Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Students put their finishing touches on their Unit 9 composition employing figurative writing. My hat is off to Aly Bravata who wrote a stellar piece which just had to be (with her permission) read to the class. The objective of this assignment was not to go on a journey or to tell a story, but to be as descriptive as possible while employing the many literary devices as possible. Aly has done this with masterful precision. Truly fine work. While I have yet to read the entire 6th grade's work, I am truly proud of this particular piece and our students should be as well.

For next week we will be turning to Grammar chapter 2, if your student is interested in reading ahead. We will have our regularly scheduled test that morning.

RELIGION: Students wrote their Chapter 2 quiz in a open-book format.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students explored the third and final section of the Buddhism chapter. Here we learned about the spread of Buddhism and, despite its lasting influence, its gradual decline. Students learned of the two major schools of Buddhism (Big raft and Little raft) and should be able to best describe the key differences between these two schools. Students will have this chapter test also on Friday of next week so it is essential that students begin their studying over the weekend. I recommend students read each night for 20 minutes in order to be familiar with the content. For homework students are assigned questions 1-5 on page 235.

Today in 6A & 6B

RELIGION: Today's review class also saw students opening their Bibles in order to locate and examine some selected passages. To incentivise these kids I offered a hard candy as reward for the first two groups completed. This was helpful in turning their focus from "getting it done" to "getting it done well and on time."

ENGLISH: After reviewing our flash cards, students were given the remainder of class to complete their drafts of their unit 9 composition which employs figurative language. They will return tomorrow for some peer reviewing and editing, in order to submit by the end of class. If your student does not ask for you to read their work, please ask them for it. I would love all students to have a family member and/or friend to edit their work for them.

LITERATURE: Today was extra special as we welcomed Joe Quy Nguyen to our class. Joe is Martin Vu's great-uncle, was born in Vietnam, and lived there during the war. During his 40 minute talk, he gave our students some valuable first-hand accounts of what life was like for him in 1967-68 in Vietnam as we reflect on the characters from The Wednesday Wars.

Deepest thanks to Joe for agreeing to be with us today!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We continued our exploration into our Buddhism unit as we examined some of the core Buddhist beliefs while reviewing what we learned yesterday. For homework, students are assigned questions 1-7 on page 227. 

MATH (8:00 class) pg 210 13-31 (9:00 class) pg 247-248 1-60

SCIENCE pg 151 1-4

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: After reviewing our flash cards, students were issued their Unit 9 writing composition in which they are asked to describe the contents of either their desk or their backpack using figurative language. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to practice being descriptive and employing the many different literary devices used to make up figurative language. This composition will be due after class on Friday and I encourage all students to reach out to friends and family to help with peer editing of their work.

RELIGION: Today was very much a review from some information we explored in our previous book, where we explored how the Bible is constructed and organized. We looked at the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and interpreted their significance to Christianity.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Moving right along from yesterday's Hinduism Chapter test, today we began our chapter on Buddhism. Buddhism has its roots in Hinduism and we explored some of the similarities and differences between the two belief systems. Tomorrow we will look deeper into specific Buddhist ideology and reflect on how that compares to what we learned about Hinduism. Students are assigned questions 1-5 on page 222 for homework.

MATH (8:00 class) pg 209 1-12 (9:00 class) pg 254 11-23

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: We started our New word list yesterday, so today we began with Flash cards, as we will each day. Additionally, on the Sadlier website we completed the Vocabulary in Context, Passage-based Reading, and Improving Sentences assignments.

During our Literature period, students in 6A completed their  STAR math testing for today, the results of which will be made available shortly.

RELIGION: Today we began chapter 2 of our new book, exploring the meaning of some selected Bible excerpts and discerning the difference between a list of facts and the expression of Love between a parent and child (as witnessed in several student writing examples).

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students wrote their Hinduism chapter test today. This was an exceptionally short chapter that students opted to test independently from the Buddhism chapter, which is also exceptionally short, and follows tomorrow.

MATH (8:00 class) pg 205 1-28 quiz Tomorrow (9:00 class) WS 5-3 & 5-4

SCIENCE Pg 148 Questions 1-3

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: As the start of another vocabulary week, we made our iWords word lists, complete with definitions and associations.

LITERATURE: Students continued working on their Wednesday Wars calendars.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Today was our review period for the Hinduism chapter. This was a particularly short chapter and the test will reflect that brevity. Students are directed to review their notes, the homework for all three sections and the chapter review in order to best prepare for tomorrow's test.

MATH (8:00 class) worksheet 4-3 Quiz this week  (9:00 class) pg 243 1-49 Quiz this week

***NOTE: Students will also be writing their STAR math test tomorrow in 6A***

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Students wrote their Unit 8 Vocabulary/Chapter 12 Grammar test today.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students are reminded that their "Hinduism Pen Pals" assignment is due by the start of Monday and should be worked on at home. Monday's class will be a review period for our Hinduism test on Tuesday.

