Rome!

Hello from Rome! My daughter and I have been here two days. Rome is 9 hours ahead of Riverside,  so we are still trying to adjust to the time change.
It's cool and chilly in Rome. It is also BEAUTIFUL. So much history here -- I have a feeling we will be studying some of what I'm experiencing!
Miss you all. Hope your vacation is lovely and relaxing.

The Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

This is an Egyptian obelisk that was brought to Rome in 10 AD

At the Pantheon

Monday

How did you like the weather today? It was very warm! Glad the A/C kicked on in the classroom.
We reread Last Summer With Maizon and answered some questions about the story. We also did a writing prompt about our winter traditions. I loved reading those!
In math we estimated products and quotients of fractions using compatible numbers as well as rounding.
I continued reading aloud from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Love that book!
There was also a surprise fire drill this afternoon.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Dickens, questions due WEDNESDAY)
• spelling -- choice
• math -- practice 10-4
• Studies Weekly due WEDNESDAY
• writing -- you are on a rocky beach. How did you arrive? What will you have for lunch? how long will you stay? Any adventures?

Friday, it's Friday!

Happy Friday! I love the way we ended the day, playing charades with our spelling words. That was fun. We also worked with evaluating Last Summer With Maizon and on principal parts of regular and irregular verbs.
Our Academic Vocabulary Toolkit word is significant. Significant can mean important. It can also mean big. We will do more work with this word on Monday.
In math, we divided fractions.
I started reading aloud one of my favorite books, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We also starting singing the sing along songs for next Friday's assembly.
Have a wonderful weekend! Next week we have some awesome things planned!

Thursday

Hi all! Happy Thursday! Next week at this time we will be back from our field trip to the park. We have some fun activities coming up! Make sure you have your AR goal met.
Today we read Last Summer With Maizon. We also did some work with principal parts of regular and irregular verbs.
In math, we modeled division of fractions. Tomorrow we will work with the algorithm for that.
We also finished reading Tuck Everlasting. Did you take the AR quiz? The ending always makes me sad and I wonder what would have happened if Winnie made a different choice.
Tomorrow we will have a new Academic Vocabulary Toolkit word.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (questions due tomorrow, will be graded)
• spelling -- choice
• math -- practice 10-2
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow (we will grade the crossword)
• writing -- the dog ran into the room carrying a glowing object in its mouth. What is it? Where does it come from? What does it do?

Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!
Today we read our new story Last Summer With Maizon. This story always makes me sad because I have been in Margaret's shoes. We evaluated the story using the "two most important" activity.
I have been enjoying the Academic Vocabulary Toolkit words. From my perspective, we will be able to use these words accurately.
Today in math we started Topic 10 and multiplied fractious. Remember you can cross cancel. It makes the multiplication and simplifying much easier.

Homework:

• Reading log
• fluency
• Studies Weekly worksheet
• math-- practice 10-1
• writing -- imagine a soccer super hero. What powers does he/she have? How did he/she get them?

Cold and Windy Monday!

Wow, it sure was cold today! Brrrr.
We started a new story in Language Arts. This story always makes me a little sad because it reminds me of something that happened in my childhood. We took a spelling pretest and worked on inferences. Because of band we didn't have the grammar lesson. That will be tomorrow.
In math we finished up Topic 9. The test is tomorrow! Be ready!
I am so pleased with the travel brochures you made for Where the Red Fern Grows.
Don't forget to get your permission slip signed for next Thursday's fun reward day. Get those AR points up -- you'll need 48% of your goal to participate.

Homework:

• reading log (I will be checking Reading Room reading logs!)
• fluency -- burger
• spelling -- missed words on pretest 5x each
• math -- practice 9-6 and prepare for test
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing: choose a picture and imagine that moment frozen in time. Write about it.

Tuesday

So glad to be back with you! Today went by quickly even though we didn't start the science rotations. First, we had some guests from Mr. Cortez's class. We went back over Where the Red Fern Grows and then did some practice book pages.
In math, we had our Topic 8 test. Topic 9 starts tomorrow!
Miss Keisling met with everyone interested in being an Elf or Santa for our fundraiser. Tomorrow is a dry run to work out any bumps in the road.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency
• math -- review what you know in front of Topic 9
• spelling -- choice
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• writing -- write about the life span of a brick wall

Last day of break

How has your week off been? Mine has been good. There was a day or two where I was bored -- missed you all!
Remember I won't be at school Monday. I'll be at the hospital. See you all on Tuesday!

Pep Rally and Thanksgiving break

We've made it through the first trimester and all the way to Thanksgiving break! Wow, it's been a quick year so far.
Friday we had a PEP RALLY to cheer on the USC Trojans! They won last night and play again next Saturday the 30th.
Have a wonderful break and Thanksgiving!

Wednesday

It feels like it has been a very long time since I posted!
Today we started Theme 3 in Language Arts (Growing Up). The first story is one of my favorites, Where the Red Fern Grows. We worked on making generalizations and vocabulary, then took the spelling pretest. I borrowed these words from Mrs. Neuman's blog; she did not put the challenge words.
In math, we worked on 8-3 (Improper fractions and mixed numbers).

