Weekly Update March 2-6

Announcements:

-Read Across America week: This week, we will be celebrating Read Across America week. Throughout the week, we will be participating in various activities to encourage reading and to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. There are also theme-based dress up days all week! Below are the descriptions for each day.

• Monday: Wear a crazy hat!
• Tuesday: Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Wear red and white!
• Wednesday: Wear wacky clothes (i.e. stripes, polka dots, etc.)!
• Thursday: Wear crazy socks!
• Friday: Mr. Grinch day! Wear green!

Math Study Group:  We will have math group this Thursday, March 5th. Depending on the need, we will either work on the math games or prepare students for the next unit on multiplying and dividing fractions. 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!

-Spring Break: If you are planning on leaving early for Spring Break, please call me or send me an email so I can send the work home that your child will be missing. Thank you in advance!

What are we learning???

Math:
The students will be creating games to review the 5 units we have covered this year. The directions and rubric were given out last Friday. This will be a partner project. This coming Friday, they will play each other's games. After Spring Break, they will have a chance to play the games Mr. Burress' students made. We will then begin Unit 6 with the pretest on March 17th.

Science:
We will be continuing our study of the circulatory system this week.  The test for the Digestive and Circulatory system will be Thursday, March 5th. They will be able to use their notes for the test.

ELA:
Reading - Book Club will continue to take place Tuesday and Friday. The students are encouraged to prepare for their discussions by doing some of the following: record interesting quotes, questions from the text, events in the story that are confusing, difficult vocabulary, predictions, etc. The book club project Artful Artist is due March 24th.

In our reading textbook, we will be reading a persuasive essay titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum. On Monday, I will introduce the reading response options that will be due on Friday.

Writing - The students have begun crafting their paragraphs for an informational website on a teen activist. Our goal for this week is to craft, edit, and polish all writing required for their websites. When we return from Spring Break, we will begin constructing our Weebly sites and inputting all of their wonderful writing!

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

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Feb. 23-27

Announcements:

-Math Study Group:  We will have math group this Thursday, Feb. 26th as well as March 5th. 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!

-Preparing for Middle School: Mr. Burress and I are slowly releasing responsibility to the students to help them prepare for Middle School. Last week, they began walking themselves back from lunch. I am also changing our planner checks in the afternoon. They are now responsible to record the homework in their planners. If there are any issues with this and not completing the required homework, I will let you know.

-Spring Break: If you are planning on leaving early for Spring Break, please call me or send me an email so I can send the work home that your child will be missing. Thank you in advance!

What are we learning???

Math:
This week we will finish up Unit 5 with one more section about parallelograms and a review day. The test for Unit 5 is THIS Thursday, Feb. 26th and the Written Response will be Friday, Feb. 27th. The study guide for this unit is REQUIRED. They will be completing it as homework and the whole packet will be due Wednesday so we can go over it.

Science:
We are beginning our discovery of the circulatory system this week. The students will do several interactive activities with the heart as well as the system as a whole. There will be a quiz on Section 1 in their textbooks on Thursday, Feb 26th. They will be able to use their notes for the quiz.

ELA:
Reading - Book Club will continue to take place Tuesday and Friday. The students are encouraged to prepare for their discussions by doing some of the following: record interesting quotes, questions from the text, events in the story that are confusing, difficult vocabulary, predictions, etc. The book club project Artful Artist is due March 24th.

In our reading textbook, we will be reading an essay written by Anne Frank titled "Why?". Today, I will introduce the reading response that will be due on Friday.We will do a bit of research on Anne Frank and synthesize it into a paragraph on Wednesday.

Writing - We have begun our informational writing unit on teen activism. Last week, the students chose a cause and a teen activist to research. This week, we will continue to polish our research skills and collect information to cover the "big picture" of our topic. By Friday, they will have a flash draft of their essay. I'm thoroughly impressed with their energy and enthusiasm as they research a cause that they are passionate about! We have a class full of teen activists in the making! :)

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

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

Weekly Update Feb. 9-13

Announcements:

-Math Study Group: 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!




* Congratulations to Levi, Payton, Alex, and Abbey for placing in the Patriot's Pen contest!

* The whole class for the awesome work you did on your thematic essays! What a great accomplishment to have TWO essays under your belts!

What are we learning???

Math:
Last week, the students showed their growing understanding of coordinate geometry through a mystery graph project. They had to design a picture on a 4-quadrant grid and record ordered pairs on a separate sheet of paper. Once they were finish, they swapped the ordered pairs list and graphed each other's pictures. It was a challenge, but they performed beautifully and stepped up to the task!

This week we will be looking at transformations on a graph and congruent figures. We will be completing a mini-project on transformations as this is a tricky concept for most students. Again, please know I have added several review games to the class blog to aid in the review and practice of these skills. The test for Unit 5 has been moved to Thursday, Feb. 26th and the Written Response will be Friday, Feb. 27th.

Science:
This week, we continue our investigation of the digestive system and nutrients our body needs. The students will be researching a specific nutrient, it's source, the benefits of it, and what happens when our body is deprived of that nutrient. There will be an open book quiz Thursday, Feb. 12th of what we've learned of the digestive system so far.

ELA:
Reading - The students have received their Book Club books and have already had their first discussion. The students are encouraged to continue to prepare for their discussions by doing some of the following: record interesting quotes, questions from the text, events in the story that are confusing, difficult vocabulary, predictions, etc.
In our reading textbook, we are transitioning to non-fiction short stories. This week, we will be reading "The Jacket" by Gary Soto and will look specifically at the order of events in a non-fiction text. On Wednesdays, I introduce 3 reading response options for students to complete. They are due each week on Friday.

Writing - Last week, the students finished their thematic essays! I was so impressed by how well they structured their essays and used evidence from the story to support their claim! This week, we will be competing a few free-writes and reflective writing. Next week, we will begin a new writing unit!

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

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ball

mball@gibraltar.k12.wi.us

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