October 5, 2015

Dear Families,

October is off to a busy start.  Everyone is settling in to the rigors of sixth grade.  It is important for students to keep track of long range projects and to work on them a little at a time.  The design your own island maps are displayed in the hallway and the classroom.  The most important thing for students to remember is to follow the rubric. 

Literacy:  Students are working on a personal narrative writing piece.  We discussed how to write a lead for the narrative to keep the reader interested.  We are also working on increasing elaboration and writer’s craft in a personal narrative.  It is important to show the reader with words what feeling or emotion the person is experiencing.  We will also discuss adding transition words to writing.   We finished or read aloud, Harris and Me.  I think we were all sad to see the book end.  Today we started our next read aloud, Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick.   

Students were also assigned an independent book project, referred to as the 12 of 18.  This is due Tuesday October 20, 2015.  Students should work on this a little each night.  Ask your child to see the assignment and the rubric. This project is based on a book students have read independently with in the last few weeks or one that they are currently reading.

Math:  Students are continuing their work with factors, multiples and division.  It is critical that your child knows their multiplication facts.  Having a solid command of the multiplication table is the basis of sixth grade math. 

Science:  Students conducted their own bubble experiment.  Experiments included adding baking soda or milk or carbonated water, to name a few items, to bubble solution to see what kind of affect it had on blowing bubbles.  Some students compared four different colors of Dawn dish soap!  Ask your child what their experiment was.  Students also presented their findings to the class. 

With dewy grass and wet weather approaching, it is important for students to have two pairs of shoes at school.  This keeps dirt out of the classroom and keeps the school easier to clean.  Thanks for your help with this.