Sixth graders had a great second to last week of school! In math, students concluded their unit on rational numbers. They created polygons in the coordinate plane and found the perimeter of each shape. Next, the class thought critically about a problem involving drones flying above and below sea level. From there, the class focused on data analysis through dot plots and histograms. Sixth grade readers thought about various ways to examine poetry such as through figurative language and the setting. They also thought about vocabulary in context with a fun book called Baloney, Henry P. In writing, students continued working on poetry. They wrote haiku, color poems and limericks. Finally, the class examined physical features of Europe and the temperature of various insulators.
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Math: In math, sixth graders continued their study of rational numbers this week. They began by writing and graphing inequalities on a number line. From there, students examined real world situations and created inequalities to represent them. These inequalities often involved more than one variable. To end the week, the class reviewed the coordinate plane and thought critically about how to construct it.
Writing: In writing, students began a unit on poetry this week. To start, they learned more about various elements such as onomatopoeia, similes, metaphors and idioms. Next, sixth graders applied these skills to cinquain poetry. To end the week, Mrs. Connery visited and worked with the class on performing a poem of their choice. Reading: Sixth grade readers concluded their study of Patricia Polacco books this week. They thought critically about the similarities and differences in the books we have read. From there, students started to learn how to read and interpret poetry. Sixth graders predicted how aspects of a poem come from the title and used the setting to create mental images. Social Studies: Sixth graders started this week with a review of the events surrounding the Revolutionary War to prepare for our trip to Boston. From there, they learned more about the physical features of Europe and the impact they have on the vegetation of the region. It was another exciting week in sixth grade! In math, students learned more about positive and negative numbers. First, they focused on finding the absolute value of rational numbers. From there, the class applied this knowledge to real world situations involving elevation. Sixth grade readers concluded their author study of Patricia Polacco by examining Thank You Mr. Falker. They thought critically about the theme and how characters change over the course of a text. In writing, students reviewed narrative which was a topic we studied at the beginning of the year. The class wrote a final personal narrative that contained a theme or lesson. Finally, sixth graders continued their study of Europe and learned about how heat and temperature affect matter.
Math: In math, sixth graders continued their study of rational numbers this week. First, they used inequalities to compare positive and negative numbers. Students also explained how to use the positions of numbers on a number line to compare them. From there the class compared and ordered rational numbers using words such as “greater than”, “less than” and “opposite”. Finally, students worked to interpret, explain, and use negative numbers in different contexts including those involving money.
Writing: In writing, students began the week by thinking critically about objects in order to compare and contrast their features. Sixth graders worked hard to build their writing stamina by writing as much as possible about their topics in a short amount of time. From there the class examined the themes of two books they have read in the past year. They worked to carefully select details that could be used to compare and contrast the two texts. Students thought about the various strategies for writing a piece of this nature. Reading: Sixth graders began their week by thinking back to the solar eclipse of August, 2017 with an article on Achieve3000. They learned new scientific vocabulary that may be found in the text. Next, the class read a new Patricia Polacco book called Mrs. Katz and Tush. Students thought critically about how she develops her characters and shows how they change throughout the text. We also compared and contrasted these ideas with other books we have read. Science/Social Studies: Sixth graders participated in two wonderful science programs this week. On Monday, the PTO sponsored “Hagermania” where students learned about the science and math behind common items. Their week ended with a trip to White Memorial. Sixth graders were so lucky to learn about various types of environmental sciences. In between, students continued their study of heat transfer and explored more types of statistical questions. Math: In math, sixth graders concluded their study of expressions and equations this week. First, they created tables and graphs to represent the relationship between distance and time for something moving at a constant speed. Next, students wrote equations with variables to represent similar relationships. From there, the class started their new unit about rational numbers. They explained how positive and negative numbers are related to contexts such as temperature and elevation. To end the week, sixth graders plotted points on a number line and explored the meaning of opposite numbers.
Writing: In writing, students worked to complete final drafts of their essays. They used checklists and rubrics to ensure their writing contained specific details and sophisticated transitions. In addition, sixth graders who finished early spent time enhancing creative writing skills by working on a piece of their choosing. Reading: Sixth graders began their week by analyzing a new Patricia Polacco book called John Philip Duck. This story deviated from the patterns we had learned about Polacco so far in that it did not contain any biographical components. Students thought critically about how she developed the setting and the impact it had on the text. We also read the book Mr. Lincoln and Me and compared/contrasted the two stories. Science/Social Studies: Sixth graders began a new unit on energy transfer in science this week. They used prior knowledge to draft a potential habitat that can be used to successfully raise penguins in a zoo. In addition, students learned about the difference between statistical and non-statistical science/math questions. Math: In math, sixth graders continued their study of expressions and equations this week. First, they evaluated expressions with exponents and and wrote expressions with exponents that are equal to a given number. From there, students determined if multiple expressions with exponents were equal to each other. Next, sixth graders worked with exponents involving variables and learned how to solve for the unknown value. To end the week, students created tables and graphs to describe the relationship between variables.
