Friday, May 21, 2010

Today I went over page 53 of the Chapter 9 packet with students, most of whom did not understand the directions. Students will redo this page and pass it in Wednesday, May 26.
The Chapter 9 test is Monday, May 24.

The Erskine Academy Track & Field Day for 6th Graders is Tuesday, May 25.

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Today in social studies we went over and basically re-did the study guide for chapter 9 on pages 258-259 (Monday's homework). Students have this to use to study for the TEST on MONDAY, MAY 24. Tuesday, May 25 is Field Day at Erskine Academy.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Change in plans- we did get to spend time on Social Studies today. Homework tonight is to finish the Chapter 9 packet- through page 53. Students also need to complete the Chapter 9 review pages 258-259. This is all due Thursday.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Today and tomorrow there will be no science or social studies- today was the dress rehearsal for the band concert/talent show and tomorrow we will be at Erskine Academy for "try it out" classes all afternoon.

Thurs & Fri, May 13-14 2010

Thursday we read pages 252-257. Students needed to write vocab, people and places with definitions in their notebooks for homework, as well as complete questions 1-4 on page 257 in their notebooks. There was no science.

Friday we are studying live examples of metamorphosis with frog eggs, tadpoles and a big old bullfrog. There will be no homework

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Today in social studies we read pages 242-251. For homework students needed to complete the vocab, people and places in their notebooks, located on page 246. Students also need to complete packet page 51.

In science we read pages page 289-295. For homework students need to complete questions 1-2 on page 295. Students also need to complete the second page in their science packets.

Tomorrow students will be watching the puberty videos. There likely will be no science or social studies.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Today in social studies we read pages 236-241. Students needed to do vocab, people and places on page 236 and packet pages 49-50 for homework.

There was no science as the latter part of the afternoon was a study hall.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Today in science we read pages 285-288 and discussed vertebrates and invertebrates, endo- and exo- skeletons. We completed the three questions on page 288 in science notebooks in class. The latter part of the afternoon was book buddies, where we made Mother's Day gifts. There was no home work. Have a great weekend

Thursday, May 6 2010

Today in social studies we read pages 230-235. For homework students need to write vocab, people and places from page 230 in their notebooks (there are 15 words to define and identify)

In science we read pages 278-284, and held a LONG discussion about adaptations. There was no homework.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Today in Social Studies we read pages 222-227 in the book For homework students ne4ed to complete pages 47-48 in the packet that was handed out today and write definitions for the vocabulary words on page 222 in their social studies notebooks.

The latter period was a study hall.

There was no science today.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Today we continued to watch "Clash of the Titans."

The corrected Science test was also collected.
The Gods & Goddesses test was passed back with the G & G folders.

There was no home work. for Tuesday night.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Today students continued to watch "Clash of the Titans" during social studies. The last period of the day was a study hall for some students and an intensive reading group for others.

The only homework was an extension on the deadline for the corrected science test- due tomorrow.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today we started Clash of the Titans, a 1981 classic Ray Harryhausen (King Kong, Godzilla) stop-motion animation film about Perseus and the Greek Gods. Students also enjoyed a slice of pizza to celebrate test results from a previous assessment.

Monday we will finish Clash and get back to work in both social studies and science. Only 6 weeks left! The race is on!

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Today was the open packet Gods & Goddesses test. After the test was completed we started watching "Clash of the Titans."

We won't get back to science until Monday.

Tomorrow we will have pizza to celebrate a past test on that all students in the class passed. We will continue to watch Clash of the Titans.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Today in Social Studies we corrected packets, organized the G & G folders and prepared for the test on Thursday.

Today in science we started a new chapter on Animals- continuing to talk about classifying animals based on observable and unobservable traits.

The only homework is to prepare for the open book test on Gods & Goddesses.

Wednesday is an early release day- there are no afternoon classes.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Today we read the last packet in Social Studies- the Great Gods & Goddesses. Homework is the questions and crossword, which is due Tuesday. the open book test will likely be Thursday, and if all goes well we will be watching Jason & the Argonauts early next week.
There was no science.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Today students listened to me reading different versions of several Ancient Greek myths while coloring, cleaning out their desks or other quiet activities, then off to Book Buddies. There is no homework. Have a wonderful, restful vacation!

Wednesday & Thursday, April 14-15 2010

Wednesday was a mixed-up day. We got about 5 minutes of the social studies packet "The Odyssey- Part 3" before going over to the gym to set up for speech practice. We never did get back to social studies or science.