Spelling Words
balance
lawyer
sheriff
author
minus
method
item
require
supply
whisper
spirit
tennis
adopt
instant
poison
deserve
rescue
journey
relief
laundry
enhance
delete
precious
structure
decade

Tuesday of a VERY short week

I cannot get over how fast this year is flying by. Tomorrow is the end of the first trimester. Wow! It feels like we have not been in school that long.
Today we read the career link called Dr. Dinosaur and took notes on the main ideas and details. Then we worked again with Dinosaur Ghosts. There are seven theories presented in the selection.
In math we worked on fractions in simplest form. There will be a Topic 7 math test tomorrow. Be ready!
Tomorrow is a full day even though it's Wednesday. This is because you don't have school Thursday or Friday due to parent conferences.
We are going to the library tomorrow with Miss Keisling's class. That means no 100 Mile Club tomorrow morning.

Homework: (the only night of homework this week!)

• Reading Log
• No fluency
• Spelling choice
• Math -- practice 7-5 and half sheet of notes for test
• Writing -- write about a turtle crossing Arlington Ave.

Friday before a 3 day weekend!

Happy Friday!
Today we finished reading Dinosaur Ghosts. We took our notes from yesterday and shared them with four peers. We also worked on transitive and intransitive verbs.
We went over Rights and Responsibilities. You need to make a chart using the research from your History Day project. Next step is to find pictures to match the Rights/Responsibilities you've written down. Remember this is a visual presentation and not a lot of words.
In math we skipped lesson 7-3 and went straight into 7-4, equivalent fractions. Math test will be next Wednesday.
Today was the final day of the third round of Egyptian rotations. We will start the next round on Tuesday.
No school Monday! And -- no school Thursday and Friday due to parent conferences.
Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday

Thursday is library day, which makes it FLY BY!
We read part of Dinosaur Ghosts and took notes on factual information about the dig and the dinosaurs. We are just getting into the theories of what might have happened to this specific group of dinosaurs. Have your notes ready for tomorrow! We also did a close reading on The Search for the Monsters of Mystery. You will need that selection to complete the Must Do Must Do.
In math we learned about Greatest Common Factor (GCF). You also received a preview of Least Common Multiple (LCM).
We continued our Ancient Egyptian rotations today. Tomorrow is the last day of the third round of rotations.
Remember that next Wednesday is a full day of school.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Egyptian numbers)
• spelling -- choice
• math -- practice 7-2
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing:  write about the life of a washing machine

Wednesday

Good evening! Today was a super quick day, being early release and all.
We started a new selection, Dinosaur Ghosts. This story is nonfiction.  We will be working on text organization and practicing how to monitor/clarify. We took a pretest in spelling (some of those words were difficult!) and started talking about transitive and intransitive verbs.
In math, we started Topic 7. We are going to skip a couple of lessons in this topic. We worked on prime factorization today, which I really like.
Tomorrow is library. And Egyptian rotations continue.
See you then!

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency
• studies weekly worksheet due tomorrow
• spelling -- missed words on pretest 5x each
• math -- practice 7-1
• writing: write a scene involving a long hallway

Tuesday!!

Happy Tuesday! I was at a meeting in the morning. It felt like a very short day since I didn't get to class until 11:30. Wait until you hear the plans we have in the works! Keep that AR goal where it should be!
Today was pretty much an assessment day. We had a test over The Girl Who Married the Moon as well as Topic 6 in math. We continued with our Egyptian rotations.
Since we were on an inclement weather schedule do to wind, we didn't play outside today. I didn't put the sarcophagi out to dry; hopefully they will dry in the classroom overnight.
Reminder -- no school Monday.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Egyptian numbers)
• no spelling
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• math -- enrichment 7-1
• writing -- "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Who are your five people? Do you agree with this quote? Why or why not?

Back in the Routine...

It felt good to be back in our regular routine today!
We worked on making inferences, main verbs/auxiliary verbs, and read poems about the moon. We discussed imagery in poetry. My favorite poem was the Langston Hughes one. Love!
In math, we discussed how to describe circles. Again, this lesson was full of vocabulary! How many degrees in a circle?
Today started our third round of Egyptian rotations. I am enjoying myself in these rotations! I like seeing how each group is different.
Remember -- tomorrow I will be in a meeting until 11:30. See you then!

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Say No to Drugs quiz)
• spelling -- take a practice test
• my math group -- practice 6-6 and make a notecard
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• writing -- invent a new sport

Too Good for Drugs and DANCE PARTY!

Today was AMAZING!
We did all ten Too Good for Drugs lessons. Now you have strategies for dealing with peer pressure, for making good decisions, and setting goals. It was a GREAT day!
In the afternoon, we had a DANCE PARTY for students who had 25% of their AR goal. Whoo hoo! We saved the treats left from yesterday and had those as snacks. That disco ball was snazzy!
Have a wonderful weekend!

CSI, math reward, parade...oh my!

What an awesome day!

Did you enjoy the CSI investigation? Were you able to pinpoint the correct suspect? Which test did you like the best? I liked seeing the iodine turn black.

The math benchmark reward party was AWESOME! You all did such a nice job on that test. So proud of our results!

The parade was fun too. 

There wasn't much about today that I didn't like!

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Wednesday!

