6th Grade MP3 Campus

School Data is open on the 1st for parent reviews. These are due by the 5th. We hope the cut and paste grade level newsletter will be helpful to supplement your remote learning plan reviews. Thank you for submitting in a timely manner and if you need help, please reach out to your SLPC.

Topic: Evaluating Equations

Activities: This month we completed our unit on solving for a variable in an equation or inequality. Students used one step to isolate variables and learn to use basic algebra principles to evaluate equations or inequalities. They also looked at how to read an inequality and represent one on a number line, or read a number line and write out an inequality to represent the visual. We ended the unit by creating paper chains that had equations or inequalities to evaluate. The answer led to the next strip on the chain. We hung these on the wall as a rainbow to celebrate our success!

The end of the month led us to our next unit, statistics. We have looked at basic statistical vocabulary and questions. Next, we look at data collection tables and graphs.

Teacher info: Heather Alexander, halexander@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Argumentative Writing, Limerick Poetry, Text Evidence

Activities: Students have been hard at work this month on argumentative writing. Practice makes perfect so we wrote three papers taking positions on the topics of zoos, school uniforms, and multivitamins. They planned, wrote and edited their work to ensure that it included all relevant information and followed standard writing conventions. I was so impressed with their hard work and the progress that was made. On St. Patrick’s Day we learned how to write Limericks - first as table groups and then on our own. This type of poetry is best read aloud so it was fun to share the final products with the class and they now adorn our poetry wall. Then we spent some time learning how to find evidence in text and writing our answers in complete sentences that reframe the question being asked.

Teacher Tip: We have kicked off our third and final book project of the year. Students will select and read a book that is new to them, create a project that represents the book, and present it to the class on Wednesday, May 28.

Teacher info: Rachel Oscarson, roscarson@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Trigger Events, Election of 1860, First Shots, Leaders and Why War?

Activities: This group of young historians has really gotten into a fantastic rhythm in our US History class. We spent a lot of time this month building an understanding of how and why the Civil War became inevitable. We know, of course, that big events like the Civil War, are usually preceded by smaller events. In class, we called them "trigger events." One trigger event leads to another and they "snowball" or get bigger as they go. We learned about 5 of the smaller (but not insignificant) events that led to the Civil War and put them into chronological order. These events were:

1. The Compromise of 1850

2. The publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin

3. The events in "Bleeding Kansas."

4. The Supreme Court's Dred Scott Decision

5. Abolitionist John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

Working in groups, students were given the job to become an expert on one of these events and then to present what they had learned to the class. As experts, they learned what happened, why it was important and how it impacted the North and the South. This work encouraged students to sharpen their skills as close readers, note takers and presenters of information. Next, we examined the hotly contested election of 1860 which was one of the most important in American history. Four men; Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, John Breckenridge and John Bell, were all competing to be the next President of the USA.

Just like today, each candidate had different plans for the country.

Just like today, each candidate tries to explain their plan in a way that appeals to the most Americans. We analyzed brief summaries of campaign speeches from each candidate. As students read, they saw that most candidates shared opinions on the most important topics from the time:

- Slavery in the south

- Slavery in the west

- Homesteading

- Railroads

A fun and challenging day of classwork asked students to reflect back on the groups of American voters we had learned about last month and try to make informed guesses about which group would have supported which candidate. Of course, Lincoln wins and based on everything we have learned so far, the Civil War now seems unavoidable. Students learned about the secession of 11 states and the formation of the Confederate States of America. We analyzed facts, data and statistics to determine which side was best prepared for the war. We read about political and military leaders from both North and South and examined some primary source quotes to try and understand exactly why people were fighting.

Wow! As I write all that I am amazed at how much these historians have covered! I continue to be impressed by their ability to collaborate with each other and take on some challenging and complex academic work. Well done!

Teacher Tip: Check in with your student to see what they can tell you about the Union and the Confederacy on the eve of the war. Which side was better prepared to fight and why?

Teacher Info: Let me know if you have any questions!

Mr. Caraco, jcaraco@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Keyboarding (accuracy & speed), Google Sheets, Google Slides (hyperlinks)

Activities: The beginning of March was spent finishing our review of Google Sheets. Students who wanted extra help or were new to the class were invited to sit in a group with me as we worked together on a new project each day. We reviewed how to make a good data table, the sum and average functions, and creating/editing graphs. Students who wanted to work independently and finished each project early were provided with several other challenges including creating a chart to itemize the yearly costs of adopting a pet, using information from local grocery store ads to create the perfect meal for their teacher and tally the costs, and finally, a project on Sheets in the Workplace from the Google Applied Digital Skills curriculum (for high school students and adults)!

We have now moved to a unit on creating Choose Your Own Adventure Fairy Tales that will allow students to create work in Google Slides and use hyperlinks. This fun project was created by (and is co-taught by) Mrs. Richardson, our District Technology Specialist. The project has three levels of challenge, allows students to explore the speech-to-text feature, and explore the Figma planning app. So far it has been exciting to see the creativity of each student and he or she plans out the project.

Additional Information: All projects and instructions can be found in the Google Classroom. This is a great place to go to see the specific skills required of sixth grade technology students.

Teacher Info: Mrs. Montgomery, rmontgomery@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Elements of Art: Color, Value, Shape, Form, Space, & Line; Principles of Design: Balance, Unity, & Rhythm; Techniques: Relief Sculpture

Activities: This month, we explored A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant and examined several of his artworks. Inspired by an illustration from the book showing Pippin at his easel, students created drawings of themselves sitting at an easel in a place they cherish, surrounded by meaningful items. They incorporated overlapping elements to create a sense of space and depth, and finished their artwork using a combination of colored pencils and watercolors. Our current project is a radial relief sculpture, still in progress, where students manipulate cut paper towel tubes to form symmetrical designs. Each design features radial symmetry and a specific color scheme. The sculptures are now ready for their final coat of paint and will soon be on display at school. They are looking fantastic!

Reflection Questions: Ask your student to describe what a “radial relief sculpture” is!

Teacher Info: Mrs. Warnock, swarnock@meridian.wednet.edu