Week 38: 6th Grade Science

Week: 38

Over the past couple of weeks the 6th Graders completed their Virus Projects.   They used proportions to figure out the size of a virus and that 19 million viruses would fit on the head of a pin.  Using simple statistics the class also predicted how many turns it would take to infect the whole class if one classmate is infected.  For me the best part of this lesson is the great discussion that evolves.  Make sure you asked them about their projects.  

Can you believe it is over and everyone survived.  I hope your son or daughter enjoyed this year in science and found a new understanding of it.  Have a safe and restful summer!

Sincerely,

Mr. T

Colonies Jigsaw

Today, the 6th graders are finishing up their final unit, which was about the American colonies.  They are taking their test today.  Earlier this week, the class was split up into three groups.  Each group researched one of the three regions of colonies (New England, Middle Colonies, Southern Colonies). Then, they looked for similarities and differences between the colonies and taught one another what they had learned.  This unit is preparing them for 7th grade social studies, which will cover early American history, starting with the French and Indian War.  Have a great summer!

Algebra

This week in 6th grade math we continue to work on our unit on algebra.  We started the unit by learning about the distributive property.  We have now expanded on the distributive property and are using it to simplify expressions and combine like terms.  The class really had a tough time today with some equations that required using the distributive property several times and then having to combine like terms.  It was great to see their perseverance because they never gave up.  For the rest of the year, we will learn how to solve more complex algebra problems and then learn about the Pythagorean Theorem.

I hope everyone has a great summer and I will see you all next year!

Algebra equations

This week in 6th grade math we finished up our unit on proportions, ratios, and percents and we are moving onto our final unit on algebra.  We started the week off by taking our unit 8 test, which took two days to complete because there was a great deal of computation on the test.  For the rest of the week, we will begin to learn about the distributive property.  We will start by looking at area models and then apply that to creating a formula for the distributive property.

6th Grade Language Arts: Poetry Review

This week, sixth graders will create a poetry review.  Poetry uses sounds and images to reach beyond your mind and grab your heart.  Other forms of writing may inform or entertain, but a poem’s purpose is to make you feel and respond—and sometimes even soar!

One great way to respond to a poem is to write a poetry review.  Like a book review, a poetry review tells what a poem is about.  It also explains what makes the poem work so well.  Students will choose a poem that they enjoy by class on Wednesday and then they will begin writing their own poetry review.

The American Colonies

Last week, students finished their Enlightenment unit by taking a quiz.  Now, we are shifting our focus from European history to American history with a unit on the American colonies.  This will help prepare students for the curriculum in 7th grade, which will cover early United States history. Students will be using a lot of primary sources for this unit to look at the formation of the colonies from multiple perspective including the colonists, Native Americans, and slaves.  For example, today, they looked at primary sources from the perspective of John Smith, the leader of the Jamestown colony.  They used primary and secondary sources to defend their opinion about whether or not the story of Pocahontas saving John Smith's life was really true.  Later in the week, they will learn about the Plymouth colony.  Next week, they will finish the school year by completing a project about the different colonies and their last test will be on Friday, June 3.

Question for your 6th grader:

• Did Pocahontas save John Smith's life?

The Enlightenment

Over the past few weeks, the 6th graders have been learning about the Enlightenment in Social Studies.  They are learning about many "new" ideas that changed the way people viewed society and government in Europe during the 18th century.  Last week, students discussed the question "How do humans achieve knowledge, freedom, and happiness?".  They did a graffiti wall activity where they brainstormed what each of those words means and how people can achieve them.  Then, students came up with their own definitions.  We used these words throughout the unit and looked at ways that different groups of people tried to achieve them during the Enlightenment era.  On Thursday, they read primary sources written by Enlightenment philosophers about the role of women in society and discussed them in a socratic seminar.  Tomorrow, they will debate what the role of the common people in government should be.

Questions for your 6th grader:

• How do people achieve knowledge, freedom, and happiness?
• How much power should the people of a nation have in the government?

