Letort's Sixth Grade Blog

We have completed our first week of school.  The students have done a phenomenal job getting back into the routine.  Have a safe and happy long weekend!

Reading
We worked on Lessons 23 and 24 over the past two weeks.  In lesson 23, students read a Chinese legend, The Dragon King.    While reading the selection, we discussed the author’s use of literary devices (symbolism, dialogue, tone, and irony) to enhance the meaning of the story.  In lesson 24, we read an expository nonfiction, Secrets of the Sphinx.   While reading this selection, students completed a K-W-L chart to aid their comprehension of the information presented in the text.  We also discussed how the author’s use of imagery helped set the tone and create a mood.

This week students also had the opportunity to present their book projects to the class.  Each student read a summary of their book and then presented the project they created.  It was entertaining listening to everyone’s presentations, and what a great opportunity for the students to practice their public speaking skills.

Math
In Mrs. Johnson’s pre-algebra class, students have been learning about powers and exponents.  We also talked about how to prime factor algebraic equations in order to find the greatest common factor.  We started learning about ratios and rates and how to use dimensional analysis to solve a problem.

In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, students have focused on finding the area and perimeter of parallelograms, triangles, and circles.  We also learned how to find the volume of prisms and how to calculate surface area.  A test is on the horizon.  Students should be studying the formulas to find area, perimeter, and volume.

Science
In the ecology unit, we discussed food webs and energy pyramids, focusing on how energy is passed from one organism to another.  We then discussed human impact on a community, and how even small changes in our day-to-day living can have a positive effect on helping to protect our environment.
Our last two topics of discussion were the water cycle and  carbon dioxide- oxygen cycle.  Students learned how water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen are continuously “recycled” in our world.  The unit test is scheduled for next week.  Encourage your child to study daily.

Social Studies
Our Mexico unit is over.  A fun end to this unit is the fiesta which takes place on June 3 from 1:15-2:15.  Students will be sampling Mexican cuisine, making a craft, and breaking the piñata.  Thank you to all the parents that have volunteered to donate items!  The fiesta would not be a success without your generosity.

During our final unit, students will be learning about Canada.  They are currently researching a province or territory.  With their group, they will make a map and a presentation using Google Docs about their province or territory.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, we have been continuing to learn about adjectives.  Students took their first quiz this past week on the first have of the chapter.  During the second half of the chapter, the focus will be on comparing with adjectives, using negatives correctly, and how to decide if the words is an adjective or adverb.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, students were feverishly working on their biome research reports.  The reports were submitted today (Friday).  Before submitting them for a grade, students had the opportunity to read their report to a small group of peers.  It was interesting listening to all the facts students discovered in researching the various biomes.  (I look forward to reading all of them this weekend!)
Additionally, we continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

Reading
We worked on Lesson 22 over the past two weeks.  In this lesson, we read a nonfiction text about the terracotta warriors of ancient China.    While reading the selection, students completed venn diagram to compare and contrast information presented in the selection.  Students also learned how to interpret graphic aids to support their understanding of the text.

Math
In Mrs. Johnson’s class, students learned the rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing positive and negative integers.  We also reviewed the distributive property, and then used it to simplify algebraic expressions.  Additionally, students learned how to solve algebraic equations using positive and negative integers by balancing.  The next test is scheduled for Tuesday

In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, students learned about solids, ordered pairs, and how to solve word problems.  Students then took the Chapter 10 test.  We will begin Chapter 12 on Monday which focuses on area and volume.  Some of the lessons in this chapter are a review.

Science
Students spent time working on a recycling project.  Each child papier mached (using old newspapers) a plastic container and painted it.  Then they used compost to plant a perennial.  The activity was designed to show students how items that are often thrown in the trash can be reused for other purposes, and the little things we do day-to-day can positively impact Mother Earth.  (And hopefully it brought a smile to the mothers on Mother’s Day!)

