Weekly Update Feb. 2-6

Announcements:

-Math Study Group: We will NOT have group this Thursday. Please note the upcoming dates for the math study group: Feb. 12th, Feb. 19th, Feb. 26th. If there is any change in the schedule, I will let you know. As a reminder, if your student will be attending the study group, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!




* Jack for your energy and excitement you bring to the class!

* The whole class for the awesome work you did on your invention/innovation pitches! The "Sharks" were impressed!

What are we learning???

Math:
Due to the complexity of this chapter, we will be slowing down the lessons a bit more than other chapters. There are a lot of new concepts all being introduced at once. Please know I have added several review games to the class blog to aid in the review and practice of these skills. This week, I plan to teach 5.3-5.4. Through those lessons, we will learn how to construct circle graphs using angle measures and how to plot ordered pairs on a grid. The test for Unit 5 is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19th and the Written Response will be Friday, Feb. 20th.

Science:
This week, we will begin the next unit on Human Body systems. We will start our investigations with the digestive system. To dive in, we will be discussing what we already know about this system and what questions we have about it. Later in the week, we will look more closely at how food is digested and what our body takes from the food.

ELA:

Reading - The students will be receiving their Book Club books this week. As a group, it is there responsibility to discuss and record what needs to be read by each Book Club session (every Tues. and Fri.). Last week, we discussed various ways to prepare for a discussion. Here are some of their ideas: record interesting quotes, questions from the text, events in the story that are confusing, difficult vocabulary, predictions, etc.

Writing - Last week, the students wrote their rough draft essays. This week, we will polish them up with special emphasis on the introductory and conclusion paragraph along with appropriate usage of quotes from the story.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Jan. 26-30

Announcements:


-Math Study Group: Please note the upcoming dates for the math study group: Jan. 29th, Feb. 12th, Feb. 19th. If there is any change in the schedule, I will let you know. As a reminder, if your student will be attending the study group, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!

-Report Cards will be sent home THIS Wednesday. If you would like to schedule a meeting to discuss your child's progress, please email me.





* Naydeli for your willingness and time given to help those around you!

* The whole class for trying your best the past two weeks on the STAR tests and F & P test!

What are we learning???

Math:
The students were tested on part B for Unit 4 at the end of last week. Unit 5 will begin on Tuesday after the pre-test on Monday. This unit will cover Geometry skills such as determining congruency, coordinate geometry, and construction of angles. This week, we will learn how to measure/draw angles and interpreting various angles. The test for Unit 5 is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19th and the Written Response will be Friday, Feb. 20th.

Science:
This week, we will be completing our mini-unit on inventions and inventive thinking. Students have been challenged to think independently, creatively, and productively. Through this unit, the students have decided to present their ideas by way of the popular ABC show Shark Tank. On Wednesday, the students will pitch their invention/innovation ideas to a panel of teachers and staff in hopes of receiving an "investment" to pursue their invention/innovation idea.

ELA:
Spelling - For the 3rd quarter, we will be taking a break from Words Their Way. In lieu of spelling groups, students will be creating their own spelling lists in class when they inquire of a word they don't know how to spell during writing time. They will practice these words with various in class activities.

Writing/Reading - We will begin a new structure this week during our ELA block. The first change will be the addition of Book Club groups. Mr. Burress and I will be forming these groups across the whole 6th grade. The students will be choosing their books next week and will meet with their Book Club group each Tuesday and Friday. This week, I will be introducing some expectations, skills, and activities they will be asked to complete with their groups.

Another change I will be implementing is a 3-part lesson each week focusing on a short story. Through each short story, students will be reinforced with skills required for Writer's Workshop, will gain valuable grammar skills, and will complete a weekly assignment in response to the short story. This 3-part lesson will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (opposite of Book Clubs) with the response assignment due each Friday.

We will be continuing our last section of essay writing with a thematic essay. This should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

As usual, students will have the much valued DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time along with a read aloud. We have begun A Wrinkle in Time and the students are thoroughly enjoying this timeless classic!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Jan. 12-16

Announcements:

- With the semester quickly coming to a close, please continue to check Skyward for any missing assignments and let me know if you have any questions.

- STAR Testing: Testing is THIS week for our class. We will have our Math STAR Test Monday, Jan. 12th and the ELA STAR Test will be Wednesday, Jan. 14th. Please help to make sure your child has a restful sleep and a hearty breakfast before the test day.

-Math Study Group: We will be meeting THIS Thursday, Jan. 15th to review multiplying fractions and converting between fractions, decimals, and percents. There will be NO group next Thursday, Jan. 22nd due to the end of the quarter. As a reminder, if your student will be attending the study group, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!

Scholastic book orders are due THIS Friday, Jan. 16th. Your student received 4 different book order forms last week. Our online code for ordering is NFVJ8.




* Zach for being such a huge help around the classroom before school!
* The whole class for trying your best this week as we tackled finding theme in numerous stories!

What are we learning???

