SMS 6th Grade Team Lopez Newsletter
GENERAL REMINDERS/HIGHLIGHTS:
· Wednesday, October 2nd: 3:00 Early Release Day. 6:30 – 8:00 Back to School Night. 6:00 Pizza Fundraiser in the cafeteria. $2 a slice or $12 for a whole pizza. You can preorder a pizza for $10 by Tuesday. Contact the front office or ask your child for the flyer that was sent home.
· Snowgoose Field Trip: Permission slips have been collected, now we need to make sure you are paid! Please send in your $25.00 payment with your student this week. Cash or Checks payable to SMS. Contact your child’s teacher if you need scholarship information.
· Progress Reports: Progress reports will be coming home on Tuesday, October 8th. Please be sure to discuss these with your child. A signed cover sheet will need to be returned to school.
· Stamps: Please check your child’s planner every night. A blue stamp means they met expectations for completed work or student success attributes in class. A red stamp means they did not meet expectations. If there is no stamp, it means the teacher did not stamp planners in class that day.
MATH: (Mr. Finlay)
Mr. Finlay: [email protected]
Content Overview: We have completed several base-line assessments of whole numbers, including the Brigance assessment, the first of our monthly multiplication fact t three-minute timings, and our first Daily Math Review Friday Quiz. This week we will focus on methods of finding the factors of composite numbers, prime numbers, factorization and multiples of numbers.
Learning Targets:
- I can define “factor” and “factorization”.
- I can define “prime number” and “composite number”.
- I can find the factorization of a given whole number.
- I can continue to track my own progress through the Whole Numbers unit using the color-coded unit cover sheet.
Talking Points:
Ask your students what they learned from this past two-week cycle in Daily Math Review. Can they find the area of a rectangle if you provide its dimensions? Have them draw you one and “quiz” you.
Coming up:
This Wednesday (Oct. 2) we will be having Back-to-School Night. We hope to see everyone there! Also, we will be heading out on the high seas (Bellingham Bay) for the Snow Goose trips. See your student’s planner for actual trip date.
LANGUAGE ARTS and SOCIAL STUDIES: (Mrs. Strow and Ms. Jurgensen)
Mrs. Strow: [email protected]
This week in Mrs. Strow's Core:
Social Studies:
Students will continue learning about the Five Themes of Geography (location, place, human and environment interaction, movement and region) and continue reviewing and practicing their map reading skills, and using latitude and longitude to find absolute location of cities.
Learning Targets:
-I can explain the Five Themes of Geography and how they can help explain why humans live where they live.
-I can explain the difference between latitude and longitude.
-I can use coordinates to find the absolute location of a country.
-I can explain what all cultures have in common.
Talking Points:
-Ask students what they believe all humans need to survive and thrive in the world. (We are heading toward what characteristics all cultures share.) -Talk to your student about why your family lives where you do (the ocean, near Mt. Baker, economics, family ties, etc.).
-Play "The Five Themes of Geography" song whenever you can to help your student remember these important themes: http://youtu.be/AIqC79WrpKg and ask them about the "Latitude and Longitude Song" I played for them.
Language Arts:
Students will use their pre-writing brainstorms to draft their "Where I'm From" poem. Students will continue to learn more about Auggie Pullman and his family and participate in small and large group conversations about the conflicts that are developing in Wonder.
Learning Targets:
-I can participate in partner, small group and class conversations related to Wonder.
-I can locate sensory language (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound) in the DPL book I am reading.
-I can use sensory language in my writing.
-I can define, explain and locate different kinds of conflict in a story (character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. society and character vs. nature).
-I can read 30 minutes at home each day and record my thoughts on my Reading Log each evening. I can complete, sign and have my parent sign my weekly Reading Log and turn in each Tuesday during class.
Talking Points:
-Ask to see your student's weekly Reading Log and talk to them about the main conflict in the chapter book they are reading.
-Ask your student to use sensory language to describe their classroom, bedroom, school bus/vehicle!
-Your student should be able to describe at least two characters in Wonder and explain how they would feel if they were Auggie or Auggie's brother or sister.
Coming up:
-Students will have their first quiz in social studies this Friday on the Five Themes of Geography, map elements, latitude, longitude, absolute location and relative location. Students will be able to use their social studies journal to complete this quiz.
-Students will use their sensory language brainstorming sheets to write a poem about what has shaped them as 6th graders.
HOMEWORK
-At home reading: In 6th grade students are expected to read 30 minutes, five nights per week and record their reading time on their Reading Log. Please be sure to verify your student's reading time and sign off on their weekly reading total. Weekly Reading Logs are due every Tuesday.