I am so glad to be back at school! Today was a great day, loved seeing all the RED! (Go Cardinals tonight!)
Today we finished reading our folktale and did a new activity called SOAPS.
In math, we learned about quadrilaterals. There are five types of quadrilaterals that we studied: parallelogram, trapezoid, square, rectangle, and rhombus.
Tomorrow we have a science investigation and a grade level reward party (for those terrific math scores!). You can dress in a costume if you wish, but you must come to school already dressed.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (mummy newspaper article)
• spelling choice
• my math group: practice 6-5
• studies weekly worksheet and cryptology due tomorrow
• Writing -- write a scene that starts with a business card

A Little Rain on Monday....

We almost had a rainy day!
Today we did work on making inferences (story clues + own experience = inference) and vocabulary. We also talked about inflected endings (adding -s or -es to nouns and verbs) as well as action verbs and direct objects. There will be practice on all of these things tomorrow with the sub.
In math we learned how to classify triangles. Triangles can be classified by sides or angles. My math group will work on problem solving tomorrow with the sub.
We talked about Ancient Egyptian mythology and how the gods often had human bodies and animal heads.
We also finished The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. LOVE that book! Take the AR quiz if you haven't already. Still haven't decided what I'm reading to you next...

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (mummy newspaper article)
• Studies Weekly due Friday except the cryptology piece -- due Thursday
• Spelling -- choice
• Writing: Write a scene that goes backwards in time. Start at the end, finish at the start.

Remember, all the 6th grade teachers are at a meeting tomorrow. See you Wednesday!

Weekend!

The Cardinals play tonight and tomorrow in the World Series -- hope we do well!
Yesterday we had a fluency quiz over the Amelia Earhart article. We also worked on vocabulary for our folktale until it was assembly time. I was very sad to lose the jaguar; hopefully we win him back next month.
In math, we talked about different types of angle pairs. I like this lesson! Remember -- complementary angles are two angles whose measures equal 90 degrees. Supplementary angles are two angles whose measures equal 180 degrees.
We had the final day of our second round of Ancient Egyptian rotations. Next week we are stepping away from these rotations but will pick them back up again the following week.
Have a great weekend and please cheer on my Cardinals!

Thursday

Happy Thursday!
Today we went to the library. Did you take the AR quiz for the book Mrs. Wassman read us? We started a folktale in language arts. We had our spelling pretest and talked about homophones.
In math, we measured angles using protractors. Remember this topic is the only geometry topic that is represented on this trimester's report card.
We continued with our Egyptian rotations. Tomorrow is the last day of the second rotation.
Tomorrow is assembly day and crazy sock day!

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (quiz tomorrow!)
• my math group -- enrichment 6-1
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing: write about a day in the life of a chair

Wednesday Fun Day

Today we went to the Book Fair. I'm so excited about the books I bought. You'll have to let me know what you think of the two I bought for the classroom.
We had our Amelia Earhart test today. Tomorrow we start a folktale.
In math, we started Topic 6 (Geometry). The first lesson is mainly vocabulary. This is the only topic that has geometry for the first trimester.
Library tomorrow and assembly Friday. It is crazy sock day Friday!

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (quiz Friday)
• Studies Weekly worksheet due tomorrow
• Writing: what is the best place you've ever been?

Monday

Today we did some work with Amelia Earhart. Specifically, we went over the definition of fact and opinion. We looked at some sentences from the selection and decided if they were fact or opinion, then went back to a previous story to find examples of each. Finally, we read a story and answered fact and opinion questions about it. We also looked at suffixes that mean "someone who" and generated a list of "someone who" words, like teacher (someone who teaches).
We reviewed for tomorrow's math benchmark. Please be ready to take the exam tomorrow morning. Get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast. We are going to change our schedule tomorrow and have math in the morning.
Today was day 1 of the second round of rotations for Ancient Egypt. My group started working on their sarcophagi.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Amelia Earhart news story)
• spelling choice
• math -- study for benchmark
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing: what is your favorite snack? Why?

GO CARDINALS!! First game is Wednesday.

Cardinals!

The CARDINALS win the pennant!
We are heading to the WORLD SERIES!!!!
YAY!

It's Friday, Friday

Happy Friday! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
We had an anti-bullying assembly today. We also reread Amelia Earhart: First Lady of Flight.
In math, we took the Topic 5 test.
Finally, we finished the first round of Ancient Egypt rotations. New rotations start Monday!
See you Monday!

McTeacher Night

Oh my goodness, I just got home form McTeacher Night! So glad to see some of you there. YAY!
Today we took the district writing assessment. In math, we divided integers. And then it was early release day and we went home. Fast!
Tomorrow is a earthquake drill. We are prepared!

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency (Amelia)
• no spelling
• my math group: enrichment 5-4 and enrichment 5-5
• writing: If I were a caterpillar...
• Studies Weekly worksheet due tomorrow

Tuesday

Today flew by! We used an AVID strategy of sitting in a circle and passing our Amelia Earhart notes to our classmates. Each student read notes from five different students. We will use the same strategy tomorrow on our notes on part two. We also started "someone who" suffixes. We ran out of time, so we will finish that up on Thursday.
Tomorrow is the district writing test! Be ready to compare/contrast two characters in a response to literature.
In math, my group multiplied integers. Much easier than subtracting, don't you think?
Today was the second day of Egypt. It sounds like there were some very fun, hands-on activities happening today!
McDonald's Night tomorrow night! I'll be there from 5:45-7:00.

