Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th Grade Classroom Newsletter

September 11, 2015

Dear Families,

            This will be the last paper classroom newsletter.  Future newsletters will be posted on our classroom blog.  I will also begin sending the newsletter home via email.  I do not have an email address for a few families.  If you are not receiving the newsletter via email and would like to, please email me at: eknoedler@u32.org and send me your email address.  Thanks so much.  Please visit our blog at:  http://emeslearningportal.blogspot.com

Dates to remember:

1.                          1.   Open House at EMES is Wednesday, September 16^th, from 6:00pm to 7:00.  Please come to our classroom from 6:00 to 6:20 for a presentation about the academic program and expectations for 6^th graders.

2.                         2.    All School Hike, which is Friday, September 25^th.  The rain date is Friday October 2^nd. 

3.                         3.  Also, we will be starting Nature Journaling soon.  All students took home their nature journal from last year.  We would like to continue with those journals.  Many students have found their journal and brought it in.  It would be great if you could help your child locate their journal and bring it in. If you are interesting in helping with nature journaling please let me know.   Thanks so much. 

This week, in writing, students completed their narrative pre-assessment.  This begins our first genre of writing.  This year we will work on three major writing pieces, narrative, information, and opinion, along with other smaller daily writing assignments.  We are continuing our class read aloud, Harris and Me, and students are reading Number the Stars, and completing written responses to their reading.  These assignments should be written in your child’s assignment book. 

In math, we are working on factors and prime factorization.  Students were given a new math problem of the week, or POW, called Terrific Twins.  This is due Wednesday September 16^th. 

We have taken a brief hiatus from science to work on some map skills that will help students better understand the world we live in.  Students will be given a Create Your Own Island assignment on Monday, September 28^th.  They will be required to define landform terms and create an island using those terms.  I will be giving students time in class to work on this but some work may have to be done at home.  Students will receive a rubric and large paper for the activity.  This will be due Monday September 28^th.  We will resume science nest week.

Please read the important information regarding photos of your child and/or their work in school publications and blogs.  Thanks so much.

                                    All the best.            Ellen Knoedler

                                                               6^th grade Teacher

eknoedler@u32.org