Ratios/Proportions

This week in 6th grade math we are finishing our 8th unit of the year on ratios and proportions.  So far this week, we have learned about reductions and enlargements.  We started by measuring figures to show how enlargements and reductions are the same shape, just different sizes.  We then built enlarged figures and used proportions to show how you can figure out lengths of sides.  For the rest of the week, we will compare ratios by renaming them as n-to-1 ratios.  The unit will then be over and we will have a review day.  For the review day, I had the students work in groups to create problems from each section and we will go over those problems.

Test on Monday May 23rd.

Week 34: 6th Grade Science

Week: 34

Topic:  Viruses

Objectives: 

List characteristics of viruses and state reasons why viruses are considered non-living.

Describe the components of the basic structure of a virus.

Explain how both active and hidden viruses multiply.

Discuss both negative and positive ways that viruses affect living things.

Essential Question:

 Can something be non-living but alive?

This week the 6th grade class will begin the unit by discussing the essential question.  They will look at why a virus is similar to a key, their size (proportions), and then create their own virus. 

Key Terms:

virus

host

parasite

bacteriophage

Differentiation:

Inferring

Making Models

Math: Proportions and dimensions of a circle

Upcoming:

Students will be making their own virus models.

Proportions

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing to work on our unit on proportions.  This week, the class has applied their understanding of proportions to ratios and percents.  We have spent a great deal of time going over how to correctly write and solve a proportion and the class has done very well with this.  For the rest of the week, we will be working on using proportions to calculate the fat content of different foods and how to use ratios to describe size change factors.

We will have our unit 8 test next Friday March 20th.

6th grade Battle of the Books

Sixth grade did a great job with their first ever Battle of the Books in the library.  Each student was required to read a book for one of four teams.  The books were: "The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis, "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit, "Fever 1793" by Laurie Anderson, and "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick.  Prizes for answering the most book related questions correctly for their team were gift certificates to Potbelly's.  Round 2 has just begun!  Ask your child about it!

Week 33: 6th Grade Science

Week: 33

Topic:  What is life?

Objectives: 

What are the features of life?

Explain where living things come from.

Identify what all living things need to survive.

Essential Question:

 Can something be non-living but alive?

This week the 6th grade class will begin the unit by discussing what is non-living and living.  They will review the features of life and explore the experiments of Pasteur and Redi to see where life come from.

Key Terms:

spontaneous generation

autotroph

heterotroph

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Controlled Experiment

Upcoming:

Classifying

Week 32: 6th Grade Science

Week: 32

This week in 6th grade the class will expand on their knowledge of the moon and explore the causes and effects of eclipses. 

Topic:  The Moon and Eclipses

Objectives: 

Describe solar and lunar eclipses.

Essential Question:

 Why aren’t there eclipses once a month? 

This week the 6th grade class will create proportions to illustrate how an eclipse occurs. 

Key Terms:

eclipse

solar & lunar eclipse

umbra

penumbra

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Creating Illustrations

Using Geometry

Finding Patterns

Upcoming:

Moon and Tides

Ratios/Proportions

This week in 6th grade math we are starting our next unit on ratios and proportions.  We started the unit off today reviewing rates using per-unit-rates and rate-tables methods.  We also introduced the idea of proportions as a model for rate situations.  On Thursday, we will continue to use rate tables to model proportions and solve rate problems.  On Friday, the class will be introduced to using cross multiplication to solve proportions problems.

We completed the pilot program unit on probability and I think it was a great success.  What I really enjoyed about the unit was how the students were required to think, talk, and figure things out with each other.  Even though some struggled with the process they ended up doing a great job on the test.  I really enjoyed watching them rise to the challenge and think critically.

