One of the students commented that they couldn't believe we only have this week and the next before we break for the Christmas holiday. It does seem hard to believe! We do have many things to get wrapped up before the semester ends on December 19th and that includes both a math test and a science test.
Today ( Monday), we will begin preparing for the science test which will be on Wednesday. We will go through the science packet we've been working on and highlight the things that need to be reviewed for the test. We will also play Memory with the chapter vocabulary. Your sixth grader will be coming home tonight with a set of Memory cards which will be useful for reviewing for the test, as well as a practice worksheet that goes over the chapter vocabulary. Please start reviewing tonight; we will play a review game tomorrow in class and it will be much more fun and competitive if your child has studied and is prepared. It will also avoid last minute cramming tomorrow night.
The math test is tentatively planned for Thursday. We will begin working on a study guide tomorrow which will have problems exactly like those on the test. It will be imperative that your child is engaged and thinking in class as we go over the study guide. Both Mrs. Soma and I are seeing too many students who are unwilling to think for themselves and want someone to help them with each step of the process. Those students who can work independently are the ones who have been most engaged during class. Please ask your sixth grader to explain to you how he came up with the answers he got on his study guide. If he can explain how he did it, he will be able to do the problems on the test successfully.
Please remember that the early out for next week has been moved from the 17th to the 19th. School will be dismissed at 12:20 that day!
Monday, December 8, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Johnson's Journal November 23, 2014
Just a P.S. to my earlier post today---
One of the items on the sixth grade supply list was a basic calculator. A few sixth graders do not have a calculator, a couple of learners have calculators that have already bit the dust, and there are some students who just don't know where the calculator you sent to school with them in August has gone :( A calculator really is needed for math this year. If your child does not have one, it would be greatly appreciated if you could get him/her one as soon as possible. All that is needed is a basic calculator; it does not need to be a scientific calculator. If purchasing one is a financial hardship, we do have a few extras in our classroom that your child can use. However, there are not enough for everyone...it is going to be vital that the kids hang on to their calculator and bring it to class with them daily!
Thank you!
One of the items on the sixth grade supply list was a basic calculator. A few sixth graders do not have a calculator, a couple of learners have calculators that have already bit the dust, and there are some students who just don't know where the calculator you sent to school with them in August has gone :( A calculator really is needed for math this year. If your child does not have one, it would be greatly appreciated if you could get him/her one as soon as possible. All that is needed is a basic calculator; it does not need to be a scientific calculator. If purchasing one is a financial hardship, we do have a few extras in our classroom that your child can use. However, there are not enough for everyone...it is going to be vital that the kids hang on to their calculator and bring it to class with them daily!
Thank you!
Johnson's Journal November 23, 2014
I think we are all looking forward to the short week this week and then spending some well deserved time off with our family and friends. We will have a full day of school on Tuesday and then take the rest of the week off for the Thanksgiving break.
In math, we have been working hard to make the connection between ratios, fractions, decimals, and percentages. If you have heard your sixth grader uttering that famous line, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing," there is a good reason why! To help reinforce the concept that the whole thing is 100%, I showed that old Alka-Seltzer commercial where Ralph is bemoaning the fact that he ate the whole thing. (I suppose even many of you parents are too young to remember that commercial from the early '70s!) You do whatever you can to help kids remember important concepts! If you look at the online links found on the right hand side of my blog page, you will see that I have added links to several games that are great for reinforcing and practicing the percentage concepts learned in class.
Look for another grade report to come home the week after Thanksgiving which will update you on your child's progress in math during the second quarter. I will also include a science or social studies report...if your child's grade is a D or F. The second grading period is a short one and ends December 19th.
Our science lessons have focused on classifying living things into kingdoms. Ask your sixth grader to name the five kingdoms of living things and describe the organisms in each category. We had great fun discussing the fungi we have eaten recently and looking at the nasty infections that can be caused by fungi and monera. The "ick factor" is a very powerful tool for engaging sixth graders in learning! This week, we will take a look at how a very vast kingdom such as Animalia can be broken down into smaller and smaller groups in which the members become more and more similar. Your learner should be able to tell you how the mnemonic device "Kings play chess on funny green stools," is helping him remember the subdivisions of kingdoms.
I hope all of you will take time to reflect on the blessings in your life this Thanksgiving weekend. Having the privilege of working with your child is one of my many blessings!
In math, we have been working hard to make the connection between ratios, fractions, decimals, and percentages. If you have heard your sixth grader uttering that famous line, "I can't believe I ate the whole thing," there is a good reason why! To help reinforce the concept that the whole thing is 100%, I showed that old Alka-Seltzer commercial where Ralph is bemoaning the fact that he ate the whole thing. (I suppose even many of you parents are too young to remember that commercial from the early '70s!) You do whatever you can to help kids remember important concepts! If you look at the online links found on the right hand side of my blog page, you will see that I have added links to several games that are great for reinforcing and practicing the percentage concepts learned in class.
Look for another grade report to come home the week after Thanksgiving which will update you on your child's progress in math during the second quarter. I will also include a science or social studies report...if your child's grade is a D or F. The second grading period is a short one and ends December 19th.