This week we started the ecology unit.  The students learned the definitions of producer, consumer, and decomposer.  We also discussed food chains and how all living organisms depend upon one another to survive.

Social Studies
Our end of the unit test will be on Wednesday, May 19.  Students should study the information in their packet.  We are in the process of planning our fiesta.  Those who are interested in volunteering their time or cooking skills need to fill out a form that was sent home with your child on Friday.  During our next unit, students will learn about Canada.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, we have been learning about adjectives.  Students know how to use the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, as well as how to use proper adjectives.  In writing,  students are researching their biomes and will be writing their rough draft.  Students have been given time throughout this past week  to work on their report.  It is due on Tuesday, May 18.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, students learned note-taking skills in preparation for their research reports.  Together we worked on completing an outline on the temperate deciduous forest; we gathered information on the animals, plants, and climate common to this biome, as well as the human impact on this biome.  Students also learned how to fill out bibliography cards on the books and websites from which information is gathered.   This week, students spent several hours at the library gathering research information on their assigned biome.  Next week, students will begin writing the report.
Additionally, we continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

Reading
We started theme 5 in the Storytown series.  Throughout this theme, students will discover how modern communities are linked to the past.  The first story is Ancient Greece; students will learn about the history and people of Greece.  While reading the selection, students will complete graphic organizers such as venn diagrams to compare and contrast information presented in the selection.  Students will also learn about various study techniques such as SQ3R, K-W-L charts, and outlines.

Math
In math during the fourth marking period, Mrs. Johnson will be teaching a pre-algebra class for those sixth grade students who qualified based on their performance on the math placement test given in March.  In this class, students have been learning how to write and solve algebraic expressions and equations.  We also learned how to calculate the absolute value of an equation.  Additionally, students learned about the four quadrants of the coordinate system and how to locate points on this system as well as how to determine the domain and range of relations.

In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, students have learned about reflections (flips), translations (slides), and rotations (turns).  We also discussed diagonals and symmetry.  Our last lesson involved deciding if an answer was reasonable.

Science
Last week students spent time researching their assigned inventors and preparing for their oral presentations.  This week students had the opportunity to present their research findings to their peers.  The presentations were very entertaining!  We also discussed patents and why they are important to the creation of new inventions.  Test on Monday!

Social Studies
Students can now have a short conversation in Spanish.  They are enjoying the ability to converse in another language.  We have also learned about the cultures that have shaped Mexico, as well as ways in which Mexicans earn a living.  Students will be given a quiz soon on the information that we have already covered.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class we finished learning about verbs and will then discuss modifiers.  Our final writing piece is an informational about biomes.  Students will be describing the animal and plant life, as well as the climate.  The piece will end with the students describing how humans have impacted their biome.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, we are continuing the English unit on modifiers.  The students learned about adverbs and what they modify.  We discussed how to write the comparative and superlative forms of adverbs.  Students also learned about negatives and how to avoid double negatives in a sentence.  The unit test is scheduled for Friday, May 7.   Additionally, we continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

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Car Wash Update
On Saturday, April 24, some of LeTort’s sixth graders helped at a car wash to raise money for the Milagro House in Lancaster.  We would like to thank everyone who supported the car wash.  We are very happy to announce that we raised $667.36.  Way to go sixth grade!  Thank you to all who supported this community outreach project!

The sixth grade will be sponsoring a car wash on Saturday from 9-12.  The students will be accepting donations for their charity!  Proceeds will go to the Milagro house.  The students are really excited to give back to their community!

Reading
In Lesson 19, students read a nonfiction article, Buildings In Disguise.  While reading, students made judgments about the information in the selection and supported these assertions with reliable evidence from the text.  We are now in Lesson 20, a review lesson, so we will spend time revisiting the focus skills and strategies presented over the last 4 weeks.  The Theme 4 test will be next week; encourage your child to spend time reviewing the vocabulary from Lessons 16-20.