Columbian Exchange

This week, the 6th graders have been learning about the Age of Exploration and the Columbian Exchange.  Students learned that before the Age of Exploration, many plants and animals were only found on one continent.  It was only after this time that people traded new plants, animals, and ideas (not to mention diseases, guns, and slaves) across the Ocean.  Students made predictions about where they thought popular foods originated from.  They were surprised by some of the results.  Florida oranges originated in Europe and the tomatoes found in so much Italian food came from the Americas.  Students then looked at ethnic restaurant menus and found that most modern meals have a mix from both the New World and Old World.  Students will take their Science and Exploration test next Tuesday, May 3.  They will also begin working on an essay about the influence of the Renaissance on the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Exploration.

Art Institute Field Trip

Today, the 6th grade class took a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago.  We took a tour of the Medieval and Renaissance gallery and the students compared and contrasted the different types of art.  I was impressed with how observant the students were.  They noticed a lot of detail about the paintings and applied their knowledge about the differences between the Italian Renaissance and Northern Renaissance.  Because it was a gorgeous day, the kids also spent time exploring Millennium Park and Maggie Daley Park. This week, students are learning about the Scientific Revolution and Age of Exploration.

Questions for your 6th grader:

• Tell me about your favorite painting from the field trip.
• How did the Renaissance influence the Scientific Revolution?

Week 31: 6th Grade Science

Week: 31

This week in 6th grade the class will explore gravity and motion.  

Topic:  Gravity and Motion

Objectives: 

Identify what determines the strength of the force of gravity between two objects.

Describe two factors that keep the moon and Earth in orbit.  

Essential Question:

What was Newton thinking? 

This week kids will perform labs to explore the two factors that define gravity, understand the difference between mass and weight, and how Newton defined inertia.

Key Terms:

force

gravity

law of universal gravitation

mass

weight

inertia

Newton’s First Law

Differentiation:

Developing Hypotheses

Interpreting Illustrations

Analyzing Data

Using Models

Cause and Effect

Upcoming:

Eclipses and Tides

Finishing unit of Probability

This week in 6th grade math we are competing our unit on probability.  This week we have been learning about:

If you do not know the answer to a true/false test, what is the probability that you can get a good score with random guesses?

What patterns are there in models for binomial probability situations that are equally likely?  How do these patterns help you answer probability questions?

If two teams are evenly matched, how do binomials probabilities help you figure out the probabilities that a winner of the required number of games will occur after a certain number of games?

So basically the class is learning about the result of 50/50 situations performed several times and how this effects the probability of the results.

This is the last week of the pilot math program for this year.  We will be taking the unit test on Friday and will then return to Everyday Math on Monday for a unit on ratios, proportions, and percents.

6th Grade Language Arts: The Hobbit Unit

The sixth grade students started reading the classic fantasy novel The Hobbit last week.  Students will read the novel throughout April and May.  They will keep reading logs and personal vocabulary lists with words from the novel.  Students will complete activities and participate in discussions to enhance their understanding of the novel.  The final project is the Middle Earth Gazette.  Each student will write creative articles as a newspaper reporter in Middle Earth.  Be sure to ask your child about what is happening in each chapter of The Hobbit.

Probability and area models

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing to work on our probability unit.  Last week we spent time working on making a list of possibilities or making a tree diagram.  This week, we have been using area models to find probability for many different situations.  We will then finish the week off by talking about finding expected value.

On Thursday or Friday, the class will be taking a partner quiz over what they have learned so far.

6th Grade Language Arts: Poetry Unit

The sixth grade students are starting new reading and writing units this week.  They are studying a variety of poetry techniques and practicing their skills while writing creative poems.  During this writing unit, they will create drafts of six poems and pick their three favorite poems to take to the final draft stage.  Be sure to ask your child to see the draft of his or her first poem.  The first poem was created using words that students found to be either beautiful or ugly sounding.  For example, many students found words like sapphire and glisten to be beautiful sounding and the words yolk and curdled to be ugly sounding.  

Week 30: 6th Grade Science

Week: 30

This week in 6th grade the class will review and reinforce what they learned from their moon observation project. 

