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Note to parents:  I was out today and will also be gone tomorrow, attending a writing assessment workshop here in Moore. Tell my sixth graders I miss them and look forward to being back in class on Friday.

Math review helps students

In math we went over yesterday’s three problems. It seemed to help. Many were trying to add the term number, rather than the number in the correct column.

Today’s assignment is OK page 8-9, evens 2-28, plus 25, 27, 29.

In language we did two more words for our lexicon. We added pleasant and anonymous. Most didn’t finish so they will be allowed to finish for tomorrow’s bell work, as they can’t bring the dictionaries home.

In spelling we did individual word sorts. They wrote words on a piece of paper then decided how to sort them. They then glued them onto a piece of construction paper and labeled each group.

Today in sixth: patterns, poetry, common misspellings

In math we worked with patterns in number sequences.  Getting the pattern seemed to be fairly easy but figuring out the equation was not so easy.  The paper assignment is page OK 6, numbers 18, 19, and 20.

In spelling we are all doing the same list.  We chose 15 words from a list of commonly misspelled words.  As soon as I finish the blog I will put them on spellingcity.com.

In language they were given another day to work on Poetry Ringo in class.  It is due March 9^th.  The rest will need to be done on their free time or at home. 

Have a great day.  Book orders are due tomorrow!

Students work with time math

In math we worked with elapsed time and subtracting and adding hours, minutes, and seconds. This bothered some at first, but when they realized we were just regrouping in sets of 60, rather than tens, it seemed to help.

In language we started our Poetry Ringo. They were given time to work on this today. This is a 2 week project. They are due March 9^th. On this day your child needs to be prepared to perform the poem of his/her choice, by memory. We went over the difference of saying a poem and performing a poem.

In spelling the Evan Moor group took a test and the Wordskills group worked more with prefixes and the words they have studied.

I learned that the entire class lost recess on Monday because they would not behave for Mrs. Mac. Please talk to your child about being on his/her best behavior at all times, no matter which class he/she is in.

Have a wonderful weekend!

More word problems in math

In math today we discussed some word problems and worked them aloud, together.  Some didn’t have an answer; they just wanted us to figure out how to solve it.  This confused them a great deal.  They felt better when I told them the only answer was how the problem could be solved, as we didn’t have enough information to solve anything else. Their paper assignment is wb 135-135-evens only PLUS #17 & #19.

In language we peer-conferenced with our argumentative piece.  They should be ready to turn in their final copy by tomorrow.

In spelling each group played Sparkle.

Wednesday in sixth grade: metric measurement, verb forms, spelling and COMPLIMENTS!

In math today we worked more with metric measurement, but for capacity and mass, rather than length.  We discussed the difference in metric and customary measurement.  Your child has a review quiz on page 444 in his/her text due tomorrow.  Some require a ruler.  If you do not have one at your house, he/she may do those the first part of class tomorrow.

In language we did a quick review of linking and helping verbs.  We also started a new writing piece.  Again, we are still working on argumentative pieces.  Your child had to write the pros and cons of a school uniform.

In spelling, the wordskills group did pages 209-210, which reviews all the words up to now.  The Evan Moor group did an editing practice, using their spelling words.

Class pictures are tomorrow

We will be taking class pictures tomorrow.  Remember that if you want your child to take individual pictures, he/she needs to do this before or after school hours. 

Our class received two compliments today.  We have a compliment chart in the room.  We are one away from a special treat of some kind.  Remembering our procedures has been a little hard for some of us.  So we are working on them continuously. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

In math today we worked with metric units.  Our assignment was wb 129-130.  On 130 they were to do 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9-15.  Another extra credit opportunity was put out today, and is due next Tuesday, February 28^th.

In language we did a check up on verbs.   We will be reading our arguments from last week tomorrow. 

In spelling each group had a paper assignment today. 

Have a great Tuesday!

An open letter to parents about math

If you've been paying attention to what your child is doing in math class, you know that this is nothing like what you remember about sixth grade math.

Oh, maybe you remember it, but you remember a lot of what we're doing now from your early high school years.  Or maybe you can't remember ever doing the type of work your sixth grader is doing.

Times have changed, and math instruction has changed along with it.  In Moore, our math objectives are set at the district level -- our curriculum, our objectives, even our daily plan for what to teach.  Teachers don't have a lot of discretion to slow things down or to spend extra time on areas the kids are having trouble with.

So even more, that means parents have to take an active interest so their kids don't fall behind.  You know that some kids have a natural aptitude for math -- they enjoy math, it seems logical to them, and they'll do well no matter what we study or how fast we go.  If your child is like that, just hang on and enjoy the ride.  But if your child has some trouble with math (even if he or she is doing great in other subjects), that means you need to be pro-active when it comes to math.