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (JBall questions due tomorrow)
• Spelling -- choice
• My math group -- practice 5-5
• Studies Weekly due Friday (read the entire paper every night!)
• Writing: tell me about your favorite movie and why it is your favorite

Monday, first day of Egypt!

Hi all! Today was a good day. We started by reading part of Amelia Earhart: First Lady of Flight. This is a biography and is written to provide information about Amelia Earhart and her last flight. We took notes, which we will share using an AVID strategy tomorrow. We also took a spelling pretest today.
In math, my group worked on subtracting integers. This is the most difficult concept in the topic and we did really well with it!
Today was the first day of Egypt rotations! How did you like it? What did you do? My group learned what a cartouche was (and made one) and we also learned about the Rosetta Stone.
Wednesday is the district writing test.
Thursday is an earthquake drill.
Pizza party tomorrow for Advanced scores in math (for my math group). Yay!

Homework:

• Reading Log (if you are in reading room, you must write a reading log)
• Fluency -- JBall (questions due Wednesday)
• Spelling -- missed words on pretest 5x each
• My math group -- Practice 5-3 and Practice 5-4
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing: If you started your own business, what would it be/ What would you sell? What would you make? What would you fix? What would you do? Why?

Hoping for a CARDINALS win tonight!

Egyptian Kick-Off!

Did you enjoy our kick-off to Egypt?! I had such a good time!

This morning, we started Theme 2 in Language Arts (What Really Happened?). We read a story about cliff dwellers who mysteriously left their homes.
In math, my group worked through two lessons. Way to go! we did comparing/ordering integers and also adding integers.
The afternoon was a little taste of what studying what Egypt will be like. Rotations start Monday.
I made a class Instagram account. Please follow: room13grade6
You'll need to request to follow, I made the account private.

Have a wonderful weekend

Thursday Thursday Thursday

What a jam packed day! First we had library. LOVE Mrs. Wassman singing to us! I need to figure out how to make a ring tone out of what I recorded :)
We started the story test but were interrupted for picture day. I can't wait to see all of your pictures! We finished the story test and moved quickly to math. Integers were fun today! Remember that absolute value is the distance from zero and is always positive.
Finally, we took our science test. I haven't looked at the tests yet. We also signed up for Ancient Egypt rotations. Our kick-off is tomorrow! YAY!

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (quiz tomorrow)
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• My math group -- practice 5-1
• Writing: Tell this story: "Just remember, you need to wait until he's finished working to ask him. He can get very angry if his work is interrupted. And we don't want him angry. We need his help."

Can't wait to read these stories!

Rain!

Did you see the rain today? LOVE!
Today we read the link Alone Against the Sea. We also worked on writing. Finally, we talked about contractions.
The math test was today. The scores I saw were FANTASTIC!
Tomorrow is Picture Day! Don't forget your money.
Finally, Friday is our Ancient Egypt kick-off. Make sure you have 12% of your AR goal!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Egypt)
• Studies Weekly due Friday AND worksheet due tomorrow
• My math group: Review What You Know in front of Topic 5
• Writing: the light goes out. What happens next?

Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday! We got quite a bit accomplished today. First, we talked about predicting outcomes using The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Then we worked on writing a response to literature: compare/contrast essay using Charlotte and Danielle from Climb or Die. Story test Thursday.
In math, we worked on problem solving with multiplication and division problems. Test tomorrow!
Today was the last day of the science rotations. The test will be Thursday.
Also, Thursday is picture day. FUN!
Remember, to participate Friday afternoon you need 12% of your AR goal.

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (Egypt)
• Spelling -- roll and spell with words 21-25
• My math group -- practice 4-5, notecard for test, and vocabulary organizer
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- your teacher is planning a field trip. Persuade her to let you go to your favorite place.

Monday

Sorry for the late post!
Today we reread The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and discussed it. We talked about possessives as well as common and proper nouns.
In math, we solved equations with multiplication and division. Remember to isolate the variable by using inverse operations.
The last rotation for science started today. Test Thursday.
We discussed how homework will be checked. If you are NOT in the reading room, you do not have to write a reading log. Math will be checked in your math group. Fluency will be checked by a Friday quiz. Parent signature and spelling will be checked daily.
We will have an Ancient Egypt kick-off this Friday. If you do not have 12% of your AR goal met, you will be reading during this time.

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (Ancient Egypt)
• Spelling -- roll and spell with words 11-20
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• My math group -- practice 4-3, practice 4-4, and vocabulary frame due Wednesday
• Writing -- Grumpy Greta is not happy. What happened to make her sad?

Windy Friday

The wind is not my favorite. I'm glad there were some games in the room to play during recess and lunch.
We finished reading the excerpt from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. That is a great book -- read it! We also did work on spelling as well as common and proper nouns.
Ms. Betts and Mrs. Ortega brought our 100 Mile Club certificates and shirts. So awesome to see so many of you at 25 miles already. And Carlos? 75 miles. WOW!
Math was problem solving. Basically, we read problems and created bar diagrams, then equations to solve.
We finished the third round of rotations in science today. The final round will be Monday and Tuesday with the test Thursday.
Have a great weekend and GO CARDINALS!

