Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

The sixth grade students will be taking the Fractions test on Multiplying and Dividing fractions on Tuesday.  Here are some of the notes on these two topics.

Multiplying Fractions
1.  Make all whole numbers and mixed number into fractions.
2.  Cross cancel if possible.
3.  Multiply the numerators.
4.  Multiply the denominators.
5.  Simplify in possible.

Dividing Fractions

1.  Make all whole numbers and mixed number into fractions.
2.  Leave first fraction alone, turn division into multiplication, take reciprocal of second fraction.
3.  Cross cancel if possible.
4.  Multiply the numerators.
5.  Multiply the denominators.
6.  Simplify in possible.

New Reading Project-Rebecca Caudill

On Monday, Ms. Hagensee ventured into the sixth grade Reading classroom to present the 2013 Rebecca Caudill nominees.  The sixth grade students will be choosing and reading 3 of the 20 nominations.  Students should be reading their first novel this week.  While reading, we encourage students to take notes on post-it and their reading project summary worksheet.  Along with taking the "Accelerated Reader" tests, the students will complete a project.  There are a total of five projects.  The sixth graders will choose only 3 projects, one for each novel.

The sixth grade projects include:
1.  A Timeline Poster
2.  Character Collage
3.  A Movie Trailer
4.  Top Five List (write about the top 5 Themes represented in the novel)
5.  Comic Strip

2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominees


Angleberger, Tom - The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Baskin, Nora Raleigh - Anything but Typical
Draper, Sharon M. - Out of My Mind 
Falls, Kat - Dark Life 
Ferrari, Michael - Born to Fly 
Friend, Natasha - Bounce
Gaiman, Neil - The Graveyard Book 
Gephart, Donna - How to Survive Middle School 
Hawkins, Aaron - The Year Money Grew on Trees
Holm, Jennifer L. - Turtle in Paradise
LaFleur, Suzanne - Love, Aubrey
Lai, Thanhha - Inside Out & Back Again 
Meyer, Susan Lynn - Black Radishes 
Mulligan, Andy - Trash 
Perkins, Lynne Rae  - As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth 
Rhodes, Jewell Parker  - Ninth Ward 
Senzai, N. H. -  Shooting Kabul 
Telgemeier, Raina  - Smile 
Wiles, Deborah  -  Countdown
Williams-Garcia, Rita   - One Crazy Summer 

Verbs Part II

Today, sixth grade students took a quiz on the first part of the Verbs Unit from the English textbook.  This week we will continue with the Verbs Unit and start part II.  In the second section of the Verbs unit, the students will eight different sections.

Lesson 6.  Simple Verb Tenses- students will identify and use verbs in the present, past and future tenses
Lesson 7.  Perfect Tenses-  students will identify and use principle parts of verbs and perfect tenses of verbs
Lesson 8:  regular and Irregular Verbs-  students will identify regular and irregular verbs, and will identify and use principle parts of some irregular verbs.
Lesson 9:  Subject-Verb Agreement- will use forms that agree in number with their subjects
Lesson 10: More Subject-Verb Agreement- use verb forms that agree with compound subjects joined by or, either/or, and neither/nor, and use verb forms that agree with the subjects in sentences beginning with here or there
Lesson 11: Contractions- identify contractions in sentences, and identify the words that make up a contraction
Lesson 12 & 13: Confusing Verbs-  students will correctly us sit, set; lie, lay; rise, raise; lend, borrow; let, leave; and teach, learn

Post-It Note Bookmark

The sixth grade students were presented with a "Post-It" Note Bookmark for their free choice fiction novel project.  The "Post-It" Note Bookmark will accompany their Accelerated Test for their complete grade on this project.  The following is a copy of what your child received today.  There are three turn in dates for the "Post-It" notes and a final date for the Accelerated Test, due 12/6.

Post-It Notes

Bookmark

Directions: Choose one of the following after each chapter or about 10 pages.  You must have at least 10 Post-It notes total, some may be used twice.

