Monday, May 24, 2010
Graduation
What a fun day today was!! Graduation turned out great. Kids you sounded wonderful during your song, and Claire-what an awesome speech!! We are so proud of all you guys have done this year and will miss all of you so much! Thank you to the seven who stayed at school and helped clean up the class
Sunday, May 23, 2010
This Year's Pictures
I'm sorry we have been such the blog slackers! Here are some pictures of the kids. I wanted you guys to be able to get them.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Ratios and Rates Review
Here are the answers for the review. Hats off to those of you who are studying hard for your test! Good luck!
- 12:9, 12 to 9, 12/9
- 3:5, 12:20, 30:50, lots of other possibilities
- No, they are not equal ratios
- The unit rate is 25 calories/1 cracker
- $3.96 for 3 oz. of cheese is the better buy
- 144 students on 3 buses is the lower rate
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas is Almost Here!
Wow, we are almost down to single digits in our Christmas countdown. This year is flying by!
Math: Last week students worked hard at adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers. This week we are starting an art project that incorporates fractions and flowers. Students will be using their knowledge of fractions and mixed numbers to create a masterpiece!
Writing: Wow, our Greek expository books are finished and they look great! Our next genre of writing that we look at will be persuasive writing. We have started a class catalogue in which students use persuasive word choice to sell products. Writing is keeping us busy!
Spelling: Word Work is going smoothly; however, since December is a crazy month full of assemblies and Sing Around the Tree, we will not have formal spelling tests until after we return from Christmas break. Until then we will be spending more time on our weekly vocabulary words.
Reading: Students have been busy visualizing and describing with their senses what they see as they read text. When we use the word visualize we usually think of our eyes. Students visualize their text using their eyes, hears, nose, taste, touch, and their emotions. One of our favorite activities was "reading" a wordless picture book and decribing what we visualize from the pictures.
Social Studies: Students learned how the Greeks organized their city-states. They should be able to tell you how the town was set up and the Greek words for different parts of the 'polis'.
Science: Wednesday will be their final microorganism test. Thanks to Mrs. Andersen and her student teacher for all the time they put into the unit. It was full of fun experiences and new knowledge!
Remember: For part of our Christmas party the students will be putting together gift baskets to give to those in need. If you have the opportunity bring in a small treat for gift for our baskets.
Thanks for all you do for us and your children! We are so blessed to be the teachers of these students!
Math: Last week students worked hard at adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers. This week we are starting an art project that incorporates fractions and flowers. Students will be using their knowledge of fractions and mixed numbers to create a masterpiece!
Writing: Wow, our Greek expository books are finished and they look great! Our next genre of writing that we look at will be persuasive writing. We have started a class catalogue in which students use persuasive word choice to sell products. Writing is keeping us busy!
Spelling: Word Work is going smoothly; however, since December is a crazy month full of assemblies and Sing Around the Tree, we will not have formal spelling tests until after we return from Christmas break. Until then we will be spending more time on our weekly vocabulary words.
Reading: Students have been busy visualizing and describing with their senses what they see as they read text. When we use the word visualize we usually think of our eyes. Students visualize their text using their eyes, hears, nose, taste, touch, and their emotions. One of our favorite activities was "reading" a wordless picture book and decribing what we visualize from the pictures.
Social Studies: Students learned how the Greeks organized their city-states. They should be able to tell you how the town was set up and the Greek words for different parts of the 'polis'.
Science: Wednesday will be their final microorganism test. Thanks to Mrs. Andersen and her student teacher for all the time they put into the unit. It was full of fun experiences and new knowledge!
Remember: For part of our Christmas party the students will be putting together gift baskets to give to those in need. If you have the opportunity bring in a small treat for gift for our baskets.
Thanks for all you do for us and your children! We are so blessed to be the teachers of these students!
Monday, December 7, 2009
December Already!
Parents, we are so sorry that we have been slacking on our blog and will do better at completing our weekly posts. The students have been very busy learning.
