Today in 6A & 6B
RELIGION: As we have now finished Family Life for this year, we return to our Christ Our Life texts and the special lesson on Lent.Today we spoke in short about Ash Wednesday, which was last week, and why we use ashes to signify our repentance.
ENGLISH: Today marks the beginning of our Vocabulary week. In the interest of maintaining some of the patterns set at the start of the year, we will continue until the end of unit 15 for vocabulary, testing every 2 weeks. While we will not be having grammar lessons, students will now have more time to examine texts and write thorough analyses of said texts. Next week we will examine a piece of poetry and determine the subtle, and not so subtle, meanings.
LITERATURE: As we see our "gang" of wanna-be Egyptians, they are adjusting to life after a local child was murdered and are unable to play independently outside. On Halloween these youngsters finally find an opportunity to return to "Egypt" and a mysterious figure crashes the party.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Students wrote their Ancient Egypt test today. Those students who were absent will make up the test on their return to class.
MATH (8:00 class) Accelerated Math (9:00 class) pgs 328-330 1-43 Chp 6 Test tomorrow
SCIENCE chp 6 Test Tomorrow
Monday, March 11, 2019
Friday, March 8, 2019
Today in 6A!
ENGLISH: Students wrote their test for Unit 12 Vocabulary and Chapter 5 Grammar. This test marks the end of our Grammar lessons. Students will not be tested explicitly on grammar but will be expected to put their lessons to good use. Our writing assignments will increase and students can expect these writing assignments to dovetail with their other subjects. This means that students will find themselves researching and writing for Social Studies during their English class.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our review session took place after we reviewed the homework from yesterday's lesson. Students should spend some time each night reviewing the material they can expect to see on their test Monday.
RELIGION: The quiz students wrote today mark the end of our Family Life unit. We also took part in the Stations of the Cross to close out our day. I was a bit disappointed to see that many of our students were not performing the responses. I find this unacceptable and since we attend a Catholic school, I find myself duty-bound to hold my students accountable to this participation. So in the future, students who do not perform the responses in either mass or during stations of the cross, will find themselves with a detention that will be served with Mr. VanRuyven so that they may practice their responses.
ENGLISH: Students wrote their test for Unit 12 Vocabulary and Chapter 5 Grammar. This test marks the end of our Grammar lessons. Students will not be tested explicitly on grammar but will be expected to put their lessons to good use. Our writing assignments will increase and students can expect these writing assignments to dovetail with their other subjects. This means that students will find themselves researching and writing for Social Studies during their English class.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our review session took place after we reviewed the homework from yesterday's lesson. Students should spend some time each night reviewing the material they can expect to see on their test Monday.
RELIGION: The quiz students wrote today mark the end of our Family Life unit. We also took part in the Stations of the Cross to close out our day. I was a bit disappointed to see that many of our students were not performing the responses. I find this unacceptable and since we attend a Catholic school, I find myself duty-bound to hold my students accountable to this participation. So in the future, students who do not perform the responses in either mass or during stations of the cross, will find themselves with a detention that will be served with Mr. VanRuyven so that they may practice their responses.
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
RELIGION: Our lesson today marked the end of our Family Life unit. We will review chapter 5 tomorrow and write our quiz on Friday. Today we talked about basic human rights and things that we do and can do for the common good of all people. It took us on a bit of a tangent regarding how Western countries use foreign aid to help developing nations.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Continuing from our work yesterday, our students took the information that they gleaned from the mummification process and, in groups, created and gave presentations in the 4 different writing styles (Narrative, Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive). This made for some entertaining fun as students are learning how the same bit of information can e used for different purposes.
RELIGION: Our lesson today marked the end of our Family Life unit. We will review chapter 5 tomorrow and write our quiz on Friday. Today we talked about basic human rights and things that we do and can do for the common good of all people. It took us on a bit of a tangent regarding how Western countries use foreign aid to help developing nations.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Continuing from our work yesterday, our students took the information that they gleaned from the mummification process and, in groups, created and gave presentations in the 4 different writing styles (Narrative, Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive). This made for some entertaining fun as students are learning how the same bit of information can e used for different purposes.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: Our lessons for today were our last from the Grammar text book. I implore students to not disregard the knowledge in this book after Friday's test, because the writing we will complete as the year continues will lean heavily on these lessons. Today we spoke about body paragraphs as well as Introductions and Conclusions. Students practiced revising poor paragraphs and making them more interesting. We also looked at some news items from today and how they are written to communicate meaningful information in unified and fluent patterns.
LITERATURE: Prior to advancing in our read, we unveiled the assessment for the Egypt Game. Students will be completing a character analysis that centers around the actions of that character. Students may choose any character in the story, but as we read, they will record the actions of that character and how those actions speak to the character's values and qualities. This document will be used to write a 1-2 page essay that explores the nature of that character.
RELIGION: We got a bit side-tracked during our conversation today as students had a lot of questions regarding how to budget and manage pressures once they move out on their own for college. I shared my experience with them that may or may not correlate with what will be their experience in 6 short years.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After learning about life and death in Ancient Egypt yesterday, students went on a fact-finding mission to explore the mummification process. Some of the responses to their packet required them to infer the answer as not all responses were spelled out directly. This will be take up tomorrow and students will prepare presentations of their understanding of this vital process.