Topic:  The Moon

Objectives: 

Explain what causes the phases of the moon?

Essential Question:

 Why don’t we see the far side of the moon? 

This week kids will perform labs to see the moon’s phases, what causes the shadows, and its position along with with the sun and Earth in space. 

Key Terms:

phases 

crescent

quarter

gibbous

new and full

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Inferring

Using Models

Finding patterns

Upcoming:

Gravity and Motion

Middle School Advisory Update

On Friday, April 29th, middle school students will be participating in a "Day of Service.".  Throughout the year, the kids have been investigating four areas: Environment, Literacy, Social Services with a focus on Special Olympics, and Animal Welfare.  They researched the various organizations in Chicago that work in these areas, then partnered with several and have been learning about the local issues in these areas.  For our Service Day, a group of kids will be helping with the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, another group with the Open Books project in Pilsen, another group with habitat restoration in LaBaugh Woods, and the fourth group with the Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation.

By the way, the animal welfare advisory group has just launched a website featuring foster pets that need permanent homes.  Please check out their website an post it to your social media.  

http://fureverhomesforfurryfriends.weebly.com.

Middle School Students stuffed over 650 "goody bags" for participants of the
Polar Plunge fundraiser for the Special Olympics.


Books begin to fill up the floor of the Social Studies room
as donations come in for the Open Books Book Drive

Probability

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing to work on our pilot unit on probability.  Some of the ideas that the students will be working with this week are:

1.  How does understanding probability help you design a winning strategy to a game?

2.  How can you design a simulation to determine probability?

3.  How can an area model represent a situation to help analyze probability?

The class continues to do simulations using coins, dice, and spinners to explore experimental and theoretical probability.

Also, the MAP Testing date has been moved to next Tuesday, April 12th.

Week 29: 6th Grade Science

Week: 29

Welcome back! and I hope you all had a fun and relaxing break.

This week the 6th grade will look at some unique properties of the moon.  Why don’t we see the other side of the moon?  Based on the moon’s rotation and revolution around the Earth, What would a moon calendar look like?

Topic:  The Moon

Objectives: 

Explain what causes the phases of the moon?

Demonstrate how the moon rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth.

Essential Question:

Why don’t we see the far side of the moon? 

This week kids will perform labs to discover these unique properties of the moon. 

Key Terms:

phases 

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Inferring

Using Models

Finding patterns

Upcoming:

Gravity and Motion

MAP Testing After Spring Break

Spring MAP testing is coming soon. 6th grade will take the math test on April 5th, the reading test on April 7th, and the language test on April 14th. Should you have any questions about testing, please contact Kim Smith.

Week 27: 6th Grade Science

Week: 27

This week the 6th grade will continue with Earth in space.  They will discover how Earth’s revolution or orbit (an ellipse) around the sun is a year.  

Topic:  Earth in Space: A year

Objectives: 

Demonstrate how Earth moves in space.

Explain what causes a year and Earth’s path around the sun.  

Essential Question:

What is time? 

This week kids will use Kepler’s Law to model Earth’s revolution or orbit around the sun.  

Key Terms:

revolution

orbit

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Using Models

Creating geometric shapes

Upcoming:

Gravity and Motion

Probability

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing to work on our unit on probability.  Last week we spent a lot of time working on and defining experimental probability.  This week we will be focusing on theoretical probability, fair and unfair games, making tree diagrams to find sample spaces, and the probability of compound events.  The students will be performing several investigations to work with these ideas and to help them develop their understanding of the concepts.

Week 26: 6th Grade Science

Week: 26

This week we will continue with Earth in space and see how Earth’s tilt and orbit ( an ellipse) affects our seasons. 

Topic:  Earth in Space

Objectives: 

Demonstrate how Earth moves in space.

Explain what causes day and night and the cycle of seasons on Earth.  

Essential Question:

What is time? 

This week kids will use models to explore Earth’s rotation, revolution, and tilt.  