1.  Describe how the main character looks and acts.

2.  What is a prediction that you can make after learning about a character?

3.  Write two unanswered questions.

4.  What is the main problem so far in the novel?

5.  Write a 1-3 sentence summary of important events on the chapter or pages? 

6.  What does the title mean to you?

7.  Make any personal/media connection to the book?  Explain the connection.

8.  Describe a character’s actions.  Was it a good or bad choice?  Explain.

9.  Give an example in the book that made the main character happy, sad, or angry.

10. Which part of the book would you change?

Post-It Notes Checks
You must have at least 10 Post-It notes total some may be used twice.
Date	You Need
Monday 11/19	3 Post-It Notes ---------- /(6) 2 points each
Wednesday 11/28	3 additional  Post-It Notes ---------- /(6) 2 points each
Monday 12/3	4 additional  Post-It Notes ---------- /(8) 2 points each
Thursday 12/6	Final Accelerated Reader Test due

Divisibility Patterns

Divisibility Patterns will help sixth grade students in our upcoming Fractions units.  Practice these at home, they really work!  They are like little math tricks!

The following rules will help students determine if a number is divisible by 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, or 10.

A number is divisible by:

• 2 if the ones digit is divisible by 2 or even.
• 3 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3.
• 5 if the ones digit is 0 or 5.
• 6 if the number is divisible by 2 and 3.
• 9 if the sum of digits is divisible by 8.
• 10 if the ones digit is 0.

Here is an example of the work students can do in their head to know what numbers work:

Is 1,120 divisible by 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, or 10?

• 2: YES, The ones digit 0 is divisible by 2.
• 3:  NO.  1 + 1 + 2 + = 4.  You can not divide 4 by 3.
• 5:  YES.  The ones digit is 0.
• 6:  NO. The number is divisible by 2, but not by 3.
• 9:  NO.  The sum of the digits is 4.  4 is not divisible by 9.
• 10:  YES.  The ones digit is 0.  

1,120 is divisible by 2, 5, and 10.  

 

Buckle Down Reading

Next week, the sixth graders will once again work within our Buckle Down workbooks to enhance their reading skills.

The first part of the week, the student will be concentrating on "Making Connections" to increase reading comprehension.  Later in the week, we will move on to "Author's Purpose" and using context clues to learn new vocabulary terms.

Nouns in LA

Last week and continuing this week, the sixth grade students will be practicing recognizing nouns, forming plural and possessive nouns, and using exact nouns.  Students will be taking notes on the various sections of this Unit in their LA notebooks.  Some notes will be on a handout.  All workbook pages have examples on the top of the page, before the directions, to help remind the students of the activities practiced during class time.

Recognizes Nouns- students will whether a noun names a person, a place, a thing, or an idea.

Common and Proper Nouns- students will identify common and proper nouns and capitalize proper nouns correctly.

Writing with Appositives-  students will expand sentences by adding appositives

Singular and Plural Nouns- students will correctly spell the plural nouns.

Possessive Nouns- students will identify singular and plural possessive nouns and write them correctly.

Plural and Possessive Nouns-  students will identify plural, singular possessive, and plural possessive nouns, and will write them correctly.

Exact Nouns- students will replace nouns with more exact nouns.

Decimals in Math

Chapter 4- Decimal Multiplication and Division

Sixth grade students started Decimal this week.  The chapter began with a review of decimal place value and rounding.  We continued with Multiplying Decimals and Whole Numbers.  Students were introduced to three PROPERTIES for multiplication: COMMUTATIVE, ASSOCIATIVE, and DISTRIBUTIVE.

The chapter continues with Multiplying and Dividing by Powers of Ten.  this lead straight into Changing Metric Units.  Next week we will be working with Division with decimals.

Mystery Book Report-Google Drive

The students have an opportunity to complete their Mystery Book Report using their Google Drive account.  Today, Mrs. Crews and I shared this document with the students.  To access the document, each student will need to log onto their Google account using their login and password.  Once on their account, each student just "Make a Copy" of the document and start the project.

1.  Your child logs onto their account using this:  login: 15lastname@ccsd66.org, password: computer password twice.

2.  Your child "Makes a Copy" by:  click on File, then Click on "Make a Copy"

After these short steps, your child will be able to work on the project from any computer that has internet access.  Exciting!

Please encourage your child to keep reading their book and work on the project.  

The completed and printed out project along with the Accelerated Reader test is due on November 2nd.

Below is a picture of what your child will be expected to do while and after reading the novel.  

Reading Strategies for Mystery Novel

This week the sixth grade students choose a Mystery novel.  We will present a new project to complete while reading the novel.