What can you do if your child struggles with math?

1. Don't hesitate to talk with me.  I'll be glad to talk with you and share my perceptions of what your student is doing.
2. Follow this blog.  Every day, I'll tell you what we did and what the assignment is. If a student neglects his or her math work for even a few days, we move so fast that it can be hard to catch up.  Every math lesson is built on the lessons before.  Students who don't keep up even for a short time can really fall behind.
3. Talk with your student about math.  If we are discussing probability, say, in class, have him or her explain it to you.  Just talking about it can help a child learn.
4. Be sure your child is doing his or her work.  If you need to, ask to see math homework every night.
5. If your child is deficient in some basic skills (some are still having troubles with basic multiplication facts, which they need to know thoroughly for success at this level), work with your student on those skills.
6. There are many websites and computer games that teach math skills.  Just Google "sixth grade math" and you'll come up with lots of ideas.

The most important thing is for you to be involved.  Ask questions, look at returned tests, check homework.  It's much harder to "fly under the radar" if a parent asks a lot of questions.

Good luck!  And let me know if I can help.

Susan Jacobs

Math and measurement, plus new Valentine poems

In math we checked over yesterday’s work.  What caused  some people trouble were measurements that weren’t given on the chart.  So we went over how to put them into different measurements again.  Our assignment is skills page 63-64, evens only.

In spelling today we played the suffix/prefix games we played.

In language we wrote. Since we are working on argumentative writings, we took a situation that happened at my former school in Enid, and everyone was assigned to write a piece in support of the school or in support of the mother.  I am eager to read these.

As promised, here are some more poems.  I have been very impressed!

Dear Valentine

I hope you are mine,

You really do shine,

I loved you with all my heart

From the very start.

I hope you know our love does show.

Valentine’s Day

A day to show love

A day not to fight

But to care for eat other.

New Poem:

Valentine’s Day is like the blue in the sky.

It’s fun like being with family.

It’s like playing in the leaves in the fall.

But, it’s so much more,

It’s Valentine’s Day.

New Poem:

Be my Valentine

You make my world really shine

Be my Valentine.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a day to love,

A day to care.

For people to get candy to share.

Valentine’s floating in the air.

On Valentine’s Day, love is everywhere!

Have a great extended weekend with your family!

Class works with measurement

In math today we worked with capacity.  We had to figure out equal measurements.  Again, this required using our multiplication skills and division skills.

In spelling we made games dealing with suffixes and prefixes.  We will play them tomorrow.

In language we worked on building a point for argumentative writings. 

I hope all of you survived Valentine’s Day!  Happy Wednesday!

In math we started chapter 8, which deals with measurement.  Today we dealt with customary units (inches, feet, yards, miles).  Many had great difficulty using a ruler when measuring anything that didn’t land on an exact inch.  So we will be continuing to work with that.

We used spelling time to read silently. 

In language we wrote Valentine poems. 

Here are a few.  I will share more tomorrow.  By the way, they were not allowed to use “Roses are red, violets are blue…”

                Every time I see you I smile.

                Every time we talk my heart beats faster.

                Whey you sit next to me, I want to hug you.

                So, I wanted to say Happy Valentine’s Day.

New poem:

                I see you,

                You see me.

                At that instant

                The sun shines,

                And the fog fades away.     

We do have some writers in this room!

              

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Class studies personification

In math we took our chapter 7 test.  I didn’t hear a whole lot of moaning, so it must not have been too painful.  Most did very well.

In spelling we aren’t taking a test this week.  We will work with words and word parts.  Today we did a page for our lexicon.

In language we worked with personification.  Your child’s assignment was to take the list of objects and verbs and use them in their writing of personification.

Have a great Monday!

Here's website to help you access your sixth grader's math book online

In math today we took a practice test over chapter 7. We answered them and discussed those that gave us trouble. We will take our math test on Monday.

Also here is the site to go to in order to access the math book online. Click here. Go to this website and use this code to get in: A45E800D29

Let me know how this works. If there are problems, I need to know.

We took our spelling tests.

In language we finished writing about our famous person and read silently.

Have a great weekend!

School pictures are tomorrow

In math we used estimation to figure percentages.  Now today was a bit confusing at first, as we were not able to use our normal rounding/estimating rules in today’s lesson.  I do believe, however, that we understood what to do.  We talked again about numbers being compatible.  This made solving the problems much easier.

In spelling both groups played Sparkle.