LITERATURE: Students are doing excellent work creating their calendars for The Wednesday Wars. Since 10 images are needed for the final submission, students should spend some time over the weekend working on their art. They will have class time all through next week to continue their work.

Today in 6A 7 6B

ENGLISH: Our review session for tomorrow's test went well. We started with Flash Cards and then it was an open period to work on the review. Below is an image of the exhaustive list students may use to prepare for this test. Many of the exercises listed are ones we did together in class. Students should pay special attention to proofreading for capitalization and spelling. As usual, there are sections on antonyms and synonyms, and one more section regarding spelling.

LITERATURE: Students continued their work on their Wednesday Wars Calendars.

RELIGION: Students wrote an open-book quiz for the very first chapter of our new books, Christ Our Life.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were issued an assignment that is to be completed in pairs. As described on our Google Classroom page, students will ask three research style questions for their partner to answer. Each group partner will answer their partner's 3 questions in a 2-5 sentence response. Together these pairings will submit their work in a single document on the google classroom page. Google Docs functions so that students may access their shared documents remotely and independently. THIS IS NOT TONIGHT"S HOMEWORK. I would much rather students prepare for their English test and so this assignment will be due at the start of Monday.

MATH (8:00 class) pg 199 1-23 odds only  (9:00 class) pg 238 1-28 
+++Both classes Should be 45%-50% to Goal in Accelerated Math

SCIENCE Worksheet packet

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: After reviewing our flash cards, students examined some additional capitalization rules. The unifying factor in all of our capitalization rules is the specificity of a certain word. Are we talking about mountain ranges or the Rocky Mountains? We then looked at some rather confusing spelling rules. For each of these rules there are some exceptions, which means they're terrible rules. I stress to all students that this effort in improving spelling is centered more around memorization than rules. For this reason, spelling with regards to our vocabulary terms will have more of a focus moving forward. Additionally, students performed Exercise 1 from section 12.4. This will be tested on this Friday and will have significant weight (ie: 3 points per question). This is an opportunity for students to prove their understanding of how to spell, but also, how to use words correctly.

STAR TESTING: Students performed their STAR reading test today and next Tuesday they will write their STAR math. (6b will take this test Friday)

RELIGION: In today's lesson we explored the many ways we have gotten to know some of our best friends. From there we explore the reciprocal relationship we have with our God. How to do we communicate in a two-way manner with our Lord?

SOCIAL STUDIES: After taking up the previous day's homework, we launched a new section where we dive a bit deeper into the beliefs of the Hindu religion. Here we learn that while there are many different beliefs of the many Hindu believers, there are 4 main core beliefs that all Hindus abide by. Of those 4, Moksha, or the desire to escape the cycle of reincarnation, sits paramount above all others and serves as a guiding light for all Hindus. There are 3 pathways to achieving Moksha and a Hindu may strive to pursue 1, 2 or all 3 of them simultaneously. Homework for this section is on page 201 #1-5.

MATH (8:00 class) pg 194 1-24  (9:00 class) pg 232 1-43 skip #'s 14 & 15

Today in 6A& 6B

I want to first extend a warm and heartfelt thank-you to all families for their tremendous generosity in the many gifts we received prior to the break. I feel truly blessed to be a part of such a fine community.

ENGLISH: We started our grammar week this morning and will be testing vocabulary and grammar together on Friday. to better prepare students for this challenge we are reviewing our flash cards daily in class to revive some of the pre-Christmas knowledge.

LITERATURE: Today we (finally) finished "The Wednesday Wars" and introduced our final assessment for this read. Students will be creating a calendar for the 1967-68 school year in relation to the chapters of the book. The details of this assignment are on Google Classroom and it will be due a week from Friday (1/18/2019).

RELIGION: Today we explored the "sun/Son" homonyms and responded to the prompt, "Let the son shine in." We extended this to how we might be Christ in each others' lives and how others are Chirst in ours.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We began our Hinduism unit today and will likely move quite quickly through it. We have 3 sections to explore this week and will be testing by the middle of next week. Homework for today is questions 1-4 on page 195.

Today in 6A!

As it was the last day of school before Christmas, students were finishing up their work for their professional letter to Santa and their personal mandalas. Please check to see if your student has submitted their letter on the Google Classroom page.

Many thanks to our room parents and parent volunteers for all of their time and energy supporting our classrooms this year. It is hugely valuable to have this experience enhanced by your involvement. Our sincerest thanks go out to you.