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-6 & 5-7 (9:00 class) WS 6-7 & 6-8
SCIENCE Worksheet packet
ENGLISH: Our lessons for today were our last from the Grammar text book. I implore students to not disregard the knowledge in this book after Friday's test, because the writing we will complete as the year continues will lean heavily on these lessons. Today we spoke about body paragraphs as well as Introductions and Conclusions. Students practiced revising poor paragraphs and making them more interesting. We also looked at some news items from today and how they are written to communicate meaningful information in unified and fluent patterns.
LITERATURE: Prior to advancing in our read, we unveiled the assessment for the Egypt Game. Students will be completing a character analysis that centers around the actions of that character. Students may choose any character in the story, but as we read, they will record the actions of that character and how those actions speak to the character's values and qualities. This document will be used to write a 1-2 page essay that explores the nature of that character.
RELIGION: We got a bit side-tracked during our conversation today as students had a lot of questions regarding how to budget and manage pressures once they move out on their own for college. I shared my experience with them that may or may not correlate with what will be their experience in 6 short years.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After learning about life and death in Ancient Egypt yesterday, students went on a fact-finding mission to explore the mummification process. Some of the responses to their packet required them to infer the answer as not all responses were spelled out directly. This will be take up tomorrow and students will prepare presentations of their understanding of this vital process.
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-6 & 5-7 (9:00 class) WS 6-7 & 6-8
SCIENCE Worksheet packet
Monday, March 4, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: As we start our grammar week, and prepare for Friday's test, we enter our LAST grammar chapter. This chapter sums up all of the grammar work students have done this year as we explore the construction of an essay. Why, might you ask, would we learn how to write an essay after we have already written an essay? Well, in this way, the concepts that we have discussed come to the student as more of a "refresher" or "review" of material. In this sense, it is much more likely that a student will remember these lessons in the long term as they examine the writing they have already done in hindsight. That said, much of what we are studying this week is what we have preached all year long, so the repetition helps significantly.
LITERATURE: We collected out Where The Red Fern Grows books today and started our new read, The Egypt Game. Tomorrow, students will be shown their assessment for this book, which will involve examining a character from the book and writing a profile of that character. If students would like a preview of this assignment they can check their Google Classroom accounts for Literature.
RELIGION: This week's chapter is the last of our Family Life unit. We are examining the term "community" and what that means for us as Catholics within our society at large. Additionally, our lesson today spoke to family finances and home economics and I encourage my students to reach out to their parents to discuss the many ways in which our families make "ends meet."
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson focused on life and death within Egyptian Society and the role that religion played. This is a very similar lesson to what we have seen in Mesopotamia and India, so students are making strong connections between our units. Homework is found on page 115 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 269-270 1-12 (9:00 class) pg 316 1-29
SCIENCE pg 191 1-4
ENGLISH: As we start our grammar week, and prepare for Friday's test, we enter our LAST grammar chapter. This chapter sums up all of the grammar work students have done this year as we explore the construction of an essay. Why, might you ask, would we learn how to write an essay after we have already written an essay? Well, in this way, the concepts that we have discussed come to the student as more of a "refresher" or "review" of material. In this sense, it is much more likely that a student will remember these lessons in the long term as they examine the writing they have already done in hindsight. That said, much of what we are studying this week is what we have preached all year long, so the repetition helps significantly.
LITERATURE: We collected out Where The Red Fern Grows books today and started our new read, The Egypt Game. Tomorrow, students will be shown their assessment for this book, which will involve examining a character from the book and writing a profile of that character. If students would like a preview of this assignment they can check their Google Classroom accounts for Literature.
RELIGION: This week's chapter is the last of our Family Life unit. We are examining the term "community" and what that means for us as Catholics within our society at large. Additionally, our lesson today spoke to family finances and home economics and I encourage my students to reach out to their parents to discuss the many ways in which our families make "ends meet."
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson focused on life and death within Egyptian Society and the role that religion played. This is a very similar lesson to what we have seen in Mesopotamia and India, so students are making strong connections between our units. Homework is found on page 115 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 269-270 1-12 (9:00 class) pg 316 1-29
SCIENCE pg 191 1-4
Friday, March 1, 2019
Today in 6A!
Our day was almost entirely non-academic today. Considering that the Lenten season will be upon us this week, we found it necessary and appropriate to host a spiritual retreat for all of our students, so that we may best prepare to welcome Christ into our lives, and be Christ for others.
Students are being sent home with a small "rice box" that will serve as a donation tool for our students to focus their sacrifices during Lent. The donations will benefit Catholic Relief Services as well as the Diocese of Orange.
Our day was almost entirely non-academic today. Considering that the Lenten season will be upon us this week, we found it necessary and appropriate to host a spiritual retreat for all of our students, so that we may best prepare to welcome Christ into our lives, and be Christ for others.
Students are being sent home with a small "rice box" that will serve as a donation tool for our students to focus their sacrifices during Lent. The donations will benefit Catholic Relief Services as well as the Diocese of Orange.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Today in 6A!
