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.

Topics: Converting mixed numbers to improper fractions, converting improper fractions to mixed numbers, multiplying fractions by fractions, dividing fractions by fractions, dividing mixed numbers by mixed numbers.

Activities: This month our primary goal was to gain mastery dividing fractions by fractions, and similarly, dividing mixed numbers by mixed numbers. Much effort went into strongly understanding each of the components required – specifically how to convert mixed numbers into improper fractions, how to multiply fractions by fractions, and then knowing how division of fractions is related to multiplying fractions. In one Desmos activity called “Fill the Gap”, students used tape diagrams with common denominators to solve problems asking how many groups to break each fraction into equal-sized pieces.

Teacher Tip: Have your student log into their Desmos and Khan academy accounts and show you what they have been working on during class!

Teacher Info: Mr. Garlatz, tgarlatz@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Constructed responses, nonfiction, narrative writing, poetry.

Activities: This month, we have focused on providing constructed responses to writing prompts. Students have practiced reading nonfiction articles and answering questions using text evidence to justify their answers. We have stressed the importance of restating the question in an answer to a writing prompt. In addition, students presented their first book projects, completed their narrative writing projects and shared them in class, created "black out" poems, practiced editing, and completed daily journal writes. We have just started exploring our upcoming readers' theater project.

Teacher Tip: We'll have another book project presentation day in March. Instructions are up on Google Classroom.

Teacher info: Ms. Keegan, akeegan@meridian.wednet.edu

November Review

Topics: Our learning objective for this month were the following: Measure volumes of solids and liquids, investigate the behavior of solid materials in water, gain experience with the concept of concentration, determine the relative concentrations of solutions, use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating

Activities: Students made a solution using a powdered drink mix (solute) and water (solvent). They taste tasted each solution to determine the differences. They discovered differences in taste, color, and mass. Students realized that concentration expresses a relationship between the amount of dissolved material (solute) and the volume of liquid (solvent) in which the material is dissolved. The concentration of a solution is the ratio of the two materials in a solution. Students made salt solutions using differing amounts of salt (solute) and water (solvent). They were asked to determine the relative concentrations without tasting (ick!!!) these solutions. Students used mass as a way of determining which solution contained the highest concentration of salt (solute). Students were then asked to find out the relative concentrations of three “mystery” solutions. Color and taste were not properties that could be evaluated. Once again, students used mass to determine which solution was the most concentrated. Students applied their knowledge to answer a question about three solutions with varying combinations of salt and water. They have learned that a higher volume of liquid does not lead to a higher level of concentration and vice versa. It is all about the ration of solute to solvent.

Vocabulary: Concentration, Dilute, Volume

Teacher Info: Mrs DeWaard, hdewaard@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics : Engineering and Design: Students create programmable models to demonstrate the knowledge and operation of digital tools and technological systems. Investigate balance and /or stability, effects of change in position on model’s movement, how force affect the motion of objects, modify an existing model or program to solve a problem. Observe and measure accurately to answer questions. completion criteria and constrains, balance and stability, investigated model design components and if they provided an advantage, gear ratios for speed, and modify an existing model or program to solve a problem. Programming sequences to complete a task or specific movement: drive forward/reverse, pivot turns, smooth turns (curves) and 360 degrees turns.

Activities: Specific Builds: Industrial simulated Robots Students worked with their partner to build and programed a model to complete a set of performance tasks with predictable movements, move forward/ reverse for specific distances and time, navigate a course that includes pivot turns, curved movement and movement forward and reverse for specific distances.

Challenge Project: Paper Span Bridge- Students worked with a partner to design and build a paper bridge to hold a maximum amount of weight. Constraints: use only the supplies provided to the team (5 sheets of copy paper, 6 inches of tape, and scissors). The bridge structure must be at least 8 inches (width of a sheet of paper) wide, span 15 inches and be suspended at least 5 inches off the table.

Analysis of each structure’s success was based on the maximum weight the structure was able to hold.

Challenge Project: 12 Card Tower- Students worked with a partner to design and build a free-standing paper tower for maximum height. Constraints: use only the supplies provided to the team (12 4x6 index cards, 12 inches of tape, and scissors). Structure must be free standing (cannot be attached to anything).

Analysis of each structure’s success was based on the maximum height of the structure.

Teacher Tip: Robotics, Engineering and Design Topics and activities can be included in your independent Science Class review.

Teacher Info: Mrs. Brannen - Room 8 lbrannen@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Representatives and Senators, Types of Government, Cultural and Globalism

Activities: Once again, we made use of a couple of terrific online resources, NewsELA and ReadWorks, to dig into some government topics. On the heels of our Nation’s midterm elections, we took some time to read about the elections of representatives and senators. Students learned about the requirements to hold these offices and identified who senators and representatives actually represent. We compared types of governments with a focus on democracies and authoritarianism. Students looked closely at the rights enjoyed in democratic countries, especially the 1st amendment of the US Bill of Rights. We took time to analyze and discuss cartoons that reflected on our freedoms of religion, speech, the press and assembly. Most recently, with the soccer World Cup as a backdrop, we have been reading about the characteristics of cultures around the world. Students identified elements of culture and were able to cite examples from the US and around the world. Next, we read about globalization and students were able to describe how globalization impacts the human characteristics of a community.

For each passage, students practiced a reading comprehension skill. We constructed venn diagrams to compare and contrast, organized and identified main ideas and supporting details and responded to paired questions.

Teacher Tip: Encourage your students to continue practicing close reading skills, especially with informational texts. Organize the main ideas and supporting details in passages.

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

Jeff Caraco, jcaraco@meridian.wednet.edu