Issue # 36 June 1
In the last few weeks it is hard to avoid stuff to do.
This will help you know what that stuff is.
Math: Yes, there is a Math Monday this week and next and then it ends. This week we will focus on getting the math portfolio ready for its inspection day on Friday. Next week the session will be used to help kids prepare for that week's math final exam. Those two important grades (Friday's portfolio check and our final exam) are the last big pieces to the fourth quarter. We continue to work in some fascinating and complex areas as we will learn how to calculate mean absolute deviation and find the area of irregular polygons this week. We also finish up our circle graphs of the surveys we conducted. Those graphs will be on display during this Friday's Sixth Grade Showcase.
Science: We continue to look at our environment and the geography and climate of Belchertown. The science portfolio will be due along with the history portfolio on June 11.
History: As mentioned in the science section, the history portfolio will also be due on June 11. There has been no "extra" history or science homework in the last few weeks as we have been concentrating time and effort on the Greece / Rome work. The project should be completed this week and make its way in by Thursday. The final draft of the paper is due this Friday. Our presentations start next Monday. I will be telling students what those presentations should entail. It is very important and challenging for kids to complete the work on those due dates. That, of course, is something that will be facing them often in future years of schooling.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll read an example of realistic fiction in story "Honus and Me" and practice the reading skill of making and defending judgments.
Vocabulary is due on Friday
Spelling 149/150 is due on Thursday when we have the test.
Museum Book Project is due on June 15.
Classwork concentrates on reading fluency, prepositions and phrases, a writing assignment about what students like to collect, and working on the Museum Book project.
We contine with Tuck Everlasting and will probably see the movie next week.
In the last few weeks it is hard to avoid stuff to do.
This will help you know what that stuff is.
Math: Yes, there is a Math Monday this week and next and then it ends. This week we will focus on getting the math portfolio ready for its inspection day on Friday. Next week the session will be used to help kids prepare for that week's math final exam. Those two important grades (Friday's portfolio check and our final exam) are the last big pieces to the fourth quarter. We continue to work in some fascinating and complex areas as we will learn how to calculate mean absolute deviation and find the area of irregular polygons this week. We also finish up our circle graphs of the surveys we conducted. Those graphs will be on display during this Friday's Sixth Grade Showcase.
Science: We continue to look at our environment and the geography and climate of Belchertown. The science portfolio will be due along with the history portfolio on June 11.
History: As mentioned in the science section, the history portfolio will also be due on June 11. There has been no "extra" history or science homework in the last few weeks as we have been concentrating time and effort on the Greece / Rome work. The project should be completed this week and make its way in by Thursday. The final draft of the paper is due this Friday. Our presentations start next Monday. I will be telling students what those presentations should entail. It is very important and challenging for kids to complete the work on those due dates. That, of course, is something that will be facing them often in future years of schooling.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll read an example of realistic fiction in story "Honus and Me" and practice the reading skill of making and defending judgments.
Vocabulary is due on Friday
Spelling 149/150 is due on Thursday when we have the test.
Museum Book Project is due on June 15.
Classwork concentrates on reading fluency, prepositions and phrases, a writing assignment about what students like to collect, and working on the Museum Book project.
We contine with Tuck Everlasting and will probably see the movie next week.
Issue # 35 May 26
Impossible Dreams: I am planning on having some "baseball" cake at lunch this Friday for those kids who read the book with me, the entire nine innings. They have been quite helpful.
Math: We have one more major exam, a final, slated for the end of the year. Meanwhile, we will continue to work in several areas: probability; statistics and data; geometry and algebra. We will also have our math portfolios checked and graded fairly soon.
Science: We continue to look at world population as well as other factors that impact our environment. I will be checking science portfolios relatively soon. Consult next week's newsletter for those dates.
History: Here are the important dates for our Greece and Rome work: Project: June 4; Paper: June 5; and Presentations: June 8. It is important to meet those deadlines. We will also have our history portfolios graded in the next few weeks. We have lots to do!
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be in reading groups this week practicing fluency and journal responses. Work will get done on the Museum Book Project paragraphs and the upcoming history paper.
Classwork will also advance the exciting world of sentence diagramming, specifically comparative adverbs.
Reading slips will be due on Wednesday.
The Museum Book Project is due on June 15
Impossible Dreams: I am planning on having some "baseball" cake at lunch this Friday for those kids who read the book with me, the entire nine innings. They have been quite helpful.
Math: We have one more major exam, a final, slated for the end of the year. Meanwhile, we will continue to work in several areas: probability; statistics and data; geometry and algebra. We will also have our math portfolios checked and graded fairly soon.
Science: We continue to look at world population as well as other factors that impact our environment. I will be checking science portfolios relatively soon. Consult next week's newsletter for those dates.
History: Here are the important dates for our Greece and Rome work: Project: June 4; Paper: June 5; and Presentations: June 8. It is important to meet those deadlines. We will also have our history portfolios graded in the next few weeks. We have lots to do!
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be in reading groups this week practicing fluency and journal responses. Work will get done on the Museum Book Project paragraphs and the upcoming history paper.
Classwork will also advance the exciting world of sentence diagramming, specifically comparative adverbs.
Reading slips will be due on Wednesday.
The Museum Book Project is due on June 15
Issue #34 May 18
Math: We continue to work in several areas at the same time. We are exploring the concept of area in geometry, dealing with probability, and analyzing statistics and data. There is no Math Monday this week. I am not shutting it down for the school year and as we get closer to our final (non-PARCC) math test, I will run a few more of the Math Mondays.
Science: Our next outline (Fossil Fuels) is due this Thursday. These outlines in content areas have been difficult for some of the students. They require an amount of time and so I allow about a week to complete them. Students get some time in class to begin the outline and then it becomes independent work (homework). Most students accept the challenge of this longer term assignment and do the required reading in either science or history and then answer the questions that accompany that reading. However, there are some students who do not dedicate that time and do not finish the outlines. Obviously, this greatly impacts their grade in science and history. Since both middle school and high school will present many more of these challenges, that is a concern.
History: The second checkpoint for our Greece and Rome project will be announced this week. Students should be conducting research and begin the rough draft of the all important second section of their paper.
English Language Arts and Reading
PARCC and the Great East Band and Chorus trip on Friday blocks some of the efficiency of ELA this week but we will continue with reading groups to practice fluency, identifying vocabulary, author's perspective etc.
We will not begin a new story this week, or have new spelling. We continue grammar work in class and have started adding adverbs to our sentence diagramming.
Last week we built a Museum Book, in which students will prepare their book projects, as identified on the homework blog. We also practiced taking notes from websites to prepare for the history paper due this week.
Class writing this week will be to write Museum Book paragraphs and writing the history paper. This time is set aside to begin work or get support in class but all students will do their best work when work is done as homework as well.
We continue in Tuck Everlasting. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Math: We continue to work in several areas at the same time. We are exploring the concept of area in geometry, dealing with probability, and analyzing statistics and data. There is no Math Monday this week. I am not shutting it down for the school year and as we get closer to our final (non-PARCC) math test, I will run a few more of the Math Mondays.
Science: Our next outline (Fossil Fuels) is due this Thursday. These outlines in content areas have been difficult for some of the students. They require an amount of time and so I allow about a week to complete them. Students get some time in class to begin the outline and then it becomes independent work (homework). Most students accept the challenge of this longer term assignment and do the required reading in either science or history and then answer the questions that accompany that reading. However, there are some students who do not dedicate that time and do not finish the outlines. Obviously, this greatly impacts their grade in science and history. Since both middle school and high school will present many more of these challenges, that is a concern.
History: The second checkpoint for our Greece and Rome project will be announced this week. Students should be conducting research and begin the rough draft of the all important second section of their paper.
English Language Arts and Reading
PARCC and the Great East Band and Chorus trip on Friday blocks some of the efficiency of ELA this week but we will continue with reading groups to practice fluency, identifying vocabulary, author's perspective etc.
We will not begin a new story this week, or have new spelling. We continue grammar work in class and have started adding adverbs to our sentence diagramming.
Last week we built a Museum Book, in which students will prepare their book projects, as identified on the homework blog. We also practiced taking notes from websites to prepare for the history paper due this week.
Class writing this week will be to write Museum Book paragraphs and writing the history paper. This time is set aside to begin work or get support in class but all students will do their best work when work is done as homework as well.
We continue in Tuck Everlasting. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Issue # 33 May 11
Math: I will be holding another Math Monday session this week. They continue to be helpful for students and fun for me. We continue to work with area and problems involving area. We will also review our earlier work with data analysis and expand on it in
a unit involving statistics.
History: Students should be conducting research for their Greece and Rome assignments. It is important to write that information in note form so that it can then be used for the research paper. Our second checkpoint will be coming up on May 22. Right now students should have figured out the essential question (big idea) that they want to convey with their work and written a rough draft of the first paragraph for the paper. Also, they should be thinking about their project and what will be needed to complete it.
An outline on the Roman Empire is due this Thursday.
Science: We will be learning about human population and its impact on the environment.
English Language Arts and Reading
No new story this week (no vocabulary, test, spelling)
We used laptops last week to practice web research for the ancient history project. We'll practice organizing information to set the stage for writing their rough draft in class.
On Wednesday, we begin assembling a "Museum Book" in class. Students will use this to prepare a end of year book project announced on Friday.
We finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer last week and saw the movie. This week we begin Tuck Everlasting.
Massachusetts Book Award book groups continue.
Due on Wednesday are reading slips and the Wednesday writing to compare life in the olden days to life in 2015.
There will be some review grammar and reading assignments as the week progresses.
Math: I will be holding another Math Monday session this week. They continue to be helpful for students and fun for me. We continue to work with area and problems involving area. We will also review our earlier work with data analysis and expand on it in
a unit involving statistics.
History: Students should be conducting research for their Greece and Rome assignments. It is important to write that information in note form so that it can then be used for the research paper. Our second checkpoint will be coming up on May 22. Right now students should have figured out the essential question (big idea) that they want to convey with their work and written a rough draft of the first paragraph for the paper. Also, they should be thinking about their project and what will be needed to complete it.
An outline on the Roman Empire is due this Thursday.
Science: We will be learning about human population and its impact on the environment.
English Language Arts and Reading
No new story this week (no vocabulary, test, spelling)
We used laptops last week to practice web research for the ancient history project. We'll practice organizing information to set the stage for writing their rough draft in class.
On Wednesday, we begin assembling a "Museum Book" in class. Students will use this to prepare a end of year book project announced on Friday.
We finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer last week and saw the movie. This week we begin Tuck Everlasting.
Massachusetts Book Award book groups continue.
Due on Wednesday are reading slips and the Wednesday writing to compare life in the olden days to life in 2015.
There will be some review grammar and reading assignments as the week progresses.
Issue # 32 May 4.
Math: There will be a Math Monday this week although there will not be a late bus option. We will go over the skills and topics that will be on this Wednesday's exam. We'll be doing that in class on Monday and Tuesday as well. We have also begun the next unit which is centered on finding the area of various two dimensional shapes.
History: Our next outline on Rome will be handed out this week. We continue to learn about the life of Julius Caesar and the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. We are also well into the conducting of research so that we can write a paper about our chosen topic for the important Rome and Greece work. I have not set dates for any of the elements of this adventure but I will be doing that at the end of this week.
Science: An outline on earth's biomes is due this Wednesday. These outlines remain essential to what we are doing and to what students should be doing. You can visit Power School and view how your child is dealing with the challenges of the science and history outlines. They are exactly the type of assignment that our kids can expect to see often in Middle School.
Impossible Dreams: I have finished writing the book. It is included in its entirety on this website. I will also give hard copies to any students who request one. I will be having a special "unch" next week for students who have read the book. During that I will be asking them for a reaction, critique and even advice. It should be fun for those kids who have read it along the way.
English Language Arts and Reading
We read realistic fiction and practice comparing and contrasting in the story "Ta-Na-E-Ka".
Vocabulary and the test on the story will be due on Friday.
Spelling 137/138 and a spelling test is on Thursday.
A reading slip is due on Wednesday.
Assignments on inferences and adverbs are forthcoming.
We are just about finished with Tom Sawyer, and all the "most famous chapters in all American literature".
We'll be using laptop computers from Wednesday - Friday to type our letters and research for the history project.
Math: There will be a Math Monday this week although there will not be a late bus option. We will go over the skills and topics that will be on this Wednesday's exam. We'll be doing that in class on Monday and Tuesday as well. We have also begun the next unit which is centered on finding the area of various two dimensional shapes.
History: Our next outline on Rome will be handed out this week. We continue to learn about the life of Julius Caesar and the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. We are also well into the conducting of research so that we can write a paper about our chosen topic for the important Rome and Greece work. I have not set dates for any of the elements of this adventure but I will be doing that at the end of this week.
Science: An outline on earth's biomes is due this Wednesday. These outlines remain essential to what we are doing and to what students should be doing. You can visit Power School and view how your child is dealing with the challenges of the science and history outlines. They are exactly the type of assignment that our kids can expect to see often in Middle School.
Impossible Dreams: I have finished writing the book. It is included in its entirety on this website. I will also give hard copies to any students who request one. I will be having a special "unch" next week for students who have read the book. During that I will be asking them for a reaction, critique and even advice. It should be fun for those kids who have read it along the way.
English Language Arts and Reading
We read realistic fiction and practice comparing and contrasting in the story "Ta-Na-E-Ka".
Vocabulary and the test on the story will be due on Friday.
Spelling 137/138 and a spelling test is on Thursday.
A reading slip is due on Wednesday.
Assignments on inferences and adverbs are forthcoming.
We are just about finished with Tom Sawyer, and all the "most famous chapters in all American literature".
We'll be using laptop computers from Wednesday - Friday to type our letters and research for the history project.
Issue # 31 April 27
Math: I will not hold a Math Monday on Monday, April 27th but will start them again the following week. It seems that the late bus is no longer running so anyone staying for those extra help sessions will need to arrange a ride home. I have a meeting this Monday (4/27) and so am unable to run a Math Monday on that day. We continue working in the unit on inequalities that we began a few weeks before April break. We remain about two weeks from an exam on this material.