Reading: As our questioning comprehension unit came to an end the students were able to ask many questions while reading, label what type of question it was, know where to find the answers, and what questions would be good to use in a discussion. We read "Henry's Freedom Box" and discussed all the questions we had while reading and after the story was over. This week we started learning more about visualizing while reading. We will be using our five senses to dive deeper into our stories.
Students are finishing up their second guided reading group books. They use metacognition while reading to keep track of their thinking on post-it notes. We use these notes for our group discussions and to write about our reading at the end of the books.
Science: The students continue to learn about microorganisms. This week they are reviewing the vocabulary words for their end of unit test. This will be next Wednesday. Science is hard in sixth grade but very doable for all students. They are expected to be studying for their tests.
Social Studies: It was fun to learn about Greek mythology. Man, those Greeks were crazy! We discussed how the Greeks made up mythology to explain things that were happening. We will be learning more about the Greek culture and their way of living.
Math: Students have been busy working with fractions. We enjoyed making Chex mix using improper fractions and mixed numbers. Here is the recipe. Have your student show you how to change the improper fractions to mixed numbers, the mixed numbers to improper fractions, and how to put a fraction in simplest form.
Chex Mix
24/2 cups Chex cereal
2 2/3 cups pretzels
2 8/12 cups cheese crackers
16/4 Tbs. melted butter
8/8 package ranch dressing mix
6/9 cup grated parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until evenly coated. Spread on a cookie sheet to cool. Enoy!
Writing: Students have been working hard to publish their Greek expository texts. We are currently working on publishing expository books, complete with a table of contents, glossary, and index, using students' finished texts. These are looking great and we can't wait for you to see them at SEPs!
Reading: As our questioning comprehension unit came to an end the students were able to ask many questions while reading, label what type of question it was, know where to find the answers, and what questions would be good to use in a discussion. We read "Henry's Freedom Box" and discussed all the questions we had while reading and after the story was over. This week we started learning more about visualizing while reading. We will be using our five senses to dive deeper into our stories.
Students are finishing up their second guided reading group books. They use metacognition while reading to keep track of their thinking on post-it notes. We use these notes for our group discussions and to write about our reading at the end of the books.
Science: The students continue to learn about microorganisms. This week they are reviewing the vocabulary words for their end of unit test. This will be next Wednesday. Science is hard in sixth grade but very doable for all students. They are expected to be studying for their tests.
Social Studies: It was fun to learn about Greek mythology. Man, those Greeks were crazy! We discussed how the Greeks made up mythology to explain things that were happening. We will be learning more about the Greek culture and their way of living.
Math: Students have been busy working with fractions. We enjoyed making Chex mix using improper fractions and mixed numbers. Here is the recipe. Have your student show you how to change the improper fractions to mixed numbers, the mixed numbers to improper fractions, and how to put a fraction in simplest form.
Chex Mix
24/2 cups Chex cereal
2 2/3 cups pretzels
2 8/12 cups cheese crackers
16/4 Tbs. melted butter
8/8 package ranch dressing mix
6/9 cup grated parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir. Repeat until evenly coated. Spread on a cookie sheet to cool. Enoy!
Writing: Students have been working hard to publish their Greek expository texts. We are currently working on publishing expository books, complete with a table of contents, glossary, and index, using students' finished texts. These are looking great and we can't wait for you to see them at SEPs!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Beginning of November
October was such a fun month and we are looking forward to Novemeber!
Math: Students have been reviewing the properties of numbers as they have worked with prime, composite, least common multiple, and greatest common factor. They will be tested at the end of the week.
Writing: Since we have finished our personal narratives the studnets have been working on their own stories. Next week they will write an expository text using their information from their god/goddess/creature report.
Spelling: We started the Words Their Way spelling program this week. Students have different lists assigned to them according to their spelling ability. I am excited for this program because every student will be challenged at their personal level.
Reading: Students are learning about expository texts this week: what they are, why we use them, and when they will see them. This is in preparation to writing their own.
Science: Mrs. Andersen has let the students grow their own mold and will be having a "Moldy Universe" contest. We're loving the bags of moldy bread all over the classroom. They made Oh Yuck! posters about wonderfully yucky concepts.
