Phone: 985-764-6367
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
B.A. Foreign Affairs, Florida State University Grades 1-8 Teacher Certification, Tulane University M.Ed., Southeastern Louisiana University
Mrs. Trotter
Coronavirus Break! Notes from Mrs. Trotter:
Saturday, May 23, 2020
This was it! The last 6th grade ELA assignment of the year has been evaluated with feedback in the Google Classroom. There were 14 out of 55 students who posted a reflection of their 6th grade year either as a speech, like Steve Jobs did in a commencement address to the graduating students or Stanford University OR as a poem, like Langston Hughes did in "Mother to Son". It was so great to see how the students incorporated anecdotes, metaphors, repetition, and so many other literary elements that they analyzed in the texts they encountered this year. I must say, for those students who met this ungraded challenge, I was incredibly impressed and touched by their reflections. With your help, we made it through this year and finished it with strength. I wish you and your children a wonderful summer.
Monday, May 18, 2020
We are in the homestretch - our final week of the 2019-2020 school year! Thank you to all of you for being such a strong support system at home. Thank you for putting up with my weekly emails and many phone calls and texts during these past two months. Thank you for entrusting me with your child's education and blessing me with the opportunity to be their teacher this year. You have amazing children and I love them all so much!
Big change for this week: Virtual Learning Sessions will be Tuesday and WEDNESDAY. I have other school responsibilities on Thursday, so I switched the day. I do have a final project for the students this week. Either write a poem or write a speech about overcoming the challenges of being a 6th grader during this year of the Coronavirus Pandemic. I really can't wait to see what they share.
Trotter's ELA Home Learning Schedule Week of 5/18 - 5/22
6th Grade Week at a Glance (all subjects)
Have a fantastic week, and as always, feel free to email me, text me, or call if you have any questions or concerns.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Home Learning is moving right along!!! Many of you received phone calls last week from either me or another teacher about participation not just in ELA, but in all classes. I know we are getting a little tired of this, but we only have two weeks remaining. We can do this!!! Here are two documents that can help organize for ELA and for the rest of your classes in this coming week.
Trotter's ELA At Home Learning Schedule 5/11 - 5/15
Please help students remember that their school work is not just showing up to a vitural learning session or watching the video of the session. Students really need to complete the Class Notes and Independent Work assigned to reinforce what is presented in those virtual sessions and to get practice and feedback from the teacher before taking the quiz.
Remember I am here for you if you have any questions or concerns. Please email me, call me, or text me. We are finishing this year as strong as we can!
Mrs. Trotter
985-240-2228 (cell)
atrotter@stcharles.k1.la.us
Monday, May 4, 2020
Good Morning!
We will continue to use the Steve Jobs Commencement Address for our text this week and will focus on summarizing key details that support a central idea. The Classwork assigned this morning should be completed by Thursday before the quiz i assigned. This allows for more meaningful conversation for our class discussion on Thursday.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Good Morning!
Monday, April 20, 2020
Good Morning ELA family!
Monday, March 30, 2020
Good Morning Trotter ELA families!
ELA - Last week in summary:
- Online Class: 20 students showed up in the online classes offered through the week between the two classes. On Friday one class had 8 students show up and the other had 9 students! That was awesome! It was great working with students to determine meeting expectations and exploring this new technology available to us.
- IXL: 15 students logged to answer 1,000 questions.
- ReadWorks: 9 students read from 9-33 articles on Emotional Health and Every Day Science Questions
- FlipGrid: Students have shared their routines - or lack there of! This is one of the most difficult and strangest times we have ever experienced. Routines are important to keep up motivation and positivity during challenging times. I am so impressed by my students’ efforts to maintain routines in each of their lives. We will get through this together!
ELA - Week of 3/30 - 4/3
More teachers are getting online and offering additional support. It is now the district’s expectation that we make a meaningful connections with each other in relation to what we have been teaching. Trotter ELA has definitely been the trend setter for this expectation! For ELA this is what I have planned for the upcoming week:
- Online Meeting Times
- Monday - Introduce Common Lit Assignment and weekly agenda
- Tuesday - Review Metaphor
- Wednesday - Review Author’s Craft/Purpose
- Thursday - Class Discussion Question
- Friday - Reading/Author’s Chair
- IXL - 15 minutes per day - at least 3 days during the week.
- ReadWorks: - At least one article per day 5 days during the week.