History: An outline on the Roman Republic is due this Wednesday. Students were given that assignment several days before the vacation and allowed to begin it during class. By now, students have been awarded a topic for our big fourth quarter project, paper and presentation. Ask your child about it. It should be fun.
Science: We will work on science every day this week as we learn about biomes. I am alternating weeks between science and history instruction during the fourth quarter. There will, however, be overlapping assignments in these two content areas.
English Language Arts and Reading
We learn a bit about autobiographical essays in “Breaking Through”” and re-visit the skill of author’s purpose
Vocabulary is due on Friday. The test will be on Friday.
Reading slips (2) are due on Wednesday.
Grammar: Our information this week reviews demonstrative and predicate adjectives
Spelling: Spelling homework, 131, 132 is due Thursday when we have the test.
Writing: Letter to a first grader is due on Wednesday.
Roman Word Search and Map of Rome AD 125 is due on Friday.
We continue in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and reading groups.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Thursday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away
at school. Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Math: I will not hold a Math Monday on Monday, April 27th but will start them again the following week. It seems that the late bus is no longer running so anyone staying for those extra help sessions will need to arrange a ride home. I have a meeting this Monday (4/27) and so am unable to run a Math Monday on that day. We continue working in the unit on inequalities that we began a few weeks before April break. We remain about two weeks from an exam on this material.
History: An outline on the Roman Republic is due this Wednesday. Students were given that assignment several days before the vacation and allowed to begin it during class. By now, students have been awarded a topic for our big fourth quarter project, paper and presentation. Ask your child about it. It should be fun.
Science: We will work on science every day this week as we learn about biomes. I am alternating weeks between science and history instruction during the fourth quarter. There will, however, be overlapping assignments in these two content areas.
English Language Arts and Reading
We learn a bit about autobiographical essays in “Breaking Through”” and re-visit the skill of author’s purpose
Vocabulary is due on Friday. The test will be on Friday.
Reading slips (2) are due on Wednesday.
Grammar: Our information this week reviews demonstrative and predicate adjectives
Spelling: Spelling homework, 131, 132 is due Thursday when we have the test.
Writing: Letter to a first grader is due on Wednesday.
Roman Word Search and Map of Rome AD 125 is due on Friday.
We continue in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and reading groups.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Thursday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away
at school. Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue #30 April 13
Math: I have another Math Monday planned for this week. The late bus will be available on that day but right now it looks like it won't be running after April vacation. I will continue to hold Math Mondays but kids will not be able to take that bus unless the situation changes. This week we continue to learn about linear functions and graphing inequalities on number lines. Cool stuff.
History: Students will learn about our big 4th quarter Rome and Greece project, paper and presentation "deal". Ask your child about it. It will be an integral part of what is happening in history during this last part of the year. We begin to look at the history and culture of ancient Rome this week. An outline on the first section of that unit will be given to the students in the middle of this week and will be due after vacation.
Science: Last week we looked at ecosystems and how different species interact with each other. An important assignment is due this Wednesday. That work will include a food diary spanning 48 hours. We will use it to look at food webs and where our food comes from.
Impossible Dreams: I am enjoying the new season of baseball and the writing of this book featuring the 1967 Boston Red Sox season. I'll have another 2 chapters ready for reading this week. As always, you can check them out on this website.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
We learn a bit about the early ceramics and mentoring in “A Single Shard” and re-visit the skill of identifying author’s perspectives in historical fiction.
Students have class time to work on their vocabulary which is due on Friday.
The test will be on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Late slips will not be accepted.
We are will have some grammar review this week. There is no new spelling.
Writing: Our letter writing project continues with a letter to a celebrity role model due on Wednesday.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Reading groups continue with class assignments based on Massachusetts Book Awards as well as using ancient pottery as primary sources.
We continue with Tom Sawyer.
Math: I have another Math Monday planned for this week. The late bus will be available on that day but right now it looks like it won't be running after April vacation. I will continue to hold Math Mondays but kids will not be able to take that bus unless the situation changes. This week we continue to learn about linear functions and graphing inequalities on number lines. Cool stuff.
History: Students will learn about our big 4th quarter Rome and Greece project, paper and presentation "deal". Ask your child about it. It will be an integral part of what is happening in history during this last part of the year. We begin to look at the history and culture of ancient Rome this week. An outline on the first section of that unit will be given to the students in the middle of this week and will be due after vacation.
Science: Last week we looked at ecosystems and how different species interact with each other. An important assignment is due this Wednesday. That work will include a food diary spanning 48 hours. We will use it to look at food webs and where our food comes from.
Impossible Dreams: I am enjoying the new season of baseball and the writing of this book featuring the 1967 Boston Red Sox season. I'll have another 2 chapters ready for reading this week. As always, you can check them out on this website.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
We learn a bit about the early ceramics and mentoring in “A Single Shard” and re-visit the skill of identifying author’s perspectives in historical fiction.
Students have class time to work on their vocabulary which is due on Friday.
The test will be on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Late slips will not be accepted.
We are will have some grammar review this week. There is no new spelling.
Writing: Our letter writing project continues with a letter to a celebrity role model due on Wednesday.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Reading groups continue with class assignments based on Massachusetts Book Awards as well as using ancient pottery as primary sources.
We continue with Tom Sawyer.
Issue # 29 April 6
Math: I will hold another Math Monday this week. Attendance has been good and I have enjoyed the eagerness to learn that the kids have been showing. It has been fun. The unit on Equations will be used for homework assignments this week as we have covered all of this material during the year anyways. We will not be taking an exam on that section as we have "enjoyed" plenty of testing lately. We will be starting a unit on functions and graphing functions on the coordinate plane. Those are topics I remember from 8th grade. Of course, I rode in a covered wagon to school way back then.
History and Science: Both portfolios were graded over the weekend. Please see and sign those grade slips. The majority of the grades were quite good and those students who struggled were the ones who did not do the required work along the way. Keeping current with our longer term assignments is indeed a real challenge. The work we do from the book (outlines) serves as a foundation for the discussions and activities we then do during class time. The next outline that is due is a science one. It should be completed for this Wednesday.
Impossible Dreams: Another two or three chapters will be provided this week. I am now well into the second half of the book. I am thinking that I'll have a special "lunch" and book chat for those students who complete the reading of the book. Their feedback has been truly helpful for me along this way.
English Language Arts and Reading:
We won't be reading a new story this week as we catch up with time in reading groups.
That will mean no selection test and no vocabulary due on Friday.
We'll have spelling, to everyone's delight, due on Thursday with a test.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Writing due on Wednesday is the thank you letter to someone who has made a positive impact. This will be a good example of persuasive writing as the letter will have to include at least 2 reasons with supporting examples. This week's writing will be to write to a celebrity role model. Details will be in the homework blog. We'll be reviewing the format of letters on Monday.
We'll have a notebook check on Thursday. All papers should be bound into the binder, in order and completed. This counts as a test grade. I'll post the updated list in the blog.
We just finished the famous funeral chapter in Tom Sawyer.
Math: I will hold another Math Monday this week. Attendance has been good and I have enjoyed the eagerness to learn that the kids have been showing. It has been fun. The unit on Equations will be used for homework assignments this week as we have covered all of this material during the year anyways. We will not be taking an exam on that section as we have "enjoyed" plenty of testing lately. We will be starting a unit on functions and graphing functions on the coordinate plane. Those are topics I remember from 8th grade. Of course, I rode in a covered wagon to school way back then.
History and Science: Both portfolios were graded over the weekend. Please see and sign those grade slips. The majority of the grades were quite good and those students who struggled were the ones who did not do the required work along the way. Keeping current with our longer term assignments is indeed a real challenge. The work we do from the book (outlines) serves as a foundation for the discussions and activities we then do during class time. The next outline that is due is a science one. It should be completed for this Wednesday.
Impossible Dreams: Another two or three chapters will be provided this week. I am now well into the second half of the book. I am thinking that I'll have a special "lunch" and book chat for those students who complete the reading of the book. Their feedback has been truly helpful for me along this way.
English Language Arts and Reading:
We won't be reading a new story this week as we catch up with time in reading groups.
That will mean no selection test and no vocabulary due on Friday.
We'll have spelling, to everyone's delight, due on Thursday with a test.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Writing due on Wednesday is the thank you letter to someone who has made a positive impact. This will be a good example of persuasive writing as the letter will have to include at least 2 reasons with supporting examples. This week's writing will be to write to a celebrity role model. Details will be in the homework blog. We'll be reviewing the format of letters on Monday.
We'll have a notebook check on Thursday. All papers should be bound into the binder, in order and completed. This counts as a test grade. I'll post the updated list in the blog.
We just finished the famous funeral chapter in Tom Sawyer.
Issue # 28 March 30
Math: Fresh off a week of testing and what do we have slated for this week? The answer is a math test. We were ready last week for the test on unit 6 but held off taking that test by a week. It is scheduled for this Tuesday. I will hold an after school Math Monday session this week and spend some time previewing the exam. Our portfolios were graded last week and with the results of this upcoming test most of the pieces for the third quarter will be in place. We will continue to move forward with more principles of algebra in unit 7 of our math book and look back as we review both fractions and decimals.
Science and History: Both the science and history portfolios will be collected on Thursday of this week and graded over the long Easter weekend. These grades will be very important.
This week we continue to learn about environmental science and will start another outline assignment. These outlines, which are part of both the science and history courses, have been a real challenge for some of our students. The challenge has not been that they are too difficult for students but that some kids have been reluctant to put in the sustained effort that they require. That issue greatly impacts the grades in both history and science.
The essay on Athens and Sparta has been graded. Please sign the grade slip and have it returned for inclusion in our history portfolio. An outline on the contributions of the Greeks is due this Thursday.
Impossible Dreams: Another 3 chapters were added last week and my plan is to get 2 more chapters to the students and on this website this week. One great benefit for me is that the "pressure" of having to meet a deadline, helps motivate me to get "my work done".
English Language Arts and Reading
I feel I have to begin with a discussion of late homework. Our endeavors to prepare students for Jabish Brook includes giving assignments with defined deadlines. Assignments help to advance material in the classroom, provide assessment of student understanding and allow students to practice organizing their own time and materials to meet the deadlines. We always balance the assignments with other class commitments and consider difficulty levels as we determine how long a student should work on the task. It is sometimes necessary to grant extra time for illness, but it ends up being detrimental if students use too much time and fall behind on current work. I will not be accepting late assignments except in cases of absence, sickness and low averages. As most deadlines allow for time for students to ask clarifying questions, I know students will take this seriously. They are almost 7th graders and are ready!
Our story this week "Saving Grace" carries the theme of unselfish acts of kindness and support. Skills include comparing and contrasting and making inferences. Vocabulary and Test are due on Thursday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Reading groups continue in class. Every Walrus has read at least 3 Massachusetts Book Award books, so congratulations are in order!
We continue in Tom Sawyer and are about to read the most famous scene in all American literature.
We'll have a grammar test on indefinite pronouns on Wednesday.
Spelling 117/118 and a test is on Thursday.
Wednesday writing : write a letter of thanks to someone who has helped. Details to follow.
Math: Fresh off a week of testing and what do we have slated for this week? The answer is a math test. We were ready last week for the test on unit 6 but held off taking that test by a week. It is scheduled for this Tuesday. I will hold an after school Math Monday session this week and spend some time previewing the exam. Our portfolios were graded last week and with the results of this upcoming test most of the pieces for the third quarter will be in place. We will continue to move forward with more principles of algebra in unit 7 of our math book and look back as we review both fractions and decimals.
Science and History: Both the science and history portfolios will be collected on Thursday of this week and graded over the long Easter weekend. These grades will be very important.
This week we continue to learn about environmental science and will start another outline assignment. These outlines, which are part of both the science and history courses, have been a real challenge for some of our students. The challenge has not been that they are too difficult for students but that some kids have been reluctant to put in the sustained effort that they require. That issue greatly impacts the grades in both history and science.
The essay on Athens and Sparta has been graded. Please sign the grade slip and have it returned for inclusion in our history portfolio. An outline on the contributions of the Greeks is due this Thursday.
Impossible Dreams: Another 3 chapters were added last week and my plan is to get 2 more chapters to the students and on this website this week. One great benefit for me is that the "pressure" of having to meet a deadline, helps motivate me to get "my work done".
English Language Arts and Reading
I feel I have to begin with a discussion of late homework. Our endeavors to prepare students for Jabish Brook includes giving assignments with defined deadlines. Assignments help to advance material in the classroom, provide assessment of student understanding and allow students to practice organizing their own time and materials to meet the deadlines. We always balance the assignments with other class commitments and consider difficulty levels as we determine how long a student should work on the task. It is sometimes necessary to grant extra time for illness, but it ends up being detrimental if students use too much time and fall behind on current work. I will not be accepting late assignments except in cases of absence, sickness and low averages. As most deadlines allow for time for students to ask clarifying questions, I know students will take this seriously. They are almost 7th graders and are ready!
Our story this week "Saving Grace" carries the theme of unselfish acts of kindness and support. Skills include comparing and contrasting and making inferences. Vocabulary and Test are due on Thursday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Reading groups continue in class. Every Walrus has read at least 3 Massachusetts Book Award books, so congratulations are in order!
We continue in Tom Sawyer and are about to read the most famous scene in all American literature.
We'll have a grammar test on indefinite pronouns on Wednesday.
Spelling 117/118 and a test is on Thursday.
Wednesday writing : write a letter of thanks to someone who has helped. Details to follow.
Issue # 26 March 16
I sent home some warning notices last Friday. Students with an average below 70% in any class I teach received one. My goal is that those students will use the warning as motivation to do what needs to be done to make improvements. To me, that is what grades are for at this level, a measuring stick to help us reach our potential. Although I was generally a good student way back when, I did receive my share of "not so hot" grades too. Sometimes those "mediocre" marks were the best I could do but sometimes I could certainly have done better. I want students to learn the difference between those two and to learn ways they can do their best.
Math: Yes, there is another Math Monday slated for March 16th. Last week's was well attended and we got a lot of good stuff done, too. I will be collecting Math portfolios this Friday and grading them over next weekend. This is a very important grade. Along with continuing to learn about algebraic expressions and equations, we will look at the format of the upcoming PARCC test. It is quite a bit different from the MCAS tests we have grown used to.