Social Studies: We are now in Ancient Greece. We looked at the geography and talked about the major cities that we will learn about. Students saw that most of the area was surrounded by water. Because of this the Greeks traded on water, and much of their living depended on the surrounding water.
Students have been given their research topic on a god/goddess/creature from this time. Please make sure to read over the packet, sign, and send it back to school. We encourage that you do the research with the students. It is best to use the links from our uen pages. Their research is due no later than Monday, November 9th. Information must be found from at least one book and one email site. These must be cited at the bottom of the page. They can be found on the right hand side of this blog. Call or email with questions or concerns.
Math: Students have been reviewing the properties of numbers as they have worked with prime, composite, least common multiple, and greatest common factor. They will be tested at the end of the week.
Writing: Since we have finished our personal narratives the studnets have been working on their own stories. Next week they will write an expository text using their information from their god/goddess/creature report.
Spelling: We started the Words Their Way spelling program this week. Students have different lists assigned to them according to their spelling ability. I am excited for this program because every student will be challenged at their personal level.
Reading: Students are learning about expository texts this week: what they are, why we use them, and when they will see them. This is in preparation to writing their own.
Science: Mrs. Andersen has let the students grow their own mold and will be having a "Moldy Universe" contest. We're loving the bags of moldy bread all over the classroom. They made Oh Yuck! posters about wonderfully yucky concepts.
Social Studies: We are now in Ancient Greece. We looked at the geography and talked about the major cities that we will learn about. Students saw that most of the area was surrounded by water. Because of this the Greeks traded on water, and much of their living depended on the surrounding water.
Students have been given their research topic on a god/goddess/creature from this time. Please make sure to read over the packet, sign, and send it back to school. We encourage that you do the research with the students. It is best to use the links from our uen pages. Their research is due no later than Monday, November 9th. Information must be found from at least one book and one email site. These must be cited at the bottom of the page. They can be found on the right hand side of this blog. Call or email with questions or concerns.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Another Exciting Week!
We have really enjoyed this smart, talented group! As we finish up decimals (for now) and say goodbye to ancient Egypt, we have some exciting things on the horizon. We also have our rewards party this Friday.
Math: Students have been working to master multiplying and dividing with decimals. As they complete their test review this week for homework, make sure to always ask them, "Where does the decimal go?" We will be testing this concept on Friday, so if students have questions about their review make sure they ask before school.
Writing: After studying the writer's process in-depth, we have moved on to the trait of Word Choice. Last week we killed the following boring words: said, went, good, bad, and cute. Students can no longer use these words in their writing. We practiced using the thesaurus to find more interesting, descriptive words. We also did some Halloween Quick Writes and I was so impressed with the way students were able to come up with poems off the tops of their heads. Prompt your student to always be looking for the best possible word to use.
Spelling: This week's unit focuses on spelling the /er/ sound at the end of a word. Before the test on Friday, ask your student when to use the -or, -ar. or -er at the end of a word. Our vocabulary words this week are: Maneuver, Perpendicular, Scholar, Geyser, and Acre.
Social Studies: The students turned to Pharaohs last Wednesday. They made their fancy neckwear, a cartouche with their name written in hieroglyphics, their sarcophagus, and a pyramid filled with the things they would like to have in the afterlife. On Thursday we will learn about mummifying as the students mummify a stuffed animal. (Please remember to send one to school!) Next week the students will begin learning about Ancient Greece.
Science: This week is all about sound. As the students make their sound instruments at home we have been learning the properties of sound and how it is produced. The classroom got extremely noisy during our sound centers but we were able to see how the slightest difference can change the pitch of an object. Students learned words like: amplitude, frequency, wavelength, pitch, vibration, and medium.
Reading: Our class is filled with amazing readers who love to dive deeply into books. I have been so impressed with our book discussions as the students ask questions, predict, analyze and so much more about the books they are reading. We have been working on making connections to our reading and discussing how they help us understand the book better.
Look for your Parent/Teacher Conference times coming home this week. Please promptly send back the sheet letting us know if you will be able to attend.
CHeck SIS for your child's grades before you come so you can be prepared with any questions you may have. Their homework folder contains a label with their login and password.
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