RELIGION: students wrote their Unit 4 Family Life quiz.
ENGLISH: Our class time for each group was used to work on our Narrative essays about a recent road trip we have taken. This is day two of this exercise and so students should have spent this class rime making use of their peers to refine their work and offer suggested edits. This assignment is due tomorrow but we will not have class time to work on it. Therefore students should submit their work this evening.
LITERATURE: This class period was also used to work on another writing assignment, also due tomorrow. I have prefaced the past week of work with benchmarks that the students should meet each day. Today's benchmark was to use the time, much like they did in English, to peer edit and refine their writing. This essay is also due tomorrow and students will not have class time to write. Tomorrow is indeed a half-day, so students may work on this after school and submit prior to 3:00 PM.
I must admit, of the essays that I have read so far, the student writing has greatly improved overall, speaking to the effort that our students are putting in on a regular basis to become better writers.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After taking up the homework, we examined the relationship between Egypt and their southern neighbors, the Nubian kingdom. Students are assigned questions 1-6 on page 110 for homework.
***Dr. O has graciously offered a free-dress day for all students tomorrow without the use of a free dress pass. Students are welcome to come to school out of uniform in proper free dress attire***
RELIGION: students wrote their Unit 4 Family Life quiz.
ENGLISH: Our class time for each group was used to work on our Narrative essays about a recent road trip we have taken. This is day two of this exercise and so students should have spent this class rime making use of their peers to refine their work and offer suggested edits. This assignment is due tomorrow but we will not have class time to work on it. Therefore students should submit their work this evening.
LITERATURE: This class period was also used to work on another writing assignment, also due tomorrow. I have prefaced the past week of work with benchmarks that the students should meet each day. Today's benchmark was to use the time, much like they did in English, to peer edit and refine their writing. This essay is also due tomorrow and students will not have class time to write. Tomorrow is indeed a half-day, so students may work on this after school and submit prior to 3:00 PM.
I must admit, of the essays that I have read so far, the student writing has greatly improved overall, speaking to the effort that our students are putting in on a regular basis to become better writers.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After taking up the homework, we examined the relationship between Egypt and their southern neighbors, the Nubian kingdom. Students are assigned questions 1-6 on page 110 for homework.
***Dr. O has graciously offered a free-dress day for all students tomorrow without the use of a free dress pass. Students are welcome to come to school out of uniform in proper free dress attire***
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: As promised, students received another writing assignment today. With this task, students are writing a short narrative essay about a road trip they have taken. It is a wonderful opportnity for students to make use of the grammar lessons from last week and employ some helpful transitions as well as different types of supporting details.
LITERATURE: In lieu of music class today, students were given addition time to work on their Where The Red Fern Grows essays. I unpacked a random quotation so that students could see how I might do this. Students should avoid using personal pronouns in their writing and should focus on explaining how and why the evidence supports their theme. For tomorrow's class, students should be ready to peer edit theirs and each other's work. I have also asked for students to share their writing with their families so that they can get another perspective.
RELIGION: Students reviewed the content from earlier this week to prepare for tomorrow's short quiz.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our classroom activity today consisted of student groups presenting two sides of the same conflict. It involved them looking in to the different perspectives of the scenario and pleading their case (from both sides). The judgement was then passed down by their Pharaoh (Mr. VanRuyven).
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-4 &5-5 (9:00 class) WS 6-6
ENGLISH: As promised, students received another writing assignment today. With this task, students are writing a short narrative essay about a road trip they have taken. It is a wonderful opportnity for students to make use of the grammar lessons from last week and employ some helpful transitions as well as different types of supporting details.
LITERATURE: In lieu of music class today, students were given addition time to work on their Where The Red Fern Grows essays. I unpacked a random quotation so that students could see how I might do this. Students should avoid using personal pronouns in their writing and should focus on explaining how and why the evidence supports their theme. For tomorrow's class, students should be ready to peer edit theirs and each other's work. I have also asked for students to share their writing with their families so that they can get another perspective.
RELIGION: Students reviewed the content from earlier this week to prepare for tomorrow's short quiz.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our classroom activity today consisted of student groups presenting two sides of the same conflict. It involved them looking in to the different perspectives of the scenario and pleading their case (from both sides). The judgement was then passed down by their Pharaoh (Mr. VanRuyven).
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-4 &5-5 (9:00 class) WS 6-6
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: After some flash cards where students identified words from their definitions, each class performed three assignments from the Sadlier website. In these assignments students were asked to derive the meaning of specific words and phrases based on the context of the written piece. From there, with the time remaining in class, students worked on their essays for Where The Red Fern Grows.
LITERATURE: Students worked on their essays for Where The Red Fern Grows. For today students should be drafting their ideas. I suggest beginning with their body paragraphs and spelling out what they would like to say. Students should avoid using personal pronouns and remove all personal references from their writing. This essay is not an opinion piece and therefore the beliefs and opinions of the writer are unimportant. Instead students should present their work as an examination of evidence and how the evidence supports their theme. They are interpreting the information without saying it is their own interpretation.