History: Our next big challenge in history will be to write a formal essay about life in ancient Sparta and Athens. Students will learn the requirements of this essay this week. It won't be due until the end of next week.
Science: Our next outline for science is due Tuesday.
Important Note: On the warning notices I sent out last Friday, I made a mistake when mentioning the specific name of one required science outline. This mistake showed up on only a few of the notices. I will try to fix that error on Monday to clear up any confusion.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be reading "Major Taylor" this week with a discussion about early bicycles, biographical sketches, making inferences, facts and opinions. Vocabulary and the test is on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. No late slips will be accepted.
Spelling 111/112 and a spelling test is on Thursday.
Wednesday writing this week was to write a story/diary based on a life in Ancient Athens
as part of the class role play. Students can use notes or their textbooks for inspiration.
Grammar this week concerns possessive pronouns.
We continue in Massachusetts Book Award reading groups (discussing protagonists/antagonists), and Tom Sawyer, having just read the most famous chapter in all American literature.
We continue in familiarizing ourselves with the PARCC test. My focus is to concentrate on what we already know how to do well, which is take standardized tests and not to worry too much!
I sent home some warning notices last Friday. Students with an average below 70% in any class I teach received one. My goal is that those students will use the warning as motivation to do what needs to be done to make improvements. To me, that is what grades are for at this level, a measuring stick to help us reach our potential. Although I was generally a good student way back when, I did receive my share of "not so hot" grades too. Sometimes those "mediocre" marks were the best I could do but sometimes I could certainly have done better. I want students to learn the difference between those two and to learn ways they can do their best.
Math: Yes, there is another Math Monday slated for March 16th. Last week's was well attended and we got a lot of good stuff done, too. I will be collecting Math portfolios this Friday and grading them over next weekend. This is a very important grade. Along with continuing to learn about algebraic expressions and equations, we will look at the format of the upcoming PARCC test. It is quite a bit different from the MCAS tests we have grown used to.
History: Our next big challenge in history will be to write a formal essay about life in ancient Sparta and Athens. Students will learn the requirements of this essay this week. It won't be due until the end of next week.
Science: Our next outline for science is due Tuesday.
Important Note: On the warning notices I sent out last Friday, I made a mistake when mentioning the specific name of one required science outline. This mistake showed up on only a few of the notices. I will try to fix that error on Monday to clear up any confusion.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be reading "Major Taylor" this week with a discussion about early bicycles, biographical sketches, making inferences, facts and opinions. Vocabulary and the test is on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. No late slips will be accepted.
Spelling 111/112 and a spelling test is on Thursday.
Wednesday writing this week was to write a story/diary based on a life in Ancient Athens
as part of the class role play. Students can use notes or their textbooks for inspiration.
Grammar this week concerns possessive pronouns.
We continue in Massachusetts Book Award reading groups (discussing protagonists/antagonists), and Tom Sawyer, having just read the most famous chapter in all American literature.
We continue in familiarizing ourselves with the PARCC test. My focus is to concentrate on what we already know how to do well, which is take standardized tests and not to worry too much!
Issue # 27 March 23
Math: I will run a Math Monday this week. We'll review the work in this current chapter in preparation for a non-PARCC test that won't be taken until this week of testing is over. I won't be giving any math homework on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Math portfolios were graded over this past weekend. You should see and sign that important grading slip on Monday.
Science: Both the science and history portfolios will be due one week from this Friday. We continue to work with environmental science. There will be no homework assignments in science class this week.
History: The 300 or more word essay on Athens and Sparta is due this Friday. Students will be given some time to work on it in class but will be expected to do the rest of the work independently. An outline was provided and students have many pages of information they can refer to for assistance.
Impossible Dreams: We are nearing the midpoint of the novel. A few more chapters will be unveiled this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
I only plan on having a reading slip due on Wednesday this week.
We continue with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and will have some activities pertaining to the novel.
Math: I will run a Math Monday this week. We'll review the work in this current chapter in preparation for a non-PARCC test that won't be taken until this week of testing is over. I won't be giving any math homework on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Math portfolios were graded over this past weekend. You should see and sign that important grading slip on Monday.
Science: Both the science and history portfolios will be due one week from this Friday. We continue to work with environmental science. There will be no homework assignments in science class this week.
History: The 300 or more word essay on Athens and Sparta is due this Friday. Students will be given some time to work on it in class but will be expected to do the rest of the work independently. An outline was provided and students have many pages of information they can refer to for assistance.
Impossible Dreams: We are nearing the midpoint of the novel. A few more chapters will be unveiled this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
I only plan on having a reading slip due on Wednesday this week.
We continue with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and will have some activities pertaining to the novel.
Issue # 25 March 9
Math: I will hold a Math Monday session Monday after school. The late bus is running that day so if your child needs a ride home after it, one will be available. Just send in a note. We'll spend some time organizing the math portfolio and also do that night's homework. This week we continue to learn about algebraic expressions and will begin to look at combining terms to simplify expressions.
Science: An outline on ecosystems is due Tuesday. The new books should be covered by that day as well.
History: We will begin to take a closer look at the rival city-states of Athens and Sparta. After gathering information on this we will begin a comparative essay on those Greek city-states. There are no due dates yet on this graded, formal essay but you will be reading more about it as we go along.
Impossible Dreams: Chapters 7 and 8 were handed out last Friday and I hope to have two more chapters by the end of this week. I also gave students, those who have agreed to be editors / reviewers, a series of questions to answer for me. Their "pay" for this extra work is a homework pass.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will not be reading a new story this week.
We continue reading Massachusetts Book Award books in reading groups to write in journals and practice reading fluency. An illustrated timeline of the fate of the Titanic is due on Tuesday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Grammar is still about the subject and object pronouns with a test on Wednesday.
Spelling is 99/100 and a test on Thursday.
We'll be doing a role play on Life in Ancient Athens with a follow-up assignment this week.
Some practice for the upcoming standardized tests will take place. Not too much to create panic but just enough to provide some reassurance.
Math: I will hold a Math Monday session Monday after school. The late bus is running that day so if your child needs a ride home after it, one will be available. Just send in a note. We'll spend some time organizing the math portfolio and also do that night's homework. This week we continue to learn about algebraic expressions and will begin to look at combining terms to simplify expressions.
Science: An outline on ecosystems is due Tuesday. The new books should be covered by that day as well.
History: We will begin to take a closer look at the rival city-states of Athens and Sparta. After gathering information on this we will begin a comparative essay on those Greek city-states. There are no due dates yet on this graded, formal essay but you will be reading more about it as we go along.
Impossible Dreams: Chapters 7 and 8 were handed out last Friday and I hope to have two more chapters by the end of this week. I also gave students, those who have agreed to be editors / reviewers, a series of questions to answer for me. Their "pay" for this extra work is a homework pass.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will not be reading a new story this week.
We continue reading Massachusetts Book Award books in reading groups to write in journals and practice reading fluency. An illustrated timeline of the fate of the Titanic is due on Tuesday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Grammar is still about the subject and object pronouns with a test on Wednesday.
Spelling is 99/100 and a test on Thursday.
We'll be doing a role play on Life in Ancient Athens with a follow-up assignment this week.
Some practice for the upcoming standardized tests will take place. Not too much to create panic but just enough to provide some reassurance.
Issue # 24 March 2
Math: I was very pleased with our overall performance on last week's exam. Those graded exams went home for your viewing on Friday. We have now begun our sixth unit, the first one in Volume 2 of our math series. This unit is on algebra, the language of math. This will be a good challenge for us. Mondays have been a challenge for me in the past two months with snow days, vacations and personal reasons for being absent. I am hoping to hold a Math Monday, after school extra help session, this week but I know that it has been awhile since I have been able to get one of those in.
History: I love the unit we are working on: Ancient Greece. An outline on "Daily Life in Athens" is due on Monday and another one, "Sparta and Athens", is due on Friday. This week we will be looking at how democracy developed in the city-state of Athens.
Science: We received a new science book today. It is Environmental Science. We have begun working on our first outline from this material. It is on populations and communities and it is due next Tuesday. These outlines in both science and history are very important especially now since we are being quizzed on the material presented in them. Doing the outlines on time and doing them well becomes very important.
Impossible Dreams: I am back on track with the writing of that novel. Two more chapters were added to the website last week and another two will be coming in the next few days. Onward.
English Language Arts and Reading
Students did a great job on their poetry packets on the African American poets and the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. They are quite sophisticated in their analyses and interpretations. The packet will be a reading test grade.
We read "Exploring the Titanic" this week and are reminded of the skill of discerning facts and opinions. All students will get a "boarding pass" on Tuesday representing a real ticket and real passenger and will learn their fates on Friday when we take the selection test on the story.
Massachusetts Book Award book groups are going quite well with most groups completing 3 books by this point.
We began "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" last week and are deep into some of the most famous scenes in all American literature,
Vocabulary begun in class on Monday is due on Friday.
Grammar this week continues with the magic and mystery of pronouns with lessons on antecedents and subject and object pronouns.
Spelling 105/106 and the test are due on Thursday
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Math: I was very pleased with our overall performance on last week's exam. Those graded exams went home for your viewing on Friday. We have now begun our sixth unit, the first one in Volume 2 of our math series. This unit is on algebra, the language of math. This will be a good challenge for us. Mondays have been a challenge for me in the past two months with snow days, vacations and personal reasons for being absent. I am hoping to hold a Math Monday, after school extra help session, this week but I know that it has been awhile since I have been able to get one of those in.
History: I love the unit we are working on: Ancient Greece. An outline on "Daily Life in Athens" is due on Monday and another one, "Sparta and Athens", is due on Friday. This week we will be looking at how democracy developed in the city-state of Athens.
Science: We received a new science book today. It is Environmental Science. We have begun working on our first outline from this material. It is on populations and communities and it is due next Tuesday. These outlines in both science and history are very important especially now since we are being quizzed on the material presented in them. Doing the outlines on time and doing them well becomes very important.
Impossible Dreams: I am back on track with the writing of that novel. Two more chapters were added to the website last week and another two will be coming in the next few days. Onward.
English Language Arts and Reading
Students did a great job on their poetry packets on the African American poets and the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. They are quite sophisticated in their analyses and interpretations. The packet will be a reading test grade.
We read "Exploring the Titanic" this week and are reminded of the skill of discerning facts and opinions. All students will get a "boarding pass" on Tuesday representing a real ticket and real passenger and will learn their fates on Friday when we take the selection test on the story.
Massachusetts Book Award book groups are going quite well with most groups completing 3 books by this point.
We began "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" last week and are deep into some of the most famous scenes in all American literature,
Vocabulary begun in class on Monday is due on Friday.
Grammar this week continues with the magic and mystery of pronouns with lessons on antecedents and subject and object pronouns.
Spelling 105/106 and the test are due on Thursday
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Issue # 23 February 23
Welcome back!
Math: We will be taking a math exam for our fifth unit this Thursday. That test will be on number lines, integers, coordinate graphs and perimeter, area, volume and surface area. We will be starting Volume 2 of our math series this week with a unit on algebra.
History: We continue to learn about the history and culture of ancient Greece. Our next outline will be due next Monday. We will learning about the great Greek philosophers and how democracy grew in the city-state of Athens.
Science: Our creating dragons project was a lot of fun and those dragons are now covering the walls of my classroom. This week we will be getting a new science book and begin to learn about environmental science.
English Language Arts and Reading: We will not start a new story this week as we wrap up Poetry Month with a class project of examining the poets of African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. In this mini-unit, we continue reviwing poetic use of literary elements and figurative language. Massachusetts Book Award reading groups continue.
We’re also beginning a new novel this week which was part of our Language curriculum. We’ll be reading “Tom Sawyer” as a class activity. This book, although difficult, has traditionally been really popular because of the universal theme of growing up. I love this book and I will be throwing all my enthusiasm for Mark Twain at 12 year-olds who don’t yet know they will love it too! Besides, they will be reading the sequel “Huckleberry Finn” in 8th grade.
Two reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Spelling 91/92 and a test are on Thursday
Grammar introduces some of the complexities of subject and object pronouns.
Welcome back!
Math: We will be taking a math exam for our fifth unit this Thursday. That test will be on number lines, integers, coordinate graphs and perimeter, area, volume and surface area. We will be starting Volume 2 of our math series this week with a unit on algebra.
History: We continue to learn about the history and culture of ancient Greece. Our next outline will be due next Monday. We will learning about the great Greek philosophers and how democracy grew in the city-state of Athens.
Science: Our creating dragons project was a lot of fun and those dragons are now covering the walls of my classroom. This week we will be getting a new science book and begin to learn about environmental science.
English Language Arts and Reading: We will not start a new story this week as we wrap up Poetry Month with a class project of examining the poets of African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. In this mini-unit, we continue reviwing poetic use of literary elements and figurative language. Massachusetts Book Award reading groups continue.
We’re also beginning a new novel this week which was part of our Language curriculum. We’ll be reading “Tom Sawyer” as a class activity. This book, although difficult, has traditionally been really popular because of the universal theme of growing up. I love this book and I will be throwing all my enthusiasm for Mark Twain at 12 year-olds who don’t yet know they will love it too! Besides, they will be reading the sequel “Huckleberry Finn” in 8th grade.
Two reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Spelling 91/92 and a test are on Thursday
Grammar introduces some of the complexities of subject and object pronouns.
Issue # 22 February 10
Math: We will be finishing up the first volume of our math series this week. I was planning on giving a test on this last section at the end of this week but the extra snow day has changed my plan. Instead, we will take that exam in the middle of the week when we come back from February break. This week we will be working with graphing on the coordinate plane and constructing geometric shapes on the coordinate plane.
Science: We took a quiz on genetics last Friday. You should see and sign that quiz this week. We will be using what we have learned about this topic in a dragon project. It should be fun.
History: Our next outline is due this Wednesday. This week we will be learning about 3 great , Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Students will write a short essay about some aspect of their own philosophy.
Impossible Dreams: I have not abandoned the writing, with the help of my students, of the novel Impossible Dreams. The stuff that has been going on in my own life coupled with trying to keep momentum while in a snow daze has made it challenging. I hope to get out the next installment during this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
Poetry month continues with students analyzing song lyrics for literary elements and figurative language. Small groups will be analyzing yrics and teaching the class what peotic devices were used. Massachusetts Book Award book groups continue practicing fluency and discussing books.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. There will be a grammar test on perfect and progressive tenses on Friday, after a review.