The students also reviewed "Reading Strategies" in their Buckle Down workbook.  We practiced eight tips for improving comprehension while reading independently: reviewing the selection to make predictions, remind yourself of what you already know about the topic, keep your mind and pencil active, continue to ask questions and make predictions and connections, check your understanding, notice how the selection is organized, use graphic organizers, and summarize the selection.

Students are encourage to take notes on the novel using the strategies practiced in the Buckle Down workbook.

The project will be shared with the students on Tuesday using their Google Drive accounts.

Chapter 2 in Math

Metric vs Customary

This week the 6th grade students started the second chapter in the Math textbook.  This chapter will include measuring length, find the perimeter of shapes as well as finding the perimeter and area of squares and rectangles using formulas. We will end the chapter will scale drawings and averages.

On Monday the students took notes on Customary and Metric units to measure length.  The customary units we are using are inches, feet, yards, and miles.  The metric units are millimeter, centimeter, meter, and kilometers.

Next, the students will learn to use the perimeter formulas for rectangles and squares.  For rectangles, we will use P=2L + 2w.  For squares, we will use: P=4L.  To find the area of a rectangle and square we will use A=LxW.  The units for area should always be squared.

1st Reading Project due FRIDAY

First Reading Project Due FRIDAY!

The sixth graders will be turning in their first independent reading project on Friday.  The students selected a Fiction novel of their choice more than 3 weeks ago.  The projects along with their very first Accelerated Reader test will be due at the start of class on Friday.  The students will be creating a poster or a letter including the following elements from their fiction novel.

Setting: ·         Time & Place
Main Character ·         _______________ ·         Description of him/her
Conflict: ·         Internal or External? ·         explanation ·         short plot summary
Favorite Passage: ·         page # ·         quote from book ·         Why you chose this?
·         Overall reaction to  the book

Problem Solving Plan

Next week the sixth grade students will be working on solving word problems.  They will be introduced to the sixth grade approach to solving word problems.  It is a comprehensive 4 step problem solving plan that is broken done to 6 mini steps.

A Problem Solving Plan

1.  Read and Understand:  Read the problem carefully.  Identify the questions and any important information.  (In this step, we ask the students to list the FACTS they already know and the information they NEED to find out.)

2.  Make a Plan:  Decide on a problem solving strategy.  (In this step, we ask the students to write a VERBAL model using words to describe ideas and then use math symbols)

3.  Solve the Problem:  Use the problem solving strategy to answer the question.  (We ask students to ESTIMATE/make a logical guess and then SOLVE the problem.

4.  Look Back:  Check that your answer is REASONABLE 

RtI Math

This week we have started our usual routine of a "Problem of the Day".  This week we are practicing long division, I know a 6th grader's favorite!!!  We began with one digit divisors but are hoping to make it to two digit divisors by the end of the week.

The main part of our lessons this week will be reviewing place value to the trillions place, comparing and ordering numbers, exponents, and decimal place value.  During the lessons, students will use individual white boards and be allowed to come to the board to show the final answer.

At the end of the week, the student will take a AimsWeb Math Computation or Math Concepts and Application progress monitor test.  The students will individually grade their work and chart their progress.

Expository Writing

This week the students began writing a short expository composition to get ready for their upcoming expository speeches. Students chose a famous person or interesting animal to write about and research. We wanted students to have some freedom in their writing to make the composition fun and interesting. We hoped to introduce and develop of the following skills in their four paragraph expository composition. *Write an engaging introduction that tells the main idea. *Create a paragraph for each main topic. *Support each topic with at least two facts or examples. *Write in the third person. Focus on facts, not opinions. *Use your own words. Don't plagiarize! *Show how your ideas are connected. *Write a conclusion that sums up the main idea of your report. *Include a bibliography.