Key Terms:

astronomy

axis

rotation

revolution

orbit

calendar

solstice

equinox

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Using Models

Upcoming:

Gravity and Motion

Probability

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing our new unit on probability.  After taking some time to learn the grid system of Chicago, for our Humans of Chicago theme, we have moved on to our pilot of a new math program.  On Monday, the students did some experiments involving coins and cups to get some data and look at the chances of events occurring.  For the rest of the week we will continue to do different types of probability experiments to see what happens and if things are fair or unfair.

Upcoming assignments:
City of Chicago Grid system Test tomorrow Wednesday March 9th

6th Grade Language Arts: Myth and Legend Unit

Sixth graders have been reading a variety of myths and legends during this unit.  They also researched and presented information about local Chicago legends.   Legends about the Chicago Fire, Resurrection Mary, and the Cubs curse were the most popular with the class. They studied the characteristics of both types of stories in preparation for writing their own creative myth or legend.  In class, students continue to draft stories and expand on their initial plot ideas.  Students will submit the first draft of their story on Thursday, March 10th, and the final draft on Wednesday, March 16th.  During class this week, I will be working with each student to provide feedback for improving their writing pieces before the final is due.

End of the Middle Ages

This week, the 6th graders are finishing up their unit about the Late Middle Ages.  Today, they took their test about the Middle Ages.  They also wrote an evidence essay.  The question that they answered was "Were the Middle Ages truly the Dark Ages?".  The students learned about how to gather evidence from the unit to help prove their opinion.  They filled out graphic organizers that helped them write their essays.  Next week, we will begin the Renaissance and Reformation unit. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Renaissance Festival, which will be held on Wednesday, April 13 at 8:45 a.m.  I hope to see you there!

Question for your 6th grader:

• Were the Middle Ages truly the Dark Ages?

Week 25: 6th Grade Science

Week: 25

Topic:  Earth in Space

Objectives: 

Demonstrate how Earth moves in space.

Explain what causes day and night and the cycle of seasons on Earth.  

Essential Question:

What is time? 

This week kids will use models to explore Earth’s rotation, revolution, and tilt.  

Key Terms:

astronomy

axis

rotation

revolution

orbit

calendar

solstice

equinox

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Using Models

Upcoming:

Gravity and Motion

Chicago grid system and starting new unit on probability

This week in 6th grade math, the students are learning about the Chicago street grid system.  On Monday, the class looked at maps and and wrote down all the north and west streets for the entire city by 400 blocks.  It was great to see them all over the floor looking at the maps of Chicago and figuring out how the system works.  We will continue to work with the grid system on Wednesday and I will ask them to find their exact street coordinates of where they live, so that other students can find their house on a coordinate plane.  Then on Thursday, we will finally start our new unit on Probability using the experimental textbook.

Finishing algebra unit

This week in 6th grade we are completing our sixth unit of the year on negative and positive numbers and solving algebra equations.  This week we learned how to graph inequalities and used inequalities and their graphs in real world situations.  Tomorrow in class, we will take the open response portion of the test and then play some games that will help prepare them for their unit test on Thursday.   Our next unit on probability, which is the unit where we will be piloting a new book, might start on Friday, but I might push it back a little to work on the Humans of Chicago-Where's Your Hood activity.  For this activity, the students will put push pins of where they live on a map of Chicago and then we will discuss the grid system of Chicago and then learn the numbering system and the names of the streets.

Upcoming assignments:
Unit 6 test on Thursday

Week 24: 6th Grade Science

Hi Parents,

This week the kids had fun looking at a cross section of a beef leg, pig's knuckles, and chicken legs. They really enjoyed it because it gave them an opportunity to see what real muscle, bone, bone formation, and what the inside of the bone really look like.  Another kid favorite is "So you want to be a doctor!"  The kids had to look at x-rays, identify the bones, diagnose the break or dislocation, and make recommendations.