Math: We will be finishing up the first volume of our math series this week. I was planning on giving a test on this last section at the end of this week but the extra snow day has changed my plan. Instead, we will take that exam in the middle of the week when we come back from February break. This week we will be working with graphing on the coordinate plane and constructing geometric shapes on the coordinate plane.
Science: We took a quiz on genetics last Friday. You should see and sign that quiz this week. We will be using what we have learned about this topic in a dragon project. It should be fun.
History: Our next outline is due this Wednesday. This week we will be learning about 3 great , Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Students will write a short essay about some aspect of their own philosophy.
Impossible Dreams: I have not abandoned the writing, with the help of my students, of the novel Impossible Dreams. The stuff that has been going on in my own life coupled with trying to keep momentum while in a snow daze has made it challenging. I hope to get out the next installment during this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
Poetry month continues with students analyzing song lyrics for literary elements and figurative language. Small groups will be analyzing yrics and teaching the class what peotic devices were used. Massachusetts Book Award book groups continue practicing fluency and discussing books.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. There will be a grammar test on perfect and progressive tenses on Friday, after a review.
Issue # 21 February
Math: Yes, there will be a Math Monday this week if weather permits. I am not sure that we still have the Late Bus service but the extra help in math can be very helpful to a student who wants to get a boost. We continue to learn about integers and graphing on number lines and on the coordinate plane. We will soon begin Volume 2 of our math series and remain a few weeks away from our next math exam.
History: We are learning about the culture and history of ancient Greece. This week we will enjoy a few Greek myths and look at the legendary Trojan War. There is an outline on Early Greek Civilization due on Tuesday and another one coming in the middle of this week.
Science: We continue to learn about heredity and genetics. An outline is scheduled to be turned in on Monday. This outline work in both science and history is vital to help kids develop a foundation that we can build on during class. Many of our students are improving their ability to complete these assignments and get something meaningful from the exercise.
English Language Arts and Reading
This week we really will read about Chinese archaeology in "Emperor's Silent Army". There will be a the selection test on Friday. We have already completed the vocabulary and spelling this week. We continue learning about verb tenses with a surprise test on Thursday. As we prepare for February's poetry month, we review literary elements and figurative language with some practice assignments.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students will receive corrected papers on Friday.
Math: Yes, there will be a Math Monday this week if weather permits. I am not sure that we still have the Late Bus service but the extra help in math can be very helpful to a student who wants to get a boost. We continue to learn about integers and graphing on number lines and on the coordinate plane. We will soon begin Volume 2 of our math series and remain a few weeks away from our next math exam.
History: We are learning about the culture and history of ancient Greece. This week we will enjoy a few Greek myths and look at the legendary Trojan War. There is an outline on Early Greek Civilization due on Tuesday and another one coming in the middle of this week.
Science: We continue to learn about heredity and genetics. An outline is scheduled to be turned in on Monday. This outline work in both science and history is vital to help kids develop a foundation that we can build on during class. Many of our students are improving their ability to complete these assignments and get something meaningful from the exercise.
English Language Arts and Reading
This week we really will read about Chinese archaeology in "Emperor's Silent Army". There will be a the selection test on Friday. We have already completed the vocabulary and spelling this week. We continue learning about verb tenses with a surprise test on Thursday. As we prepare for February's poetry month, we review literary elements and figurative language with some practice assignments.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students will receive corrected papers on Friday.
Issue # 20 January 25
Math: There will be no Math Monday this week as I will be out of school on Monday. A new marking term begins this week with report cards scheduled to go home this Friday. We have begun a new unit on integers and graphing on the coordinate plane. We are also working with finding the circumference and area of circles and using other geometric formulas for perimeter, area, volume and surface area.
Science: Our next outline that accompanies the book will be due this Friday. We continue to study the science of heredity.
History: We begin studying the history and culture of ancient Greece this week. Our first outline on this work will be due next Monday.
English Language Arts and Reading
We learn a little about Chinese archaeology with "The Emperor's Silent Army". Vocabulary and a test will be due on Friday. Writing due on Wednesday is "My Green Home" and consists of a diagram and accompanying paragraphs. Reading slips are also due that day.
Grammar reviews verb phrases and begins discussing the perfect and progressive tenses.
Spelling is all about prefixes this week with a test on Thursday and homework 85/86 due.
Massachusetts Book Award reading groups have been working well with all students well into their second books as they respond to literature and practice fluency.
Math: There will be no Math Monday this week as I will be out of school on Monday. A new marking term begins this week with report cards scheduled to go home this Friday. We have begun a new unit on integers and graphing on the coordinate plane. We are also working with finding the circumference and area of circles and using other geometric formulas for perimeter, area, volume and surface area.
Science: Our next outline that accompanies the book will be due this Friday. We continue to study the science of heredity.
History: We begin studying the history and culture of ancient Greece this week. Our first outline on this work will be due next Monday.
English Language Arts and Reading
We learn a little about Chinese archaeology with "The Emperor's Silent Army". Vocabulary and a test will be due on Friday. Writing due on Wednesday is "My Green Home" and consists of a diagram and accompanying paragraphs. Reading slips are also due that day.
Grammar reviews verb phrases and begins discussing the perfect and progressive tenses.
Spelling is all about prefixes this week with a test on Thursday and homework 85/86 due.
Massachusetts Book Award reading groups have been working well with all students well into their second books as they respond to literature and practice fluency.
Issue # 19 January 19
The second quarter of the school year closes out this Friday. That means that report cards will be going home the following Friday.
Math: Friday's math exam on our unit on fractions has been graded and sent home on Tuesday, January 20. Please sign it. Our next unit will be on integers, number lines and the coordinate plane. We will also be doing investigations with circles to find circumference and area and with rectangular solids to determine surface area.
Science: The science portfolio has been graded. You should see the grade slip on Tuesday. We have begun a unit on Genetics: The Science of Heredity. An outline assignment is due this Friday.
History: The history portfolio has also been graded and a grade slip sent home. We will soon begin a unit on the history and culture of ancient Greece. Not that it matters, but my favorite part of our history curriculum involves Greek mythology and learning how the ancient Greeks changed the way people regarded their world.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be talking about energy and resources, and cause and effect in the story "Building Green". Instead of the traditional vocabulary and Friday test, I thought it might be fun to work on a diagram with accompanying paragraphs about "My Green Home." We'll begin this on Wednesday.
We will be demonstrating the steps of Egyptian mummification. In this project, students will be in charge of performing the sequence in small groups. This has been a lesson in sequencing and summarizing as well as learning the gruesome job of getting ready for the Underworld. On Tuesday students will receive a study guide summarizing the steps and will take a test on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
We’ll have a notebook check Thursday. All papers should be bound, in the order of the class list and completed.
Reading Groups continue with work in journals. The My Neighborhood essays were excellent. Students will receive their persuasive essays called "My Opinions" for writing folders by Friday.
The second quarter of the school year closes out this Friday. That means that report cards will be going home the following Friday.
Math: Friday's math exam on our unit on fractions has been graded and sent home on Tuesday, January 20. Please sign it. Our next unit will be on integers, number lines and the coordinate plane. We will also be doing investigations with circles to find circumference and area and with rectangular solids to determine surface area.
Science: The science portfolio has been graded. You should see the grade slip on Tuesday. We have begun a unit on Genetics: The Science of Heredity. An outline assignment is due this Friday.
History: The history portfolio has also been graded and a grade slip sent home. We will soon begin a unit on the history and culture of ancient Greece. Not that it matters, but my favorite part of our history curriculum involves Greek mythology and learning how the ancient Greeks changed the way people regarded their world.
English Language Arts and Reading
We'll be talking about energy and resources, and cause and effect in the story "Building Green". Instead of the traditional vocabulary and Friday test, I thought it might be fun to work on a diagram with accompanying paragraphs about "My Green Home." We'll begin this on Wednesday.
We will be demonstrating the steps of Egyptian mummification. In this project, students will be in charge of performing the sequence in small groups. This has been a lesson in sequencing and summarizing as well as learning the gruesome job of getting ready for the Underworld. On Tuesday students will receive a study guide summarizing the steps and will take a test on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
We’ll have a notebook check Thursday. All papers should be bound, in the order of the class list and completed.
Reading Groups continue with work in journals. The My Neighborhood essays were excellent. Students will receive their persuasive essays called "My Opinions" for writing folders by Friday.
Issue # 18 January 12
The second quarter of the school year ends in two weeks so this is the homestretch. Impossible Dreams: I am writing, actually rewriting, a novel called Impossible Dreams. It is about a 12 year old girl who hopes to play little league baseball in a time (1967) when girls were not allowed to play. It will be presented in episodes and will appear on the website. My goals for doing this are explained in detail in the book's preface. In short, I believe it will help both the students and me. Feel free to check it out.
Math: Yes, there will be another Math Monday on January 12. We will be focusing on the test (fractions) that is coming this Friday. I graded math portfolios over this weekend. You should see and sign the grade slip on Monday. This is a very important grade. This week we will be finishing up our unit on fractions. We will also begin to look at circles and how to find the circumference and area of circles.
History: The history portfolio is due this Friday. I will grade it, along with the science portfolio, over the next weekend. An outline on The Cultures of Nubia is due this Friday. This week we will learn about King Tut's tomb and the accomplishments of the Egyptians. We will begin a unit on the culture and history of ancient Greece after that.
Science: The science portfolio is also due on Friday. We begin working with heredity this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
We explore the world of fiction with "Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street".
We've already done the week's spelling last week. Additional areas will be verb phrases and word origins.
We'll read about the mummification and prepare the ritual in a sequence to perform and teach the class.
The "My Neighborhood" essay is due on Wednesday. Students will "write what they know" as they write about the environment, people and activities in their neighborhoods. The essay could be anywhere from a very long paragraph to several paragraphs, depending on how detailed students want to be. We'll have a notebook check soon with all papers completed, bound into the binders, and in order. This will count as a test grade. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Most students have finished their first book for the Massachusetts Book Award reading groups. The graded journals count as test grades.
Finally, presidents' tests have been phenomenal. A majority of students received 100% as they practiced the mneumonic device to learn such a complicated list.
The second quarter of the school year ends in two weeks so this is the homestretch. Impossible Dreams: I am writing, actually rewriting, a novel called Impossible Dreams. It is about a 12 year old girl who hopes to play little league baseball in a time (1967) when girls were not allowed to play. It will be presented in episodes and will appear on the website. My goals for doing this are explained in detail in the book's preface. In short, I believe it will help both the students and me. Feel free to check it out.
Math: Yes, there will be another Math Monday on January 12. We will be focusing on the test (fractions) that is coming this Friday. I graded math portfolios over this weekend. You should see and sign the grade slip on Monday. This is a very important grade. This week we will be finishing up our unit on fractions. We will also begin to look at circles and how to find the circumference and area of circles.
History: The history portfolio is due this Friday. I will grade it, along with the science portfolio, over the next weekend. An outline on The Cultures of Nubia is due this Friday. This week we will learn about King Tut's tomb and the accomplishments of the Egyptians. We will begin a unit on the culture and history of ancient Greece after that.
Science: The science portfolio is also due on Friday. We begin working with heredity this week.
English Language Arts and Reading
We explore the world of fiction with "Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street".
We've already done the week's spelling last week. Additional areas will be verb phrases and word origins.
We'll read about the mummification and prepare the ritual in a sequence to perform and teach the class.
The "My Neighborhood" essay is due on Wednesday. Students will "write what they know" as they write about the environment, people and activities in their neighborhoods. The essay could be anywhere from a very long paragraph to several paragraphs, depending on how detailed students want to be. We'll have a notebook check soon with all papers completed, bound into the binders, and in order. This will count as a test grade. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Most students have finished their first book for the Massachusetts Book Award reading groups. The graded journals count as test grades.
Finally, presidents' tests have been phenomenal. A majority of students received 100% as they practiced the mneumonic device to learn such a complicated list.
Issue # 17 January 5...............2015!
Math: There will be a Math Monday on Monday, January 5. We pick up where we left off before vacation with solving problems involving multiplication and division of fractions. We are a couple of weeks away from an exam on this unit on fractions. Math portfolios will be collected this Friday and graded over the following weekend. This portfolio grade is a very important one.
Science: Before the vacation we completed our presentations on the Evolution of Animals research project. I passed out the grading slips for that work today. Please sign and have it returned for inclusion in our science portfolios. You will see a grade for each of the three following areas: essay, poster, and presentation.
History: We continue with learning about the history and culture of ancient Egypt. Our next outline is due at the end of this week. I will be collecting the history and science portfolios on Friday, January 16.
Impossible Dreams: I am writing a book about a girl who hopes to play little league baseball in 1967, a time when girls were not allowed to play with boys. That book will be unveiled in weekly episodes and will be included on our website. The preface and opening chapter will debut this Friday.
Thank You: I very much appreciated the cards, gifts and well wishes from you all before the holidays. Once again I am reminded how lucky I am to work in this community.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will be easing into this new year with completing several projects begun before vacation, so there will not be a new story or a selection test on Friday.
We will be finishing The Lightning Thief. You have probably by now discovered students have been practicing mneumonic devices to remember difficult concepts such as memorizing the order of the presidents in the order they were elected. I hope your were impressed with your child's impressive knowledge over vacation. I will begin the official test, which is done orally, on Friday. My goal is for all students to get 100% on this test but I will make sure not student gets below 70%
We'll review present, past and future verb tenses with homework for practice.
Reading slips (3) will be collected on Wednesday.
Spelling 73/74 will be due on Thursday with a test that same day.
Our next Wednesday writing assignment will be discussed on Wednesday and due next Wednesday. Students will be writing about their neighborhoods - the people, houses, activities, sounds, landscapes - following the tradition of writing about what you know.
Students will receive corrected papers on Friday. They are not allowed to throw papers away here at school.
Math: There will be a Math Monday on Monday, January 5. We pick up where we left off before vacation with solving problems involving multiplication and division of fractions. We are a couple of weeks away from an exam on this unit on fractions. Math portfolios will be collected this Friday and graded over the following weekend. This portfolio grade is a very important one.
