Sixth Grade News
By Yvonne Matulka
October 20, 2008
Sixth grade has been so busy that it is hard to believe that we are into the second week of the new quarter!
The students are doing well in ECRI. Each reading group has completed nine tests over either Maniac Magee or stories in their Scott Foresman reader. We are getting much better at getting our Mastery Tests done in a timely way by either Wednesday or Thursday morning. I am proud of how well organized the students have become and how they manage their time well. We are also reading Accelerated Reader books. Two are due each quarter. Their next AR book is due November 10th..
Students in 6th grade Math are at the end of Unit 2. In this unit we reviewed addition and subtraction of whole numbers and decimals. We have used different strategies to help us do multiplication and division with decimals. The students have been introduced to converting numbers from standard notation to scientific notation both with a calculator and with pencil and paper. We are presently reviewing for the related assessments. When we finish with those assessments we will start Unit 3. In Unit 3, students will be using formulas, tables, and graphs to make predictions and draw conclusions. We will also be working with spreadsheets.
In writing we are learning ways to improve our writings of descriptive paragraphs by using strong verbs and adjectives. We have practiced improving paragraphs that “show don’t tell.” Hopefully this will prepare us for writing a descriptive paragraph/s for an upcoming assessment.
In Social Studies, we are just finishing our unit on the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War and will be preparing for the assessment on the Civil War and Reconstruction. We will soon be working on a unit about immigration and the growth of industry in the United States.
In Science, sixth grade has finished a unit on classification of organisms and their related characteristics. We are beginning a new unit on cells. We will be making our own models of cells, learning the parts of a cell as well as each part’s function, and how cells divide to form new cells by mitosis.
Finally, let me remind parents that the weather has been getting colder outside. Students need to start wearing layers that they can shed if it gets warmer in the day or can put back on if the weather turns chilly. Students at times want to wear more clothing in the building because “…. it’s cold in the classroom, Mrs. Matulka,” but want to shed their coats and jackets because, “it’s not cold at all outside, Mrs. Matulka!” As a reminder, according to the Student Handbook, students are not allowed to wear shorts between the dates of November 1st and April 1st and if the temperature is 65 degrees or below, students must wear jackets or coats to play at recess.