- FlipGrid: Respond to posted question only one time
- Common Lit: Reading and Responding Assignment that will guide our daily interactions. Parents - here is some information for you:
This week in class, we’re reading "Masks" by Shel Silverstein.
This short but profound poem deals with the experience of hiding one’s identity. As we read, we will be discussing the themes of Community, Friendship & Family, and Identity as they relate to the text. We are trying to answer these big questions :
"Can you change your identity?", "What is the importance of community?", and "What is a friend?"
Ways to support your child:
- Ask your child about this poem at home:
- What was "Masks" About
- What did you learn about? About Friendship & Family? About Identity?
- Watch the following clips with your child at home:
Rock out this week! Remember you can contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Mrs. Trotter 985-240-2228 cell
Monday, March 23, 2020
Good Morning Trotter ELA fam!
Last week in summary:
- 13 students made FlipGrid videos to introduce themselves
- 10 students got on IXL to answer 620 questions practicing 17 suggested skills for 3 hours and 9 minutes
- 6 students read a total of 6 articles about Small and Big Animals in ReadWorks and recorded reflections in the Book of Knowledge. One of those six students ready every article, not just one! WOW!
- 3 students read a total of 13 articles about Staying Fit and Healthy in ReadWorks and recorded reflections in the Book of Knowledge. Again, one particular student read 13 articles! DOUBLE WOW!
Establishing routines is most important right now. I am trying to figure out how to use Google Meets to see students every day Monday through Friday. Postings for the link are in Google Classroom. Each class has a designated time to meet each day. Keep in mind that 15-20 minutes per day on IXL and 15-20 minutes per day reading is most important for establishing routine for the students. Some parents have asked for reading suggestions Below I have included my suggestions. I have not checked with the SCPP Library yet, but if you have a library card, there are a lot of electronic books available through the Libby App and Overdrive App. Thank you so much for your encouragement with your children at home!
Stay safe and find routines!
Mrs. Trotter
985-240-2228 cell
Reading Recommendations:
Choose one book to read from start to finish. Read between 15-20 minutes per day. Keep a reading log to record your thinking throughout the novel.
Keep track of the following information:
- Title of book and author
- Date
- Pages read
- Noticings of what you read - What stood out to you?
- Wonderings of what you read - What questions do you have?
As you read, keep these habits in mind:
- plot structure (setting, character, conflict, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)
- Author’s techniques (figurative language, vivid verbs, descriptive details, character dialogue)
Questions to consider for your noticings and wonderings:
- WAT - What did the character say, do, or think?
- How does WAT contribute, or add onto, the conflict?
- What can you infer about the main character or other characters? How does the author give you clues about those characters?
- What are the major problems the character has to deal with?
- How does the character react, or respond, to the problems?
Reading Suggestions:
- Christopher Paul Curtis: Bud, Not Buddy, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
This author is so funny by using a lot of figurative language. There are some social and historical issues addressed in his stories, but he weaves in every day humour that every family and person encounters.
- Carl Hiaasen: Flush, Hoot, Chomp
This author is from Florida and has great descriptive writing. His stories revolve arounds kids between 8-15 years old. They are usually wrapped up in solving some kind of mystery about preserving nature. He is also pretty funny, too.
- Gary Paulsen: Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return, The River
These are follow up novels to the one we recently finished, Hatchet.
- Louis Lowry: Gossamer, and Number the Stars
Two of my favorites by her, she is a very prolific author with 39 titles to choose from. She has descriptive writing and explores alternative worlds that are similar to our own.
For more suggestions, here is a list of many titles I am familiar with, but have not read.
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/6th-grade-reading-lis
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
On the Team 2 webpage, you will find all the resources that the district has suggested for continued practice. As for my personal suggestions, please check Google Classroom for links to available additional resources. I plan on using FlipGrid, Readworks, and IXL. This week I will be "testing" some ideas out. I hope to stay engaged with as many of my students during this time away from each other. Our point of contact with these tools will be through Google Classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to text me or call me on my school Google cell phone number: 985-240-2228. Keep in mind, I have a family at home and we are being self-quarantined for two weeks since my daughter just returned from France. I will respond to you as soon as I am able.
Hello! My name is Mrs. Trotter. I have graduated from Florida State University, earned my teaching certificate from Tulane University, and completed my masters in Educational Leadership at Southeastern University of Louisiana. I have been working in education inside and outside of the classroom for over 20 years. I am very passionate about the work I do and value the time I spend with your children at Hurst. If you have any questions or need clarification about what your child is doing for this class, please feel free to email me or call me!