Thursday!

Thursday is library day. I love the library. Mrs. Wassman singing a book to us is one of my favorite things! I could not get that tune out of my head today!
We read part of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. There is quite a bit going on in this story; some of it is stated and some is not. Using the strategy of monitor and clarify helps with understanding the story.
In math, we solved addition and subtraction equations. The goal is to isolate the variable on one side of the equation. Remember to use the inverse (opposite) operation.
Today started the third round of science rotations. The test will be next week on Thursday. Keep good notes!
I am so excited about this week's Studies Weekly. I adore Ancient Egypt and the information in there is awesome.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency -- quiz tomorrow
• Spelling -- roll and spell (remember, you can use pieces of paper with the numbers written down if you don't have dice) with words 1-10
• My math group -- practice 4-2
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing -- you have discovered a new planet. What did you find there?

Wednesday and the Spelling List

Happy Wednesday! Early Release Days go by so quickly! We started The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle today. LOVE this story. GREAT book!
In math we started Topic 4, which is algebra. Today we talked about keeping equations balanced. What you do to one side, you must do to the other.
Please remember what we talked about in regards to commenting. Thank you.

Here are the spelling words for this story:

bloom
stout
droop
crouch
annoy
vault
squawk
avoid
sought
naughty
mound
groove
foul
hoist
gloom
trout
noun
roost
clause
appoint

Challenge Words:

bountiful
adjoin
nauseous
turquoise
heirloom

Does anyone need the extra spelling words?

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (Holocaust), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- missed words on pretest 5 times each (not the challenge words!)
• Studies Weekly due Friday AND worksheet due tomorrow
• My math group -- practice 4-1
• Writing: someone left a ladder by a tree. Who diid that? Where do you think they went?

Test Filled Tuesday

Long day of testing! We had our Climb or Die test and a math test. Whew! The only subject we didn't have a test in was science. That will be next week.

We finished the second round of science rotations. Thursday will be your first day of the next round. They are flying by!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Holocaust)
• No spelling :)
• My math group -- Review What You Know in front of Topic 4
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- you get some goldfish. How are you going to care for them?

Monday -- and a Fire Drill

Happy Monday! Today flew by again. I can't believe it is the last day in September.
Today we read the link Battling Everest. We also worked with our spelling words. That game was fun! I liked the sentences you came up with...
Test tomorrow over Climb or Die. I can't wait for the chapter book to arrive so we can find out what happened to the parents.
We talked about History Day. The theme this year is Rights and Responsibilities. Remember that your topic is due to me by October 15. It is such a broad theme that pretty much anything that interests you in history will work.
We had a problem solving lesson in math (solving multi step problems). Test tomorrow!
We started our second round of rotations today. In the middle of that, we had a fire drill. Overall, you did a great job at the fire drill.
Picture Day is October 10.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Holocaust)
• Spelling -- take a practice test
• My math group -- practice 3-7, reteach 3-8, notecard for test, gas project due tomorrow
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing: Jose and Zack are friends, but they don't want to play the same game at recess. What should they do?

Assembly Friday!

What a great day! We did a little work with Climb or Die before we went to the assembly. How exciting that we won for attendance! I love having the jaguar in our room. We need to name him...
The treats weren't bad either!
For math, we worked on solving equations with brackets. I understand that I was the only 6th grade teacher who did not assign weekend math homework. My group does have the math project (with gas prices) that is due on Tuesday.
This afternoon most of us went to the ice cream social. There was some dancing and singing outside -- that was fun.
Hope you have a fabulous weekend and see you Monday!

End of First Science Rotation Thursday

Thank you for being so patient with me today. If the pattern holds, I will feel much better tomorrow. Don't forget -- tomorrow is an assembly day and wear your school t-shirt day.
Today was our first visit to the library. I love the library! Mrs. Wassman is fantastic. I checked out a couple of books on earthquakes since that is what I'm teaching in rotations.
We did some more work with Climb or Die and then worked on complex sentences. I ordered a copy of the book because I have several unanswered questions. What happened to the parents? How do they get back down the mountain?
In math we divided a decimal by a decimal. Vocabulary to know: divisor, dividend, quotient
You each went to your science rotation for the second day. Since the ice cream social is tomorrow, the second round of rotations will start next week.

Homework:

• reading log
• fluency
• spelling -- choice
• my math group -- practice 3-6
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing -- you found a turtle when you were walking home from school. Write a note to whoever takes care of you convincing him/her to let you keep the turtle as a pet

Wednesday

Sorry I'm so late in posting this. I just got home from the doctor. How was your afternoon?
Today we finished reading Climb or Die. We had time to write Costa's questions and play Cats and Fish. I continue to be excited by the questions you write!
In math, we divided a decimal by a whole number.
Tomorrow we go to the library! I'm excited, I love the library.
Next week band will be on Monday and Wednesday.
Friday is the ice cream social for students who were Proficient or Advanced on the CST. Sounds delicious!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (climbing), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- choice
• Studies Weekly due Friday AND worksheet due tomorrow
• My math group -- enrichment 3-3
• Writing -- rescue the princess from the tower

Science rotations!