-Students can begin collecting visuals (photos, ticket stubs, invitations, cards) for their "Where I'm From" collage that will accompany their poem.
Ms. Jurgensen: [email protected]
This week in Ms. Jurgensen’s Core:
Social Studies:
Students are being introduced to the Elements of Culture this week. We will be discussing the 7 things that all cultures share and that make them different from other cultures. This overview of cultures and understanding of what people within a culture have in common will come back up again in class again and again as we discuss Ancient Civilizations throughout the year. This week’s map skills focus is using a Mercator Projection Map.
Learning Targets:
-I can identify the elements of culture.
-I can explain what connects people within a culture (elements of culture).
-I can identify factors that influence change in a culture over time (technology, etc.)
-I can find locations on a Mercator Projection Map.
Talking Points:
-Ask your student to explain what some of the characteristics are that all cultures share. They should be able to explain a few of the elements of culture, which we have just started discussing (social organization, customs and traditions, language, religion, arts and literature, government, and economic systems.)
-Ask your student why maps are “projections” and not an accurate depiction of the earth’s surface. They should be able to explain that Earth is round and in order to show it on a flat surface, it must be altered.
Language Arts:
We are finishing up previewing Unit 1 and discussing what we will need to know and be able to do in order to complete the Embedded Assessment #1 in a few weeks, writing a personal narrative. To prepare for this, we have been previewing the assessment to highlight skills we will need to have in order to complete it successfully. After this, we will begin working toward that assessment by reading examples of personal narratives, practicing writing opening and introductory statements using AQQS (Anecdote, Quote, Question, or Statement of Intrigue), and will begin drafting personal narratives. The narratives are to be about an incident or event that changed us, so your student may need some help brainstorming ideas. We will be reviewing the elements of plot and the types of conflict that we’ve been learning about the last two weeks. Also, we are continuing to read aloud from Wonder, connecting August’s story with our Friday Community talks and with Shuksan PRIDE.
Learning Targets:
-I can prepare for Embedded Assessment #1 by identifying the skills I will need to use.
-I can practice the skills I will need to draft a personal narrative.
-I can define, explain and locate different kinds of conflict in a story (character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. society and character vs. nature).
-I can read 30 minutes at home each day and record my thoughts on my Reading Log each evening. I can complete and have my parent sign my weekly Reading Log and turn in each Monday during class.
Talking Points:
-Ask to see your student's weekly Reading Log and talk to them about the main conflict in the chapter book they are reading. Please sign the reading log (if complete) before Monday.
-Your student should be able to explain the elements of plot, how each story begins with an exposition, ends with a resolution, and all the steps in between!
-Your student should be able to describe at least two characters in Wonder and explain how they would feel if they were Auggie or Auggie's brother or sister.
Coming up:
-Students will have their first quiz in social studies this Friday on the Five Themes of Geography, map elements, latitude, longitude, absolute location and relative location. Students will be able to use their social studies journal to complete this quiz.
-Students will begin drafting their personal narrative.
HOMEWORK
-At home reading: In 6th grade students are expected to read 30 minutes, five nights per week and record their reading time on their Reading Log. Please be sure to verify your student's reading time and sign off on their weekly reading total. Weekly Reading Logs are due every Monday.
SCIENCE:
Mr. Robinson: [email protected]
Content Overview: We are getting into our study of populations and ecosystems even more! This week kicks off our exciting study of Bellingham Bay Ecosystem aboard the Snow Goose research vessel. Organisms have also started to arrive in our science classrooms! Ask your students about the populations we will be studying inside the classroom soon.
Learning Targets:
•I can identify parts of the Bellingham Bay ecosystem.
•I can describe different ways to observe a population.
•I can create a habitat to support an insect (milkweed bug) population in the classroom.
Talking Points:
•Your child will be going on their Snow Goose Fieldtrip soon! Please be sure they are prepared to have a good time. Every student needs warm clothes, closed-toed shoes, extra jacket (rain jacket if you have one), sack lunch and a positive attitude! Camera and binoculars are also fun to have, but certainly not required. Some students have pre-ordered sack lunches from the cafeteria which will be ready for them on their field trip day.
Coming Up:
•Exciting population studies are starting in our classrooms in the next couple of weeks. Ask your students what they are observing in science.
READING:
Ms. Strommer: [email protected]
Overview
In Read 180 this week we will continue with Workshop 1 - The New Americans. We'll work on academic vocabulary and complete the first reading. Students will begin taking quizzes on the books they read independently.