Thursday students took the chapter 7 test and finished the Odyssey part 3 packet- the questions and completed crossword to which is due Friday. This leaves one last packet- about the major gods & goddesses. We may not get to that until after vacation. At that point students will take about a week to review the information in their packets and vocabulary before taking a rather extensive "open folder" test. It is long- and students will be able to do a much better job utilizing their information IF they have reviewed their folders/packets/vocabulary and know where to look for the answers to the test questions.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Today in social studies we read The Odyssey- parts 1 & 2. Questions due tomorrow.

In science we completed and corrected a chapter review on Chapter 7 in preparation for the test on Thursday. There was no science homework except to study for the test Thursday.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Today was a bit mixed up. We worked on the science study guide for the science test on Chapter 7 which has been rescheduled for Thursday. Students then attended an assembly for 2nd trimester honor roll and sports. After the assembly students had about a 25 minute study hall. There was no social studies today. There was no homework except to study for the science test scheduled for Thursday.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Today students corrected their science classification labs in class and began to work on the study guides for chapter 7, with the goal of having the test next Wednesday. That was it for class time and homework. There was no social studies today due to Book Buddies. Have a great weekend

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Today we read about Bellephoron & Pegasus and Perseus and Andromeda in Social Studies. Questions and vocab are due on Friday, April 9. Students' corrected vocabulary was due today. The next vocabulary check will be on Tuesday, April 13. We have 4 big sets of packets to do before the end of the bulk on the Gods & Goddesses.

In science students worked on classifying organisms.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Today we read two new Gods & Goddesses packets- "Perseus and Medusa" & "The First Aviators"- vocabulary & questions due Thursday along with the corrected vocabulary list from Monday.

Science: we conducted a lab where we classified and described different shapes into kingdom and phyla. The completed lab paperwork is due Thursday.

There is no science or social studies tomorrow- students have health and study hall.

Don't forget that you can also check your student's assignments and grades online!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Today the students received a vocabulary list for the entire Gods & Goddesses unit, which also served to grade the vocab that students passed in last Thursday. Students will need to complete the vocab that was missing and correct the definitions that missed the mark. The corrected vocab is due Thursday, April 7.
We read "King Midas and the Golden Touch" and "Narcissus and Echo". Questions and vocab are due Tuesday.

There was no science as students have a study hall on Mondays from 1:30-2:20.

Tomorrow in Science we will be doing a classifying lab in preparation for the study guide on Thursday and the test on the following Tuesday (April 13).

Tuesday, April 1, 2010

Today in Social Studies we read "Glorious Apollo". For homework, due Monday, the questions and vocab need to be completed.

In Science we completed Chapter 7 on classifying organisms. There is no science homework but there will be a test later next week.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Today in Social Studies we read "Horses of the Sun" Students need to do vocab and questions for this packet- due tomorrow.
Also due tomorrow- the complete set of vocab from the packets to date.

There was no science today due to band/chess induced study hall

Friday is Beach Day- there will be no science or social studies- just fun!

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Today in Social Studies we read myths about how Prometheus stole fire from the gods on Olympus and gave it to man and was punished, and about Pandora, her box and hope. For homework students needed to write the vocab with definitions for both myths in their folders and answer the accompanying questions on both myths.

For science we discussed more ways to classify organisms and corrected homework. There is no science homework for tonight.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Today we read a Greek myth about Persephone, Hades, Demeter and how we came to have seasons. Students answered questions and studies vocabulary for home work. There was no science.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Today we read about Ancient Greek art and architecture. For homework students need to complete the questions and types of architecture.

Today and tomorrow are parent teacher conferences- as many of you are aware, Ms. Haywood is quickly recovering from an illness. She will reschedule conferences as parents wish. I will still meet with parents as they want, demonstrate logging into Powerschool to monitor grades and discussing students' social studies and science grades.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is early dismissal and there is no school Friday.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Today in social studies we started reading about Ancient Greek myths and god & goddesses. Today we read "What is a Myth", and "Creation". Both packets had vocabulary & comprehension questions to answer for homework.

THE FOLDER: or How to do Extremely well on the Gods & Goddesses test... Each student was given a folder today in which they will keep all of their God & Goddesses information. Vocabulary will be written in lined paper with definitions and kept in the folder as well. Students will be able to use all of the information in these folders for their test on God & Goddesses- so they should make an effort to keep it organized and review it frequently so that they know where to look for answers. We will be adding new packets on new myths and gods/goddesses each day. Packets will be collected and corrected and passed back within a day or two.