Writing: In writing, students continued to work on editing and revising literary essays. To start, they examined their writing and thought critically about how to include higher level transitional language. Next, sixth graders worked on specific strategies to edit for spelling and grammar. They listened to their piece read out loud and made sure sentences had appropriate punctuation. Finally, the class continued on to final drafts by finding more sophisticated vocabulary words to bring their ideas to life. Reading: SIxth graders began their week by analyzing the four Patricia Polacco books we have read so far. Students looked for patterns and commonalities in themes, settings, characters and other aspects of her stories. From there, the class read a new text called My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother. They thought critically about how Polacco developed the point of view of the narrator. Science/Social Studies: Sixth graders continued their study of Europe this week. They began by identifying major countries on a map. Students also analyzed the physical features of various countries. The class thought critically about how the shape of a country influences it. Math: In math, sixth graders continued their study of expressions and equations this week. First, they applied their knowledge of this topic to a review of percents. Students solved percent problems by writing and solving equations. From there, the class used tape diagrams to determine which expressions are equivalent and which are simply sometimes equal. Next, they spent a few days learning about the distributive property and how it can assist mathematicians with making computations in their head. Writing: In writing, students continued to work on literary essays. To start, they finished carefully crafting their body paragraphs using specific evidence and quotes from the text. Next, the class worked to end their essays in a meaningful way, leaving readers with a final thought to consider. From there, they used a checklist to begin editing and revising. Students worked with two sections at a time to ensure they were truly engaged in the process. Reading: Sixth graders began the week by expanding their vocabulary through an article about the artifacts Columbus left behind in Puerto Rico on Achieve3000. From there, they continued to read like a fan. They used a new mentor text by Patricia Polacco called Pink and Say which takes place during the Civil War. Students had thoughtful, in depth discussions about how authors craft their settings and the impact that settings have on a text. To end the week, sixth graders compared and contrasted Pink and Say with other Patricia Polacco books. Science/Social Studies: Sixth grade scientists analyzed weather maps this week. They learned about the different types of fronts and high/low pressure systems. In social studies, students began a study of Europe by labeling a map of the continent. Math: In math, sixth graders expanded their knowledge of the coordinate plane to include all four quadrants. From there, they continued learning about expressions and equations. Students used balanced hangers to represent true equations. They solved equations using all four operations to keep their hangers even on both sides. Next, sixth graders explained why different equations can describe the same situation and solved equations with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. To end the week, students used expressions that represented a situation to find an amount in a story.
Writing: In writing, students continued to work on literary essays. To start, they carefully crafted a claim and created an outline containing specific details. From there, sixth graders used mentor texts as inspiration to begin drafting their own essays. They worked hard to write an introduction and two body paragraphs. Particular attention was paid to including relevant quotes from the text and sophisticated transitional language. Reading: Sixth grade readers continued to read like a fan this week. They used a new mentor text by Patricia Polacco called Fiona’s Lace. The class compared/contrasted the narrative elements and theme to Chicken Sunday. In addition, students thought critically about how an author develops a character over the course of a text. Science/Social Studies: Sixth grade scientists concluded their work with analyzing climate maps this week. In social studies, students reflected on the Caribbean/Central America presentations and used information learned to think critically about how their country could be compared/contrasted with another country. From there, they wrote reflections to share findings. Math: In math, sixth graders completed their study of decimals this week. They began by solving a real world problem involving cost of movie tickets. From there, students started a new unit on expressions and equations. Students reviewed the concept of tape diagrams and used them to represent various addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations. Sixth graders also worked to replace a variable in an equation with a number that makes the equation true (the solution) and matched equations to real life solutions they could represent. Writing: In writing, students began a new unit on literary essays. They practiced making a claim and creating a boxes and bullets outline to support their ideas. Students also read a mentor text, “Raymond’s Run” and used it to dig deep into characters. Sixth graders asked themselves questions such as, “What does my character really want?” and “What motivates my character”. These skills were applied as students crafted a claim and outline on their own to prepare for drafting after break. Reading: Sixth graders continued reading like a fan this week. They started by reviewing narrative elements while reading Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. Students then transferred this knowledge to the creation of plot mountains for the text. Finally, the class thought critically about the theme and how the Polacco developed it throughout the story. Science/Social Studies: Sixth grade scientists analyzed maps of the world and thought critically about patterns of climate, rain and wind. In social studies, students did a wonderful job presenting their Caribbean/Central America projects. It was another exciting week in sixth grade! In math, students focused on long division with decimal dividends and divisors. They worked hard to make an estimate and use that estimate to check and see if their answer makes sense with the problem. The class also applied their knowledge of all decimal operations to solve real world problems. Next, sixth grade readers worked with an article on Achieve3000 about the importance of getting enough sleep at night. They also continued to focus on author’s claim and how it is supported by specific reasons and facts. Also, in writing students finished their work with ancient Greece and Rome research and had a wonderful time sharing their final products/at home creations with the entire school. Finally, sixth grade scientists examined several different maps of the world and thought critically about different aspects of weather and climate such as average rainfall and temperature.
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June 2018
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