Learning targets: I can generate examples of vocabulary words to reinforce meaning. I can organize information to find the topic, main idea and support details in an article.
Language targets: I can use new vocabulary words. I can complete sentence frames orally and in writing.
Talking points:
Ask your child what challenges the people in our readings faced when they immigrated to America. Have your child tell you about the books he or she is reading independently. Each student should be reading a minimum of 20 minutes outside of school each day.
Coming up:
More great reading!
6th GRADE RESOURCE TEACHER:
Ms. Bartz: [email protected]
ELECTIVE COURSES:
6th Grade Media Apps
Ms. Larson: [email protected]
Content Overview
Students will continue to practice their keyboarding skills this week as we spend time tracking our Words Per Minute and % accuracy with the Type to Learn program. In addition, students will become familiar with many basic features in Microsoft Word and practice using those functions as they reformat a recent newspaper article.
Learning Targets
· I can type at least 25 WPM and demonstrate improvement in my typing speed overtime.
· I can identify icons and describe keyboard shortcuts for several common features in Microsoft Word.
· I can demonstrate how to use several common features in MS Word by reformatting a newspaper article.
Talking Points
· Ask your student about their current typing speed and their personal goal for improvement over the semester.
Coming Up
· Next week we will finish up our review of MS Word with students completing a quick write and showing mastery of the reformatting tools we identified this week.
Physical Education: [email protected]
6th grade Art
Mrs. Heywood: [email protected]
Students began the self-portrait unit by drawing realistically with correct proportions, then they “broke the rules” with their Cubist Picasso-like faces. This week we will learn about the Pop Art movement and the main artists associated with this style of art: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Wayne Thiebaud, and Peter Max. 6th graders will begin to create a self-portrait, influenced by the art of Andy Warhol.
Learning Targets:
* I can explain the Pop Art movement.
* I can use color to communicate ideas and feelings.
* I can create a collage that reflects my personality and interests.
Coming up:
Some students still need to bring items for their self-portrait collages: photos, magazine images, paper items meaningful to them (ticket stubs, drawings, poems, stories etc.). I can make copies of original items.
Most of the magazines I have in class are home and garden ones- we really need magazines such as: sports, animals, cars, etc. Please donate any old magazines of this type.
Mrs. Diaz: [email protected]
ORCHESTRA:
Mr. Stanage: [email protected]
Reading Support
GENERAL REMINDERS/HIGHLIGHTS:
· Wednesday, October 2nd: 3:00 Early Release Day. 6:30 – 8:00 Back to School Night. 6:00 Pizza Fundraiser in the cafeteria. $2 a slice or $12 for a whole pizza. You can preorder a pizza for $10 by Tuesday. Contact the front office or ask your child for the flyer that was sent home.
· Snowgoose Field Trip: Permission slips have been collected, now we need to make sure you are paid! Please send in your $25.00 payment with your student this week. Cash or Checks payable to SMS. Contact your child’s teacher if you need scholarship information.
· Progress Reports: Progress reports will be coming home on Tuesday, October 8th. Please be sure to discuss these with your child. A signed cover sheet will need to be returned to school.
· Stamps: Please check your child’s planner every night. A blue stamp means they met expectations for completed work or student success attributes in class. A red stamp means they did not meet expectations. If there is no stamp, it means the teacher did not stamp planners in class that day.
MATH: (Mr. Finlay)
Mr. Finlay: [email protected]
Content Overview: We have completed several base-line assessments of whole numbers, including the Brigance assessment, the first of our monthly multiplication fact t three-minute timings, and our first Daily Math Review Friday Quiz. This week we will focus on methods of finding the factors of composite numbers, prime numbers, factorization and multiples of numbers.
Learning Targets:
- I can define “factor” and “factorization”.
- I can define “prime number” and “composite number”.
- I can find the factorization of a given whole number.
- I can continue to track my own progress through the Whole Numbers unit using the color-coded unit cover sheet.
Talking Points:
Ask your students what they learned from this past two-week cycle in Daily Math Review. Can they find the area of a rectangle if you provide its dimensions? Have them draw you one and “quiz” you.
Coming up:
This Wednesday (Oct. 2) we will be having Back-to-School Night. We hope to see everyone there! Also, we will be heading out on the high seas (Bellingham Bay) for the Snow Goose trips. See your student’s planner for actual trip date.
LANGUAGE ARTS and SOCIAL STUDIES: (Mrs. Strow and Ms. Jurgensen)
Mrs. Strow: [email protected]
This week in Mrs. Strow's Core:
Social Studies:
Students will continue learning about the Five Themes of Geography (location, place, human and environment interaction, movement and region) and continue reviewing and practicing their map reading skills, and using latitude and longitude to find absolute location of cities.