Wishing everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: Students peer edited their letters to Santa. To be best prepared to submit tomorrow, students should have all edits completed and be able to read through their final draft.

LITERATURE: As we started our final chapter of "The Wednesday Wars" we had a fire drill, which left us 9 pages short of finishing the book. These will be completed upon our return to classes in January. From there we will assign our final assessment for this book.

RELIGION: In our discussion we tried to answer the question of, "How might we act to make our families happy and holy this Christmas?" A lot of student answers kept circling back to some similar terms: respect, care, showing appreciation, love. Each of these ideas are umbrella terms that host an abundance of real actions and nuanced messages that we need to be conscious of and more acutely aware of. We talked about emotional quotient (EQ) and how understanding what someone needs emotionally is often times more important than necessarily being correct. This holiday season I hope we can all keep in mind these words: "Honesty without tact is cruelty," or in the motto for this classroom, "When faced with the choice of being right or being kind, choose kind."

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students spent the entirety of class coloring their personal mandalas. These are an expression of each student's personality in many ways; the images they are drawn to and the manner in which they complete them speak to their overall personality in many ways (not exclusively though). Tomorrow we will have them displayed outside our classroom so that our parents can see the hard work we have been putting in.

MATH (8:00 class) Accelerated math  (9:00 class) Chp 4 Test

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: Our students have embarked on a new writing composition, a professional letter to Santa! Students first need to determine the purpose of this letter (request to be on the nice list, request for specific toys, request to visit me first, request to add someone to the naughty list, etc) and then write in a professional tone to the big man up north. There is an attached template that will help students see how to format their letters (tomorrow). For tomorrow's class, students need to be prepared to share their first draft with classmates for peer editing.

RELIGION: In this week's "Christmas" lesson we look at the similarities and differences between The Holy Family and our own families. Additionally we looked at ways how our actions may bring us closer to God and how they might put distance between us and God.

SOCIAL STUDIES: As a bridge between our India unit and our next unit on Buddhism and Hinduism, we used an online generator to create our own personal mandalas. Students submitted their design on the Google Classroom assignment page and had copies printed for them to color. Tomorrow's class will see them finish coloring these designs to be displayed outside our classroom. Students will have access to this generator for their own amusement as long as it is still operational. Enjoy!

MATH (8:00 class) pg 180 1-52 Chp test tomorrow  (9:00 class) pg 212 1-8 + 14-21 Chp Test Friday

SCIENCE Worksheet study your notes and key terms...Chp 4 Test Tomorrow

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: Shortly after drilling our vocabulary with some flash cards, we set out to determining the meaning of select terms in their written context. From there students read another passage to practice pulling meaning from it. With the remaining time in class, students collaborated to form high-scoring words in scrabble in a class-wide game.

LITERATURE: In today's chapter from "The Wednesday Wars," we see a very strong maturation of Holling's character as he admits to missing his sister and reaching deep into his own pocket to bring her home from Minneapolis. Holling applies the morals of the Shakespeare to his daily life, this time looking to Hamlet to help him recognize the challenge he has with his father.

RELIGION: In place of our lesson today, we went to Colman Hall to fold and package clothes for the donations to Honduras.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Today was testing day for our Ancient India and Early Indian Empires chapter.

MATH (8:00 class) Pg 175 1-27 Chp test This Thursday  (9:00 class) WS 4-7 & 4-8 Chp Test Friday

SCIENCE Chp Test Thursday

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: We started our iWords today for Unit 8, drumming up associations to go along with our definitions.

LITERATURE: In the latest installment of "The Wednesday Wars," Holling Hoodhood is proving to be a determined and accomplished cross-country runner. After making the varsity team, he competes in a regional competition and wins! His father is showing more of his own true colors as indifferent toward the hopes, dreams and wishes of his children. Mrs. Baker takes even stronger interest in Holling's business as she trains him for cross-country.

RELIGION: We opened our Bibles to examine the descriptions of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Under examination, we see that both evangelists focus on different details that they deem important to this story. We keep in mind the context of who they were as writers and who they may have been writing for.

SOCIAL STUDIES: On Friday, students were given a list of study materials for Tuesday's test. With that test being tomorrow, our class today was designed to serve a s a study/Q&A session. Students could choose to study alone, ask questions regarding the content of the chapter, or quiz a partner on the chapter material.

MATH (8:00 class) WS 3-9  (9:00 class) pg 206 1-53

SCIENCE pg 128 1-4

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Students wrote their Unit 7 vocabulary and Chapter 11 grammar test today.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Today was our review day for the upcoming chapter test on Ancient India. The test will cover what is listed as "Chapter 6" and "Chapter 9" in our textbook. This material covers the geography and initial development of civilizations in India and then advances to the early empires of the Mauryas and the Guptas. While the review is not required work, the list in the image below provides an strong road map to guide students in their studying. The test will have some multiple choice questions, some true/false, some vocabulary questions and an extended response (that by merely looking at the image below, one should be able to guess what this will be on). While the test is Tuesday, students should review their materials each day over the weekend in order to be fully prepared. Monday's class will be an opportunity to ask pointed questions and to shore up understanding of specific content.