Happy Tuesday! How was your day?
We started reading Climb or Die today. We left off right at the part where Jake and Danielle don't find the weather station. We also talked about the prefixes un- (which means not) and re- (which means back or again).
In math, we multiplied with decimals. This was our only day this year to practice multiplication. Tomorrow -- division.
We had our first day of our first round of science rotations. You were either in earthquakes, tsunamis, plate tectonics, or weather. Day two will be Thursday.
Band tomorrow! Next week band starts occurring two days a week.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (climbing), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- choice
• My math group -- enrichment 3-2
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- you have turned into a cat. How do you convince your family who you are? How do you get changed back?

Monday!

So nice to be back! Today was a good day although it was a little warm. I'm very glad our A/C was fixed!
We started a new story, Climb or Die. Tomorrow we will read the first segment of the story. We also took a spelling pretest and started working on complex sentences.
In math, today's lesson was adding and subtracting whole numbers and decimals.
We ended the day with PE. You chose which activity to complete. I enjoyed myself!
Science rotations start tomorrow. The four rotations are earthquakes, tsunamis, plate tectonics, and weather. Make sure to take good notes to help you on the test!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (climbing), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- missed words on pretest 5x each
• My math group -- enrichment 3-1
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- You found the end of the rainbow...

Climb or Die -- spelling words (and vocabulary words also, in case you need them!)

Climb or Die spelling words:

cycle
sweat
rhythm
rely
pleasant
routine
cleanse
shove
reply
meant
sponge
apply
threat
myth
deny
leather
rhyme
thread
meadow
ravine

Challenge words:

endeavor
oxygen
nylon
realm
trampoline

Alternate spelling words for those of you who got 100% on the pretest:

dynamic
limousine
satisfy
symphony
mezzanine
physician

Climb or Die vocabulary words:

belay
carabiners
desperate
fatigue
foothold
functioned
ice ax
improvising
overcome
pitons

New York, New York

Hello from New York City! This has been a great weekend.
Ate New York pizza (delicious) and something called a cronut (a cross between a croissant and a doughnut). It's probably a good thing we don't have cronuts in Riverside -- I'd eat them all the time!
The play was very very good. It rained on me when I left the play. I love rain!
Can't wait to see you all Monday!

Final Day of Early Humans Rotations

Today was our last day of Early Humans rotations. Tomorrow is the test -- and the group continental drift dance! I'm so sorry I'm going to miss it. Please ask Miss Keisling or Mr. Cortez to video it using their phone.
We had our story test over Passage to Freedom today. Tomorrow you are going to do a writing assignment comparing/contrasting Mr. Sugihara with the refugees. Monday we will start the next story Climb or Die.
Math was the introduction to Topic 3 as well as lesson 3-1 (estimating). There are three ways to estimate: rounding, compatible numbers, and clustering.
Do well for the substitute tomorrow and I will see you on Monday! I'll try and post some NYC pictures over the weekend :)

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (quiz tomorrow)
• My math group: reteach and practice 3-1
• Studies Weekly due
• Writing -- you have just found a dragon's egg...

Early Release Day

Today went by quickly AGAIN. Wow.
We played Cats and Fish during language arts. The questions asked were thought provoking. Several of you asked if Mr. Sugihara's decision was the correct one. That's an ethical dilemma. He saved thousands of lives by making the choice he did.
We also did a close reading of a passage from The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. We noticed some structural things such as semicolons as well as word choice.
Today was the Topic 2 math test. How did you do?
Tomorrow we will have the Passage to Freedom story test and being Topic 3 in math. We will also have the final day of our Early Humans rotations. That test will be on Friday.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Mr. Sugihara), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- take a practice test
• My math group -- Review What You Know in front of Topic 3 and the sheet with 7 questions
• Studies Weekly due Friday AND worksheet due tomorrow
• Writing -- a penny falls from the top of a building. What happens?

Constitution Day

Happy Tuesday! Did you enjoy PE? What choice did you make?
Today we reread Passage to Freedom and started working on Costa's leveled questions. We'll use those tomorrow and play my favorite game, Cats and Fish.
Since it was Constitution Day, we looked at the Preamble. We deciphered the six reasons listed for the writing of the Constitution.
In math, we had the problem solving lesson. Tomorrow is your math test over Topic 2. Be sure to study tonight!
If you want to do an activity on SpellingCity, look in the comments from yesterday. I explained the steps in answer to a question.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Mr. Sugihara), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- choice
• My math group -- POD 2-6 and enrichment 2-7, plus make a note card for the test tomorrow
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- what habit have you always wanted to form but never have?

It's Monday!

Happy Monday! Today we continued with Passage to Freedom. Do you agree with the choice Mr. Sugihara made? Tomorrow will be Day 4 on the story, and then you can work on your Must Do Must Do.
In math we continued with Topic 2 by identifying patterns and then writing those as algebraic expressions. I loved the Cats and Fish activity we did in my group. The math test will be on Wednesday. Study!
Our final Early Humans rotation started today. Because Miss Keisling will be out tomorrow, we will have PE (all 6th graders) tomorrow. We will finish our last round of rotations Thursday and have the test Friday. Be ready to dance the continental drift dance!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Mr. Sugihara), 3 minutes
• Spelling -- choose one of the activities (if you choose SpellingCity.com, search for my name and the Passage to Freedom list will come up)
• My math group -- quick check 2-5 and quick check 2-6
• Writing -- you are a newly adopted dog. Write about your first day with your new family.

