Cluster 1 Newsletter

Hello Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers!

CLICK HERE for Winter Sports Information

Conference Information

• Conferences are here and will be held on 10/27 and 11/1.
• Make sure your student finishes their conference reflection form ahead of time!
• If you need to sign up for a conference, click here: Sign Up Link.
• Reach out to james.duffy@watertown.k12.ma.us if you have any conference questions!
  

As always

• Cluster 1 homework will be posted here daily
• Please have your students get in the routine of charing their computers every night.
  
  

Yours,

Cluster One Team

Our first class novel is well underway! In this novel, we are focusing on how a character develops throughout a story. We are also working on gathering text evidence to support a claim, using what the text states explicitly as well as inferences we can draw based on the evidence we have. We continue to be impressed by the thoughtfulness with which the students are approaching this text and their ability to use the signpost reading strategy to identify key moments in the story.

Some conversation starters/questions you can ask at home:

• How are you enjoying “Inside Out and Back Again”? Why do you think that is?

• What are some of the struggles Ha and her family are facing?
• What are some questions you have about the VIetnam War or the refugee experience?
• What do you like/dislike about reading a novel in verse as opposed to a traditional chapter book?
  
  
  The book fair is upcoming. If you'd like to make a donation toward Mr. Allen's ELA classroom library, you may do so at this link. All funds will go directly toward new books for students to enjoy!

This week in math we compared and contrasted the features of prisms and pyramids. We also described a polyhedron based on its number of faces and the shapes of its faces. We used paper nets made to help students understand that the word net refers to a two-dimensional figure that can be assembled into a polyhedron. Through the use of 5 stations over two class days, we learned to construct and deconstruct polyhedra with magna tiles. We used cubes to create rectangular prisms with specific surface areas and as a result students learned how to calculate the surface area of a prism or pyramid from a net on a grid and describe the strategy. We capped our week off with a unit ending assessment.

Next we will be working with equivalent fractions as we enter into our next unit: Introducing Ratios.

Here is a useful link to Family Resources that will enable families to learn about our upcoming unit on Introducing Ratios.

Can you really claim that? Sixth Grade Scientists used the CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) format to convince others that their mystery substances were alive, nonliving, or dead. Evidence was based on daily observations of the substances. Ask them about it! Next, we will explore the world of ecology by doing a short research project on an endangered animal. Through this, students will learn about how an organism, and its population, community, and ecosystem are all interconnected.

We started our new unit of Archaeology this week! Students are immersing themselves in vocabulary study to help make sense of our learnings as well as investigating how archaeologists survey and excavate artifacts to help learn about the people of the past! We’ll also start writing CERs (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) paragraphs to help organize our written thoughts into coherent and thoughtful responses to a prompt.

Entering (ELD 1) Ms. Rix

This week, we learned how to give orders using the imperative tense: “Sit! Cut! Wash! Walk!” and connected this to explain how to make meals and snacks. We also used mathematical vocabulary such as circular, triangular, and rectangular to describe food.

Next week, students will use their knowledge of explanation and description to create a video. In the video, students will speak, show, and write up the steps to creating a recipe.

Emerging (ELD 2) Ms. Schoenbeck

This week we worked on identifying and differentiating between cause and effect. Next week we will read a passage following our careers unit, and create our own story with cause and effect situations.

Phonics - Ms. Schoenbeck

This week in phonics we completed our unit on short a sound, all students showed excellent mastery of this concept! Next week we will do a unit on short o sound, and introduce new High Frequency Words (HFWs). Ask your child to show you the book they recorded themselves reading on BookCreator!

https://www.smore.com/sq8v1

This space is where your students' specialist teachers can update you on their classes!

https://www.smore.com/5r0sb-reading-classes

This space is where reading teachers can provide updates on their classes!

Here is the link for the Wilson Reading Smore with Ms. Sorenson

Zachary Allen - English - zachary.allen@watertown.k12.ma.us

Jessie Daigneault - Science - jessie.daigneault@watertown.k12.ma.us

Ann Palermo - Math - ann.palermo@watertown.k12.ma.us

Megan Lipson - Social Studies - donna.lipson@watertown.k12.ma.us

Jim Duffy - Special Education - james.duffy@watertown.k12.ma.us

Jody Gladstein - Guidance - jody.gladstein@watertown.k12.ma.us

Sheila Gilmartin - English Language Development - sheila.gilmartin@watertown.k12.ma.us

Zara Rix - English Language Development - zara.rix@watertown.k12.ma.us