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: In our review session students were guided through the exercises that will best prepare them for their test tomorrow. The format of the test should be familiar to everyone. There will be antonyms and synonyms. There is a section where students will add punctuation to a written text. Students should know how to make abbreviations and contractions as well as how to make use of possessive features. This entire unit is largely review for all of our students.
Students should review the following exercises to best prepare for the test: 

-Chapter Review - Assign Sections A, B, C, D

-11.1 Ex 1, 3, 11.2 Ex 1-2, 11.3 Ex 1-2, 11.4 Ex 1-2, 11.5 Ex 1-2, 11.6 Ex 1-3, 11.7 Ex 1-2

SOCIAL STUDIES: Today's lesson was the last of new information that students need to review regarding our upcoming test on Tuesday. In class we reviewed our homework from Tuesday and I stressed the importance of being able to compare the rule of Chandragupta and his grandson, Asoka`

LITERATURE: We have advances through "March" with today's reading. Holling is an exceptional cross-country runner, the only 7th grader to make the varsity team. Additionally, we are getting to know Mrs. Baker much better as the book progresses. She is certainly not the person Holling described her to be in the beginning, and he is starting to recognize this himself as well.

**************Tomorrow will be a free-dress day!!*************

Today in 6A & 6B

ENGLISH: In class we finished off our lessons with a review of apostrophes and other punctuation marks. The most confusing of these was how to employ parentheses (or brackets) and dash marks. The major difference is that parentheses are used when adding a related list to the sentence, whereas the dash is used to separate a different thought from the sentence.

RECITAL PRACTICE: This took the place of our usual Social Studies time. In preparation for the Christmas concert tomorrow evening, students are reminded to wear their best regular uniform pieces tomorrow for school, and to dress in their "Sunday Best" for the concert. Students are expected to report to their classrooms for 6:00 PM to ensure a prompt start to our show. Out of respect for all classes that are performing, we ask that everyone stay for the whole performance.

MATH (8:00 class) pg 170 1-46  (9:00 class) pg 200 1-39

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Our lesson unpacked the rules that govern the usage of colons, semicolons and quotation marks. The trickiest part of the use of quotations is knowing when and where to place your punctuation. Students should practice their use of commas in conjunction with the use of quotation marks.

LITERATURE: In the section of "The Wednesday Wars" that we read today, Holling reads "Romeo and Juliet" and reflects on it's morals. His interpretation of the play changes as the events of his life begin to imitate it. His observations are acute and stand in stark contrast to the expressions of his father. Holling is beginning to show his true feelings toward his father's intentions for Holling's future.

SOCIAL STUDIES: After reviewing yesterday's home work, we dive directly into the rule of Asoka, Chandragupta's grandson and how his ideas of tolerance and peaceful living permeated throughout society. Unfortunately this was short-lived, as soon after he died, India fell into chaos and his ruling ideals were forgotten.

**We also spent some time at the end of our day, rehearsing for Thursday's recital**

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Starting our Grammar week, we looked at end marks and the many uses of commas for punctuation. This should be mostly review for these students so we moved swiftly through the first 3 sections of the chapter. Students should take note of the many ways in which commas are used. A friendly reminder that this Friday will be the combines Vocabulary/Grammar test for unit 7/chapter 11.

LITERATURE: In this segment of "The Wednesday Wars," we discussed how Holling's perceived impression of Mrs. Baker does not necessarily align with her described actions. He is convinced from the start of the novel that Mrs. Baker is out to get him, yet is surprised at every turn when she shows compassion, deference, and a keen sense of how best to reach this young man. This dichotomy seems to set us up for something big in their characters' development.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We advance our look at early Indus culture and civilization to examine the Mauryian Empire under Chandragupta. These three lessons will be completed at a faster pace than the previous three, a detail that will impact students' preparation for the Chapter test. Last week I had announced that our Social Studies test will be this upcoming Friday. Over the weekend I decided that since our Christmas concert is Thursday evening, and our rehearsal schedule all week will erode some of our instructional time, that this test should be bumped to next Tuesday, December 18. 

Today in 6A!

ENGLISH: Students spent their class time putting finishing touches on this week's composition; a personal review of "Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type." They shared their work with peers for critique and made the necessary changes to their grammar and mechanics. This work should have been submitted at the end of class. Absent students will need to submit as soon as possible.