Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th grade Classroom Newsletter

February 13, 2014

Dear Families,

I am grateful that we had a whole week of school.  At first look, it seems there was quite a bit of effort done on the ancient Rome final assessment graphic novels.  I have been very impressed with the hard work everyone has been putting forth.

Literacy: 

Students have been learning about writing conclusions for their writing to inform papers.  Students are conferencing with me about their work and editing their work.  We also brainstormed a list of possible ideas for the information writing post assessment, as coming up with a topic for your paper can be very difficult.  We will complete our post assessment next week.   

Book Cover Individual Book Project: 

Students we assigned this last week.  The original due date was Wednesday February 18^th but due to Winter Fitness and other changes in the schedule, it will be due Friday February 20^th, the day before vacation. 

Math:

In math, we have been learning about the order of operations.  If you follow the rules you are able to accurately solve any mathematical expression. 

Just remember to proceed in this order: PEMDAS

1.   P= Parentheses are done first

2.   E= Exponents are done next

3.   M/D= multiplication and division are done as they are encountered from left to right.

4.   A/D= addition and subtraction are done as they are encountered from left to right.

Using these rules can you figure out the answer to: 7 + (6 × 5² + 3) =

Please remember that it is an on-going assignment that all students read 20 minutes a day.  Having strong personal reading habits is one of the most important skills your child can develop as a learner, as this will improve their learning in all subject areas.  As with learning anything, riding a bike or swimming, it takes practice.  Reading for 20 minutes a day is that practice. 

Stay warm!   Ellen