Literature Circles in Reading

The sixth grade Reading students have begun Literature circles in Reading class. Each student was assigned a book and a group to complete the reading and task. Students will have time in class to read the books and work on the tasks. It is our goal to get kids to learn from kids. Before, during, and after reading, it is our goal to get the students to talk to each other about the books. The theme of the books is disabilities. All the main characters in the book have a different disability. Here are some of the guidelines shared with the students. You will enjoy your experience with literature circles if your group has successful discussions. We must learn how to have good discussions. That may sound kind of silly, but many people do not communicate well during a group discussion. We've all met these people before...they do not listen or pay attention to others, they cut other people off mid-sentence, or they might only talk about what is on their minds and not respond to other people's comments. Picture yourself in the middle of a literature circle discussion. You want to be a positive member of your group. What should you do? This is the first assignments given after reading the the first few chapters of the novel. Bookmarks:  Open-Ended “FAT” questions to ask your group  Inferences you made while reading (things you figured out about the storyline by using what you already know)  Literary or story elements  Advice you would offer a character  Vocabulary words – unfamiliar words, interesting words,  Connections you made with the text – about your life, other books, movies  Author style critique – evaluating the way the author wrote the story

Prepositions in LA.

Sixth grade students are finishing up the English unit on Prepositions. We encourage that students try to memorize as many prepositions are possible. There is a great chart on page 315 which we asked students to record in their LA notebooks.

We have practiced identifying prepositional phrases, adding them to sentences to elaborate meaning, using them correctly, and recognizing the difference between a preposition and an adverb.

Prepositions make a phrase that ends with an object (noun or pronoun).
*into the room
*by the desk
*near the school
*to the store and home

After Spring Break

Enjoy Spring Break next week!

When we return, the sixth graders will continue with Grammar Lessons. We will introduce Prepositions on Monday. We encourage students to memorize as many prepositions as possible to make identifying prepositional phrases easier.

In reading, we will begin a new writing format. The sixth graders will practice responding to Literature and reading a short story. We will also be visiting the IMC to choose new silent reading books. This is a "free choice" book but must be an Accelerated Read book. The students will be asked to take an AR test once they have completed the novel. If they choose to take notes while reading, they are allowed to use the notes while taking the test.

Have a wonderful Spring Break. See you in April!

Compare and Contrast Brochures

The sixth grade Language Arts student working on creating a Compare and Contrast 4 paragraph composition. Today and on Monday the students will be turning the composition into a brochure to share with the class.

Each student chose a compare and contrast two famous people, two places they visited, or two snack foods.

A great compare-contrast composition includes the following:

*an engaging introduction that name the two subjects
*corresponding details fro each subject
*topic sentences to state the main idea of paragraphs
* transitional words and phrases to compare and contrast
*a conclusion that sums up the main ideas in a satisfying way

Fun in LA!

To break up ISAT week, the sixth graders will be doing a Newspaper Scavenger Hunt in LA. The purpose of the Newspaper Scavenger Hunt is to find as may as possible of the items on the list. Some of the items include; an editorial, a weather forecast, an account of a school board meeting a quotation by the president, an article about anything happening in a European country, and an ad for a free kitten.

The purpose of this lesson is to allow students to use cooperative learning stratiges and navigate through a local newspaper. We would like studnets to be more aware of the section and articles in a newspaper while working in a small group.

ISAT are coming

The students in the RtI Math class are getting ready for ISATs by practicing short and extended response questions. We have worked on a number of short response questions using multi-step problem solving methods. We are asking students to remember to show their work and be sre to circle their final answer. Extended response questions can be trickier. The students will need to ask a math questions showing proficent math knowledge, strategic knowledege, and explain what steps they used to solve the problem and why they took the those steps. We askthe students to try and use just words to explain the steps instead to telling the numbers.

Review of Fraction Rules

Adding or Subtracting Fractions
1. Make all whole numbers and mixed numbers fractions.
2. You must have common denominators.
3. Add or subtract the numerators and keep the denominators the same.
4. Simplify your answer.

Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
1. Make all whole numbers and mixed numbers fractions.
2. Turn division in multipication by flipping the second fraction.
3. Cross cancel if possible.
4. Multiply numberators then multiply the denominators.
5. Simplify your answer.

In multi-step problems:
Remember: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

P (paraenthesis)
E (exponents)
M/D (multiply or divide)
A/S (add or subtract)

Tier III Math

This week in RtI Math class, the students are working on Decimal Operations. The students started with a review of estimating sums and differences. Estimating means to find an approximate answer or solution. We moved on to adding and subtracting review with whole numbers and decimals. The week with a focus on using decimals to find the product and quotient of an expression. During the week the students will not be using a calculator to solve the expression, but we do allow a multiplication square.