RELIGION: In today's lesson we examine how as people age they change and how those changes affect our relationships and how we experience the world. We focused on the elderly and how much our elders have to offer our community and our society.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson looked at the rule of the Pharaohs and how it was that a distant ruler was able to unite a vast area and what that necessarily looked like. In this light, we witnessed 2 pharaohs, Hatshepsut and Ramses II. One female, one male. One ruling through trade, the other through conquest. Both are significant to the story of Egypt but each are treated differently in the eyes of history. Homework for this section is on page 105 #1-7
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 262-263 1-28 all (9:00 class) pg 308 1-31
SCIENCE finish land form sketch due tomorrow
ENGLISH: After some flash cards where students identified words from their definitions, each class performed three assignments from the Sadlier website. In these assignments students were asked to derive the meaning of specific words and phrases based on the context of the written piece. From there, with the time remaining in class, students worked on their essays for Where The Red Fern Grows.
LITERATURE: Students worked on their essays for Where The Red Fern Grows. For today students should be drafting their ideas. I suggest beginning with their body paragraphs and spelling out what they would like to say. Students should avoid using personal pronouns and remove all personal references from their writing. This essay is not an opinion piece and therefore the beliefs and opinions of the writer are unimportant. Instead students should present their work as an examination of evidence and how the evidence supports their theme. They are interpreting the information without saying it is their own interpretation.
RELIGION: In today's lesson we examine how as people age they change and how those changes affect our relationships and how we experience the world. We focused on the elderly and how much our elders have to offer our community and our society.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson looked at the rule of the Pharaohs and how it was that a distant ruler was able to unite a vast area and what that necessarily looked like. In this light, we witnessed 2 pharaohs, Hatshepsut and Ramses II. One female, one male. One ruling through trade, the other through conquest. Both are significant to the story of Egypt but each are treated differently in the eyes of history. Homework for this section is on page 105 #1-7
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 262-263 1-28 all (9:00 class) pg 308 1-31
SCIENCE finish land form sketch due tomorrow
Monday, February 25, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: This week marks the start of another vocabulary week. We began Unit 12 iWords today, identifying associations for the given definitions. Students were also given a benchmark for where they should be with their Where the Red Fern Grows essay.
LITERATURE: This week students will be working exclusively on their Where The Red Fern Grows essays. After some light instruction on where students should be by this point, student made the most of their time together in class. For this phase of the writing process it is perfectly reasonable for students to share interpretations and ideas for themes that they share. However, beyond today this dynamic will not work as well. That said, students should take their 5 pieces of evidence and"unpack" them. This means that students should slow their brains down to answer some questions regarding WHY they interpret something a certain way. How is it that this evidence supports their theme? In what way? What are the relationships? How do you know? Answering these questions allows the writer to then establish an organization of their work that makes sense, either chronologically or logically. Students should then begin their first draft.
RELIGION: Today's conversation was about God's love for us, and how we can show that love towards others. I used an analogy that my dad used for me when I was a kid. When I was 8 we traveled to Australia for a year. Lived there. Went to school there. Made friends there. All this time I was an ambassador for my country and my family and my faith. I had to constantly ask myself, is how I am acting representative of my people? Similarly, we need to ask those same questions when we represent our faith. Do my actions show the world that I am following Jesus' example?
SOCIAL STUDIES: After our water assembly today we only had time to take up the homework from Wednesday of last week. With the remainder of class students were able to work on their cartouches from last week. This is the last period of tie students will get to work on these cartouches in school. I would like to have them for Monday, making them a tertiary priority to their writing assignments.
MATH ( 8:00 & 9:00) classes turned in their notebooks
SCIENCE pg 186 1-3
ENGLISH: This week marks the start of another vocabulary week. We began Unit 12 iWords today, identifying associations for the given definitions. Students were also given a benchmark for where they should be with their Where the Red Fern Grows essay.
LITERATURE: This week students will be working exclusively on their Where The Red Fern Grows essays. After some light instruction on where students should be by this point, student made the most of their time together in class. For this phase of the writing process it is perfectly reasonable for students to share interpretations and ideas for themes that they share. However, beyond today this dynamic will not work as well. That said, students should take their 5 pieces of evidence and"unpack" them. This means that students should slow their brains down to answer some questions regarding WHY they interpret something a certain way. How is it that this evidence supports their theme? In what way? What are the relationships? How do you know? Answering these questions allows the writer to then establish an organization of their work that makes sense, either chronologically or logically. Students should then begin their first draft.
RELIGION: Today's conversation was about God's love for us, and how we can show that love towards others. I used an analogy that my dad used for me when I was a kid. When I was 8 we traveled to Australia for a year. Lived there. Went to school there. Made friends there. All this time I was an ambassador for my country and my family and my faith. I had to constantly ask myself, is how I am acting representative of my people? Similarly, we need to ask those same questions when we represent our faith. Do my actions show the world that I am following Jesus' example?
SOCIAL STUDIES: After our water assembly today we only had time to take up the homework from Wednesday of last week. With the remainder of class students were able to work on their cartouches from last week. This is the last period of tie students will get to work on these cartouches in school. I would like to have them for Monday, making them a tertiary priority to their writing assignments.
