Welcome to our first newsletter!  I can’t believe we have already finished one entire month of school – it has gone so quickly!  We have spent the first few weeks of school getting to know each other through activities, interviews, and class discussions.  We have also spent a lot of time working on classroom rules and policies and having many wonderful experiences in our classroom that I wanted to share with you. MATH We began our year looking at place value.  We are working on adding to our mathematics vocabulary as we deal with different ways of writing numbers (such as standard, short-word, and expanded).  We also have been looking at exponents and bases, and how this is an entirely different way of expressing a numbers’ value.  We discussed how to estimating math sentences through the use of rounding.  Finally, we worked on the order of operations, and many associated mental math properties.  The quiz for the last section of Chapter 1 will take place on Friday, October 5th. In addition, we began working on problem solving with many different types of problems.  Currently, the students have been working independently using the “Make a Table” method to solve lengthy word problems.  They have also been working in groups to solve both traditional, mathematical story problems, as well as logical thinking brain teasers. SOCIAL STUDIES The students have been looking at the transition man has made from hunter-gatherer to Neolithic farmer.  This huge step in mankind eventually led to the introduction of the earliest civilizations.  We have also been engaging in a basic review of geography; its vocabulary, map usage, and the classroom resources. In addition, we have been looking at why and how we analyze and evaluate informational articles and how we can apply this methodology to news.  Specifically, we’ve touched on the differences between facts, opinions, and reasoned judgments when reading or analyzing news articles.  This has enhanced our study of current events, which are due weekly, on Wednesdays. SCIENCE The students have begun one of three units they will study this year:  Micro-Worlds, Engineering, and Energy Sources.  In Micro-Worlds, we have been examining detail by looking at common objects through hand lenses.  We have been practicing drawing detail and writing descriptions rich in detail using all of our four (sight, hearing, touch, smell) science senses… in Science, we don’t use taste unless the teacher OKs it!  In Energy Sources, we discussed basic terminology used in experiments (e.g. hypothesis, variable) and performed some experiments using spheres, ramps, and sliders.  In Engineering, we learned how to follow the scientific method through making qualitative and quantitative observations, making inferences, designing testable questions, and creating hypotheses.   Both Micro-Worlds and Engineering have long-term projects that were assigned this week. LANGUAGE SKILLS We are currently working on capitalization skills, along with spelling and vocabulary weekly.  Each week, there are twenty spelling words and five vocabulary terms with associated in-class- and home- work.  The test for both is on Monday morning.  At the end of the card marking, there will be a review test for each; spelling for frequently missed words, and cumulative for vocabulary. READING We started the year with the book Who Moved My Cheese?  This is a book that deals with risk-taking, flexibility, and goal setting.  Along with the book, we also reviewed story elements (characters, setting, plot, problem, and solution).  Upon finishing, we will each decided what our own “Cheese” (with a capital “C”) is, and how the messages from the book will help us to attain our particular type of Cheese.     Currently, we are dissecting the book Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry.  The students are keeping a vocabulary journal, character listing with descriptors, and an analysis of the type of values and beliefs the main character, Kira, holds dear as a member of an unusual society.  About once per week, they write a reflective response to a question for me.  In addition, we have whole class and small group discusstions. In addition, we are honing our reading strategies on narrative and informational reading.  Each week, the students select one short piece from an anthology that is designed to be high-interest reading for this age group, as well as a comprehension packet.  The reading is done independently and the questions, which range from “right-in-the-text,” to inferring, to analyzing fact and opinion, to discussing main ideas and author’s motive, become part of the reading grade.    WRITING We are building on and enhancing what the students have learned in the “Pillar” method with the “6-Trait” model of writing.  Commonly known as the “6+1 Writing Traits,” we will be developing our skills through the exploration of Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.  As sixth graders, I expect the students will be spending most time on Voice and Word Choice where their personalities and diverse vocabulary will help them to strengthen their writing ability. Right now, we are building our arsenal of interesting, focused ideas that we will draw from all year long.  Within the realm of interesting ideas, we are specifically working on how to “show and not tell” our audience.  We’ve been writing short pieces in class that use sensory imagery, such as the topic “the messy room.”  During writer’s workshop, the students polish their work, both in-class and essays, with my help and that of their peers. We also discussed the essay writing schedule for the card marking.  Each student is responsible for writing two expository essays, one book review, and three read-alouds.  The students and I reviewed the rubrics I use for grading, and how they can be used as a writing tool.   OTHER On Fridays, the 6th grade students are getting mixed with each other and are having a "fun Friday" with either myself, Mrs. Grenado, or Mrs. Wilcox.  After about eight Fridays, they will switch to a new teacher.  I am working on a simulated archeological dig with the students in my section, while Mrs. Grenado is currently engaging the students in math games, and Mrs. Wilcox is teaching Second-Step, an anti-violence curriculum.