Science: Today we continued our reading about classifying organisms- specifically discussing Linneus' classification system. For homework students needed to complete the second page of their packet.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Happy Spring!
Today starts a new trimester and a fresh start on grades. Today in science we continued to discuss classification of organisms. For home work students need to complete the "Check For Understanding" questions (p224) in their notebooks, and record the Keywords on page 225 with definitions in notebooks as well. There was no social studies.

Monday, March 15 2010

Today we finished up reading Chapter 8 in social studies. For home work students need to finish their packets, which are due tomorrow. Students also received study guides which are due tomorrow as well. Mrs. Rauch will be here tomorrow and will correct the study guides with the students so that they can study. The test on Chapter 8 is Thursday. There is no science homework.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Today in social studies students read through page 211 in class. For homework students need to complete packet pages 43-44.

In science we continued talking about organisms. For homework students need to complete page 21 in their science packet.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

No science or social studies today- students had health and study hall.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Today students started a new subject in Science- animals. We completed a brief lesson on observation of behavior. There is no homework.
In social studies students read through page 201. Homework is to complete page 42 in their packets

Monday, March 8, 2010

Students took their science tests today. We then started Chapter 8 in Social Studies- Ancient Greece. We will be on this chapter for a while, and Ms. Haywood will also be teaching her favorite part- Gods and Goddesses. For homework students need to complete page 41 in their packets.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Students watched Mulan today as a reward for their awesome performance on the social studies test. Tomorrow we will begin the next chapter and have book buddies.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Today we worked on the study guide for the chapter 9 test in science. Students all have corrected study guides, and the test is Monday,
Tomorrow the students will be watching Mulan as a reward for doing well on their social studies tests. Nice job guys!!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! There was no social studies or science today- instead the book buddies divided up into 4 groups and enjoyed different Read Across America activities in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday.

Wednesday we will be going over the study guide and review for Chapter 9 in science. Thursday we will be discussing why students did so well on their social studies tests and how they can apply those skills to their science test. We will also be watching Mulan and enjoying ice cream sundaes to celebrate the great work most students did on their social studies tests.

The science test on chapter 9 will be on Monday, March 8. Studying a little bit every day is a much better way to tackle the information!

Monday, March 1, 2010

March comes in like a lion! Welcome back snow!
Students took their social studies chapter 7 tests and did VERY well! Only 2 students earned a score of less than 70, and 2 students earned a perfect score- Awesome job everyone! Students earned the opportunity for a movie and ice cream on Thursday. Since this chapter was on Ancient China we will be watching Mulan and students will be able to enjoy the ice cream treats put together by Charelle Cullivan and Jill Rauch before vacation. Nice job kids!!

Reminders- the Educational Showcase takes place on Wednesday, March 17th 6p-7p. This replaces the Ed. Fair from past years. Ranks close on March 19th. Schedule your parent-teacher conferences- Wednesday, March 24th 2:30-6:45 or Thursday, March 25th 12:00-6:45. There is no school Friday, March 26th.

Finally back Friday, February 25, 2010

Between training before vacation and a sinus infection since- I have not been in the 6th grade classroom much! Thank you to Dale Haywood, Jill Rauch and Rick Lees for keeping things moving forward. This week science has slowed- we will pick it up again next week. This week in Social Studies students have finished up reading Chapter 7 and on Thursday worked in class on the study guide. The test will be Monday at 12:40. Studying a little bit each day will enable student to do well on the test.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Social Studies:
Write vocab & places and their definitions on page 160 in your soc studies notebooks, and answer questions 1-5 on page 163 in your notebooks.
Tests were passed back today- many students need to have their tests signed by a parent because of unacceptable grades. Tests also need to be corrected and passed back in on Thursday.

Science: complete questions 1-7 on page 183. These will be collected on Thursday.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Today we took the chapter 6 test in Social Studies- students seemed to do well and will receive their tests back tomorrow.
In Science we started reading page 173- Chapter 9- Chemical Reactions. For homework students needed to answer the chapter section review questions on page 177.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Today in social studies we corrected the study guide for the Chapter 6 test which is MONDAY. Studying for a few minutes each day between now and Monday greatly increases students' chances of doing well on the test. Students also used their laptops to study for the test by using computer generated flashcards on Ancient India at http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-15504. The second part of the afternoon was band/chess/studyhall.
Tomorrow is the 5-8 trip to Camden Snow Bowl- have a GREAT time! I will be at a training for the next two days- substitute plans for Friday include continuing to review for the test on Monday, as well as doing some compare and contrast tasks on Hinduism vs. Buddhism.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Today in Social Studies students worked on study guides for chapter 6. The study guide is due tomorrow, and we will be correcting it in class so that students have a correct study guide for the test, which is Monday, February 8th. The packet for chapter 6 was also collected today.