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday! This week flew by (again!).
Next week we are continuing with Passage to Freedom (one of my favorites!). We will also have a Topic 2 math test on Wednesday.
Rotations will be a little different next week. We will meet in our fourth round of rotations on Monday, have a different activity on Tuesday, and the final day of rotations on Thursday. Friday will be our test and the group continental drift dance. Can't wait!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Passage to Freedom -- spelling words

Here are the spelling words for Passage to Freedom:

theme
quote
gaze
pace
preach
strive
trait
mute
sleeve
roam
strain
fade
league
soak
grease
throne
fume
file
toast
brake
microphone
emphasize
refugee
pertain
coax

I put the list on spellingcity.com also. You can search by my name (Jennifer Wells) and find the list.

FANTASTIC Thursday!

There is no other word except FANTASTIC for today! I loved everything we did. Passage to Freedom is a GREAT story; I cannot wait until we start to read it tomorrow. I have "Conjunction Junction" stuck in my head! Love!
Mental math is one of my favorite lessons. I really liked how we discussed different ways to compute mentally. I can't wait to read the leveled questions you are working on for Topic 2.
Today started our third afternoon rotations. We are almost finished with this round! Wow, it seems quick.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency
• Spelling -- missed words on pretest 5 times each
• My math group -- enrichment 2-5 and quick check 2-4
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing -- You find a secret tunnel down a back alley in Riverside. Where does it go?

Early Release Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! Much cooler again and I really am enjoying the weather.
We had our Hatchet test today. Tomorrow starts one of my favorite stories, Passage to Freedom. I can't wait!
Tomorrow's math lesson is also one of my favorites (mental math). I think tomorrow is going to be a SUPER DAY!
How are you doing on your AR goal?

Homework tonight:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (please mark where you finished reading)
• My math group -- practice 2-3 and reteach 2-4
• Studies Weekly worksheet due tomorrow
• Writing -- you are taking a journey along the Yellow Brick Road. What happens?
• No spelling!

A Cooler Tuesday...

It was almost cold this morning! I like that!
Today I started looking at progress toward AR goals. If you don't have 5% of your AR goal, you will be going to the Reading Room at recess. The percentage required will increase every week. This is something you need to keep current.
Tomorrow is our Hatchet story test. You will also have time to finish the writing we started today.
Band is tomorrow morning for those of you continuing from last year.
In math, we worked on Order of Operations. A way to remember the correct order is PEMDAS or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.
We finished our second round of rotations. No afternoon rotations tomorrow since it is Wednesday. Thursday you will go to your third round of rotations.
See you Wednesday!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Early Humans in China), 2 minutes
• Spelling -- take a practice test
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- write a scene that involves a potato and a countdown
• My math group -- enrichment 2-2 and quick check 2-2

Marvelous Monday

Happy Monday!
Busy day again. We finished up the district language arts assessment and did some work with Hatchet. I love the Cats and Fish game! We also read a story about a boy who stopped his school bus when the driver had a stroke. Tomorrow we are going to work on writing and then the Hatchet test will be on Wednesday. I'm glad to see that the copies of Hatchet I brought in are being read! I ordered the other books in the series and they should be here tomorrow.
We had our second day of math rotations. Hopefully you all learned about the different properties of operations. Your math homework might be different, depending on what your math teacher assigned.
We also rotated for science and social studies. Today started our second round of rotations.
Band will be Wednesday morning for those of you who are continuing from last year.

Homework:

• Reading log
• Fluency (early humans in China), 2 minutes
• Spelling -- choice
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing: write about waking up in a hospital
• My math group -- quick check 2-1 and enrichment 2-1

It's Friday...Friday!

Again -- where did the day go?!
Today we listened to Hatchet and wrote questions using Costa's Levels of Thinking. We'll use those questions Monday. In math, we started math groups. The feedback I heard was that it went well. It's going to take a few days to get the routine down, but I think it will be a good thing.
I'm sorry we had to finish up the district assessment, but it gave me time to finish listening to everyone read three stories aloud.
Lunch was fun; I enjoyed eating with you and having floats. YUM! I had a root beer one -- normally I'm not a root beer person, but today it was delicious.
The netbooks are ready to be used, so we can start taking more AR quizzes. Remember you need to be at 5% of your goal by Monday.
Next week we'll have a Hatchet test on Wednesday.
Have a TERRIFIC weekend and I'll see you Monday!

Hatchet -- Spelling Words

Several of you have mentioned looking for spelling words on the blog. That's a GREAT idea! Here are the spelling words for Hatchet:

craft

brass

habitat

magnetic

depth

wreck

length

else

pledge

tepid

deft

film

wince

cliff

switch

pitch

grill

bomb

prompt

cobweb

plunge

sunk

scrub

stung

bulk

Wow, This Week Has Gone By Quickly...!