Buckle Down

The sixth graders are getting ready for the upcoming ISATs in March. We are attacking the Buckle Down Reading workbook. This week we have been focusing on "Reading Critcally".

The lessons in the unit will help students practice finding and using information. They will learn abotu how and why authors choose to present their information the way they do. You will also learn about how things they read can be connected to their life.

The unit includes the following sections:
1. Making connections
2. Author's Purpose
3. Comparing Passages
4. Information You Can See (charts and graphs)
5. Following Directions

Adverb or Adjective

The sixth graders are completed the Adverbs unit today. We ended with a lesson on choosing the correct form of a word in a sentence. The students had to chose the correct word and label it Adverb or Adjective.


Sometimes it is easy to confuse adjectives and adverbs. When an adjective and an adverb are similar, you can usually tell which is the adverb because it ends in -ly.

Remember that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

The words good and well are sometimes confused. "Good" is an adjective.

"Well" is usually used as an adverb. However, when "well" means healthy, it is an adjective and modifies a noun or pronoun.

Maniac Magee in Reading

The sixth grade students started one of my favorite novels this week, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Here is the "Before the Story" you can find on page one of the novel. While reading the novel, the students will continue to practice various comprehension strategies as well as vocabulary practice and application.

Before the Story
They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump. They say his stomach was a cereal box and his heart a sofa spring.
They say he kept an eight-inch cockroach on a leash and that rats stood guard over him while he slept.
They say if you knew he was coming and you sprinkled salt on the ground and he ran over it, within two or three blocks he would be as slow as everybody else.
What's true, what's myth? It's hard to know.
Finsterwald's gone now, yet even today you'll never find a kids sitting on the steps where he once lived. The Little League field is still there, and the band shell. Cobble's Corner still stands at the corner of Hector and Birch, and if you ask the man behind the counter, he'll take the clump of string out of a drawer and let you see it.
But that's okay, because the history of a kid is one part fact, two parts legend, and three parts snowball. And if you want to know what it was like back when Maniac Magee roamed these parts, well, just run your hand under you movie seat and be very, very careful not to let the facts get mixed up with the truth.

Persuasuve Writing- The Introduction

The Introduction
Definition: The introduction is a CLEAR STATEMENT of the main point of the composition

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE INTRO?
A “hook” or attention getter
3 Subtopics that will turn into your body paragraphs
Your THESIS STATEMENT – one clear sentence stating what your composition is about

WHAT IS A “HOOK”?An opening sentence that attracts or “hooks” the reader’s attention
INTERPRET your hook (put it into your own words)

Sample Introduction “hooks”:
A powerful statement
Snake bites kill hundreds of people each year!
A quotation
“The IPOD is the most popular gift this year.” – Al Bundy
A statistic or fact
Studies show that students who do their homework are more likely to do well in school than students who do not.
A question
Did you know that ....?

Persuasive Composition-5 Paragraph

Persuasive Composition Outline

I.
Hook: An opening sentence that attracts or “hooks” the reader’s attention
INTERPRET your hook (powerful statement, quote, or fact)
Background Information: What you may already know about the topic in favor of your argument. Remind readers of the important information about your topic.
Argument: Your THESIS STATEMENT – one clear sentence stating what your composition is about

II.
Reason 1: a REASON, BENEFIT, or an ADVANTAGE to support your argument.
1.Evidence 1: may consist of facts, examples, statistics, or real life experiences that supports your reason
Interpretation: Explain and Extend
2.Evidence 2: “same”
Interpretation:
3.Evidence 3: “same”
Interpretation:

III.
Reason 2: a REASON, BENEFIT, or an ADVANTAGE to support your argument.
1.Evidence 1:may consist of facts, examples, statistics, or real life experiences that supports your reason
Interpretation: Explain and Extend
2.Evidence 2: “same”
Interpretation:
3.Evidence 3: “same”
Interpretation:

IV.
Reason 3: a REASON, BENEFIT, or an ADVANTAGE to support your argument.
1.Evidence 1:may consist of facts, examples, statistics, or real life experiences that supports your reason
Interpretation: Explain and Extend
2.Evidence 2: “same”
Interpretation:
3.Evidence 3: “same”
Interpretation:

V.
Argument: restatement of the argument
Summarize Reasons: restatement of the three reasons that support your argument
Exit Sentence: a prediction, question, recommendation, or quotation. Strongest sentence.