Thanks,
Mr. T

Late Middle Ages

This week, the 6th graders are learning about how three major events in the Middle Ages changed the government, economy, and culture of Europe. Students learned about how events like the signing of the Magna Carta, the Hundred Years War, and the Black Death changed Europe.  Students learned about the Magna Carta by acting out a play.  One skill that the 6th graders have been reviewing throughout this unit is finding the main idea of a text and summarizing.  Today, they practiced this skill using a strategy called a gist statement.  First, they read about the Hundred Years War.  Then, they wrote about the who, what, where, why, when, and outcome of the events.  Then, they challenged themselves to use that information to write a short but informative summary of the event, which focused only on the main ideas, not small details.  Below, Katey shows you her example of the "gist" of the Hundred Years War.


Upcoming Dates:

• Tuesday, March 1  Middle Ages Evidence Essay (in class)
• Wednesday, March 2 Late Middle Ages test  (Chapter 18)
• Wednesday, April 13 9:00 a.m. Renaissance Festival (All parents are invited. Many more details to come soon)

Questions for your 6th Grader:

• Do you think the Crusaders made wise decisions?
• Do you think the Magna Carta had a positive impact?

6th Grade Language Arts: Research Reports

This week our focus was on the revision process.  Students worked hard to improve their research reports for the final draft stage.  Each student conferenced with Mrs. Payne and worked on making thoughtful revisions to their reports.  Students will submit their final research report draft on Tuesday.

The mythology and legends reading and writing unit is off to a great start.  Students researched mythological monsters and created an illustration and description of their own hybrid monster.  Throughout the unit, students will read a variety of stories and write their own myth or legend.  Sixth graders will also have the opportunity to research Chicago area legends.

Week 23: 6th Grade Science

Week: 23

Dear Parents,

In the next couple of weeks the 6th grade class will be finishing their Anatomy unit and beginning their Earth and Space unit.  In the Earth and Space unit the 6th graders will explore Earth’s relationship to the sun and moon.  There will be a strong emphasis on a systems approach, using models of the solar system to explain astronomical and other observations of the cyclic patterns of the moon’s phases, time, seasons, and eclipses.  Students will be able to demonstrate an ability to use and create models, and analyze and interpret data.

I believe an important part of any science curriculum is to work in the field.  This quarter’s project is to observe the patterns of the moon’s phases.  Some fun labs we will be doing are to understand night and day, Earth’s tilt, and how to remember the moon’s phases.

Some interesting dinner table discussions; Why don’t we see the other side of the moon? and Is Earth closer or further away from the sun in the winter?

The Crusades

This week, the 6th graders are learning about the Crusades.  They discussed the causes and outcomes of the Crusades and talked about whether either the Christians or the Muslims had a good reason to go to war.  Later in the week, the will learn about the Magna Carta and its impact on the government of England.

Questions for your 6th Grader:

• Were the Crusaders justified in their actions?
• How did Christianity impact society during the Middle Ages?

Algebra

This week in 6th grade math we are finishing up the Algebra unit.  We will start of the week by reviewing pan-balance problems and how to solve equations using the idea of what you do to one side you do to the other using objects like coins and marbles.  We will then continue to work with pan balance and begin to use variables and undoing what is seen.  We will end the week with more algebra problems and will be solving equations similarly to how we as adults learned to solve them.

Upcoming assignments:
Test next Thursday Feb. 25th

6th Grade Language Arts: Mosaic Book Projects

6th Grade Adventure Book Club Mosaic Project

Number Systems and Algebra Concepts

This week in 6th grade math we are continuing to work on our 5th unit on algebra.  We will be reviewing order of operations and then number sentences.  We will then end the week by beginning to look at how to solve simple algebra equations.  On Friday, we will not have class because we will be going to the symphony.

Coat of Arms

The 6th graders spent last week creating their coat of arms using their knowledge of medieval heraldry and the characteristics of their family.  Below is a picture of their finished products.  This week, the students are beginning their Late Middle Ages unit.  We will begin by comparing and contrasting the power of popes and kings in the Middle Ages.  Then, students will learn about the Crusades.

