Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful time of fun, relaxation, and rest over the break and are ready for a great (and healthy) start to 2024. I am excited for the upcoming events in 6F.
Reading – Looking Back…. We finished our Non-fiction unit on text features and text structures with a look at the Titanic. Students assumed the identity of a Titanic passenger and were happy to find out they were all survivors. Students then practiced and performed a holiday or winter themed reader’s theater for an audience of 5th graders. They did a fabulous job presenting the story and portraying their characters. Looking Forward… In reading, we will begin a spy themed unit focusing on identifying the main idea and supporting details of a text. If students have flashlights and sunglasses that they could bring to school to use throughout the unit, that would be great.
Science-Looking Back… 6F and 6P have changed the schedule of our social studies and science rotations so that students will rotate between these two subjects within each week. In science, we began our chemistry unit learning about physical and chemical changes and students were excited to work through the scientific process to experiment with exploding alka-seltzer rockets. Looking Forward… Students will continue working on our chemistry unit in science. Check the science tab to see the topics we will cover in this unit. As always, science topics are always available in Gimkit for a fun way to review concepts covered in class.
Writing- Looking Back… Students began writing a personal narrative patterned after a mentor text titled, “Up North at the Cabin” by Marsha Wilson Chall. We took a break while students reflected on their progress in 6th grade and created presentations for conferences. Students came back to their narrative and finished drafting their story. Looking Forward…Students will revise, edit, and publish their narratives of their special place in the next week. We will then move into a research project on a country of their choice. Students will receive details in the next two weeks about the project requirements.
***Students are often looking for book recommendations for independent reading time. I recently read the books, “Freak the Mighty,” and its sequel, “Max the Mighty,” which I believe many students would enjoy, and I plan to recommend them to students. While the overall age recommendation on common sense media review site is 9+, I wanted parents to know there are difficult topics dealt with in the book such as physical and mental disabilities, and references are made to alcohol abuse, smoking, and violence. While I believe the overall message is very positive and the books are written in a way that can be helpful for students in understanding these difficult topics, I wanted parents to have the opportunity to preview the materials before recommending them. If you would prefer your child not check out either of these books, please let me know by January 5th. To read the full review on Common Sense Media, visit:https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/freak-the-mighty#:~:text=This%20book%20deals%20with%20a,side%20characters%20is%20an%20alcoholic.