January 22 - 26

 I can create narratives that develop setting, plot, and character; I can use suspense, figurative language, and dialogue in story writing; I can enhance personal style and voice through careful selection of words; I can edit writing for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Grade 6 ELAL

We are authors in grade 6! We began story writing by choosing one of two picture prompts to inspire ideas. Students had time to chat with one another to share story ideas before doing their own story planning. 

We used a "planning diamond" to get down all our ideas and to make sure we included all the parts of a good story. 

When we read and listen to stories in grade six (short stories, novels, oral storytelling, drama), we spend time looking at all the elements the author/story teller includes that help make it interesting. As we practice our own story writing, we reminded students about this and have encouraged them to keep it in mind when writing their own story. 

We have also been learning about 8 different figures of speech. We are encouraging students to try to include one of these somewhere in their story. 

We have printed the first draft of the stories and we are ready for peer editing this week. When students edit their classmates' work, they have the opportunity to see from another perspective: vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, ideas, and organization! Not only can they support their peers by picking up on any mistakes, but it helps them in their own writing as well. 

January 15-19

 I can describe how the structure of the Ancient Athens Government provided opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making

I can describe how identity, status, and class structure impacted citizenship in Ancient Athens

Grade 6 Social Studies

In grade six, we have been learning about some important places in Ancient Athens, including the Bouleuterion, Pnyx Hill, and the Agora. We have also learned about what political events took place in each location. Students have spent time reading and listening about citizens, citizens' wives, metics, metics' wives, and slaves and have learned that most of the people living in Ancient Athens actually were not allowed to participate in government decision making. 

This week, students have been working on creating a series of TikTok videos from the perspective of the different people in Ancient Athens. They worked in groups to write scripts, checked to make sure their work meets the criteria, then moved on to filming with the iPads at school. Everyone was super engaged in this work and we are all very excited to watch the videos together.

Tasks like this give students the opportunity to practice many important learning skills, including collaborating in a group, following instructions, meeting all the criteria, and managing time.

 

January 8 - 12

I can translate and reflect 2-D shapes within the four quadrants on the Cartesian Plane (Grade 6 Math)

When you perform a translation on a coordinate grid, you move a shape left or right or up or down or a combination of the two.

The rectangle on this coordinate grid was translated 3 to the right and 5 down.

Using the geoboards to practice translations

We practiced a bit in quadrant 1

When you perform a reflection on a coordinate grid, the shape is flipped across a line of reflection to form a mirror image.

We are learning that precision is super important!

Next week we will practice reflections over an angled line as well as rotations.

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I can demonstrate how movement patterns are applied across various physical activities and I can adapt movement patterns to improve accuracy, speed, and proficiency in a variety of dynamic physical activities (Grade 6 Wellness)

                                          

"I've never been this sweaty after PE!"