6th Grade Newsletter

This past week, students took their first Star Reading Test. We are so proud of all our students for getting through the first middle school testing in math and reading. Way to go!!!

Students completed their analysis of the short story "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros. Click here to read the text

📚 First Literary Analysis Writing Assignment

Students have been working on the following prompt in class:

“How does the author’s use of figurative language help readers understand the feelings that the narrator is expressing?”

Please check in with your student to see if they need to finish their writing assignment. If they need support, encourage them to:

• ✉️ Email their teacher with questions

• 💻 Use Google Classroom to leave a comment on their assignment

Thank you for supporting your student’s learning at home!

We saw a lot of great writing skills and look forward to seeing how students continue to develop their analytical abilities in future assignments.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in ELA

Next week, students will be prepping to read an excerpt from The Mighty Miss Malone. In Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Mighty Miss Malone, twelve-year-old Deza Malone is a bright student with a promising future. But when the Great Depression hits Gary, Indiana, her family is confronted with many new challenges. Deza’s father leaves town to find work, and when he doesn’t return, Deza, her mother, and her brother go looking for him. They journey across the state by boxcar until they wind up in a “Hooverville” outside of Flint, Michigan.

Feel free to encourage your student to read the book, since we will only be reading an excerpt from the book.

This week, we focused on getting organized by understanding and establishing SMART goals, alongside reviewing how to tell time. These activities are part of our executive functioning lessons, which aim to help students manage their time more effectively. Additionally, we had a Character Strong lesson on Building Connections.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in SLA:

As we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, we will delve into the remarkable contributions of Hispanics across the globe, with a special emphasis on their influence in Latin America. Our exploration will highlight Spanish-speaking countries around the world, and we will engage in creating maps to visualize these important connections.

This link provides a summary of our Unit 1 lessons and the various strategies we used in class. It also provides a problem from each lesson that your child can try with you at home.

Unit 1 Parent Guide (English)

Unit 1 Parent Guide (Español)

Mr. Sommer/Ms. Larson/Ms. Fox

In our Social Studies class, we commemorated the anniversary of September 11th by reflecting on the events of that day and the varied reactions of our nation's citizens, both hurtful and inspirational.

This reflection culminated in our first Document-Based Question (DBQ):

“What Were the Consequences of 9/11?”

Looking Ahead: Next Week in SS

Mr. Sommer/Ms. Larson/Ms. Fox

In social studies, students will start learning about hominids (early man). Ask your child next week about Lucy and Ardi!

In science class this week, both teachers led students in the engaging Rainbow Lab, an excellent introductory investigation that follows the five major steps of the scientific method:

1. Purpose
2. Materials
3. Procedure
4. Data Collection
5. Data Analysis/Conclusion.

Looking Ahead: Next Week Mr. Sommer's Science Class

In Mr. Sommer’s science class, students will participate in The Gondola Challenge! For this lab, students will be divided into groups, each receiving the same materials to design and build a gondola. Teams must use all materials and aim for the fastest time down the Gondola Test String. Good luck to all participants!

Ms. Stone's Science Class

Ms. Stone’s class is busy creating science safety posters, which can be made either by hand or using an app of their choice. Please remember that these posters are due on Monday, the 15th.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in Ms. Stone's Science Class

Ms. Stone’s class will have their safety quiz on Monday, the 15th. If students forget their notes at school, safety symbols are available in the Google Classroom Stream.

This week in Ms. Hodges’ PE classes, we kicked off our Badminton Unit and recorded our 1-lap jog/walk times.

Looking Ahead: Next Week in Ms. Hodges PE Class

Next week in Ms. Hodges’ PE classes, we will begin practice games for Badminton. Additionally, we will start the FitnessGram fitness testing, which will include the sit-and-reach test to assess flexibility.

Last week, all 6th graders visited the library with their ELA classes, and Ms. H and Mr. Chung’s Advisory classes joined as well. During the visit, we reviewed library rules and behavior expectations, and played a "get to know you" game. Students then had the opportunity to explore the library and check out books. It was wonderful to meet everyone, and I’m excited for the year ahead!

For all library information, please visit the library website. Lesson slideshows are posted under the 6th Grade link and will be updated as students progress through their lessons.