In language we had to write from another person’s voice.  The example I used was:

I always read whenever I could.  I was always honest.  I was so tall and skinny. I was a lawyer at one time.  I always felt the need to help those that needed it.  Sometimes it wasn’t easy to fight for what I felt was right.  One of my sons died and I was sad.  I just wish I hadn’t gone to the theatre that night. 

Tomorrow is picture day.  We will take class pictures during the day.  We will take an all 6^th grade picture at 3, and we have been asked to wear our Broadmoore shirts for this photo if we have one.  Individual pictures will be taken before or after school hours.

Have a great Thursday evening!

Wednesday in 6th: word problems, predicate adjectives and avoiding drama

In math we worked on figuring out word problems with large numbers by making them simpler. Any time you work with word problems, there are moans and groans. We tried to show some ways to simplify the problems to avoid that. If your child didn’t finish, he/she has four problems on Skills page 61 to do.

In spelling each group had their individual lessons. Tomorrow we will play Sparkle.

In language we worked with predicate adjectives. We know that adjectives modify a noun or pronoun. We are used to picking them out in sentences like, “The green turtle walked slowly.” Today we found them after a linking verb such as, “The volcano became violent over time.” That is the difference between an adjective and a predicate adjective. If you need a review on predicate adjectives, click here.

We are having issues with children talking about others. My rule is, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.” Our feelings get hurt very easily at this age, and most of the time I don’t think people want to hurt others, but they do it in anger or to impress someone or to be part of the crowd. Please talk this over with your child. We have so much to do in sixth grade that there isn’t enough time for dramaJ

Happy Wednesday!

Students use math to make predictions

In math today we worked with taking information and making predictions.  We used our knowledge of proportions to do this.  We made a tally chart of the 20 people in our math class today of eye colors.  We then took that information and made predictions of each eye color (blue, brown, green, or hazel) for our school, based on an enrollment of 600.  Our paper assignment is wb pages 119-120.

In spelling the Wordskills group worked with synonyms, antonyms, word choice, and analogies.  They worked with words they have had throughout this series.  The Evan-moor group worked on editing and definitions on pages 33-34.

In language we wrote another poem.  This one was on color.  They were to choose one color for the whole poem or use a different color for each line. 

Example:  Purple is like being with family.

                Purple is like the feeling of success.

                Purple is like smooth, unmarked carpet.

                Purple is like shiny jewelry.

                Purple is like a road trip, filled with fun.

Have a great Tuesday!

Revisiting some previous math work

In math we revisited Friday’s work, as we had a brand new substitute and it wasn’t explained as well as I think it should have been.  Nothing against her, as 6^th grade math is not easy for anyoneJ

In spelling the Wordskills group took a pre-test.  The Evan-Moor group grouped their lists by syllabication.

In language, the students worked on their parts of speech posters.  Today was the last day they will be given class time to work on them.  They are due Friday of this week.

No news today, because I was out of town attending the funeral of a friend.  I outlined activities for my sub, which mostly included some much-needed reviews.  I will be back in class Monday.

Ms. Jacobs

Theoretical and experimental probability...in sixth grade!

In math we discussed theoretical probability and experimental probability.  Yes, big words that can be very scary.  But we went over them.  I told them not to let big words scare them.  Once you tear a word apart, you can make sense of it.  Their paper assignment is the mid-chapter quiz on page 388.

In spelling we played Sparkle and each group had an assignment.

In language we discussed adverbs and adjectives, and how to tell them apart.   We also discussed other parts of speech that we have worked with this year.  Your child drew a part of speech and is to research that part.  They may use books, the Internet, any source they may find.  Their assignment is to make a poster (I will provide the paper if they do not have any) for the part of speech he/she drew.  It is to be pleasant to the eye.  The objective of this is to make a poster so that a person can not only see examples of the given part of speech, but have a better understanding of it, as well.

Have a great Thursday!

Today's learning in sixth grade: probability problems, spelling, alphabetizing, and argumentative writing

In math we went over probability.  We did a series of probability problems together.  We had to find the fraction, decimal, and percentage for each one.  Rather than use scratch paper, we used our new dry erase boards.  Our assignment is a review page.  It is in our Skills workbook. Your child should do page 57-evens only, and all of page 58.

In spelling the Wordskills group did section b in their workbooks and the Evan Moor group worked with their spelling words by alphabetizing and unscrambling them.

In language, we were allowed to finish our argumentative piece or read silently.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

A fun reminder of the real-life skills we DON'T teach in skills.  The guy pictured by the blackboard is Bill Gates, to whom this is attributed.