Book clubs groups spent time working on their final projects.  Students were writing scripts and designing backdrops.  They seemed to thoroughly enjoy this project.  On Friday, we all met in the library and watched as each group performed their skit.  It was a good time for all!

Math
In both classes, we have been continuing with the geometry unit.  Students learned about different types of polygons, triangles, and quadrilaterals.  Then we discussed how to calculate the area and perimeter of triangles, quadrilaterals, and circles using formulas.   Students also learned how to create circle graphs using protractors.  In an effort to help students with all these concepts, each person is creating a geometry notebook, from which students should be studying daily. Please check each day to make sure your child is doing this.   The test is scheduled for next week.  It is a challenging one!

Science
On Monday, students presented their inventions at the Invention Convention.  It was a lot of fun to walk around and see all the unique ideas and creations.

Our next focus in this unit will be to learn about famous inventors and their inventions.  Rather than the teacher presenting the information to the students, each child will become an expert on one inventor, and they will “teach” their peers.  Research and presentation requirements were discussed this week; students were also provided with the grading rubric.  Please ask your child to share with you these forms so you are aware of what is being required of your child.   For this project, students were given the choice to complete the requirements independently or with a partner.  Please be aware that students will be given ample time to complete this assignment in class, as long as class time is being used appropriately.    Students need to be ready to present on Friday, April 23.

Social Studies
Now that we have learned about the geography of Mexico, we are going to learn about Mexico’s culture and customs. There is a new study guide that students will be completing and can eventually use to review for the test.  In May, to end our unit, we will have a Mexican fiesta.  Closer to the date of the party, you will receive information about how you can contribute or volunteer for this fun activity.   Students have also been introduced to conversational spanish.  They are being introduced to some basic spanish phrases.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class we are close to ending our unit on verbs.  Next Friday, students will be tested on the information presented throughout this chapter.  Students will have a study guide to help them review the information.  You might notice that our DLRs have changed slightly.  I am alternating between our normal DLRs and our proofreading paragraphs.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, we are continuing the English unit on modifiers.  The students learned about comparative and superlative adjectives.  We also discussed when to use more and most instead of the normal endings -er and -est.  Additionally, we continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

Reading
In Lesson 18, students read a nonfiction article, The Kid Who Named Pluto.  While reading, students made judgments about the information in the selection, supporting these assertions with evidence from the text.  During this lesson, we also discussed pointers for successfully following multiple-step instructions.  This skill will greatly benefit students as they take the PSSAs scheduled to begin next week.

Book clubs are working on their final projects.  Each group needs to create a skit depicting a suspenseful event from the text that provides key information related to the plot.  Skits will be performed next week.

Math
In both classes, we started chapter 6 which focuses on geometry.  Students learned to covert measurements in both the customary and metric systems.  They also learned how to measure objects to the nearest fraction of an inch, nearest centimeter, and nearest millimeter.  Currently, we are learning various terms related to lines (i.e. parallel, perpendicular, intersecting).  Next week students will learn a plethora of terms related to polygons, triangles, quadrilaterals, and circles.  In an effort to help students with all the concepts that are covered in this unit, each person is creating a geometry notebook, from which they should be studying daily. Please check each day to make sure your child is doing this.   There will be a vocabulary quiz sometime next week.

Science
We have been discussing the steps involved in the invention process.  Students have selected a real-life problem and thought of several possible solutions.  Students are now ready to generate an invention to complete the project.  Project requirements were discussed this week; students were also provided with the grading rubric.  All projects are due Monday, April 12.  (No projects will be accepted late.)  On April 12, students will have the opportunity to unveil their creation at the Invention Convention.

Social Studies
Students have learned about the geography of Mexico.  The students did an awesome job on their map quiz.  A test will be given on this information on Monday.  Part of the test will be taken on Moodle.  We will then move on to learning about the culture of Mexico.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class is working on an Alphabet poem.  The students chose a topic and need to come up with words that relate to that topic that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  In English, we are wrapping up verbs.  A test is on the horizon.  Students will have a study guide to help them review the concepts presented during this unit.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, we started the next English unit on modifiers.  So far we have learned about adjectives, which modify nouns and pronouns.   Students also learned about articles and demonstratives.  Additionally, we continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

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Important reminder:  School will be in session on April 5.