Question for your 6th grader:

• Show me a picture of your coat of arms and tell me about what colors and symbols you chose.

Week 22: The Muscular System

Week: 22

Topic:  The Muscular System

Objectives: 

Explain why skeletal muscles work in pairs.

Essential Question:

If you were a muscle how would you be built and how would you work?  

This week the kids will explore to see how skeletal muscles actually work.  They will find out that these muscles work in pairs and why exercise it is important to keep the muscle strong and flexible. 

Key Terms:

bicep

tricep

contract

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Creating Models

Upcoming:

Earth and Space Science

Negative and Positive Numbers

This week in math we are continuing to work on our 6th unit on number systems and algebra concepts.  Last week we reviewed multiplication and division of fractions, and this week we are going to apply those skills, as well as addition, with negative and positive numbers.  By the end of the week the students will be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide, negative and positive whole numbers, decimals, and fractions.  We will also be learning about a new concept called absolute value, which is counting a numbers distance away from zero.  Lastly, we will be learning about different types of numbers like; whole numbers, integers, rational, and irrational numbers.

The Early Middle Ages

Over the past few weeks, the 6th graders have been learning about the early Middle Ages in social studies.  They learned about how the fall of the Roman Empire led to Medieval times.  They learned about the spread of Christianity throughout Europe and watched a video about how the modern day monks at Mt. Athos live very similarly to how monks lived in the Middle Ages.  They researched and taught mini-lessons about the Vikings and participated in a simulation about the rise and fall of the feudal system.  Today, they played a game to review the different people who were a part of the social hierarchy of feudalism.  They each had the name of a character or group of people attached to their forehead that they could not see and had to ask each other questions to find out who they were and then find the person who matched.  They will take their quiz about the early Middle Ages tomorrow.  Later in the week, the 6th graders will create their own Coat of Arms.

Questions for your 6th grader:

• Was Charlemagne a good ruler?
• Was the feudal system a good way to organize a society?
• Tell me about the monks at Mt. Athos.

6th Grade Language Arts

This month, we are wrapping up some big projects. The sixth graders have completed their adventure books and are going to be working on a new project: a book mosaic! It's an art-based project that relies on creativity, and I think it'll be really amazing. The project is an individual one, but students can talk with their groups to get ideas and inspiration. This project is due Wednesday, February 10th.

Next, the students are working hard on their research papers. They just turned in their outlines and works cited page, both of which are essential to the final draft. Any errors they make on these should be corrected for the final paper. The final paper is due Tuesday, February 23rd.

The most important thing to remember for this month is that the students need to balance their time between doing work in class and at home. I often give them a lot of class time, so they should be using it wisely!

Upcoming due dates:

Mosaic Project due Wednesday, 2/10

Research Report 1st Draft due Tuesday, 2/16

Research Report 2nd Draft due Thursday, 2/18

Research Report Final Draft due Tuesday, 2/23

Week 21: Muscular System

Week: 21

Topic:  The Muscular System

Objectives: 

Identify types of muscle found in the body.

Explain why skeletal muscles work in pairs.

Essential Question:

How does skeletal muscle help my body move?  

This week the kids will explore the unique form and function of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle tissue.  They will use their microscope skills and discover the characteristic patterns of each muscle group and where these muscles are found in the body.  

Key Terms:

voluntary and involuntary muscle

vertebrae

tendon

striated muscle

cardiac muscle

Differentiation:

Observing

Predicting 

Classifying

Collecting Data

Concluding

Upcoming:

Thermal energy and the skin

Week 20: The Skeletal System

Week: 20

Topic:  The Skeletal System

Objectives: 

Identify the major bones of the body.

Identify the functions of the skeleton.

Explain the role that joints play in the body.

Describe the characteristics of bone and how to keep bones strong and healthy.