MATH ( 8:00 & 9:00) classes turned in their notebooks
SCIENCE pg 186 1-3
Friday, February 22, 2019
Today in 6A!
It was a busy day with two different assemblies to facilitate the renaissance fair that the 7th graders put on. There was a Falconry demonstration and info session as well as an open-forum demonstration from our 7th grade students displaying some of the articles they crafted.
The rest of our day was split between AR time, our Religion quiz, and English test. Students in 6B finished their last 20 pages of Where The Red Fern Grows and were given instruction on what to have completed by the end of the weekend. All students should come to school Monday having reduced their evidence down to 5 pieces and feel comfortable on in what way and in what order their evidence will be presented. This will put them on good footing to establish a thesis to align with their theme and they can begin drafting confidently. Students will have one (1) week to complete this 3-4 page essay and will be given class time to meet benchmarks.
It was a busy day with two different assemblies to facilitate the renaissance fair that the 7th graders put on. There was a Falconry demonstration and info session as well as an open-forum demonstration from our 7th grade students displaying some of the articles they crafted.
The rest of our day was split between AR time, our Religion quiz, and English test. Students in 6B finished their last 20 pages of Where The Red Fern Grows and were given instruction on what to have completed by the end of the weekend. All students should come to school Monday having reduced their evidence down to 5 pieces and feel comfortable on in what way and in what order their evidence will be presented. This will put them on good footing to establish a thesis to align with their theme and they can begin drafting confidently. Students will have one (1) week to complete this 3-4 page essay and will be given class time to meet benchmarks.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
RELIGION: Students reviewed for their test tomorrow. Their notes will be their best and only resource for studying.
ENGLISH: Students spent their time wisely studying for tomorrow's unit/chapter test. I sat with several students who wanted to review some of the material. The suggested review can be found below.
LITERATURE: 6A finished our "Where The Red Fern Grows" red today and there were a few tears along with a resounding consensus that "this was a good book." That said, I agree. Students know that one week from tomorrow they will have their assessment due, the details of which are on Google Classroom. I recommended to the class that they spend some time over the weekend narrowing down their list of quotes and tabbed pages to find 5 of their best pieces of evidence to use in their essay. Some asked if they could use more, and of course the answer is yes, however it is essential that this essay not become a banner of strung-together quotes, but an unpacking of their meaning and how they impact or justify the theme they chose.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Today students made their own Cartouches. A cartouche is an identifying hieroglyph that indicates a person's name. Using a simple generator, students plugged in their own first names to identify what their cartouche would be. After screen shotting their cartouche, students then drew it on to a piece of watercolor paper and prepared to illuminate the images with color. Students will continue this process tomorrow.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 258 1-24 (9:00 class) pgs 302-303 2-60 evens + WS 6-4 & 6-5
RELIGION: Students reviewed for their test tomorrow. Their notes will be their best and only resource for studying.
ENGLISH: Students spent their time wisely studying for tomorrow's unit/chapter test. I sat with several students who wanted to review some of the material. The suggested review can be found below.
LITERATURE: 6A finished our "Where The Red Fern Grows" red today and there were a few tears along with a resounding consensus that "this was a good book." That said, I agree. Students know that one week from tomorrow they will have their assessment due, the details of which are on Google Classroom. I recommended to the class that they spend some time over the weekend narrowing down their list of quotes and tabbed pages to find 5 of their best pieces of evidence to use in their essay. Some asked if they could use more, and of course the answer is yes, however it is essential that this essay not become a banner of strung-together quotes, but an unpacking of their meaning and how they impact or justify the theme they chose.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Today students made their own Cartouches. A cartouche is an identifying hieroglyph that indicates a person's name. Using a simple generator, students plugged in their own first names to identify what their cartouche would be. After screen shotting their cartouche, students then drew it on to a piece of watercolor paper and prepared to illuminate the images with color. Students will continue this process tomorrow.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 258 1-24 (9:00 class) pgs 302-303 2-60 evens + WS 6-4 & 6-5
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: Our lesson built on yesterday's concepts of strong topic sentences and supporting sentences by asking students to examine work for unity and coherence. We gain this by grouping our writing by the style we use. Additionally, we can employ transition sentences that help us to connect ideas that may follow a different type of writing style. Students are encouraged to study this evening for their test this Friday. For homework, they are to complete Exercise 1 in 4.5.
RELIGION: We picked up yesterday's lesson right where we left off as we discussed welcoming a baby home. I shared the two different stories around each of my own daughters' births to help the students understand how regardless of the scenario, babies enter the world ready to absorb their surroundings. How we act around a baby matters. The tone of voice we use, the love or lack-there-of in our voices and actions impact this child in myriad ways that cannot be easily communicated.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Today marks the start of our Ancient Egypt Unit and the students are pretty excited about it. Our lesson regarding the geography of the Nile river valley and delta help us to understand the special conditions surrounding this place, and the commonalities this place has with other regions that we have studied this year. Homework for this lesson is on page 99 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-2 (9:00 class) pg 302-303 1-49 odds only Only two days left to do Accelerated Math
ENGLISH: Our lesson built on yesterday's concepts of strong topic sentences and supporting sentences by asking students to examine work for unity and coherence. We gain this by grouping our writing by the style we use. Additionally, we can employ transition sentences that help us to connect ideas that may follow a different type of writing style. Students are encouraged to study this evening for their test this Friday. For homework, they are to complete Exercise 1 in 4.5.