Reading
In Lesson 16, students read a biography on John Harrison.  While reading, students posed inferential and critical questions related to the text as a strategy to improve their comprehension.  During this lesson, we discussed the difference between first-person and third-person point of view.  In Lesson 17, students read an excerpt from Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee.  Again, we generated questions as we read the text to aid in our comprehension of the story’s plot.  For our focus skill, we delved a little deeper into the idea of point of view and discussed the difference between third-person limited and third-person omniscient.

Book clubs continue to meet every cycle day 6.  Students have been dialoguing with their group members about the assigned readings and sharing their responses to the questions.  Students are reading the final pages of the book.  Ask your child to share a prediction of how they think the story will end.

Math
In both classes, we started chapter 11 which focuses on percents.  Students learned how to calculate percent of a number, which they then applied to calculating discounts, sales tax, and interest.  Students will also learn how to create a budget.  This chapter teaches lots of good “life skills.”  The chapter 11 test will be next week.

Science
We started the next unit, which focuses on inventors and inventions.  We have been looking at our day-to-day living and discussing how inventions impact all that we do; we’ve also discussed how drastically different our lives would be without these inventions and contemplated what life must have been like before certain inventions were created (i.e. refrigerators, blue jeans, can openers, toothbrushes).  At the end of this unit, students will be required to think of their own invention, and if possible, create a prototype of their idea.  These ideas will be showcased at our “invention convention.”  (More details to come.)

Social Studies
We wrapped up learning about Civil Rights by viewing the DVD, The Children’s March.  While watching the video, students chatted on Moodle about their thoughts and feelings about how children impacted civil rights.  Our next unit, Mexico, began at the end of the week.  We will start out by learning about the geography of Mexico.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, we are currently working on a variety of poems.  We completed an acrostic poem where students had to use the letters of their name to describe themselves.  Originally, I was going to move on to an alphabet poem, but instead I will have the students complete a shape poem first.  In English, we are still focusing on verbs.  We learned about the principal parts of verbs, as well as subject-verb agreement.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, students have been feverishly working on their informational essays.  Students revised their first draft and wrote a final rough draft.  Then they spent time editing.  They are now working on writing the published copy.   All final copies are due on Monday.   We also continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

Math Bowl Team
Last week, numerous students gave up recesses to try out for the sixth grade Math Bowl team.  The students completed a series of tests, each one consisting of fifteen math problems.  After evaluating the answers and tallying the totals, the following students were selected to represent Letort at this year’s Math Bowl competition:  Emily Ferrick, Emily Heckman, Cece Minnick, and Emily Robb.  Congratulation to these students and a HUGE thank you to all who tried out!

Reading
In Lesson 15, students used their acting skills to perform a reader’s theatre which was a legend.  This is always a fun activity for the students and for us as teachers.  During this lesson, we reviewed the skills that we learned over the past four lessons.  Students then took a theme test.  We then moved on to Lesson 16 where students will learn about point of view and how to generate questions to help them comprehend what they are reading.  This lesson will take two cycles instead of one.

Book clubs have started meeting again.  Students have been dialoguing with their group members about the assigned readings and sharing their responses to the questions.  Ask you child to share with you what their book is about and whether or not they are enjoying the mystery so far.