In science students explored the periodic table of elements by hunting for element information at www.teachersdomain.org/asset/phy03_int_ptable/ and filling out information in a chart format for a set of elements. Everyone seemed to catch on quite quickly, and using their laptops always seems to lead to a higher level of interest and mastery. Once the charts were completed students did more exploration at www.funbrain.com playing Proton Don. Students also had a few minutes at the end of the day to work on their travel magazines for Ms. Haywood.

To repeat- there is a TEST on chapter 6 in Social Studies on Monday, February 8th. Students will bring home corrected STUDY GUIDES tomorrow. Studying for 15 minutes a day over several days is a much better way to learn new information than to cram the night before. Please take advantage of the 5 day opportunity you have to study for this test.

I also shared with students that passed in their packets what their grades are right now in science and social studies. Of course we have much more information to learn and several more assignments and tests to complete before ranks close in March, so for some this is a heads up that they need to be working harder for the next several weeks. For others it was an affirmation that they are working hard, and their grades reflect that.

To comment or not to comment...

Students have asked whether they should or could leave comments. Please do! This blog is solely for my 6th graders and relevant comments are welcome! Parents are also welcome to leave their thoughts. This is also a good place to ask questions- chances are more than one student has the same question. There may not be an immediate answer- I generally post once a day, but I will at least get to it the next day.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Today in science we explored a website on Mendeleev and his period table of elements. http://web.buddyproject.org/web017/web017/history.html and http://web.buddyproject.org/web017/web017/ae.html Students took the quiz at the bottom of the second page. We then went on to http://web.buddyproject.org/web017/web017/pertab.html.
There was no homework in science.

In social studies we read pgs 150-155. For homework students need to complete the packet that begins with The Journey of the Indus River. Students should be completing pages 33 and 34. We will go over it tomorrow in class.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Today was a short lesson- we admired and bagged up the crystals and did a quick set of puzzles to reinforce the language and vocabulary around physical properties of matter and changes in the state of matter. Everyone had ample time to finish- those that didn't can finish it at home. The rest of the afternoon was Book Buddies.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you! Thursday, January 28, 2010

Just wanted to say Thank You to Jill Rauch for providing the materials for the crystal experiment, and to Jill and Debbie Barnum for huge help in managing 16 6th graders who all want to do it now! Also to my 6th grade class for listening, following directions, and creating some awesome crystals. Nice job everyone!

Thursday, January 28. 2010

Today we decanted our crystals- wow- do they look cool! It was interesting to see how many crystals also formed on the surface of the jars. It was also interesting to see the color results. The crystals are drying overnight and will come home tomorrow. Hopefully they will survive the trip!


These are the crystals that formed on the jar itself. Some students added much more solute (borax) to their solvent (water) than others. The solutions that contained more borax led to much heavier deposits on the glass.


Another "after" shot of the jar. The crystals were hard to scrape out!


One student's crystal snowflake. Interesting choice of color for a snowflake.


Another nice snowflake.



In social Studies we read through page 147, and completed page 32 in the packet. That is homework for those that didn't finish.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Today in social studies we read pages 140-141, and completed page 31 in our Chapter 6 packets. For home work students need to write the vocabulary on page 142 in their social studies notebooks with definitions.

We checked on the crystals - they are growing very nicely. They will be coming home Thursday if all goes well. Otherwise science is on hold until Monday when we will be talking again about atoms and molecules and how they combine to form substances.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Happy Birthday Jane!

Today we discussed the science and social studies tests. Several students are bringing theirs home for a parent signature, and all students who received less than an 85 will be correcting their tests and handing them back in.

In science today students created borax crystals in an experiment this afternoon. The crystals should grow on the pipe cleaner snowflakes overnight.

In social studies we continued reading in Chapter 6- pages 134-139. For home work students needed to complete both sides of the first page of the packet.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Today students took both the Chapter 8 science test and the Chapter 5 test on Ancient Mesopotamia. We also began reading Chapter 6 in Social Studies- for homework we are reading pages 130-133 and writing all vocab, people, and places in social studies notebooks. No homework for Science. Tomorrow, thanks to Jill Rausch, we are creating borax crystals in science. These are very fragile, but students will be bringing them home later in the week if they survive.

