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.