Science: Before the vacation we completed our presentations on the Evolution of Animals research project. I passed out the grading slips for that work today. Please sign and have it returned for inclusion in our science portfolios. You will see a grade for each of the three following areas: essay, poster, and presentation.
History: We continue with learning about the history and culture of ancient Egypt. Our next outline is due at the end of this week. I will be collecting the history and science portfolios on Friday, January 16.
Impossible Dreams: I am writing a book about a girl who hopes to play little league baseball in 1967, a time when girls were not allowed to play with boys. That book will be unveiled in weekly episodes and will be included on our website. The preface and opening chapter will debut this Friday.
Thank You: I very much appreciated the cards, gifts and well wishes from you all before the holidays. Once again I am reminded how lucky I am to work in this community.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will be easing into this new year with completing several projects begun before vacation, so there will not be a new story or a selection test on Friday.
We will be finishing The Lightning Thief. You have probably by now discovered students have been practicing mneumonic devices to remember difficult concepts such as memorizing the order of the presidents in the order they were elected. I hope your were impressed with your child's impressive knowledge over vacation. I will begin the official test, which is done orally, on Friday. My goal is for all students to get 100% on this test but I will make sure not student gets below 70%
We'll review present, past and future verb tenses with homework for practice.
Reading slips (3) will be collected on Wednesday.
Spelling 73/74 will be due on Thursday with a test that same day.
Our next Wednesday writing assignment will be discussed on Wednesday and due next Wednesday. Students will be writing about their neighborhoods - the people, houses, activities, sounds, landscapes - following the tradition of writing about what you know.
Students will receive corrected papers on Friday. They are not allowed to throw papers away here at school.
Issue # 16 December 15
We are approaching the longest ever vacation in my tenure here in Belchertown. I am looking forward to it, collecting books to read and compiling a list of things to do. It should be fun. May you and your family enjoy a great vacation. I wish for you a happy New Year!
Math: There will be a Math Monday on December 15th although the late bus will not run again until January. One focal point of this session will be to organize our math portfolio. If your child could use some extra help doing that , have them attend the session.
We continue to learn about multiplication of fractions and solve problems involving fractions. We took a "quick quiz" last Friday. Ask your child how they fared.
History: There is no history homework assignment this week as we are focusing more attention on our science work. We will, however, continue to look at the way the ancient Egyptians constructed pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Science: Our Evolving Animals work continues this week and culminates on Friday when students will be doing presentations of 3-5 minutes and turn in their 4 or more paragraph essay. Here's how we'll be dealing with it this week. On Monday during our library time Mrs. Marley will present a lesson on doing research on the computer. All students will then conduct research with special emphasis placed on learning about the evolution of our animals. On Tuesday we will have a block of time set aside for writing our essays and on Wednesday we will compile notes for our presentation and practice that presentation.
English Language Arts
We are all looking forward to 16 days off with fun, family and food!
There will not be a new story, new vocabulary, new spelling or tests this week.
We are writing about the lives of famous Egyptians which will get turned into short informative plays to teach classmates. The graphic organizer for this class assignment is due on Wednesday, as is reading slips.
There will be some reading and grammar assignments to keep students toned up like the one on Wednesday about looking at the details in the eyewitness accounts.
New grammar will discuss action verbs and direct objects.
We are approaching the longest ever vacation in my tenure here in Belchertown. I am looking forward to it, collecting books to read and compiling a list of things to do. It should be fun. May you and your family enjoy a great vacation. I wish for you a happy New Year!
Math: There will be a Math Monday on December 15th although the late bus will not run again until January. One focal point of this session will be to organize our math portfolio. If your child could use some extra help doing that , have them attend the session.
We continue to learn about multiplication of fractions and solve problems involving fractions. We took a "quick quiz" last Friday. Ask your child how they fared.
History: There is no history homework assignment this week as we are focusing more attention on our science work. We will, however, continue to look at the way the ancient Egyptians constructed pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Science: Our Evolving Animals work continues this week and culminates on Friday when students will be doing presentations of 3-5 minutes and turn in their 4 or more paragraph essay. Here's how we'll be dealing with it this week. On Monday during our library time Mrs. Marley will present a lesson on doing research on the computer. All students will then conduct research with special emphasis placed on learning about the evolution of our animals. On Tuesday we will have a block of time set aside for writing our essays and on Wednesday we will compile notes for our presentation and practice that presentation.
English Language Arts
We are all looking forward to 16 days off with fun, family and food!
There will not be a new story, new vocabulary, new spelling or tests this week.
We are writing about the lives of famous Egyptians which will get turned into short informative plays to teach classmates. The graphic organizer for this class assignment is due on Wednesday, as is reading slips.
There will be some reading and grammar assignments to keep students toned up like the one on Wednesday about looking at the details in the eyewitness accounts.
New grammar will discuss action verbs and direct objects.
Issue # 15 December 8
Math: There will be no Math Monday on December 8. There will be one on December 15. By now you should have gotten a chance to inspect last week's exam on decimal numbers. We have now begun a unit on solving problems involving the multiplication and division of fractions. One challenge that kids face is dealing with sequential, multi-step algorithms. For instance, the way to add fractions is very different from the process used to multiply fractions which, of course, is different from division with fractions. Your child has a lot of these algorithms on their plate and it is a strong challenge to keep them clear. Homework which is a chance to practice these skills, is one important way to keep it all straight. Another is to truly understand the concepts behind the work, to develop deeper understandings. This, too, comes only with hard work. A sixth grader must work with whole numbers, fractions and decimals and use them to solve problems involving proportions, percents, measurement, data and statistics, algebra and geometry. It is a daunting and "fun" ride.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of ancient Egypt. I had planned on having the students write essays on the construction of the pyramids but have decided to focus our writing time on an assignment in science class. Still, we will learn how and why the ancient Egyptians built pyramids and mummified their dead. Our next outline assignment is due this Friday.
Science: There is a major, "three-headed" project due on or before December 19. Since we are approaching a full two week break from school, my plan is to get all this work completed before the holiday vacation. Students have chosen an animal and begun to research it. Each student will answer four important questions about their animal. 1. What is the animal's habitat / environment? 2. What features and abilities has your animal developed over time to allow them to adapt to that environment? 3. What were your animal's predecessors like? 4. What do you think the future holds for that animal? Students will be creating a poster displaying this information. They will also write a 4 paragraph paper answering those questions. Finally, they will deliver a 3 to 5 minute presentation to the class telling what they have learned and showing their poster. It should be fun.
Reading:
Students will learn about the American Southwest in "Juan Verdades".
Reading skills focus on identifying the importance of character, setting and plot.
The selection test will be on Friday. As a nod to reading for history, we will examine the lives of famous Egyptian leaders and prepare short plays for peer-teaching the information. This project will be completed during classtime.
We continue with Lightning Thief and the Massachusetts Book Award books during reading groups. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
English Language Arts:
We have completed drafting, revising, and editing some excellent persuasive writing pieces and are just waiting for to print. Students worked very hard on this writing!
We also practiced keyboarding skills with most students improving scores of words per
minute.
Spelling 67/68 is due on Thursday with a spelling test.
Math: There will be no Math Monday on December 8. There will be one on December 15. By now you should have gotten a chance to inspect last week's exam on decimal numbers. We have now begun a unit on solving problems involving the multiplication and division of fractions. One challenge that kids face is dealing with sequential, multi-step algorithms. For instance, the way to add fractions is very different from the process used to multiply fractions which, of course, is different from division with fractions. Your child has a lot of these algorithms on their plate and it is a strong challenge to keep them clear. Homework which is a chance to practice these skills, is one important way to keep it all straight. Another is to truly understand the concepts behind the work, to develop deeper understandings. This, too, comes only with hard work. A sixth grader must work with whole numbers, fractions and decimals and use them to solve problems involving proportions, percents, measurement, data and statistics, algebra and geometry. It is a daunting and "fun" ride.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of ancient Egypt. I had planned on having the students write essays on the construction of the pyramids but have decided to focus our writing time on an assignment in science class. Still, we will learn how and why the ancient Egyptians built pyramids and mummified their dead. Our next outline assignment is due this Friday.
Science: There is a major, "three-headed" project due on or before December 19. Since we are approaching a full two week break from school, my plan is to get all this work completed before the holiday vacation. Students have chosen an animal and begun to research it. Each student will answer four important questions about their animal. 1. What is the animal's habitat / environment? 2. What features and abilities has your animal developed over time to allow them to adapt to that environment? 3. What were your animal's predecessors like? 4. What do you think the future holds for that animal? Students will be creating a poster displaying this information. They will also write a 4 paragraph paper answering those questions. Finally, they will deliver a 3 to 5 minute presentation to the class telling what they have learned and showing their poster. It should be fun.
Reading:
Students will learn about the American Southwest in "Juan Verdades".
Reading skills focus on identifying the importance of character, setting and plot.
The selection test will be on Friday. As a nod to reading for history, we will examine the lives of famous Egyptian leaders and prepare short plays for peer-teaching the information. This project will be completed during classtime.
We continue with Lightning Thief and the Massachusetts Book Award books during reading groups. Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
English Language Arts:
We have completed drafting, revising, and editing some excellent persuasive writing pieces and are just waiting for to print. Students worked very hard on this writing!
We also practiced keyboarding skills with most students improving scores of words per
minute.
Spelling 67/68 is due on Thursday with a spelling test.
Issue # 14 December 1
Math: There will be a Math Monday on December 1 but not on December 8th as I have an appointment that day.
Our next major exam is slated for Tuesday, December 2. It will focus on solving problems involving decimal numbers. I will have it graded and sent home for your signature by the end of this week. We will begin a unit on multiplying and dividing fractions this week.
History: An outline on the rulers of Egypt is due tomorrow. We continue to learn about ancient hieroglyphics and will begin to gather information in preparation for an essay on the Egyptian pyramids.
Science: Students will be choosing an animal and conducting research on how it has adapted to fit its environment. This information will be harnessed for a presentation in a few weeks. We continue to work with ideas of evolution and will soon begin to learn about heredity and genetics.
English Language Arts and Reading
We continue working on our big persuasive writing assignment this week. We begin with revising and editing in preparation for typing the 5 paragraph assignment on the laptops.
In addition, we are having a contest for keyboarding skills.
There is no new story which means no new vocabulary, spelling and selection test on Friday. We continue reading Massachusetts Book Award books in reading groups and "Lightining Thief". Assignments for the week review recent grammar such as plural nouns, appositives and the importance of understanding sequences in reading.
Math: There will be a Math Monday on December 1 but not on December 8th as I have an appointment that day.
Our next major exam is slated for Tuesday, December 2. It will focus on solving problems involving decimal numbers. I will have it graded and sent home for your signature by the end of this week. We will begin a unit on multiplying and dividing fractions this week.
History: An outline on the rulers of Egypt is due tomorrow. We continue to learn about ancient hieroglyphics and will begin to gather information in preparation for an essay on the Egyptian pyramids.
Science: Students will be choosing an animal and conducting research on how it has adapted to fit its environment. This information will be harnessed for a presentation in a few weeks. We continue to work with ideas of evolution and will soon begin to learn about heredity and genetics.
English Language Arts and Reading
We continue working on our big persuasive writing assignment this week. We begin with revising and editing in preparation for typing the 5 paragraph assignment on the laptops.
In addition, we are having a contest for keyboarding skills.
There is no new story which means no new vocabulary, spelling and selection test on Friday. We continue reading Massachusetts Book Award books in reading groups and "Lightining Thief". Assignments for the week review recent grammar such as plural nouns, appositives and the importance of understanding sequences in reading.
Issue # 13 November 24
Math: There is another Math Monday on Monday (obviously). I will not be running one on Monday, December 8th as I have an appointment that day. Otherwise, I have those after school sessions every Monday. In this short week, we will continue to prepare for our next exam on decimals and the decimal number system. We will also be learning about expressions and equations as we begin to do more with algebra. It is amazing how much algebra is taught now in sixth grade.
History: Our next outline assignment, The Rulers of Egypt, is due on Tuesday, December 2. We will be learning about hieroglyphics this week and will write our names using hieroglyphs.
Science: We continue to look at ideas about evolution. A "future man" drawing is due tomorrow.
English Language Arts and Reading
To celebrate our discussion of the origins of the Iditarod we are having a modified cocoa party during reading group discussion: students have to bring in their own cocoa packets and marshmallows and I will provide the hot water and cups.
We continue to write our persuasive writing assignment on various opinions during class time. Reading groups continue to read Massachusetts Book Award books to demonstrate understanding of character, setting and plot.
2 Reading slips will be due on the Wednesday we get back from vacation.
Math: There is another Math Monday on Monday (obviously). I will not be running one on Monday, December 8th as I have an appointment that day. Otherwise, I have those after school sessions every Monday. In this short week, we will continue to prepare for our next exam on decimals and the decimal number system. We will also be learning about expressions and equations as we begin to do more with algebra. It is amazing how much algebra is taught now in sixth grade.
History: Our next outline assignment, The Rulers of Egypt, is due on Tuesday, December 2. We will be learning about hieroglyphics this week and will write our names using hieroglyphs.
Science: We continue to look at ideas about evolution. A "future man" drawing is due tomorrow.
English Language Arts and Reading
To celebrate our discussion of the origins of the Iditarod we are having a modified cocoa party during reading group discussion: students have to bring in their own cocoa packets and marshmallows and I will provide the hot water and cups.
We continue to write our persuasive writing assignment on various opinions during class time. Reading groups continue to read Massachusetts Book Award books to demonstrate understanding of character, setting and plot.
2 Reading slips will be due on the Wednesday we get back from vacation.
Issue # 12 November 17
Math: We continue to solve problems involving multiplication and division with decimal numbers. We are about two weeks from our next exam. We will also continue to work with the concepts of perimeter and area and develop our higher thinking skills as we tackle Open Response questions. Ask your child about our recent quiz on this work. You should be signing that quiz this week.
Science: This week we will begin looking at ideas about evolution and learn about the work of Charles Darwin.
History: This week we will learn about the ancient Egyptian myth of Osiris and Isis. We will also be writing our name in hieroglyphs. We have an assignment on 1001 Arabian Nights due this Wednesday.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading: We are learning about the origins of the Iditarod in “The Great Serum Race”.