Progress reports came home on Friday- please sign and return.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

After an unexpected day and a half off due to snow- we got back on track today by completing study guides in class for both the social studies and science tests. The study guides were also corrected in class so that students have correct information to study for the tests, which will be occurring on Monday!

Friday is early release- students will be leaving at 11:30 so no science or social studies classes. Study hard! A little studying every day is much more helpful than a cram session Monday morning on the bus! Save out 15 minutes each day and have someone quiz the students on the vocabulary and questions. This has proven to be the most effective way for most students to retain information.

Mid-term progress reports will be coming home on Friday as well. Please sign and return the slip at the bottom to show that you have seen your child's progress report.

Next week with the gratefully received help of Jill Rausch we will be attempting to grow simple individual crystals. More details after the test. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, January 19. 2010

Early Release- this is what we will do Wednesday, and both tests will be Thursday

Today we review the chapter review on page 171 in science for preparation for the test on Thursday.

We also review the chapter review on page 126 in social studies in preparation for the test on Thursday. We are also reviewing the packet assigned last week Wednesday.

MLK Weekend

We finished up the week by finishing chapters in both social studies and science. There WILL be tests next week! Tuesday afternoon will be review time for both tests. The test in Social Studies on Chapter 5 will be Wednesday, the test on Chapter 8 in science will be Thursday. Friday is early release.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today we read and talked about crystals and crystalline structure. We also reviewed solutions, solutes and solvents. For home work in science students need to answer questions on page 170 in their science notebooks- due Friday. Students also need to do the Chapter Review on page 171- answering the questions in their science notebooks- due Tuesday.
In Social Studies we read pages 120-121. For homework students need to list the vocabulary words, people and places in their Social Studies notebooks with definitions- due Friday.

Reminder- there is no school on Monday- Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday is observed.
Reminder- get your permission slip packets in so that you can join the upper grades at the Camden Snow Bowl on February 4th.

Tuesday, Jan 12, 2010

This morning in between specials students read in social studies to page 115, and answered questions 1 & 2 in their social studies notebooks. Students also read in their science books to page 165 and answered the 4 questions at the bottom of page 165 (finishing for home work if necessary). Thursday we will begin continue learning about solutions, solvents and solutes. We will also begin learning about crystals.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Most of today's time was taken up by the school Geography Bee. Students read briefly in the science text through page 160, and for homework needed to answer the questions on page 160 in their science notebooks. Students also received back their take-home tests. Students with grades of 80 and below are expected to take them home and correct them. These are due back Tuesday. There was no social studies homework.

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Gramdma and Elvis!

Today in science students checked out several sites at www.coolschool.ca/content. Click on Showcase on the left, then pick Physical Science from the drop down menu. From there we looked at several check-ins on matter. Please explore these with your children- they are interesting and fun.
Students also passed in their take home science tests. Students will receive these back on Monday and grades lower than a C will be required to correct their tests. Students who earned an A will receive 5 homework passes.
There was no homework for the weekend.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Today in social studies we continued to read about the Sumerians and the Babylonians, and began to study Hammurabi and his code. There is no homework in social studies.
In science we reviewed last night's homework and the chapter. Students have their Chapter 7 test on matter to do tonight at home as a take-home test. They may use any resources available to complete their test, including their Holt science book, notes and homework. The completed test is due tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 6, 2009

Unfortunately I was out on Wednesday but Thank You to Mr. Lees who took over the class. In science students read through pages 150-154 and answered questions on pages 153 and 154. There was no social studies.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Today in science we continued with matter- covering molecules, atoms and the scientific model. We also discussed atom parts- electrons, protons and neutrons. For home work students needed to answer the questions on page 149 in their notebooks. In Social Studies we continued reading about Sumer and Babylon, and began talking about the Code of Hammurabi. Homework was to write vocab, names and places from page 108 in their social studies notebooks with definitions, and complete the first page, both sides, of the social studies packet (p 24-25.)

Welcome back! Monday, January 4, 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful, restful vacation. My students were very generous to me before vacation and I hope they are remembering to bring home my thank you notes, but in case they aren't, please let me express a heartfelt thank you to all of the wonderful gifts and goodies students presented me with for the holidays. Jill, your homemade jam was especially delicious and did not last long once everyone in the house discovered it! Thank you to everyone who was so thoughtful to my family and I!

On to science and social studies... yesterday we revisited Matter in science and began talking about the three common states- gas, liquid and solid. There are at least two other states but as they occur rarely and are impossible to see with the naked eye, we will leave those for another course of study. We also discussed elements, compounds and mixtures. In Social Studies we began a new chapter on Ancient Mesopotamia. There was no homework.