RELIGION: We picked up yesterday's lesson right where we left off as we discussed welcoming a baby home. I shared the two different stories around each of my own daughters' births to help the students understand how regardless of the scenario, babies enter the world ready to absorb their surroundings. How we act around a baby matters. The tone of voice we use, the love or lack-there-of in our voices and actions impact this child in myriad ways that cannot be easily communicated.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Today marks the start of our Ancient Egypt Unit and the students are pretty excited about it. Our lesson regarding the geography of the Nile river valley and delta help us to understand the special conditions surrounding this place, and the commonalities this place has with other regions that we have studied this year. Homework for this lesson is on page 99 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) WS 5-2 (9:00 class) pg 302-303 1-49 odds only Only two days left to do Accelerated Math
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: The beginning of our grammar week asks us to change the way in which we read. Instead of reading to absorb, we are reading to analyze, that is, read to determine what the main point of a paragraph is. This is a skill that we have practiced in our Social Studies class and one that will serve us long into the future as we advance in academics. Students are asked in 4.2 to determine what a topic sentence of a given set of supporting sentences might be, and then the adverse; to determine the supporting details of a topic sentence. Exercise 1 and 2 of 4.2 are assigned homework pieces and students are encouraged to practice the latter for their test this coming Friday.
LITERATURE: As we near the end of our book the true climax of the story has hit us. Unfortunately this has resulted in some tragedy for our protagonist. Additionally, some of our students found this to be an emotionally charged piece of writing and were moved by it. To answer their question of "Why would you make us read this?" I can submit that this was a book that I read when I was 12. It affected me deeply. I still have a strong attachment to this story, having had dogs of my own and felt a similar attachment to them. The writing itself is a work of mastery. The emotional roller coaster is charged with feeling. In a way that only books can do, this one makes you feel and feel strongly. This is a powerful tool that one will only learn to use if they are exposed to it. Reading this work makes us stronger readers, writers, and people.
RELIGION: Our new unit in Family Life talks about the sacrament of marriage and bringing new members into our family, mostly by birth. In addressing marriage in the context of our faith it is important to recognize that society at large and the Catholic Church do not see eye to eye on this matter. I encourage all of my students to speak with their parents and family members about questions they may have regarding those in our community who do not follow traditional gender norms and how their place within our faith community is affected. In the brief address, the words "Gay," "Lesbian," and "Homosexual" were the focus of some minor giggling and I feel the need to nip that in the bud. These labels are only that; labels. They do not define who we are as people nor do they establish our value as people, particularly before God. We must be tolerant of those who may challenge our traditions and be willing to engage in civil discourse in order to gain common understanding. For anyone needing information about what our Holy Father says or is curious about his track record, please visit the following website: https://www.newwaysministry.org/resources/pope-francis-lgbt-issues/
The conversations we are having in Family Life do require an element of social and emotional maturity.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 248-249 1-25 (9:00 class) pg 298 1-30
SOCIAL STUDIES: Students wrote their Chapter test on Ancient China today. No Homework. Ancient Egypt starts tomorrow.
ENGLISH: The beginning of our grammar week asks us to change the way in which we read. Instead of reading to absorb, we are reading to analyze, that is, read to determine what the main point of a paragraph is. This is a skill that we have practiced in our Social Studies class and one that will serve us long into the future as we advance in academics. Students are asked in 4.2 to determine what a topic sentence of a given set of supporting sentences might be, and then the adverse; to determine the supporting details of a topic sentence. Exercise 1 and 2 of 4.2 are assigned homework pieces and students are encouraged to practice the latter for their test this coming Friday.
LITERATURE: As we near the end of our book the true climax of the story has hit us. Unfortunately this has resulted in some tragedy for our protagonist. Additionally, some of our students found this to be an emotionally charged piece of writing and were moved by it. To answer their question of "Why would you make us read this?" I can submit that this was a book that I read when I was 12. It affected me deeply. I still have a strong attachment to this story, having had dogs of my own and felt a similar attachment to them. The writing itself is a work of mastery. The emotional roller coaster is charged with feeling. In a way that only books can do, this one makes you feel and feel strongly. This is a powerful tool that one will only learn to use if they are exposed to it. Reading this work makes us stronger readers, writers, and people.