Vocabulary is due on Friday
We have a test on the story on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times. I will require this for small reading groups in class.
Reading groups for Massachusetts Book Awards have been very productive with in class journal reflections.
Grammar: We begin the week reviewing possessive nouns and then learn to identify appositives in a sentence, once we figure out what they are.. Possessive nouns are due on Tuesday and Appositives are due on Friday.
Spelling: Page 58 is due on Thursday when we have the test.
Writing: We’ve been writing persuasively about a variety of opinions. So far, the results of this writing assignment all done in class has been great.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with Lightning Thief.
Math: We continue to solve problems involving multiplication and division with decimal numbers. We are about two weeks from our next exam. We will also continue to work with the concepts of perimeter and area and develop our higher thinking skills as we tackle Open Response questions. Ask your child about our recent quiz on this work. You should be signing that quiz this week.
Science: This week we will begin looking at ideas about evolution and learn about the work of Charles Darwin.
History: This week we will learn about the ancient Egyptian myth of Osiris and Isis. We will also be writing our name in hieroglyphs. We have an assignment on 1001 Arabian Nights due this Wednesday.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading: We are learning about the origins of the Iditarod in “The Great Serum Race”.
Vocabulary is due on Friday
We have a test on the story on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times. I will require this for small reading groups in class.
Reading groups for Massachusetts Book Awards have been very productive with in class journal reflections.
Grammar: We begin the week reviewing possessive nouns and then learn to identify appositives in a sentence, once we figure out what they are.. Possessive nouns are due on Tuesday and Appositives are due on Friday.
Spelling: Page 58 is due on Thursday when we have the test.
Writing: We’ve been writing persuasively about a variety of opinions. So far, the results of this writing assignment all done in class has been great.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with Lightning Thief.
Issue # 11 November 10
Math: We will continue to solve problems involving the multiplication and division of decimal numbers. We are also looking at data and representing data concerning natural disasters. This work connects to what we are doing in science class and so is a good example of the interdisciplinary learning we are trying to do. Congratulations to Max Dewey, our champion from the Mancala tournament.
Science: The natural disaster presentations continue. They have not been a disaster. We will soon begin learning about heredity.
History: Our letters to the President have been written and placed in addressed envelopes. I am hoping that students will send those out this week. Our next outline on the geography of Egypt and the role it played in Egyptian history and culture is due this Friday.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will be having a writing week so there is no new story or spelling this week!
There will be some extra reading skill and grammar homework.
Our focus will be on persuasive writing this week. We begin with a letter to you explaining how 6th grade is going. Students will be stating an opinion and provide reasons and examples of why this opinion of 6th grade is valid. Our next class writing assignment will begin on Wednesday.. Students will be choosing topics to write about from a list of prompts and will prepare opinions, reasons and examples supporting their ideas. We’ll go over persuasive and transition words
All of this will be done in class. We continue with reading groups in class. Each group is reading a book nominated for the Massachusetts Book Awards. Discussion and writing about literature has been fun!
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
We continue with Lightning Thief.
Math: We will continue to solve problems involving the multiplication and division of decimal numbers. We are also looking at data and representing data concerning natural disasters. This work connects to what we are doing in science class and so is a good example of the interdisciplinary learning we are trying to do. Congratulations to Max Dewey, our champion from the Mancala tournament.
Science: The natural disaster presentations continue. They have not been a disaster. We will soon begin learning about heredity.
History: Our letters to the President have been written and placed in addressed envelopes. I am hoping that students will send those out this week. Our next outline on the geography of Egypt and the role it played in Egyptian history and culture is due this Friday.
English Language Arts and Reading
We will be having a writing week so there is no new story or spelling this week!
There will be some extra reading skill and grammar homework.
Our focus will be on persuasive writing this week. We begin with a letter to you explaining how 6th grade is going. Students will be stating an opinion and provide reasons and examples of why this opinion of 6th grade is valid. Our next class writing assignment will begin on Wednesday.. Students will be choosing topics to write about from a list of prompts and will prepare opinions, reasons and examples supporting their ideas. We’ll go over persuasive and transition words
All of this will be done in class. We continue with reading groups in class. Each group is reading a book nominated for the Massachusetts Book Awards. Discussion and writing about literature has been fun!
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
We continue with Lightning Thief.
Issue # 10 November 3
There is no school for students tomorrow, Tuesday, as it is a workshop day for teachers. The marking period ended last Friday and you will be getting your child's report card this Friday. I have tried to keep parents "in the loop" as much as possible so there won't be too many surprises with grades. No matter what, however, there will be some surprises. Let's hope that most of them are pleasant ones. Getting signed on to Power School is one good way to limit surprises. Call our school's office to find out how to get on board. I tell the kids that grades are not "all important" but that what is important is developing the skills and having the will and work ethic to achieve the best grades possible. That remains my approach to grades. Again, I do not give grades; students earn the grades. When you get the report card you will also see a parent/teacher confirmation slip notifying you of the time of our arranged conference. If you have not already filled out the conference request form, please do so in the next few days. Finally, we are having a food drive this week. If a student brings in even one non-perishable food item for local food pantries we will reward them with a valuable BluntWalk homework pass.
Math: This week we will be learning about our decimal number system and solving problems involving the operations with decimals. We will also review the concepts of area and perimeter and how to answer Open Response questions. Open Response questions are, of course, part of standardized testing, a reality we must deal with. Still, the approach to answer those questions successfully involves good reasoning and writing, and so is very valuable. Math Monday extra help sessions continue on Mondays until 4 PM. They are a great way for students to get to work on challenging skills and concepts.
Science: We continue to learn about forces of nature such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and volcanoes and understand them by analyzing and working with data. There is a nice crossover between science and math with this work. Ms. Blunt is also supporting this work in ELA with the conducting of research in these areas. It is great when we can have this interdisciplinary approach to learning.
History: We are writing a letter to the President this week. The final draft for that letter is due this Friday. It will be up to each student to decide if they wish to send that letter. We are also learning about the impact of religion on history and we will learn the story of 1001 Arabian Nights. Our next unit of study will be on the culture and history of ancient Egypt.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading: We are learning about parody and problem solving in the fairy tale “Rumpelstilskin’s Daughter”.
New vocabulary is due on Friday when we have the test.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times.
We will require this for small reading groups in class.
Spelling: Our spelling test is Thursday. Pages 53, 54 are also due.
Writing: We are postponing our first persuasive writing assignment as we wrap up our mini-research project. Today is the last class day to work on the assignment. The project due on Friday will be graded for research notes, writing at least 5 important facts about the group’s natural disaster and a detailed and colored diagram with appropriate vocabulary.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with the Lightning Thief.
There is no school for students tomorrow, Tuesday, as it is a workshop day for teachers. The marking period ended last Friday and you will be getting your child's report card this Friday. I have tried to keep parents "in the loop" as much as possible so there won't be too many surprises with grades. No matter what, however, there will be some surprises. Let's hope that most of them are pleasant ones. Getting signed on to Power School is one good way to limit surprises. Call our school's office to find out how to get on board. I tell the kids that grades are not "all important" but that what is important is developing the skills and having the will and work ethic to achieve the best grades possible. That remains my approach to grades. Again, I do not give grades; students earn the grades. When you get the report card you will also see a parent/teacher confirmation slip notifying you of the time of our arranged conference. If you have not already filled out the conference request form, please do so in the next few days. Finally, we are having a food drive this week. If a student brings in even one non-perishable food item for local food pantries we will reward them with a valuable BluntWalk homework pass.
Math: This week we will be learning about our decimal number system and solving problems involving the operations with decimals. We will also review the concepts of area and perimeter and how to answer Open Response questions. Open Response questions are, of course, part of standardized testing, a reality we must deal with. Still, the approach to answer those questions successfully involves good reasoning and writing, and so is very valuable. Math Monday extra help sessions continue on Mondays until 4 PM. They are a great way for students to get to work on challenging skills and concepts.
Science: We continue to learn about forces of nature such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and volcanoes and understand them by analyzing and working with data. There is a nice crossover between science and math with this work. Ms. Blunt is also supporting this work in ELA with the conducting of research in these areas. It is great when we can have this interdisciplinary approach to learning.
History: We are writing a letter to the President this week. The final draft for that letter is due this Friday. It will be up to each student to decide if they wish to send that letter. We are also learning about the impact of religion on history and we will learn the story of 1001 Arabian Nights. Our next unit of study will be on the culture and history of ancient Egypt.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading: We are learning about parody and problem solving in the fairy tale “Rumpelstilskin’s Daughter”.
New vocabulary is due on Friday when we have the test.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times.
We will require this for small reading groups in class.
Spelling: Our spelling test is Thursday. Pages 53, 54 are also due.
Writing: We are postponing our first persuasive writing assignment as we wrap up our mini-research project. Today is the last class day to work on the assignment. The project due on Friday will be graded for research notes, writing at least 5 important facts about the group’s natural disaster and a detailed and colored diagram with appropriate vocabulary.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with the Lightning Thief.
Issue # 9 October 27
This is the final week of the first marking period. Yes, it all goes by too quickly.
Math: I graded the math portfolios over this past weekend and you should see it on Monday. Please sign the grade slip. That portfolio grade is a very important one as it makes up 20% of the overall math grade. Take a look through to see some of the work we have been doing this year. Our second math exam will occur this Wednesday. That test will challenge our ability to work with and understand fractions, decimals and percents and the relationships between them. Another Math Monday extra help session was held today. They will continue on future Mondays until 4 PM unless otherwise noted.
History: The history portfolio was collected today. I hope to have it graded by the end of the week. An outline on Judaism is due on Thursday and we will continue to learn about the role of religion in history and the religions of Judaism and Islam. We will also begin to write letters to the President.
Science: The science portfolio was also collected today along with the history one. Both subjects share one folder but each subject will receive a separate grade. The cell diagrams were due today. This week we will begin to look at severe weather phenomena. We will link this work with math as we work with charts, graphs and tables.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about the effects of natural disasters in “Zoo Story”.
This will tie in with a short research project about natural disasters. The research will be done at school but the poster will be a homework assignment.
New vocabulary will be be started in class and due on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 182 - 185 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading groups in class.
Grammar: We continue with pluralizing nouns.
Pages 45, 46 are due on Friday.
Spelling: Our spelling test is Thursday.
Pages 47, 48 are also due.
Writing: Students will receive recent writing assignments for writing folders this week.
The short writing assignment due next Wednesday is a funny homework excuse written as a persuasive paragraph.
Notebook check will be on Tuesday. All papers should be bound into the binders, completed and in the order set up in the classroom.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
This is the final week of the first marking period. Yes, it all goes by too quickly.
Math: I graded the math portfolios over this past weekend and you should see it on Monday. Please sign the grade slip. That portfolio grade is a very important one as it makes up 20% of the overall math grade. Take a look through to see some of the work we have been doing this year. Our second math exam will occur this Wednesday. That test will challenge our ability to work with and understand fractions, decimals and percents and the relationships between them. Another Math Monday extra help session was held today. They will continue on future Mondays until 4 PM unless otherwise noted.
History: The history portfolio was collected today. I hope to have it graded by the end of the week. An outline on Judaism is due on Thursday and we will continue to learn about the role of religion in history and the religions of Judaism and Islam. We will also begin to write letters to the President.
Science: The science portfolio was also collected today along with the history one. Both subjects share one folder but each subject will receive a separate grade. The cell diagrams were due today. This week we will begin to look at severe weather phenomena. We will link this work with math as we work with charts, graphs and tables.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about the effects of natural disasters in “Zoo Story”.
This will tie in with a short research project about natural disasters. The research will be done at school but the poster will be a homework assignment.
New vocabulary will be be started in class and due on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 182 - 185 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a personal reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading groups in class.
Grammar: We continue with pluralizing nouns.
Pages 45, 46 are due on Friday.
Spelling: Our spelling test is Thursday.
Pages 47, 48 are also due.
Writing: Students will receive recent writing assignments for writing folders this week.
The short writing assignment due next Wednesday is a funny homework excuse written as a persuasive paragraph.
Notebook check will be on Tuesday. All papers should be bound into the binders, completed and in the order set up in the classroom.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue # 8 October 20
We are in the final 2 weeks of the marking period, the home stretch. I will be highlighting the important assignments that are going to be part of our challenge in these weeks.
Math: Today begins our Math Monday extra help, after school sessions. During these I will be providing extra assistance to any student who wants it. We will also do that night's math homework. These sessions will end at 4 PM so that students can catch the late bus if desired. Bring a note for that late bus or be there to pick up your child at 4. I will try to arrange these for every Monday. A student may choose to go to one or a few or all of them. They can be helpful.
Our next Math exam will occur in the middle of next week. It will focus on fractions, decimals and percents and the relationships between them. The Math Portfolio is due this Friday. I will grade this important assignment over the weekend and you should see the grade slip for that next Monday. This portfolio contains notes, written descriptions of some of the concepts we are learning about and many of the assignments we work on in class.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of the ancient Middle East. Our next outline is due tomorrow. We will be learning about Judaism and Islam and writing a letter to President Obama in the next two weeks. Our History Portfolio is due next Monday.
Science: We will finish our group presentations on aspects of cancer this week. We will also continue to learn about the make up of animal cells and plant cells and learn about cell division. The Science Portfolio is also due next Monday.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about the solar system and doing projects at the last minute in “The Night of the Pomegranate” and the focus skill is on inferences.
The vocabulary from the story will be collected on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 156 - 169 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading groups in class.
An assignment about making inferences using photographs will be due on Friday.
Grammar: We discuss pluralizing nouns and continue the important work of understanding sentence structure.
Spelling: Our spelling test is on Friday. Pages 41/42 are also due then.
Writing:Students completed the big personal narrative assignment on Friday and the work looks good so far.
All papers for the History and the English Language Arts section should be bound into the notebook rings, completed and in the order of the class list.
Each notebook grade will count as a quiz grade.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with the Lightning Thief and Reading Book Groups for the Massachusetts Book Awards.
We are in the final 2 weeks of the marking period, the home stretch. I will be highlighting the important assignments that are going to be part of our challenge in these weeks.