Learning Targets:
-I can explain the Five Themes of Geography and how they can help explain why humans live where they live.
-I can explain the difference between latitude and longitude.
-I can use coordinates to find the absolute location of a country.
-I can explain what all cultures have in common.
Talking Points:
-Ask students what they believe all humans need to survive and thrive in the world. (We are heading toward what characteristics all cultures share.) -Talk to your student about why your family lives where you do (the ocean, near Mt. Baker, economics, family ties, etc.).
-Play "The Five Themes of Geography" song whenever you can to help your student remember these important themes: http://youtu.be/AIqC79WrpKg and ask them about the "Latitude and Longitude Song" I played for them.
Language Arts:
Students will use their pre-writing brainstorms to draft their "Where I'm From" poem. Students will continue to learn more about Auggie Pullman and his family and participate in small and large group conversations about the conflicts that are developing in Wonder.
Learning Targets:
-I can participate in partner, small group and class conversations related to Wonder.
-I can locate sensory language (sight, smell, taste, touch, sound) in the DPL book I am reading.
-I can use sensory language in my writing.
-I can define, explain and locate different kinds of conflict in a story (character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. society and character vs. nature).
-I can read 30 minutes at home each day and record my thoughts on my Reading Log each evening. I can complete, sign and have my parent sign my weekly Reading Log and turn in each Tuesday during class.
Talking Points:
-Ask to see your student's weekly Reading Log and talk to them about the main conflict in the chapter book they are reading.
-Ask your student to use sensory language to describe their classroom, bedroom, school bus/vehicle!
-Your student should be able to describe at least two characters in Wonder and explain how they would feel if they were Auggie or Auggie's brother or sister.
Coming up:
-Students will have their first quiz in social studies this Friday on the Five Themes of Geography, map elements, latitude, longitude, absolute location and relative location. Students will be able to use their social studies journal to complete this quiz.
-Students will use their sensory language brainstorming sheets to write a poem about what has shaped them as 6th graders.
HOMEWORK
-At home reading: In 6th grade students are expected to read 30 minutes, five nights per week and record their reading time on their Reading Log. Please be sure to verify your student's reading time and sign off on their weekly reading total. Weekly Reading Logs are due every Tuesday.
-Students can begin collecting visuals (photos, ticket stubs, invitations, cards) for their "Where I'm From" collage that will accompany their poem.
Ms. Jurgensen: [email protected]
This week in Ms. Jurgensen’s Core:
Social Studies:
Students are being introduced to the Elements of Culture this week. We will be discussing the 7 things that all cultures share and that make them different from other cultures. This overview of cultures and understanding of what people within a culture have in common will come back up again in class again and again as we discuss Ancient Civilizations throughout the year. This week’s map skills focus is using a Mercator Projection Map.
Learning Targets:
-I can identify the elements of culture.
-I can explain what connects people within a culture (elements of culture).
-I can identify factors that influence change in a culture over time (technology, etc.)
-I can find locations on a Mercator Projection Map.
Talking Points:
-Ask your student to explain what some of the characteristics are that all cultures share. They should be able to explain a few of the elements of culture, which we have just started discussing (social organization, customs and traditions, language, religion, arts and literature, government, and economic systems.)
-Ask your student why maps are “projections” and not an accurate depiction of the earth’s surface. They should be able to explain that Earth is round and in order to show it on a flat surface, it must be altered.
Language Arts:
We are finishing up previewing Unit 1 and discussing what we will need to know and be able to do in order to complete the Embedded Assessment #1 in a few weeks, writing a personal narrative. To prepare for this, we have been previewing the assessment to highlight skills we will need to have in order to complete it successfully. After this, we will begin working toward that assessment by reading examples of personal narratives, practicing writing opening and introductory statements using AQQS (Anecdote, Quote, Question, or Statement of Intrigue), and will begin drafting personal narratives. The narratives are to be about an incident or event that changed us, so your student may need some help brainstorming ideas. We will be reviewing the elements of plot and the types of conflict that we’ve been learning about the last two weeks. Also, we are continuing to read aloud from Wonder, connecting August’s story with our Friday Community talks and with Shuksan PRIDE.
Learning Targets:
-I can prepare for Embedded Assessment #1 by identifying the skills I will need to use.
-I can practice the skills I will need to draft a personal narrative.
-I can define, explain and locate different kinds of conflict in a story (character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. society and character vs. nature).
