1 pencil holder pouch**
- 1 package of dividers
- 1 package of mini-post-its**
- 1 package of 3x3 inch post-its**
- 1 black marble journal** (no rings please)
- 2 folders, 3-hole punched**
- 1 highlighter
- 1 green pen
- 1 package of filler paper for binder
- 1 package of index cards
- Pencils/pens throughout the year
**not to be shared with other subjects

I look forward to a great year. Please visit my website at http://somsteam6a.tripod.com/msforerossite/. If you have any questions, you can reach me through the main office at 973-378-2772 or e-mail me at aforero@somsd.k12.nj.us.
Sincerely,


Angela Forero

**

NOTE:

(Please excuse the appearance of the letter above as I'm having difficulties with this website.)