Math: Today begins our Math Monday extra help, after school sessions. During these I will be providing extra assistance to any student who wants it. We will also do that night's math homework. These sessions will end at 4 PM so that students can catch the late bus if desired. Bring a note for that late bus or be there to pick up your child at 4. I will try to arrange these for every Monday. A student may choose to go to one or a few or all of them. They can be helpful.
Our next Math exam will occur in the middle of next week. It will focus on fractions, decimals and percents and the relationships between them. The Math Portfolio is due this Friday. I will grade this important assignment over the weekend and you should see the grade slip for that next Monday. This portfolio contains notes, written descriptions of some of the concepts we are learning about and many of the assignments we work on in class.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of the ancient Middle East. Our next outline is due tomorrow. We will be learning about Judaism and Islam and writing a letter to President Obama in the next two weeks. Our History Portfolio is due next Monday.
Science: We will finish our group presentations on aspects of cancer this week. We will also continue to learn about the make up of animal cells and plant cells and learn about cell division. The Science Portfolio is also due next Monday.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about the solar system and doing projects at the last minute in “The Night of the Pomegranate” and the focus skill is on inferences.
The vocabulary from the story will be collected on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 156 - 169 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading groups in class.
An assignment about making inferences using photographs will be due on Friday.
Grammar: We discuss pluralizing nouns and continue the important work of understanding sentence structure.
Spelling: Our spelling test is on Friday. Pages 41/42 are also due then.
Writing:Students completed the big personal narrative assignment on Friday and the work looks good so far.
All papers for the History and the English Language Arts section should be bound into the notebook rings, completed and in the order of the class list.
Each notebook grade will count as a quiz grade.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We continue with the Lightning Thief and Reading Book Groups for the Massachusetts Book Awards.
Issue # 7 October 14
We made it! We collected more than 50 dollars and made a nice donation to Jessica's Boundless Playground. There will be a Whimsical Walruses brick!
I will send home one more round of "reminders" this Friday for any student with a grade average below 70% in a subject I teach. My hope is that any student receiving one will not just bring it home to parents but also think about ways to make improvement in that area.
Math: I will be collecting and grading math portfolios at the end of next week. We'll spend some time in class working on getting the folder organized and ready for inspection. Next Monday, will be the first of the Math Monday sessions for extra help. It will run until 4 PM and students will be able to catch the late bus if you send in a note. This week we will be rounding off decimals, changing fractions and decimals to percents; and dividing decimal numbers. We will also begin the elimination rounds of our Mancala tournament. Ask your child about it.
History: There was an outline on "The Legacy of Mesopotamia" due today. This week we will continue to learn about the history and culture of the ancient Middle East and start to look at some of the complicated issues of the modern Middle East. No, President Obama will not be asking us for any foreign policy advice. However, next week we will begin writing letters to the president.
Science: We continue to learn about cell theory. This week students will be presenting power point presentations on aspects of cancer. We remain a few weeks from having our science portfolio checked and graded. The history portfolio will also be graded at that same time.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and Reading
Reading: We are learning about team play in the realistic fiction story“Tia Lola””.
We have a test on the story from pages 132-145 on Friday.
Vocabulary from pages 130-131 #’s 1,2,9,11,12 is due on Friday
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Artists from Mesopotamia ( lesson in inferences) due Wednesday
Students should have a reading book with them at all times.
I will require this for small reading groups in class.
English Language Arts:
Grammar: We review common and proper nouns.
Pages 34, 35, are due on Thursday.
Spelling: pages 35/36 are due on Thursday when we have the test
Writing: We have typed and are printing our big 5 paragraph essay “Some Things
You May Not Know About Me”.
Notebooks will be checked in the next 2 weeks. All papers for ELA/Reading
should be in order, completed and bound into the rings of the binder. This will count as a
test grade.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
We made it! We collected more than 50 dollars and made a nice donation to Jessica's Boundless Playground. There will be a Whimsical Walruses brick!
I will send home one more round of "reminders" this Friday for any student with a grade average below 70% in a subject I teach. My hope is that any student receiving one will not just bring it home to parents but also think about ways to make improvement in that area.
Math: I will be collecting and grading math portfolios at the end of next week. We'll spend some time in class working on getting the folder organized and ready for inspection. Next Monday, will be the first of the Math Monday sessions for extra help. It will run until 4 PM and students will be able to catch the late bus if you send in a note. This week we will be rounding off decimals, changing fractions and decimals to percents; and dividing decimal numbers. We will also begin the elimination rounds of our Mancala tournament. Ask your child about it.
History: There was an outline on "The Legacy of Mesopotamia" due today. This week we will continue to learn about the history and culture of the ancient Middle East and start to look at some of the complicated issues of the modern Middle East. No, President Obama will not be asking us for any foreign policy advice. However, next week we will begin writing letters to the president.
Science: We continue to learn about cell theory. This week students will be presenting power point presentations on aspects of cancer. We remain a few weeks from having our science portfolio checked and graded. The history portfolio will also be graded at that same time.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and Reading
Reading: We are learning about team play in the realistic fiction story“Tia Lola””.
We have a test on the story from pages 132-145 on Friday.
Vocabulary from pages 130-131 #’s 1,2,9,11,12 is due on Friday
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Artists from Mesopotamia ( lesson in inferences) due Wednesday
Students should have a reading book with them at all times.
I will require this for small reading groups in class.
English Language Arts:
Grammar: We review common and proper nouns.
Pages 34, 35, are due on Thursday.
Spelling: pages 35/36 are due on Thursday when we have the test
Writing: We have typed and are printing our big 5 paragraph essay “Some Things
You May Not Know About Me”.
Notebooks will be checked in the next 2 weeks. All papers for ELA/Reading
should be in order, completed and bound into the rings of the binder. This will count as a
test grade.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue #6 October 6
Last Friday, we sent home a few progress reports for students who had averages that dipped below 70% in any of the classes. The goal is to urge those students to do what is needed to improve their performance (and learning). We will send home another update this Friday for those kids and any other student who might fall below that 70% line in the coming week.
Math: I sent home the graded math exam last Thursday. Our next test will be at the very end of the term in about a month. I am planning on running an extra help session on some Mondays after school. I am currently trying to coordinate this with our late bus schedule and will be writing about it next week. Essentially, it will offer kids an opportunity to work with me on that day's homework and on what we are learning in class and to get some extra assistance in any areas they are struggling. This week we will continue to work with decimals, fractions and percents as we learn the connections between them and solve problems with them.
Science: This week we will continue to learn about plant and animal cells, the history of cells and cell theory.
History: This week we will learn about Babylonia and Hammurabi's law code, the first set of laws to be written down. Our next outline assignment is due tomorrow.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
I will be sending my post-midterm progress reports home this Friday.
Writing: This week hinges on how efficiently students can work on the laptops in preparing for the final draft of the “Something You May Not Know About Me” 5 paragraph essay.
The goal is for everybody to be done by Friday, so we are probably not reading new story this week.
The Mesopotamian Myth is due on Wednesday. Students received a slip of a mythical character and can use this as a story starter. The myth should be a well-done rough draft with the graphic organizer attached. Typed papers are enthusiastically accepted.
Reading:
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times.
I will require this for small reading groups in class.
We start novel reading groups this week. I have concentrated on the Massachusetts Book Award titles for student enjoyment.
A map lesson on reading the description of a Mesopotamian city is due on Thursday.
Grammar: We continue compound, complex sentences and combining sentences.
Spelling: No new spelling this week
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Last Friday, we sent home a few progress reports for students who had averages that dipped below 70% in any of the classes. The goal is to urge those students to do what is needed to improve their performance (and learning). We will send home another update this Friday for those kids and any other student who might fall below that 70% line in the coming week.
Math: I sent home the graded math exam last Thursday. Our next test will be at the very end of the term in about a month. I am planning on running an extra help session on some Mondays after school. I am currently trying to coordinate this with our late bus schedule and will be writing about it next week. Essentially, it will offer kids an opportunity to work with me on that day's homework and on what we are learning in class and to get some extra assistance in any areas they are struggling. This week we will continue to work with decimals, fractions and percents as we learn the connections between them and solve problems with them.
Science: This week we will continue to learn about plant and animal cells, the history of cells and cell theory.
History: This week we will learn about Babylonia and Hammurabi's law code, the first set of laws to be written down. Our next outline assignment is due tomorrow.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
I will be sending my post-midterm progress reports home this Friday.
Writing: This week hinges on how efficiently students can work on the laptops in preparing for the final draft of the “Something You May Not Know About Me” 5 paragraph essay.
The goal is for everybody to be done by Friday, so we are probably not reading new story this week.
The Mesopotamian Myth is due on Wednesday. Students received a slip of a mythical character and can use this as a story starter. The myth should be a well-done rough draft with the graphic organizer attached. Typed papers are enthusiastically accepted.
Reading:
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times.
I will require this for small reading groups in class.
We start novel reading groups this week. I have concentrated on the Massachusetts Book Award titles for student enjoyment.
A map lesson on reading the description of a Mesopotamian city is due on Thursday.
Grammar: We continue compound, complex sentences and combining sentences.
Spelling: No new spelling this week
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue #5 September 29
Math: We will be enjoying (okay, maybe not) our first math exam this Tuesday. It will be on all of the material we've covered so far and include the first unit of our book. I hope to have it graded and returned to you for your inspection and signature by the end of this week.
We will also start our second unit, one on fractions, decimals and percents as well as complete a "jump lab" activity that will help us review data landmarks.
I will be telling each student their number grade for all subjects as of this point. I will be doing that on Tuesday during the exam. I will encourage them to jot down those grades in their agenda so they can share them with you. Remember, these grades are temporary and certainly subject to change. We are only halfway through the marking period. Here's what makes up the final math grade.
Quiz Average- 20%; Participation and Partner Work- 10%; Homework Completion Average- 20%; Math Portfolio (to be graded at end of term)- 20%; Test #1- 15%; Test#2- 15%.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of Mesopotamia. An important outline on the Sumerians is due this Wednesday.
I did hand back today (Monday) the graded essays on History and Why We Study It. You should see that essay and sign the grade slip. Both the essay and the signed grade slip will be returned to our history portfolios. Writing is not an easy endeavor for 11 and 12 year olds. We are emphasizing writing this year and I will have a major assignment like this one every marking period. The kids can't wait for the next one. Yeah, right. Know that we are spending a lot of time here discussing and practicing the craft of writing. Practice won't make "perfect" but it will greatly help all of us become better and more eager writers.
Here's how the final history grade will be determined.
Homework Assignments- 20%; History Portfolio Assessment- 20%; All other work (quizzes, essays, in class participation, activities and assignments- 60%.
Science: We continue to learn about cells and cell theory this week. Here's how the final science grade will come about.
Homework Assignments- 20%; Science Portfolio Assessment- 20%; All other work (quizzes, essays, in class participation, experiments, activities and assignments- 60%.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
We are learning about informational non-fiction in “Interrupted Journey””.
Vocabulary from the story is due on Friday.
We have a test on “Interrupted Journey” on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. I will require this for
small reading groups in class.
Grammar: We discuss run-on sentences and fragments.
Spelling: Pages 27, 28 are due Thursday but there is NO TEST this week.
Writing: A paragraph about a good deed done is due on Wednesday. It should look like a final
copy in terms of neatness and proofreading. Typing is permitted
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
The English Language Arts final grade is based on a homework average which includes spelling and grammar (20%), a writing average (40%) and a test average (40%).
The Reading final grade is based on a homework/classwork average(36%), and a test average (64%.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Math: We will be enjoying (okay, maybe not) our first math exam this Tuesday. It will be on all of the material we've covered so far and include the first unit of our book. I hope to have it graded and returned to you for your inspection and signature by the end of this week.
We will also start our second unit, one on fractions, decimals and percents as well as complete a "jump lab" activity that will help us review data landmarks.
I will be telling each student their number grade for all subjects as of this point. I will be doing that on Tuesday during the exam. I will encourage them to jot down those grades in their agenda so they can share them with you. Remember, these grades are temporary and certainly subject to change. We are only halfway through the marking period. Here's what makes up the final math grade.
Quiz Average- 20%; Participation and Partner Work- 10%; Homework Completion Average- 20%; Math Portfolio (to be graded at end of term)- 20%; Test #1- 15%; Test#2- 15%.
History: We continue to learn about the culture and history of Mesopotamia. An important outline on the Sumerians is due this Wednesday.
I did hand back today (Monday) the graded essays on History and Why We Study It. You should see that essay and sign the grade slip. Both the essay and the signed grade slip will be returned to our history portfolios. Writing is not an easy endeavor for 11 and 12 year olds. We are emphasizing writing this year and I will have a major assignment like this one every marking period. The kids can't wait for the next one. Yeah, right. Know that we are spending a lot of time here discussing and practicing the craft of writing. Practice won't make "perfect" but it will greatly help all of us become better and more eager writers.
Here's how the final history grade will be determined.
Homework Assignments- 20%; History Portfolio Assessment- 20%; All other work (quizzes, essays, in class participation, activities and assignments- 60%.
Science: We continue to learn about cells and cell theory this week. Here's how the final science grade will come about.
Homework Assignments- 20%; Science Portfolio Assessment- 20%; All other work (quizzes, essays, in class participation, experiments, activities and assignments- 60%.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
We are learning about informational non-fiction in “Interrupted Journey””.
Vocabulary from the story is due on Friday.
We have a test on “Interrupted Journey” on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. I will require this for
small reading groups in class.
Grammar: We discuss run-on sentences and fragments.
Spelling: Pages 27, 28 are due Thursday but there is NO TEST this week.
Writing: A paragraph about a good deed done is due on Wednesday. It should look like a final
copy in terms of neatness and proofreading. Typing is permitted
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
The English Language Arts final grade is based on a homework average which includes spelling and grammar (20%), a writing average (40%) and a test average (40%).
The Reading final grade is based on a homework/classwork average(36%), and a test average (64%.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue #4 September 22
Math: We are getting close to being ready for our first math exam. It won't happen this week but we should be finishing the chapter on ratios, rates and proportions this week. We have begun to use the term "algebra" and refer to mathematics as a language. This week we will learn how to express rates as algebraic expressions and to then graph them on the coordinate plane.