I can't believe it is the end of day on Thursday ALREADY. This week is going by too quickly. Maybe we need school on the weekends. Just kidding! I do want to say that I LOVE our class.
I'm sorry that rotations were canceled today. One more assessment day and we will be back on track with rotations.
Speaking of -- math groups start tomorrow! I'm excited for this to start.

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (quiz Friday!)
• Spelling -- choice
• Math -- Review What You Know (hopefully you finished in class)
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing -- what is your favorite season. List five reasons why.

My favorite season is autumn. Pumpkins, boots, jackets, crisp air...I can't wait for this heat to be over!

Fantastic Wednesday!

It sure seemed like time flew by today! With band starting and it being an early release day, it felt like a super quick day. We started reading Hatchet (love that book!), talked about kinds of sentences, and suffixes. Math was problem solving, which is my absolute favorite! Those lessons always make me happy. Tomorrow we have our second round of rotations. If you were with me, you will go to Mr. Cortez and so forth.
Math test tomorrow. Don't forget to make your note card!

Homework:

• Reading Log
• Fluency
• Spelling -- choose an activity off the "spelling homework" paper
• Studies Weekly due Friday AND worksheet due tomorrow
• Math -- practice 1-6 AND make a note card for the test

Tuesday and End of First Rotation

Happy Tuesday after a three day weekend! We were very busy today. Today was the first day of Theme 1 in Language Arts. We are reading an excellent selection called Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Tomorrow is the last lesson in Topic 1 in math, and then our math test will be on Thursday.
If you went to band last year and are interested in band again this year, Mrs. Terry will begin tomorrow.

We finished our first round of rotations. Since Wednesday is an early release day, you will go to the next rotation teacher on Thursday. I am having a really good time getting to know students from other classes.

Homework tonight:

• Reading Log
• Fluency (Gary Paulsen article, read for 2 minutes)
• Spelling -- missed words on pretest 5x each
• Math -- practice 1-4 and reteach 1-5
• Studies Weekly due Friday
• Writing -- write about crossing a bridge

See you Wednesday!

First Week of School!

What a GREAT first week of school! This is going to be the best year ever! I'm very excited about our class and the work we are doing.
Friday was a big day. We had a Discipline Assembly in the morning. At lunch, the twenty-two students who were able to unravel and wear their frozen shirts had a root beer float party. So much fun! The music and dancing made it even more lively. We love to celebrate accomplishments in 6th grade!
After lunch, we started rotations. Students went to one of the 6th grade teachers for the first day of a two day rotation. This is going to be standard practice. Two of the rotations are social studies (early humans) and the other two are science (continental drift and volcanoes).
Three day weekend this weekend, so no school Monday. See you all on Tuesday!

Early Humans kick off and Back to School Night

Today we held a kick off for our Early Humans unit. The teachers put on a skit. Fun but hot! 

Homework tonight:

• Reading Log (plus a question)
• Studies Weekly due tomorrow
• Writing: write an ABC poem about a character
• Math: reteach 1-3 (not #5) and practice 1-2

Remember, you will get a homework pass if an adult comes for you tonight! 

Wednesday!

Wednesdays are different because we get out early. No afternoon rotations on Wednesdays :(
Tomorrow is Back to School Night. I will have a presentation at 6:30 and another at 7:00. Hope to see everyone's family there!
Tomorrow we are going to kick off our Early Humans unit. Should be fun!

Tonight's homework:

• reading log (remember to ask a question of the author or a character)
• math: reteach 1-2 and practice 1-1
• writing: write about the sound, the color, and the smell of school
• continue Studies Weekly 
• Studies Weekly worksheet, due tomorrow

Successful Teacher

Part of last's night homework was to list qualities of a Successful Teacher. The answers were interesting and a little inspiring.
Top responses were:

• have lesson plans ready
• love teaching
• make time for each student
• be helpful
• be a good example
• make learning fun
• show how to do things
• don't give up
• be organized
• encourage students
• be patient
• be positive
• give rewards
• worry for students
• and -- be on time

Homework tonight:

• reading log
• emergency card filled out and returned tomorrow
• math reteach 1-1
• continue with Studies Weekly
• writing: write about a white shirt

Today flew by! This week is going by too quickly!

Post First Day of School

First day of school is in the books! It seemed like the time flew by today. Maybe because of the clock problems!

Homework for tonight is:

• Reading log (read for 30 minutes, then write a 3-4 sentence summary)
• Writing prompt (five things you forget)
• Successful teacher
• Have pink paper signed 
• Start Studies Weekly (due Friday)

The Cool Mess activity was very fun! I wasn't sure what to expect, but 22 sixth graders were able to unknot the shirts. It was a good lesson in determination and not giving up. We CAN do what seems impossible.

Don't forget -- we will have a root beer float party if we get 100% of the pink papers back by Friday.

First Day of School!

Welcome to 6th grade! I'm so excited to start the year.
We are going to do school differently than you've experienced in the past. This year is going to be one to remember!
School hours are 8:10-2:30 every day except Wednesday, when dismissal is at 1:15.
Back to School Night is Thursday. There will be presentations at 6:30 and 7:00. I hope everyone's family can attend.
The first week we are going to have a few grade level activities. Monday, we have a fun team building activity. Thursday we are going to kick off our first round of rotations, which will start Friday afternoon.