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!