Math:
After our STAR test on Monday, we will be diving into converting fractions, decimals, and percents, along with other difficult conversions. Students will be practicing these skills through workbook pages and games.  Part B test for Unit 4 HAS BEEN CHANGED to Thursday, Jan. 22nd and the Written Response will be Friday, Jan. 23rd.

Science:
This week, we will be continuing our mini-unit on inventions and inventive thinking. Students will be challenged to think independently, creatively, and productively. We will brainstorm invention ideas together and begin the process of developing our ideas. I'm excited to see where their creativity takes us!

ELA:
Spelling - Last Monday, your student received a NEW Homework sheet for Words Their Way. The requirements are still the same, but they have new options to choose from. Students will continue to meet with their groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.

Writing/Reading - We had a very successful week reviewing theme and I fully believe we are ready to begin our literary essay on theme. The students received their stories on Friday, all of which they have heard before as a read aloud. Our goal for this week will be to brainstorm the theme of their stories and find evidence to support it within the text. By Friday, they will have a general outline of their essay. I will also be testing their reading with Fountas and Pinnell this week and next week. Their ELA STAR test will be Wednesday from 1-1:45pm.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Jan. 5-9

Announcements:

- Welcome back! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break with family and friends. Starting Monday, your student will hit the ground running as we complete a few units before the end of the semester. Please do check Skyward for any missing assignments and let me know if you have any questions.

- STAR Testing: Testing will be next week for our class. We will have our Math STAR Test Monday, Jan. 12th and the ELA STAR Test will be Wednesday, Jan. 14th. Please help to make sure your child has a restful sleep and a hearty breakfast before the test day.

-Math Study Group: Our first session will be THIS Thursday, Jan. 8th from 3:30-4:30pm. Looking ahead, we will have our second group Thursday, Jan. 15th. There will be NO group the following Thursday, Jan. 22nd due to the end of the quarter. As a reminder, if your student will be attending the study group, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!



* Mrs. McCormack for an engaging and informative presentation on French Christmas traditions!
* The whole class for a job well done on your Literary Essays! You all stepped up to the challenge and completed quality essays!

What are we learning???

Math:
We will spend Monday reviewing what was learned before the break, adding and subtracting fractions/mixed numbers. For the rest of the week, we will be improving our skills and gaining new strategies to multiply both fractions and mixed numbers. Part B test for Unit 4 will be Wednesday, Jan. 21st and the Written Response will be Thursday, Jan. 22nd.

Science:
This week, we will be diving into a mini-unit on inventions and inventive thinking. We will be looking at the process of inventing and recent middle school inventors! Students will be challenged to think independently, creatively, and productively. The students are so creative at this stage and I'm eager to see where their unique thinking will take us!

ELA:
Spelling - This Monday, your student has received a NEW Homework sheet for Words Their Way. The requirements are still the same, but they have new options to choose from. Students will continue to meet with their groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.

Writing/Reading - Before break, the students finished their first essay on character analysis. We will begin our second essay on theme. To effectively begin this endeavor, we need to review and practice finding themes in stories. This week, we will be completing several quick writes and reflections on themes of various picture books and short stories. The students will also use group discussions to determine appropriate themes for various stories. I plan on giving out their short stories that they will then use to write their essay on theme this Friday.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Dec. 15-19

Announcements:

-Math Study Group: Due to the number of responses I have received, I will be postponing the start of
the weekly math study group to January. However, I have scheduled a test review for Tuesday, Dec. 16th from 3:30-4:30. We will go over the study guide questions and prepare for the test on Friday. If your student will be attending the after school study session, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!



* Molly and Marcus for your excellent service at the Senior Holiday lunch last week!
* The whole class for an excellent band and choir performance!

What are we learning???

Math:
This week, we will be completing a fraction project in class as well as reviewing for the test on Friday, Dec. 19th. Review sheet for the test will be passed out today. Students that will be absent next week will present their projects on Thursday. All others will present next week. If you would like more information on the project, please ask your child to explain the requirements and show you the guidelines.

Science:
This week, we will be completing a Periodic Table Project. Students will research how they interact daily with various elements/compounds. They will be creating a periodic table complete with illustrations of the uses of elements along with an explanation sheet. Students that will be absent next week will present their projects on Friday. All others will present next week. A quiz on what we have been learning about the periodic table will be this Thursday, Dec. 18th. Students have received a slip informing them of what will be covered on the quiz.

ELA:
Spelling - The students have joined their new spelling groups. Everything will remain the same with their assignments for each week. Students will meet with their groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. There will be NO spelling the week of Christmas due to the two day school week.

Writing - We are in the final stretch with our literary essays! By the end of the week, they will be complete and ready to share next week!


Reading - We have been enjoying some short stories by Cynthia Rylant. Through these short stories, we are discussing theme. This will help in preparing the students for their next writing project which will focus around a theme of a story.

Between now and Christmas, we will be practicing our fluency skills through a couple reader's theater plays. The students have been given their second reader's theater play. Please ask your child to practice his/her lines at home to ensure adequate preparedness for presentation day. The goal is not memorization of their lines, rather smooth and fluent reading/speaking skills. The performance for this play will be Friday, Dec. 19th. This performance will be filmed and students will then view and self-score themselves on fluency next week.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Dec. 8-12

Announcements:

-Shout out: I've added a new section to the blog titled "Big Shout Out". You can find it below the announcements section of the blog. I will be highlighting some awesome accomplishments to individual students, groups, to the whole class! Keep your eye out for student submitted shout outs as well!

