I hope all of you are enjoying a relaxing weekend with your family. It's hard to believe we already have two weeks of school under our belt. Things continue to go very well in sixth grade!
This week in math we will continue to work with ratios, in particular equivalent ratios. Through our study, the kids will recognize that 1:2, 6:12, 36:72, etc. are all equivalent and how to create equivalent ratios. Tape diagrams are a tool we will be using to help develop this concept and make the concept easy to see. Our new Engage New York math curriculum is exposing students to concepts that have not been taught at the sixth grade level in the past, but I am pleased at how thorough the explanations are. Most importantly these new materials really make the kids THINK and give them a deep understanding of why we do the things we do in math.
Don't forget that we will start the week with a quiz over the continents and oceans on Tuesday during social studies. The sixth graders will need to identify the continents and oceans on a map and spell the names correctly. We will continue to review using latitude and longitude, and end the week with a lesson on choosing the correct map for the job. Physical maps have a different use than road maps, and cultural maps have a different purpose than political maps. It will take us this week and the next to complete our social studies map skills unit. Then we will switch gears and dive into a science unit.
Both Ms. Halfpop and I are asking the sixth graders to use cursive penmanship on most assignments. This has caused a fair amount of groaning, but like anything, cursive will become second nature with practice. Perhaps you could have your learner write the grocery list or the Target list for you in cursive; look for times when they can practice at home.
Please don't forget the early dismissal on Wednesday, September 3rd. The teachers will be involved in professional development meetings that afternoon.
The sixth grade magazine sales drive will also kick off this week.
As always, please contact me if you have questions or concerns. I want to work with you to make this year a positive one for your sixth grader. I can be reached at 641-444-4300 ext. 334 or ruth.johnson@bkcsd.org.
Ruth Johnson
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Johnson's Journal August 23, 2014
The 2014-2015 school year has gotten off to a great start. Several new activities were on the calendar during this first week. We joined with our fellow Broncos on the first day of school to perform community service. The kids did a great start helping out at the Belmond Rehabilitation Center and Belle Haven Assisted Living Apartments.
On Thursday, we began the day with an assembly at Jacobson and then spent the morning moving from station to station learning about what it means to show Bronco Pride throughout the school. This was a roll out for our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) which will be implemented at Jacobson this year. All students will be taught expected behaviors and then recognized when they are showing these positive behaviors. We are confident that this program will make our building a positive, caring place.
In our classroom, we worked to build a learning community; procedures and expectations were taught and there were activities so we could become better acquainted. As you can see, this was a very busy week; I think we will all be ready for a bit of relaxing this weekend!
During the coming week, we will settle into our regular routine. In Social Studies, we will review map concepts. On Monday, the sixth graders will be assigned their first DGP (Daily Geography Practice) which will be due on Friday, August 29th. Many of the questions on DGP have several parts; often the students will complete only part of the question. Reviewing your learner's work and helping them make sure that their work is complete would be most appreciated. On Wednesday, look for a continents and oceans study guide to come home. The students will be expected to identify the continents and oceans on the world and spell the names of the continents and oceans correctly. There will be a quiz on Tuesday, September 2nd.
This year all students at Jacobson will be using a new math program. After a year of study, the staff felt that this new program will help students develop a deeper understanding of math. It involves a whole new way of looking at math, and students will be asked to THINK in ways they never have before. When starting anything new there will be "growing pains," but in the end, the teachers are confident that the end results will be worth pain. No pain...no gain!
Our first lessons in math will have us learning about ratios. I will try to be as thorough as I can in my instruction and pace the instruction so that all the learners are successful. However, know that I am expecting 110% effort from your child. Success will require extra effort from all of us. If you have questions about our new math program, (or anything else about what's going on in sixth grade) please do not hesitate to contact me.
Ruth Johnson
P.S. Please don't forget that school pictures will be taken on Tuesday, August 26th!
On Thursday, we began the day with an assembly at Jacobson and then spent the morning moving from station to station learning about what it means to show Bronco Pride throughout the school. This was a roll out for our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) which will be implemented at Jacobson this year. All students will be taught expected behaviors and then recognized when they are showing these positive behaviors. We are confident that this program will make our building a positive, caring place.
In our classroom, we worked to build a learning community; procedures and expectations were taught and there were activities so we could become better acquainted. As you can see, this was a very busy week; I think we will all be ready for a bit of relaxing this weekend!
During the coming week, we will settle into our regular routine. In Social Studies, we will review map concepts. On Monday, the sixth graders will be assigned their first DGP (Daily Geography Practice) which will be due on Friday, August 29th. Many of the questions on DGP have several parts; often the students will complete only part of the question. Reviewing your learner's work and helping them make sure that their work is complete would be most appreciated. On Wednesday, look for a continents and oceans study guide to come home. The students will be expected to identify the continents and oceans on the world and spell the names of the continents and oceans correctly. There will be a quiz on Tuesday, September 2nd.
This year all students at Jacobson will be using a new math program. After a year of study, the staff felt that this new program will help students develop a deeper understanding of math. It involves a whole new way of looking at math, and students will be asked to THINK in ways they never have before. When starting anything new there will be "growing pains," but in the end, the teachers are confident that the end results will be worth pain. No pain...no gain!
Our first lessons in math will have us learning about ratios. I will try to be as thorough as I can in my instruction and pace the instruction so that all the learners are successful. However, know that I am expecting 110% effort from your child. Success will require extra effort from all of us. If you have questions about our new math program, (or anything else about what's going on in sixth grade) please do not hesitate to contact me.
Ruth Johnson
P.S. Please don't forget that school pictures will be taken on Tuesday, August 26th!