Essential Question:

What would your body be like if you did not have a skeleton?  

This week the kids will create a poster of the major bones that make up the skeletal frame, then they looked inside the bone to see its individual components and there functions.  Lastly, we used abstract objects to identify the four major joints of the body and predicted their form, function, and location on the skeleton. 

Key Terms:

skeleton

vertebrae

joint

ligament

cartilage

compact bone

spongy bone

marrow

Differentiation:

Observing

Inferring 

Classifying

Concluding

Upcoming:

So you want to be a doctor?  Diagnosing bone and joint injuries.

Geometry test and more fractions

This week in 6th grade math we are finishing our geometry unit and will then begin our next unit on algebra.  During our current unit on geometry we have learned about measuring angles with protractors, how to find degree measures without a protractor, and how to make a circle graph using degree measures.  In our next unit, we will begin by reviewing multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers and then apply that to dividing fractions.  We will then review addition and subtraction of negative and positive numbers and learn about multiplication of negative and positive numbers.

As was mentioned by Mrs. Friend several weeks ago, after our next unit on algebra we will be switching programs for our unit on probability to pilot a different program.  As we get closer to that time I will provide you with more information.  I would guess we will start that unit in about three weeks.

Upcoming assignments:
Test today.

6th Grade Language Arts

As the first semester comes to an end, we are moving forward in our adventure book clubs.  The students are already halfway done with their meetings! I have really enjoyed witnessing the meetings in action.  It is amazing to see how engaged in discussion students become when they have strong feelings about the characters’ actions and the development of the plot.  Friday is book club meeting #5. 

The students are currently working on completing their fact cards for Monday, January 25th.  Students should be reading through their sources to find the most important information about the person they are researching.  They will keep track of the facts they find by filling out note cards.  Next week, we will organize the fact note cards into categories and focus on how to best structure and organize the research report before creating an outline.

Upcoming due dates:

Book Club Meeting #5 on Friday, January 22nd

Fact Cards due Monday, January 25th

Week 19: 6th Grade Science

Week: 19

Topic: The Cell

Objectives: 

Identify structures of the cell and their functions

Comparing plant and animal cells

How cells make tissue

Essential Question:

What came first, form or function?  

This week the kids will use their microscope skills to start this unit by deconstructing the “Hierarchy of Life” to identify and understand the parts of a cell and how they make tissue. 

Key Terms:

cell

cell wall

cell membrane

nucleus

cytoplasm

Differentiation:

Observing

Inferring 

Identifying

Making slides

Math integration: ratios

Upcoming:

The Skeletal System

Greetings from an Absentee Blogger

My apologies for my negligence in keeping you up to date on Advisory.  

Our advisory program generally consists of seven components and they are:

Adolescent “hot topic” discussions and lessons

Team and trust building

1:1 meetings with the advisor with goal setting

Gender specific meeting times

Lil’ Buddies  - working consistently with a younger grade

Service learning - global citizenship

Study and organizational skills

This year is our Service Learning Project which is part of the global citizenship component of our Advisory program fits in well with the school-wide humans of Chicago theme.  Earlier this year, middle school kids chose an area in which to focus: environmental issues, Literacy issues. Social Services issues (with particular interest in Special Olympics amongst other things) and Animal Welfare issues.  The students researched some of the local organizations that are involved with these areas and we have discovered that we have great resources in our parent community.  To date, we have had two guest speakers come in to represent some of these organizations and we will hear from two more.  After that, the groups will work on in-school projects that can benefit these organizations, culminating with an off-campus Field Day devoted to making a difference in the community.  It is a work in progress but we are excited about setting up a model that will take us into future school years.

Also new this year is a Social Emotional Learning curriculum that we are using to guide us through topics of interest to young people.  The curriculum is called Overcoming Obstacles and can be found here: http://www.overcomingobstacles.org/middleschool_curriculum.

What this all means is fewer trips to Starbucks……but the kids are benefitting from being more engaged and interested.