History: Our essay on History and Why We Study It has been turned in and will be graded during the next week. You can expect to see and sign a grading slip next Monday. This week we will receive our first outline assignment that accompanies the text book. It will be due in the middle of next week. This week we will continue to learn about the history and culture of the Sumerians. We will see how history began with the invention of writing in Sumer and learn about the myth of Gilgamesh.
Science: We continue to view and analyze specimens with a microscope. We will also begin to learn about cells.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about African folk tales in “The Magic Gourd””.
Vocabulary from the story is due on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 82 - 93 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading
groups in class.
Grammar: We discuss complex sentences with dependent and independent clauses.
Spelling: The spelling test is Thursday. Spelling homework is pgs. 20, 21 .
Writing:This week’s writing prompt is the #3 question from this week’s Treasure story.
Students will write a about a time when they did a good deed for someone.
This is due next Wednesday and should look like a neat rough draft in terms of neatness and proofreading.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Math: We are getting close to being ready for our first math exam. It won't happen this week but we should be finishing the chapter on ratios, rates and proportions this week. We have begun to use the term "algebra" and refer to mathematics as a language. This week we will learn how to express rates as algebraic expressions and to then graph them on the coordinate plane.
History: Our essay on History and Why We Study It has been turned in and will be graded during the next week. You can expect to see and sign a grading slip next Monday. This week we will receive our first outline assignment that accompanies the text book. It will be due in the middle of next week. This week we will continue to learn about the history and culture of the Sumerians. We will see how history began with the invention of writing in Sumer and learn about the myth of Gilgamesh.
Science: We continue to view and analyze specimens with a microscope. We will also begin to learn about cells.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about African folk tales in “The Magic Gourd””.
Vocabulary from the story is due on Friday.
We have a test on the story from pages 82 - 93 on Friday.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. We will require this for small reading
groups in class.
Grammar: We discuss complex sentences with dependent and independent clauses.
Spelling: The spelling test is Thursday. Spelling homework is pgs. 20, 21 .
Writing:This week’s writing prompt is the #3 question from this week’s Treasure story.
Students will write a about a time when they did a good deed for someone.
This is due next Wednesday and should look like a neat rough draft in terms of neatness and proofreading.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Friday.
All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
Issue #3 September 15, 2014
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING
We are beginning a writing week so there is no new story, no new spelling or grammar or vocabulary.
Our first formal writing assignment is a personal narrative called “What You May Not Know About Me.” We’ll begin with organizing ideas (like “what do you love to do?”) on a graphic organizer and work on the remaining 3 paragraphs of a rough draft for the rest of the week in class.
Beside the formal writing, we will review combining sentences and conjunctions.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. Students should have their "book to read" at all times in room 102.
An informal creative writing assignment is due on Wednesday. This is a paragraph on an animal, a discussion of characteristics which could be useful to humans and possible inventions utilizing those characteristics. This is very like the reading story we read last week.
We have been preparing a group/peer teaching unit on the ancient civilizations of the Middle East : Hebrews, Phoenicians, Persians, and Mesopotamians. This has been an example of learning to read for the main ideas and summarizing. This has been class work so far but I would encourage students to draw pictures and other visuals for their group’s poster outside of class. I am discouraging printing internet pictures for this project. Presentations will begin Wednesday. There will be 3 grades for reading - one on the group collaboration, the quality of the poster and individual participation.
We continue with the Lightning Thief.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING
We are beginning a writing week so there is no new story, no new spelling or grammar or vocabulary.
Our first formal writing assignment is a personal narrative called “What You May Not Know About Me.” We’ll begin with organizing ideas (like “what do you love to do?”) on a graphic organizer and work on the remaining 3 paragraphs of a rough draft for the rest of the week in class.
Beside the formal writing, we will review combining sentences and conjunctions.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday. Students should have their "book to read" at all times in room 102.
An informal creative writing assignment is due on Wednesday. This is a paragraph on an animal, a discussion of characteristics which could be useful to humans and possible inventions utilizing those characteristics. This is very like the reading story we read last week.
We have been preparing a group/peer teaching unit on the ancient civilizations of the Middle East : Hebrews, Phoenicians, Persians, and Mesopotamians. This has been an example of learning to read for the main ideas and summarizing. This has been class work so far but I would encourage students to draw pictures and other visuals for their group’s poster outside of class. I am discouraging printing internet pictures for this project. Presentations will begin Wednesday. There will be 3 grades for reading - one on the group collaboration, the quality of the poster and individual participation.
We continue with the Lightning Thief.
September 8 Issue #2
Math: We have set up a math portfolio and are using it in math class on a daily basis. This portfolio will receive a grade at the end of the quarter and will go home to you so that you can see the activities that we work on here.
The students are doing a very good job adjusting to our expectations and challenges so far this school year. Homework is getting done. Kids are working together. Learning is happening. Let's keep it going all year long.
This week we continue to work with number theory. We are using the divisibility rules to help us find common factors and multiples. We have begun working with our text book, Glencoe Math, and are learning about ratios and proportional relationships.
History: I have asked students to cover their history books by this Tuesday. We continue to learn why history is important and why we study it. This week we will begin a multiple paragraph essay on that topic. Check the homework section of the website to learn the due dates for the assignment. I am thinking that it will be due in the middle of next week.
Science: Science books should now be covered. This week we will write a lab report about the experiment we did in class on Thursday. This report will focus on the scientific method and how the elements of the experiment illustrated it. It will be started in class on Monday and will be due for Wednesday. We will also learn about the parts of the microscope and soon will collect samples to view in a microscope. It is my intention to make science as hands on as possible and to allow kids to learn by getting involved in activities.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about non-fiction in “Gecko Glue””.
Vocabulary for the story is assigned Tuesday and collected Friday. Between homeroom studies
and classtime, there is plenty of time to finish this assignment in school and
not be a homework assignment.
We have a test on the story from pages 70 - 73 on Friday.
Students will have an exercise in taking notes from reading an article called “Bog Bodies” due on
Tuesday. Most of this is done in class.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. I will require this for small reading groups in class.
Grammar: Class work will review subjects and predicates
Spelling: Pages. 15, 16, are due on Thursday. Spelling test on Thursday as well.
Writing: An autobiographical incident is due on Wednesday. We have spent 2 class days working on this 2/3 paragraph paper.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Thursday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
This week students will be digesting the material in the history book in small groups in preparation for teaching the material to the class. This exercise focuses on the content of the Ancient Middle East and skills such as note-taking, paraphrasing, writing, public speaking and preparing a visual presentation. This is done in class.
Math: We have set up a math portfolio and are using it in math class on a daily basis. This portfolio will receive a grade at the end of the quarter and will go home to you so that you can see the activities that we work on here.
The students are doing a very good job adjusting to our expectations and challenges so far this school year. Homework is getting done. Kids are working together. Learning is happening. Let's keep it going all year long.
This week we continue to work with number theory. We are using the divisibility rules to help us find common factors and multiples. We have begun working with our text book, Glencoe Math, and are learning about ratios and proportional relationships.
History: I have asked students to cover their history books by this Tuesday. We continue to learn why history is important and why we study it. This week we will begin a multiple paragraph essay on that topic. Check the homework section of the website to learn the due dates for the assignment. I am thinking that it will be due in the middle of next week.
Science: Science books should now be covered. This week we will write a lab report about the experiment we did in class on Thursday. This report will focus on the scientific method and how the elements of the experiment illustrated it. It will be started in class on Monday and will be due for Wednesday. We will also learn about the parts of the microscope and soon will collect samples to view in a microscope. It is my intention to make science as hands on as possible and to allow kids to learn by getting involved in activities.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
Reading: We are learning about non-fiction in “Gecko Glue””.
Vocabulary for the story is assigned Tuesday and collected Friday. Between homeroom studies
and classtime, there is plenty of time to finish this assignment in school and
not be a homework assignment.
We have a test on the story from pages 70 - 73 on Friday.
Students will have an exercise in taking notes from reading an article called “Bog Bodies” due on
Tuesday. Most of this is done in class.
Reading slips are due on Wednesday.
Students should have a reading book with them at all times. I will require this for small reading groups in class.
Grammar: Class work will review subjects and predicates
Spelling: Pages. 15, 16, are due on Thursday. Spelling test on Thursday as well.
Writing: An autobiographical incident is due on Wednesday. We have spent 2 class days working on this 2/3 paragraph paper.
Students will receive graded papers for notebooks on Thursday. All papers must go home as we do not allow students to throw papers away at school.
Non-notebook papers should be recycled at home.
This week students will be digesting the material in the history book in small groups in preparation for teaching the material to the class. This exercise focuses on the content of the Ancient Middle East and skills such as note-taking, paraphrasing, writing, public speaking and preparing a visual presentation. This is done in class.
Issue #1 September 2
Math: Sixth grade math has changed in this recent era. The sixth grade math curriculum features skills and concepts that I learned way, way back in 7th and 8th grade. Your kids will be solving problems and making observations and discoveries with this material every day in interesting, activity-based, 90 minute long classes. Our first unit is on number theory. This week we will be working with prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples, LCM and GCF (least common multiple and greatest common factor), the associative property, divisibility rules, “short” division, factor trees, and basic rates. It’s a lot of material to cover but the long math sessions allow us the opportunity to do all of it. Homework is an every day, fundamental part of math. Because students work at different rates I allow students to use the 20 minute rule if necessary. This rule allows the student to get a parent signature on a math homework that has taken longer than 20 or 25 minutes and still receive full credit. It does not mean that a student must stop working after that time but gives the students a full credit “out” when needed. It can help to alleviate frustration and battles on your home front. I’ll talk more about it at Open House.
History / Science: Your student will have a 30 minute class in either history or science every day.
Right now we are learning what history “is” and why we study it. We will soon begin writing a formal essay about that topic. You’ll read more about that assignment in next week’s letter. This week we will look at timelines and begin to learn about the ancient civilizations of Middle East.
Our first science homework assignment is due tomorrow. It is about science and our notions about what science is. We will be learning about the scientific method and practice it as we work with basic experiments.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
If your child has been in the CHCS, this English Language Arts program will be familiar. Students will have spelling workbooks and a hardcover book referred to as “Treasures”.
Grammar : We review subjects and predicates this week. .
Reading: The reading selection is “Lost City”, an historical fiction piece on Machu Picchu
Skills this week focus on historical fiction, character, setting, plot.
Our test is on Friday.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary is begun during class and based on pages 43 - 44 of the Treasures Book
Students will use words from the story in different ways based on a notebook sheet referred to
as the Vocabulary Station. The requirements will vary from week to week ranging in skills of
using a dictionary, phonetics, word origins, etc.
Often, students may complete the assignment as homework which will be due on Friday.
Writing: Students introduced each other in short interviews and papers due on Tuesday.
We will begin our next piece on a autobiographical incident in class.
For Reading Groups: Students have to carry a reading book with them at all academic times. The book should represent a story the student is interested in and should be on his or her reading level. It should not have more pictures than words.
To promote silent sustained reading, I’m asking that each week students must read for 30 uninterrupted minutes, 3 different days per week as an ongoing homework assignment. These signed reading slips are always due on Wednesday. So, for a total of an hour and a half, your child must read and I would like you to sign off on the reading. The reading can be books, magazines, newspapers or even the computer but should not be reading for another subject.
We begin by reviewing how time is arranged with an assignment called Timelines due on Thursday. We will be part of an outdoor timeline on Thursday or Friday.
We are reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan as our class read aloud.
Math: Sixth grade math has changed in this recent era. The sixth grade math curriculum features skills and concepts that I learned way, way back in 7th and 8th grade. Your kids will be solving problems and making observations and discoveries with this material every day in interesting, activity-based, 90 minute long classes. Our first unit is on number theory. This week we will be working with prime and composite numbers, factors and multiples, LCM and GCF (least common multiple and greatest common factor), the associative property, divisibility rules, “short” division, factor trees, and basic rates. It’s a lot of material to cover but the long math sessions allow us the opportunity to do all of it. Homework is an every day, fundamental part of math. Because students work at different rates I allow students to use the 20 minute rule if necessary. This rule allows the student to get a parent signature on a math homework that has taken longer than 20 or 25 minutes and still receive full credit. It does not mean that a student must stop working after that time but gives the students a full credit “out” when needed. It can help to alleviate frustration and battles on your home front. I’ll talk more about it at Open House.
History / Science: Your student will have a 30 minute class in either history or science every day.
Right now we are learning what history “is” and why we study it. We will soon begin writing a formal essay about that topic. You’ll read more about that assignment in next week’s letter. This week we will look at timelines and begin to learn about the ancient civilizations of Middle East.
Our first science homework assignment is due tomorrow. It is about science and our notions about what science is. We will be learning about the scientific method and practice it as we work with basic experiments.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS and READING
If your child has been in the CHCS, this English Language Arts program will be familiar. Students will have spelling workbooks and a hardcover book referred to as “Treasures”.
Grammar : We review subjects and predicates this week. .
Reading: The reading selection is “Lost City”, an historical fiction piece on Machu Picchu
Skills this week focus on historical fiction, character, setting, plot.
Our test is on Friday.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary is begun during class and based on pages 43 - 44 of the Treasures Book
Students will use words from the story in different ways based on a notebook sheet referred to
as the Vocabulary Station. The requirements will vary from week to week ranging in skills of
using a dictionary, phonetics, word origins, etc.
Often, students may complete the assignment as homework which will be due on Friday.
Writing: Students introduced each other in short interviews and papers due on Tuesday.
We will begin our next piece on a autobiographical incident in class.
For Reading Groups: Students have to carry a reading book with them at all academic times. The book should represent a story the student is interested in and should be on his or her reading level. It should not have more pictures than words.
To promote silent sustained reading, I’m asking that each week students must read for 30 uninterrupted minutes, 3 different days per week as an ongoing homework assignment. These signed reading slips are always due on Wednesday. So, for a total of an hour and a half, your child must read and I would like you to sign off on the reading. The reading can be books, magazines, newspapers or even the computer but should not be reading for another subject.
We begin by reviewing how time is arranged with an assignment called Timelines due on Thursday. We will be part of an outdoor timeline on Thursday or Friday.
We are reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan as our class read aloud.