Johnson's Journal September 19th

                This will be another busy week in sixth grade.  We are finishing up our map skills unit and starting a project to culminate the unit.  The sixth graders will be asked to create an imaginary state and include many of the map parts that we have talked about—cities, a capital, natural landforms, man-made features, a map scale, compass rose, key, and a grid showing latitude and longitude.  The project will be graded on its completeness, accuracy, and creativity.  I will introduce the project on Monday, time will be given to work on it in class on Tuesday, and it will be due on Thursday.  I am anxious to see what creative ideas come forth in these maps!  Daily Geography Practice will be due on Friday.  There were many A’s on last week’s lesson over using a map grid!  I hope to see even more A’s on this week’s packet which covers using latitude and longitude (absolute location).

                We spent the past week in math working with estimation strategies for addition and subtractions, as well as multiplication and division.  Just when we got the crazy rule for estimating sums and differences in our head (Round both numbers to the greatest place of the lesser number), we moved on to multiplication which has a different rule to remember (Round each number to its greatest place).  To top it off, you could also estimate using front end estimation, compatible numbers, and clustering.  With so much material to absorb, you can see why it is important to be focused at all times!  We will start the week off with a review game of Jeopardy and a quiz over these estimating strategies.  Tuesday, the students will have a second quiz to see if they have mastered all the topics covered so far this fall.  After these quizzes, I will see where we need to review and who needs a bit of extra help.

 I will also be taking time to re-work last week’s problem solving assignment with those who had trouble with it.  We are always striving for excellence.  Congratulations to those students who reached the goal of solving at least 85 multiplication problems in five minutes.  Their grades have been adjusted to show their progress.  Students who have not yet met the goal will take another time test on Friday.  I would like to thank those of you who have reviewed math facts with your students. 

If you have not yet checked your student’s grades in the Campus Gradebook, I would encourage you to do so.  If you do not have access to Parent Portal, please contact Trish Morris at 444-4300, ext. 222.  If you are having trouble accessing the “new and improved” Parent Portal please contact me, and I will be glad to show you how to navigate the gradebook.  If you have any questions about your sixth grader’s progress, please contact me so we can work together to help your student successful.

Sixth Graders Take Multiplication Time Test

Dear Sixth Grade Families,

In sixth grade it is VITAL that the students know their multiplication facts with accuracy and speed.  Many of the concepts taught in sixth grade involve multiple steps, and if your child does not know their multiplication facts they get so bogged down.  A time test was given on Thursday; the students were given five minutes to solve 100 problems.  Solving 95-100 problems in five minutes is not an awesome accomplishment--it is an expectation.   Congratulations to the students who know their facts with speed and accuracy!!  Students who did not solve 85 problems in five minutes will spend time during study hall and/or recess drilling on facts and take the test again this coming Friday (September 16^th). 

However, there simply is not enough time in the sixth grade day to work on multiplication facts.  If your child did not reach the goal of 85 problems in five minutes, please break out the flashcards and help them brush up on the facts.  There are also many web sites which provide fun ways to drill on the facts.  When your learner improves his score, his grade will be changed to indicate the progress. 

If you have questions about this sixth grade expectation, please be sure to contact me.  I appreciate the time and support you will be giving to your child as we work together to meet this goal. 

Sincerely,

Ruth Johnson

Johnson's Journal September 6, 2011

                I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  It was the perfect weekend to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather.  Now it’s time to get back into the swing of school.

“Every job is a self portrait of the person who does it.  Autograph your work with excellence.”

When I ran across this quote this summer, I thought, “Wow!  This quote does a wonderful job of encouraging all of us to give our best effort all the time.”  Students in my classroom quickly find out I have high expectations for them.  When they hand in an assignment or project, I tell them that this should be their best work and that they should be proud of what they are handing in.  I have seen high quality work from my sixth graders this past week and I say, “Kudos!  Keep up the good work.”  Other times, work needs to be re-visited so that it meets sixth grade standards.  I ask my students to make corrections on their daily math work.  Checking an assignment, marking it with a grade, and then having students take it home does not encourage learning.  If there are errors, I want the kids to understand why they made the mistake and how to do the work correctly.  Writing projects must often be revised, too.  When your child says that they are re-doing or re-working an assignment, it is so that it is an example of excellence.  I hope that your learner develops a sense of pride in their work this year.

Helping students develop a sense of responsibility is another of my goals for the year.  We start each day by writing assignments for the day and upcoming assignments in their planner.  I do not require you to sign your child’s planner, but I certainly appreciate it when you look at their planner and make sure that assignments are being completed on time.  In their planner, you will note that there is a quiz over continents and oceans on Wednesday.  On this quiz students will be asked to identify the continents and oceans; they will be required to spell these names correctly.  They also have a problem solving assignment due on Friday.  Daily math and social studies assignments will also be given during the week.

About every second or third week your sixth grader will be given a problem solving assignment which requires them to use not only their math skills, but also their writing skills.  I will introduce the first problem solving task Tuesday and model how the assignment should be completed.  The math is usually the easy part!  Students have to come up with a strategy for solving the problem, solve it so others can follow their work, and then explain the steps involved in solving the problem.  Writing clearly and including all the steps involved in solving the problem can be quite challenging.  I would invite you to take a look at your child’s work.  Can you follow their directions?  Are they sequenced correctly?  Do they make sense?  With time and practice, the sixth graders become quite proficient at writing complete explanations. Good mathematicians can solve problems.   Great mathematicians can explain what they do in writing! 

Again, if I can answer any of your questions or concerns please contact me.  My email address is ruth.johnson@belmond-klemme.k12.ia.us and my phone is 444-4300 extension 334.