Math
In both classes, we finished Chapter 9 which involved ratios, probability, and proportions.  We learned how to write the probability ratio of favorable outcomes to possible outcomes, to make and test predictions, as well as how to solve word problems using a variety of strategies.  Chapter 11 is next.  Students will work on percents, discounts, rates, and sales tax.  All wonderful skills to help our avid shoppers

Science
We are coming to the end of the physics unit on gravity and motion.  Over the last two weeks student learned about Newton’s three laws of motion.  We investigated and discussed numerous ways these laws apply to our every day lives.  As a culminating activity to this unit, the students engaged in the Toys In Space Discovery Stations.  They worked with partners to play with toys and figure out how the toys relate to Newton’s laws and gravity.  Then we watched video clips of astronauts playing with the same toys in space to see how they worked in an environment with no gravity.  Students were intrigued by the way gravity (or no gravity) effected the movement of the toys.  It was a fun way to make the abstract concepts of gravity and Newton’s laws more concrete.

Social Studies
We are almost done using our resource Free at Last to learn about the civil rights movement.  Since the quiz on Moodle was such a success, students will now be given a test using Moodle on Friday, March 12.  The students seem excited about the opportunity to use a computer to take a test.  Use your notes to study.  We will then move on to learning about Mexico.

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, we are currently working on a variety of poems.  Our first piece is an acrostic poem where students had to use the letters of their name to describe themselves.  Our next piece will be an alphabet poem.  In English, we are still focusing on verbs.  We learned how to identify direct objects, how to tell if a verb is transitive or intransitive, and being and linking verbs.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, we finished the unit on verbs.  Students learned about how to make sure the verb and subject of a sentence are in agreement.  We also looked at some commonly confused verbs (lie/lay, sit/set, let/leave) and discussed strategies for determining which verb form is correct in a given sentence. Students completed the end-of-unit test today.   We also continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.  In writing, we started the informational unit.  Students completed the prewriting 4-square and then used this 4-square to complete an outline.  (Students will be required to create/complete an outline for their research report next marking period, so I felt it would be beneficial to introduce them to outlining during the informational writing unit.)  Next week students will be writing their first rough draft.

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Important reminder:  With the recent school cancellations, school will now be in session on March 19, April 1 & 5.

Reading
In Lesson 14, students read a short story, Brian’s Winter.  While reading, students worked on filling out a story map where they had to identify the characters, setting, conflict, plot events, and resolution of the story.   We also spent time identifying and analyzing the features of theme conveyed through characters, actions, and images.  In our paired selection, students read an article on using a wristwatch to find your way, and we discussed the ideas presented in the text.

Math
In both classes, we completed the Chapter 8 test.  We then moved on to Chapter 9 which involves ratios, proportions, and probability.  Our first lesson explored the concept of a ratio and how to write them three different ways.  Then students learned to write equal ratios using multiplication or division.  Finally, students learned to use cross products to find the missing terms in proportions.

Science
We continued the physics unit on gravity and motion.  Students learned about the three categories of motion: linear, circular, and vibrational.  We also discussed the terms used to describe the movement of objects (speed, velocity, acceleration, and displacement).  Lots of vocabulary terms to learn, many of then new to the students.  Students now have all the background information needed to understand Newton’s three laws of motion.  We will begin learning about these next week!

Social Studies
Students completed the civil rights quiz using Moodle.  This was an interesting experience which the students enjoyed since it was different than our normal paper and pencil quizzes and tests.  We will continue to read about civil rights using our resource Free at Last.  Because this is a short unit, students should be studying their notes each night.  A test is on the horizon, as long as we don’t have any more snow

Writing/English
In Mrs. Mitchell’s class, students worked on their speeches.  We will begin speeches on Tuesday.  This is always a really fun part of the year.  To see the sixth graders turn their writing into an informative speech is interesting.  They are extremely enjoyable to listen to.  Our next writing pieces will be a variety of poems.

In Mrs. Johnson’s class, we continued the unit on verbs.  Students learned about transitive and intransitive verbs and how to identify the direct object in a sentence. We also learned about being and linking verbs and how to identify the predicate noun or predicate adjective in the sentence.  We just finished talking about verb tenses; students learned how to form the past, present and future tense of a verb.  We also continue to work on Daily Language Review each day to practice grammar skills.

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Important reminder:  With the recent school cancellations, school will now be in session on March 19 and April 1.