Our science lessons have focused on classifying living things into kingdoms. Ask your sixth grader to name the five kingdoms of living things and describe the organisms in each category. We had great fun discussing the fungi we have eaten recently and looking at the nasty infections that can be caused by fungi and monera. The "ick factor" is a very powerful tool for engaging sixth graders in learning! This week, we will take a look at how a very vast kingdom such as Animalia can be broken down into smaller and smaller groups in which the members become more and more similar. Your learner should be able to tell you how the mnemonic device "Kings play chess on funny green stools," is helping him remember the subdivisions of kingdoms.
I hope all of you will take time to reflect on the blessings in your life this Thanksgiving weekend. Having the privilege of working with your child is one of my many blessings!
Monday, November 10, 2014
Johnson's Journal November 10, 2014
If your sixth grader has not shown you his/her grade report for the first three weeks of the quarter, please ask to see it tonight. After you have seen the report, please sign it and return it tomorrow. Thank you!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Johnson's Jounral November 7, 2014
In order to keep you up-to-date as to your sixth grader's progress in math, a progress report was sent home with your child today. This gives you information about the work your student has done in the first three weeks of the second quarter of this school year. Please sign it and return it to school with your child on Monday. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. I would be glad to work with you and work together to resolve those questions.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Johnson's Journal November 3, 2014
My math students took their first Mid-Module Assessment (chapter test) last week. The assessments have been corrected, grades entered into Campus, and were returned to the students on Friday. Please ask your student to see their tests. Many have work that they should be anxious to show off to you! If you have questions about your learner's progress, please contact me.
In Social Studies, the sixth graders have been working hard on creating dialogues in which they are applying skills taught in language arts and demonstrating an understanding of what life was like at Border Cave. They are off to a great start but now need a bit of help from you. They are ready to have their work edited and make any revisions necessary to improve their writing. Your child is to choose two of their four dialogues to revise. Would you please look over the two they have chosen tonight (Monday) and help them with this process? Evidence of editing and revisions will result in extra points on your student's final grade for this project. We will be ready to start our final drafts which will be published so I am looking for high quality work. Thanks for your help in this process!
Don't forget the early dismissal on Wednesday for staff development meetings.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Johnson's Journal October 26, 2014
After three days of MAP testing last week, it was nice to get back to a "regular" routine. The kids did an awesome job of focusing on their testing and did a nice job adapting to all the changes that were made to the schedule. The results of the testing will help us monitor your learner's progress and give us information to guide our programming.
This week we will take our first Mid-Module Assessment in math. Mid Module Assessment is just a fancy name for a chapter test! Our classwork on Monday and Tuesday will help us prepare for the assessment. The lime green study guide which we will work on in class on Tuesday provides a good review of the type of questions which will be on the test. If all goes as planned, the test will be on Wednesday. We have worked very hard up to this point, and I am anxious for the students to show off what they have learned!
We have wrapped up our science unit on cells and genetics and have begun a social studies unit which focuses on early man and their technology. Ask your sixth grader about the two most important pieces of technology early man had; I'll give you a hint--it was not an iPhone 6!
We will also begin working on a dialogue writing project in which the students will apply the skills learned in Ms. Halfpop's language arts classes with the knowledge gained from our work in social studies. I'm looking forward to the kids showing what they have learned in a fun and creative format!
On Friday, the sixth graders will celebrate Halloween with a movie and treats. Ms. Halfpop and I will select a movie we feel is appropriate for the students. We try to find movies they may not have seen, and we tend to like movies that can be termed as "feel good." The kids can bring a treat and drink to enjoy during the movie. Sixth graders do not wear costumes for Halloween, but we will watch the younger students as they parade around Jacobson.
By this time, you should have received your student's first quarter report card. If you have questions about their progress, please feel free to contact me.
This week we will take our first Mid-Module Assessment in math. Mid Module Assessment is just a fancy name for a chapter test! Our classwork on Monday and Tuesday will help us prepare for the assessment. The lime green study guide which we will work on in class on Tuesday provides a good review of the type of questions which will be on the test. If all goes as planned, the test will be on Wednesday. We have worked very hard up to this point, and I am anxious for the students to show off what they have learned!
We have wrapped up our science unit on cells and genetics and have begun a social studies unit which focuses on early man and their technology. Ask your sixth grader about the two most important pieces of technology early man had; I'll give you a hint--it was not an iPhone 6!
We will also begin working on a dialogue writing project in which the students will apply the skills learned in Ms. Halfpop's language arts classes with the knowledge gained from our work in social studies. I'm looking forward to the kids showing what they have learned in a fun and creative format!
On Friday, the sixth graders will celebrate Halloween with a movie and treats. Ms. Halfpop and I will select a movie we feel is appropriate for the students. We try to find movies they may not have seen, and we tend to like movies that can be termed as "feel good." The kids can bring a treat and drink to enjoy during the movie. Sixth graders do not wear costumes for Halloween, but we will watch the younger students as they parade around Jacobson.
By this time, you should have received your student's first quarter report card. If you have questions about their progress, please feel free to contact me.