-Band and Choir Concert: The Middle School concert will be TONIGHT, December 9th at 7pm. The students have worked incredibly hard for this performance and are eager to share their talents with us all!

-Math Study Group: Due to the number of responses I have received, I will be postponing the start of
the weekly math study group to January. However, I have scheduled a test review for Tuesday, Dec. 16th from 3:30-4:30. We will go over the study guide questions and prepare for the test on Friday. All the content for the test will be taught by the end of this week. Next week, we will be completing a fraction project in class. If your student will be attending the after school study session, please write a note or email confirming this and informing me of where your student will be going at 4:30pm. Thanks so much!



* Jack Minten for an EXCELLENT performance in A Christmas Cinderella!
* The whole class for your hours and hours of practice to prepare for the band/choir concert!

What are we learning???

Math:
As mentioned before, we will only be covering the first half of unit 4 before Christmas break. The content will cover simplifying, comparing, and adding and subtracting fractions. To help solidify our understanding of the content, we will also be completing a mini-project to directly relate fractions to daily life. The first portion of the test is still scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19th.

Science:
This week, we will be covering the following topics for our Chemistry unit: Elements we need to know, common compounds, organization of the periodic table, and element families.

ELA:
Spelling - The students have joined their new spelling groups. Everything will remain the same with their assignments for each week. Students will meet with their groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. There will be NO spelling the week of Christmas due to the two day school week.

Writing - This week, we will be taking extra time analyzing another mentor text to better understand the structure and appropriate content of a Literary Essay. Students have all crafted a thorough claim and are beginning an outline as they plan out their essay. By the end of the week, we should have our outlines complete and most, if not all, of our body paragraphs written! It is quite the challenging, but rewarding process!


Reading - We have finished Wonder and to celebrate/reflect, each student created a precept poster! Precepts, or words to live by, were mentioned throughout the book. The students enjoyed discussing the meanings of these precepts.

Between now and Christmas, we will be practicing our fluency skills through a couple reader's theater plays. The students will be given their first play Monday and will present Wednesday. Please ask your child to practice his/her lines at home to ensure adequate preparedness for presentation day. The goal is not memorization of their lines, rather smooth and fluent reading/speaking skills. The second play will be assigned Friday and performance will be the following Friday. This performance will be filmed and students will then view and self-score themselves on fluency.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Dec. 1-5

Announcements:

-BOOK FAIR!!! Each student and teacher will get ONE free book at the book fair this week! The book must be $10 or less.  Also, if you have your wish list filled out don't forget to get it to Mr. Scoville.

-With the math units becoming a bit more challenging, I am looking at starting an after school math study group. The study group will take place once a week in our classroom for 45 minutes. The time will be spent reviewing the concepts learned, practicing together, and completing some of the homework. Please send a note with your student or email me if you think this would be helpful for your child. Also include the day of the week that you would prefer the group to meet. I will send out another message later this week with more details once I've received your feedback. I hope to start the group next week.

-With the new quarter underway and after receiving some feedback from conferences, I have decided to implement a few changes this quarter. First, your student is required to read at least 20 minutes three nights a week. To confirm that they have read, I ask that you sign their planner in the ELA section. Second, On days when tests are returned, your student will be required to get a parent/guardian signature on the test and return it the following day. Thank you for your continued support!


What are we learning???

Math:
This week, we will be finishing up the test for unit 3 and taking the pre-test for unit 4. The next unit will cover comparing fractions, adding/subtracting/multiplying fractions, and converting between fractions, decimals, and percents. This is quite a long and complex unit. In efforts to not rush through it, we will only be covering half of the unit 4 material before Christmas break. We will take a test on half of the unit and then continue the second half of the unit in January. The test for the first half of the unit will be Friday, Dec. 19th.


Science:
Last week, students began researching an element of their choice. We will use the research collected to create a cube as a display for their work. The cubes will then be used to help students compare, contrast, and group the elements in various categories.

ELA:
Spelling - On Monday, the students will be assigned to new Words Their Way groups. Everything will remain the same with their assignments for each week. Students will meet with their groups on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.

Writing - Our class has begun the process of choosing a claim to pursue with their literary essay. They created a list of 5 possible claims about a character in their short story. From that list, they had to see which claims encompassed the WHOLE character and the WHOLE story. Starting Monday, we will polish up their claim statements and begin the process of finding evidence to then construct our body paragraphs of our essays. This week, students will also be referencing a mentor text to see what the author did really well and then try to mimic that in their own essays.

Reading - We are on the verge of finishing our read aloud book Wonder! Students have thoroughly enjoyed it and through the reading, have sharpened their skills of determining point of view, character/plot development, narrator styles, and discussion techniques. They will each be assigned a mini project to complete in response to the book this week.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us