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: Factors and Multiples

Activities: This month we looked at finding factors and multiples of given numbers. They also practiced practiced finding greatest common factor and lowest common multiple of a series of numbers. The month ended with students using these concepts to explain and practice adding and subtracting fractions with fractions and reducing fractions.

Teacher Tip:

Teacher Info: Mrs. Alexander, halexander@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Personal Narratives, Creative Writing, Constructive Feedback, Book Project Gallery Walk

Activities: During our narrative writing unit, students crafted two stories - one real and one imagined. For both the personal narrative and the creative writing assignments they planned, wrote and edited their work. I have been so impressed with the final product! You can see them by looking in their Google Classroom, but I will also be sending home paper copies soon.

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

Topics: Preamble to the Constitution, Where did the ideas for American Democracy come from?

Activities: This month, the 6th graders tackled some big questions about the purpose and the origins of American Democracy. We began the month by doing a close examination of the Preamble to the Constitution. According to the Constitution, the role of the government in the US is to "protect the fundamental rights and secure the blessings of liberty for its citizens" but what does that mean? What does it look like? The Preamble is a run-on sentence that spells out the overarching goals of the US government. Of course, we took some time to translate the words into more student friendly language. The first line offers a very interesting goal for our government; to form "a more perfect Union…" It was so fun to talk with students about what more perfect might mean. Next, we began to look back to see where the ideas for democracy came from. Several students knew that Greece and Rome had types of democracy that inspired our Founding Fathers but everyone was surprised to learn that one of our government's role models was a Confederacy of Native American tribes from upstate NY. By completing a reading passage and reflecting on some key ideas, students were able to explain how the Iroquois Nation inspired Ben Franklin and influenced the US Constitution. We then looked for more sources for inspiration and found ourselves learning about political philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu. There were invaluable lessons our Founding Fathers learned from each of these people or groups. The Iroquois Confederacy offered proof that tribes could maintain their own identity but also be part of a larger, representative government. Hobbes and Locke taught us that the people make a deal with the government. We, the people, must give up some rights as long as the government provides for us but we must always be guaranteed the right to life, liberty and property. Hobbes and Locke also had some ideas about how people might behave without the rules and laws created by a government. Let's just say they weren't very flattering! Through Montesquieu, we learned some critical lessons about how to actually organize our government. He wrote about rule of law, separation of powers and the importance of checks and balances within the government.

I told your students this month that they were going to have to think and talk like political philosophers and they exceeded expectations. They have taken a couple of formative assessments to make sure they are grasping the big ideas and scores are solid. We aren't quite done with this unit studying the ideas that influenced American Democracy and I am excited to see how students can present what they have learned.

Teacher Tip: While studying about Hobbes and Locke, we learned how they described people in a "state of nature." Ask your student if they agree with Hobbes' assessment that without government, life would be "nasty, brutish and short."

Teacher Info: Reach out if you have any questions.

Mr. Caraco, jcaraco@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Continued heart review

Activities: We continued with our study of the heart. Students created “heart art.” This art had to contain all the parts of the heart (labeled), as well as show the path that blood takes through the heart. We also spent time in centers reviewing the circulatory system, using a model to visually track the flow of blood through the heart, labeling a heart diagram, observing anatomically correct models of the heart, and identifying which parts of the heart contain oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Students matched parts of the heart with appropriate definitions and location. We completed our study of the heart with a written test as well as observing a sheep heart. Students applied their knowledge of the parts and functions of the heart to identify the parts of the sheep heart.

Vocabulary: cell, oxygen, carbon dioxide, heart, blood, pulse, blood vessels, arteries, veins, capillaries, right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, left ventricle, pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, aorta, inferior and superior vena cava, and circulatory system

Teacher Info: Mrs. De Waard, hdewaard@meridian.wednet.edu

Topics: Elements of Art: Texture, Line, Shape, & Space; Principles of Design: Unity, Balance, & Contrast; Techniques: Watercolor

Activities: During this short month, we recognized Native American Heritage Month by viewing and discussing contemporary artworks made by Native American artists. We worked on a “Forest Floor” project, highlighting the little things that make our Northwest ecosystem unique. From mushrooms and ferns to critters and leaves, students put a lot of detail into their work. They used drawing techniques to give their fallen trees a 3D shape and bark texture, and watercolor techniques to let colors blend in some places, but keep color in small areas in other places. They turned out beautifully! Next, we read We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, which discusses the issues surrounding the Dakota pipeline and what that means to the local indigenous communities. The book has beautiful illustrations, which inspired our work creating backgrounds with color that swirls and blends together. Students each chose something they are passionate about protecting and created a “concertina” with a variety of drawings to represent what they chose to protect.

Reflection Questions:Ask your student what a concertina is and what they chose to represent in their work!

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