September Newsletter

We started off with a bang! Students were in the library on day #3 of school checking out books! Students should be reading and logging into their Daily Reading Logs 5/7 days a week. They have time to read in class, on Library Day, and/or during WIN Block. All students should make sure they have a Fiction novel for class.

Students have been reviewing parts of speech, specifically nouns & verbs, to make sure they know how to formulate complete sentences. They have been practicing writing sentences with subjects & predicates as well as learning which there/their/they’re to use when writing. Students are practicing writing opinion sentences when we watch current events/CNN10 every Weds. & Friday. They are also honing in on their skills of finding “PUNS” and figuring out what they mean during the news stories.

Students also have been navigating two learning platforms on their iPads: Readworks and EdPuzzles. Students read their first Fiction series on Readworks: “The Run Series” and analyzed two alternate endings written by students their own age.

We completed NWEAs last week, so we are ready to dive into Unit #1: A Deep Study of Character. Students will be learning about character types and why they are important in a story. They will be using their Fiction novels to practice analyzing the characters from their novels after I model the lesson in class. All assignments will be written in their ELA Notebook.

I post all assignments on Google Classroom, so students should go there daily if they are absent or forget what they need to do. Weekly Assignment Sheets (W.A.S.) have been coming home since school started, and they are posted on my ELA Google Classroom as well as emailed home to my Advisory parents. Thank you for supporting your child’s education. We are off to a great start.

Math

Wow! What a first month it has been. In 6th grade math, we tackled our first unit focusing on whole numbers and basic operations.

Students showed great knowledge of addition with multi-digit numbers and comprehending word problems.

When tackling subtraction, students needed quick reminders of borrowing and subtracting across zeros, but once they got the hang of it, I couldn’t stop them!

Multiplication was a bit of a challenge, and many students showed understanding of the process and what multiplication is. What got students stuck was not knowing their 12x12 times table off the top of their heads. I always encourage practicing 12x12 tables! Fact fluency can help in so many ways!

Division will be a growing point throughout the year. Students showed success with small division problems, but will need more practice as we head into long division and multi-digit by multi-digit division. I got to see students increase their confidence with the long division process and can’t wait to see their skills grow over the year!

To help with fact fluency:

Encourage your students to practice on Xtramath daily if we don’t do it in class.

Have them practice their 12x12 times to become more fluent and therefore help them with the processes of math.

Use IXL to help students practice skills that are at their levels through the diagnostic tab and recommended skills.

Check out Google Classroom for math resources on current topics when your student may be completing work at home.

Xtramath - 10 Minute Daily Practice

XtraMath - 10 minutes a day for math fact fluency

Science

In Science, we started our year learning how atoms can combine and recombine to make new molecules. We spent time making molecule models with clay and toothpicks as well as with an online simulation from the website pHet.

Next, we started learning how to measure matter. We learned how to calculate the density of a mystery cube using a digital scale to calculate mass and calculating the volume of a mystery cube with a ruler. Students learned how to use a calculator to find the exact value, and then round to three places. We also completed a simulation where we found the volume and the density of mystery cubes.

In October, we will be continuing our study of Chemistry by observing Physical and Chemical changes. This is our first hands-on lab as opposed to a computer simulation. Please make sure kids check in with me if they are absent. This will be our Summative Assessment for Physical and Chemical Changes. We will also be celebrating Algae Week sponsored by the Algae Foundation the week of October 19-23. We will get to explore algae using microscopes and scientific measurement equipment!

Social Studies

I can’t believe the first month of school has already gone by! We began our year of Social Studies by learning about why the people of ancient Egypt, Kush, and Canaan decided to live where they did. This involved a great deal about teaching and learning in the areas of not only geographic location, but more importantly, geographic impact. Students learned about how the physical geography of a region was one of the, if not the greatest, determining factors when it came to where people settled in ancient times.

Students learned how to read and label maps of both Africa and Asia. They practiced paired reading and note taking skills. Students worked on their vocabulary while using writing skills at the same time as they explained how geography affected why people settled where they did in ancient Egypt, Kush, and Canaan. We also created a fun interactive map on the floor where some students became part of the map while others were settlers who had to decide the best place to live on the map the class had created. They had a really great time with this activity!

There are some pictures of our maps below! I hope you enjoy them!