RELIGION: Our new unit in Family Life talks about the sacrament of marriage and bringing new members into our family, mostly by birth. In addressing marriage in the context of our faith it is important to recognize that society at large and the Catholic Church do not see eye to eye on this matter. I encourage all of my students to speak with their parents and family members about questions they may have regarding those in our community who do not follow traditional gender norms and how their place within our faith community is affected. In the brief address, the words "Gay," "Lesbian," and "Homosexual" were the focus of some minor giggling and I feel the need to nip that in the bud. These labels are only that; labels. They do not define who we are as people nor do they establish our value as people, particularly before God. We must be tolerant of those who may challenge our traditions and be willing to engage in civil discourse in order to gain common understanding. For anyone needing information about what our Holy Father says or is curious about his track record, please visit the following website: https://www.newwaysministry.org/resources/pope-francis-lgbt-issues/
The conversations we are having in Family Life do require an element of social and emotional maturity.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 248-249 1-25 (9:00 class) pg 298 1-30
SOCIAL STUDIES: Students wrote their Chapter test on Ancient China today. No Homework. Ancient Egypt starts tomorrow.
Friday, February 15, 2019
Today in 6A!
ENGLISH: Students presented their ad copy to class today using the inflections in their voices as a way to communicate the punctuation in their writing. Some students chose to record their ads and these students did not disappoint. This assignment truly brought out some of thebest creative qualities of our students.
RELIGION: Students wrote a short quiz regarding chapter 2 of our Family Life program.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Since this coming Tuesday will be our Chapter test for the Ancient China unit, our class today was a review session where students could gain clarification on concepts they don';t fully grasp, study with partners, work on old homework, bolster their notes, etc. It was a valuable time to share and ask questions. Students are aware of the format of the test. There will be multiple choice questions, true and false, definitions and a short answer question where they will be asked to compare and contrast two things.
ENGLISH: Students presented their ad copy to class today using the inflections in their voices as a way to communicate the punctuation in their writing. Some students chose to record their ads and these students did not disappoint. This assignment truly brought out some of thebest creative qualities of our students.
RELIGION: Students wrote a short quiz regarding chapter 2 of our Family Life program.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Since this coming Tuesday will be our Chapter test for the Ancient China unit, our class today was a review session where students could gain clarification on concepts they don';t fully grasp, study with partners, work on old homework, bolster their notes, etc. It was a valuable time to share and ask questions. Students are aware of the format of the test. There will be multiple choice questions, true and false, definitions and a short answer question where they will be asked to compare and contrast two things.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
RELIGION: Students completed the review section of their Unit 2 Family Life. This week's test will not be open-book so students' preparation of this review and their notes from the unit will be their study guide for tomorrow's quiz.
ENGLISH: Students continued work on their Unit 11 composition. I am excited for tomorrow's presentations as many of the students have an energetic attitude toward this exercise.
LITERATURE: In our reading today, we witness Billy finish the hunt for the championship cup through significantly harsh weather conditions. The description of how they found Old Dan and Little Ann help us to understand the dog's human-like qualities.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After taking up yesterday's homework, we concluded the content for our Ancient China unit as we took a closer look at the achievements of the Han dynasty. Students were assigned questions #1-5 on page 345 for home work and have been encouraged to review this material for Tuesday's chapter test.
MATH Accelerated Math
***A huge thank-you goes out to our volunteer parents who helped coordinate our Valentine's celebration today***
RELIGION: Students completed the review section of their Unit 2 Family Life. This week's test will not be open-book so students' preparation of this review and their notes from the unit will be their study guide for tomorrow's quiz.
ENGLISH: Students continued work on their Unit 11 composition. I am excited for tomorrow's presentations as many of the students have an energetic attitude toward this exercise.
LITERATURE: In our reading today, we witness Billy finish the hunt for the championship cup through significantly harsh weather conditions. The description of how they found Old Dan and Little Ann help us to understand the dog's human-like qualities.
SOCIAL STUDIES: After taking up yesterday's homework, we concluded the content for our Ancient China unit as we took a closer look at the achievements of the Han dynasty. Students were assigned questions #1-5 on page 345 for home work and have been encouraged to review this material for Tuesday's chapter test.
MATH Accelerated Math
***A huge thank-you goes out to our volunteer parents who helped coordinate our Valentine's celebration today***
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: After running through a round of flash cards, students were given their writing composition for this week. For this assignment, students will create and advertisement script for a product of their choosing. They are tasked with applying sentence variety and descriptive language in order to communicate in a convincing manner, the benefits of their product. There are 2 grades for this assignment: One for the completed Ad Copy, and another for the presentation in front of the class. Some students are choosing to record their presentation and craft a commercial. This is totally acceptable but not required.
RELIGION: In our Family Life chapter we explored the qualities necessary for achieving our goals. Determination and Grit are good, but will fade without a step-wise plan to making our dreams come true.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson introduces us to the Han dynasty and their lasting impact on Chinese culture. Of foremost importance is the process in which the Han had transitioned China away from the Legalist approach toward the Confucist principles. The homework for this evening is on page 337 #1-6
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 243-244 1-25 (9:00 class) Ws 6-1, 6-2 & 6-3
SCIENCE pg 182 1-3
ENGLISH: After running through a round of flash cards, students were given their writing composition for this week. For this assignment, students will create and advertisement script for a product of their choosing. They are tasked with applying sentence variety and descriptive language in order to communicate in a convincing manner, the benefits of their product. There are 2 grades for this assignment: One for the completed Ad Copy, and another for the presentation in front of the class. Some students are choosing to record their presentation and craft a commercial. This is totally acceptable but not required.
