ELA Safari Overview Handout
Adventure Awaits • 6th Grade ELA
ELA Course Overview
Welcome to the ELA Safari • Ms. Lanier
Briefing Note
Welcome to 6th Grade English Language Arts! Our mission is to help students grow as critical readers, masterful writers, articulate speakers, and careful listeners through interactive classroom safaris. Together, we will traverse grade-level literature, refine core literacy skills, and build self-confidence as we map our course toward the North Carolina ELA standards.
Gear Needed
- Composition Notebook (Daily logs)
- Daily Grammar Practice Workbook
- Pens/pencils & highlighters
- Standard blue/black & grading pens
- Glue stick & scissors
Digital Tools
Students will use a Chromebook daily. All assignments, updates, and grading maps live in Infinite Campus. Chromebooks are strictly for learning expeditions during class!
Daily Trails
Daily Grammar Practice Conquering sentence structure and core language skills.
Weekly Homework Due every Friday—keeps our skills sharp on the trail!
Book Expeditions
Freak the Mighty An unlikely, powerful bond teaches two boys to survive difficulties.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham A family journey exploring love, racism, and resilience.
The Birchbark House Exploring cultural heritage and Native American experiences.
6th Grade ELA Safari Page 1
Learning Goals & Evaluation
ELA Exploration Map
Core Objectives
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01
Cite Text Evidence: Pull strong, direct support for textual claims.
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02
Track Central Themes: Summarize complex plots and understand core ideas.
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03
Analyze Word Play: Decipher figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
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04
Evidence-Based Writing: Synthesize complex sources into active essays.
Grading Metrics
Performance will be tracked via exams, active writing portfolios, checks, and homework.
Assessment Trail Weight
Classwork & Assignments 70%
Quizzes & Drills 15%
Tests & Projects 10%
Weekly Homework 5%
Honor Code
Integrity is vital on the safari. Cheating, copying, or using unauthorized AI tools will immediately trigger parent contact and intervention.
Speak to Ms. Lanier early if you hit challenges!
My personal ELA Expedition Goal
Explorer Log
What is one skill you are determined to improve this year (e.g., public speaking, writing, vocabulary)? Jot it down below:
READ • THINK • WRITE • COMMUNICATE • GROW
6th Grade ELA Safari Page 2
Social Studies Safari Overview Handout
Explorer's Guild • Grade 6 Social Studies
Social Studies Overview
Welcome to the Social Studies Safari • Ms. Lanier
Sixth grade Social Studies focuses on world history and geography from the rise of early civilizations through the Middle Ages. Together, we will investigate how geography, culture, government, economics, religion, technology, and historical turning points shaped civilizations, working in alignment with North Carolina State Standards.
The 15 Safari Expeditions (Our Course Units)
01 • Intro to S.S.
Maps, globes, 5 themes of geography, and basic trade and supply concepts.
02 • Prehistory
Paleolithic & Neolithic eras, early tool development, and agriculture.
03 • Mesopotamia
Fertile Crescent, Hammurabi's Code, and early cuneiform writing.
04 • Ancient Egypt
The Nile, Pharaohs, mummification, pyramids, and hieroglyphic carvings.
05 • Ancient India
Indus Valley, advanced urban planning, Maurya & Gupta dynasties.
06 • Ancient China
Yellow River, Silk Road routes, dynasties, and core philosophies.
07 • Ancient Greece
City-states, Athenian democracy, Greek mythology, and Persian Wars.
08 • Ancient Rome
Republic vs. Empire, Roman engineering, laws, and final collapse.
09 • World Religions
Origins of Judaism and Christianity, spreading across Roman roads.
10 • Islamic World
The Five Pillars, Islamic Golden Age science, architecture, and art.
11 • Medieval Europe
Feudal system, Crusades, powerful monasteries, and trade guilds.
12 • Medieval Japan
Samurai codes, Shinto & Buddhist tenets, and shogun isolationism.
13 • The Americas
Advanced Maya, Inca, and Aztec cultures and early conquistadors.
14 • African Societies
Physical geography, trade networks, Axum, and gold-salt routes.
15 • Early Israelites
Canaan boundaries, historic covenants, and early migration roots.
6th Grade Social Studies Page 1
Skills, Gear & Expectations
Social Studies Field Kit
Historical Skills
- • Active map analysis & spatial geography
- • Evaluating primary source documents
- • Applying cause-and-effect reasoning
- • Respectful structured debates
Expedition Checks
- • Quizzes and tests after each unit