Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope everyone had a nice, long, and relaxing Fall Break weekend. It's hard to believe Winter Break is only two months away! The year is really flying by.
We're excited for this week as we begin many new things at school. Here's a look at what we'll be working on this week:
6th Grade Math: Continue multiplying fractions. Digits due Friday! Quiz over multiplying fractions Friday.
HW: 60 minutes of ixl.com (T.1-T.10, U.1-U.9, V.1-V.13, W.1-W.8)
7th Grade Math: Begin ratios and unit rates.
HW: 60 minutes of ixl.com (6th grade lessons AA.1-AA.9, 7th grade lessons J1-J12)
Language Arts: We will begin a mini-project on story structure and the elements of a story. Students will be working to answer the driving question: "What makes a story a story?" Students will be taking part in a short entry event and then working with this the whole week. To learn the elements of plot, students will be rotating through stations, reading, and labeling a plot map. As the week progresses, we will be reading multiple short stories, and then moving into a novel (We can't tell you which one yet... it's part of the PBL entry event surprise!). As always, we will continue working on writing: well-written paragraphs, short-answer responses, and argument writing. Grammar-wise we'll begin looking at comma usage and appositives in the near future.
HW: Read 30 minutes each night, Complete two Achieve 3000 articles at 75% or better with well-written thought questions.
PBL Work Time: Students will begin a new project today! There will be new groups, a new question, and new things to learn. The focus for this project is primarily science based, with many language arts ties (we're reading a novel with the project), and some math skills. Our driving question for this project is "What devices are needed to assist a school or community member with everyday tasks?" Students will take on the role of inventors and engineers for much of this project. The culminating event will be a Invention Fair which you will receive an invitation to at a later date!
Much of what the students will be learning focuses on simple machines and potential and kinetic energy. If you're interested in the exact school standards and objectives for this project, feel free to take a look HERE. This document will also be sent home in Monday folders for your viewing pleasure.
For this project, students will need a 1-subject notebook or writing composition notebook. Most students have this from the school-supplies list at the beginning of the year. We also have some on hand at school. These notebooks will be used for vocabulary, sketches, journaling, and science planning. In many ways, this notebook also ties into the novel we will read.
This week, students will be charting their Knows/Need To Knows, creating a problem statement, and creating their group contracts. Students will also be learn about simple machines, their definitions, and how they are used in everyday life. Next week, they will begin taking part in a student-driven inquiry based activity dealing with energy.
More specific benchmark due dates and workshops will be set as we find out what students already know about this topic. More info, pictures, and details will be sent later this week as students get started with this project!
HW: This project may require more time at home than previous projects. There will be a need for studying vocabulary and concepts learned in class, and some project work may need to be completed outside of school, depending on time constraints.
Other Important Dates and Information: *It's Red Ribbon Week at school! To show they will be drug-free, students may dress up with the following dates:
And here's an invitation via the Weidner School of Inquiry @PHS to their Cancer Awareness Gallery Walk on Friday, November 1. Check it out!
As always, feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns. It's going to be a fun week!
Thanks for all your time,
6th Grade PBL Facilitators
We hope everyone had a nice, long, and relaxing Fall Break weekend. It's hard to believe Winter Break is only two months away! The year is really flying by.
We're excited for this week as we begin many new things at school. Here's a look at what we'll be working on this week:
6th Grade Math: Continue multiplying fractions. Digits due Friday! Quiz over multiplying fractions Friday.
HW: 60 minutes of ixl.com (T.1-T.10, U.1-U.9, V.1-V.13, W.1-W.8)
7th Grade Math: Begin ratios and unit rates.
HW: 60 minutes of ixl.com (6th grade lessons AA.1-AA.9, 7th grade lessons J1-J12)
Language Arts: We will begin a mini-project on story structure and the elements of a story. Students will be working to answer the driving question: "What makes a story a story?" Students will be taking part in a short entry event and then working with this the whole week. To learn the elements of plot, students will be rotating through stations, reading, and labeling a plot map. As the week progresses, we will be reading multiple short stories, and then moving into a novel (We can't tell you which one yet... it's part of the PBL entry event surprise!). As always, we will continue working on writing: well-written paragraphs, short-answer responses, and argument writing. Grammar-wise we'll begin looking at comma usage and appositives in the near future.
HW: Read 30 minutes each night, Complete two Achieve 3000 articles at 75% or better with well-written thought questions.
PBL Work Time: Students will begin a new project today! There will be new groups, a new question, and new things to learn. The focus for this project is primarily science based, with many language arts ties (we're reading a novel with the project), and some math skills. Our driving question for this project is "What devices are needed to assist a school or community member with everyday tasks?" Students will take on the role of inventors and engineers for much of this project. The culminating event will be a Invention Fair which you will receive an invitation to at a later date!
Much of what the students will be learning focuses on simple machines and potential and kinetic energy. If you're interested in the exact school standards and objectives for this project, feel free to take a look HERE. This document will also be sent home in Monday folders for your viewing pleasure.
For this project, students will need a 1-subject notebook or writing composition notebook. Most students have this from the school-supplies list at the beginning of the year. We also have some on hand at school. These notebooks will be used for vocabulary, sketches, journaling, and science planning. In many ways, this notebook also ties into the novel we will read.
This week, students will be charting their Knows/Need To Knows, creating a problem statement, and creating their group contracts. Students will also be learn about simple machines, their definitions, and how they are used in everyday life. Next week, they will begin taking part in a student-driven inquiry based activity dealing with energy.
More specific benchmark due dates and workshops will be set as we find out what students already know about this topic. More info, pictures, and details will be sent later this week as students get started with this project!
HW: This project may require more time at home than previous projects. There will be a need for studying vocabulary and concepts learned in class, and some project work may need to be completed outside of school, depending on time constraints.
Other Important Dates and Information: *It's Red Ribbon Week at school! To show they will be drug-free, students may dress up with the following dates:
- Monday - Service/Career Day
- Tuesday - Wild/Wacky Outfit Day
- Wednesday - Wacky Hair Day
- Thursday - All Red Day
- Friday - Favorite Famous Person Day
And here's an invitation via the Weidner School of Inquiry @PHS to their Cancer Awareness Gallery Walk on Friday, November 1. Check it out!
As always, feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns. It's going to be a fun week!
Thanks for all your time,
6th Grade PBL Facilitators