-I can read 30 minutes at home each day and record my thoughts on my Reading Log each evening. I can complete and have my parent sign my weekly Reading Log and turn in each Monday during class.
Talking Points:
-Ask to see your student's weekly Reading Log and talk to them about the main conflict in the chapter book they are reading. Please sign the reading log (if complete) before Monday.
-Your student should be able to explain the elements of plot, how each story begins with an exposition, ends with a resolution, and all the steps in between!
-Your student should be able to describe at least two characters in Wonder and explain how they would feel if they were Auggie or Auggie's brother or sister.
Coming up:
-Students will have their first quiz in social studies this Friday on the Five Themes of Geography, map elements, latitude, longitude, absolute location and relative location. Students will be able to use their social studies journal to complete this quiz.
-Students will begin drafting their personal narrative.
HOMEWORK
-At home reading: In 6th grade students are expected to read 30 minutes, five nights per week and record their reading time on their Reading Log. Please be sure to verify your student's reading time and sign off on their weekly reading total. Weekly Reading Logs are due every Monday.
SCIENCE:
Mr. Robinson: [email protected]
Content Overview: We are getting into our study of populations and ecosystems even more! This week kicks off our exciting study of Bellingham Bay Ecosystem aboard the Snow Goose research vessel. Organisms have also started to arrive in our science classrooms! Ask your students about the populations we will be studying inside the classroom soon.
Learning Targets:
•I can identify parts of the Bellingham Bay ecosystem.
•I can describe different ways to observe a population.
•I can create a habitat to support an insect (milkweed bug) population in the classroom.
Talking Points:
•Your child will be going on their Snow Goose Fieldtrip soon! Please be sure they are prepared to have a good time. Every student needs warm clothes, closed-toed shoes, extra jacket (rain jacket if you have one), sack lunch and a positive attitude! Camera and binoculars are also fun to have, but certainly not required. Some students have pre-ordered sack lunches from the cafeteria which will be ready for them on their field trip day.
Coming Up:
•Exciting population studies are starting in our classrooms in the next couple of weeks. Ask your students what they are observing in science.
READING:
Ms. Strommer: [email protected]
Overview
In Read 180 this week we will continue with Workshop 1 - The New Americans. We'll work on academic vocabulary and complete the first reading. Students will begin taking quizzes on the books they read independently.
Learning targets: I can generate examples of vocabulary words to reinforce meaning. I can organize information to find the topic, main idea and support details in an article.
Language targets: I can use new vocabulary words. I can complete sentence frames orally and in writing.
Talking points:
Ask your child what challenges the people in our readings faced when they immigrated to America. Have your child tell you about the books he or she is reading independently. Each student should be reading a minimum of 20 minutes outside of school each day.
Coming up:
More great reading!
6th GRADE RESOURCE TEACHER:
Ms. Bartz: [email protected]
ELECTIVE COURSES:
6th Grade Media Apps
Ms. Larson: [email protected]
Content Overview
Students will continue to practice their keyboarding skills this week as we spend time tracking our Words Per Minute and % accuracy with the Type to Learn program. In addition, students will become familiar with many basic features in Microsoft Word and practice using those functions as they reformat a recent newspaper article.
Learning Targets
· I can type at least 25 WPM and demonstrate improvement in my typing speed overtime.
· I can identify icons and describe keyboard shortcuts for several common features in Microsoft Word.
· I can demonstrate how to use several common features in MS Word by reformatting a newspaper article.
Talking Points
· Ask your student about their current typing speed and their personal goal for improvement over the semester.
Coming Up
· Next week we will finish up our review of MS Word with students completing a quick write and showing mastery of the reformatting tools we identified this week.
Physical Education: [email protected]
6th grade Art
Mrs. Heywood: [email protected]
Students began the self-portrait unit by drawing realistically with correct proportions, then they “broke the rules” with their Cubist Picasso-like faces. This week we will learn about the Pop Art movement and the main artists associated with this style of art: Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Wayne Thiebaud, and Peter Max. 6th graders will begin to create a self-portrait, influenced by the art of Andy Warhol.
Learning Targets:
* I can explain the Pop Art movement.
* I can use color to communicate ideas and feelings.
* I can create a collage that reflects my personality and interests.
Coming up:
Some students still need to bring items for their self-portrait collages: photos, magazine images, paper items meaningful to them (ticket stubs, drawings, poems, stories etc.). I can make copies of original items.
Most of the magazines I have in class are home and garden ones- we really need magazines such as: sports, animals, cars, etc. Please donate any old magazines of this type.
Mrs. Diaz: [email protected]
ORCHESTRA:
Mr. Stanage: [email protected]
Reading Support