RELIGION: In our Family Life chapter we explored the qualities necessary for achieving our goals. Determination and Grit are good, but will fade without a step-wise plan to making our dreams come true.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Our lesson introduces us to the Han dynasty and their lasting impact on Chinese culture. Of foremost importance is the process in which the Han had transitioned China away from the Legalist approach toward the Confucist principles. The homework for this evening is on page 337 #1-6
MATH (8:00 class) pgs 243-244 1-25 (9:00 class) Ws 6-1, 6-2 & 6-3
SCIENCE pg 182 1-3
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: In order to have enough time to play a little Scrabble today, we needed to complete a few exercises in our Vocabulary work. After flash cards, we began working on our Vocabulary in Context, Passage-based Reading, and Sentence correction, and we were able to make some Scrabble happen.
LITERATURE: In our read, the great Raccoon Hunt Tournament Thingy is in full effect. Billy enters Little Ann into the grooming pageant and wins a silver cup! He and his dogs hunt on the fourth evening and advance to the final hunt. It's all very exciting for a young boy and his dogs.
RELIGION: In today's class we built on our understanding of people's differences and how that makes us ready to answer God's call for our lives. We are all called to serve in different ways and we are asked to share our abilities with those around us.
SOCIAL STUDIES: As we move forward in our China unit we witness the rise of the Qin ("Chin") dynasty. After the period of the warring states, the Qin conquered and united China. Through a Legalist approach they applied harsh punishments for everyday offenses with hopes that this would promote peace and order within the kingdom. With "thought control" practices like censorship and political arrests, Shi Huangdi managed to maintain a grip-like control over his people. However, after his death, this all fell apart as people rebelled and rebellion grew. Homework for this is on page 326 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) Accelerated Math (9:00 class) Pg 291 1-16
ENGLISH: In order to have enough time to play a little Scrabble today, we needed to complete a few exercises in our Vocabulary work. After flash cards, we began working on our Vocabulary in Context, Passage-based Reading, and Sentence correction, and we were able to make some Scrabble happen.
LITERATURE: In our read, the great Raccoon Hunt Tournament Thingy is in full effect. Billy enters Little Ann into the grooming pageant and wins a silver cup! He and his dogs hunt on the fourth evening and advance to the final hunt. It's all very exciting for a young boy and his dogs.
RELIGION: In today's class we built on our understanding of people's differences and how that makes us ready to answer God's call for our lives. We are all called to serve in different ways and we are asked to share our abilities with those around us.
SOCIAL STUDIES: As we move forward in our China unit we witness the rise of the Qin ("Chin") dynasty. After the period of the warring states, the Qin conquered and united China. Through a Legalist approach they applied harsh punishments for everyday offenses with hopes that this would promote peace and order within the kingdom. With "thought control" practices like censorship and political arrests, Shi Huangdi managed to maintain a grip-like control over his people. However, after his death, this all fell apart as people rebelled and rebellion grew. Homework for this is on page 326 #1-5.
MATH (8:00 class) Accelerated Math (9:00 class) Pg 291 1-16
Monday, February 11, 2019
Today in 6A & 6B
ENGLISH: As we being a new vocabulary unit, we spent our time in class creating associations and defining what our new list of 20 words mean.
LITERATURE: Stopping on page 200, we see how Billy, his grandfather, and his father are all preparing and travelling to a major raccoon hunt tournament. Wandering around the camp, Billy hears people talking about him and his dogs and this fills him with some pride.
RELIGION: We started our Unit 2 in Family Life and introduced our conversation regarding the many gifts that God has given us. These are all natural gifts, or talents that we find. I impressed upon the students, the need to explore, reflect, fail and learn about yourself and your talents many times throughout our lives.
SOCIAL STUDIES: While watching a short video about the life of Confucius, student answered several questions regarding its content to show that they were paying close attention to the presentation. Additionally, students are to write a 1/2 page reflection on one of four sayings by Confucius and to submit that on the assignment page prior to class tomorrow.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 234 1-49 Chp 4 Test Tomorrow (9:00 class) pg 286-287 1-45
SCIENCE pg 176 1-4
ENGLISH: As we being a new vocabulary unit, we spent our time in class creating associations and defining what our new list of 20 words mean.
LITERATURE: Stopping on page 200, we see how Billy, his grandfather, and his father are all preparing and travelling to a major raccoon hunt tournament. Wandering around the camp, Billy hears people talking about him and his dogs and this fills him with some pride.
RELIGION: We started our Unit 2 in Family Life and introduced our conversation regarding the many gifts that God has given us. These are all natural gifts, or talents that we find. I impressed upon the students, the need to explore, reflect, fail and learn about yourself and your talents many times throughout our lives.
SOCIAL STUDIES: While watching a short video about the life of Confucius, student answered several questions regarding its content to show that they were paying close attention to the presentation. Additionally, students are to write a 1/2 page reflection on one of four sayings by Confucius and to submit that on the assignment page prior to class tomorrow.
MATH (8:00 class) pg 234 1-49 Chp 4 Test Tomorrow (9:00 class) pg 286-287 1-45
SCIENCE pg 176 1-4
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