Wow! Where did September go?  Things are humming right along in Room 7, Grade 6.

We are moving right along with our non-fiction reading unit.  Students are able to summarize using the text features present and are working on being able to pull out the main idea in a piece of writing.  We are connecting that to our writing by working on writing information paragraphs with appropriate organization.

We will have a review test of the WWW words we have  been working on over the last 4 weeks next Friday, Oct. 7th.  Students should review the hilighted words from each week's list which can be found in their agendas.

In math, we are almost ready for our unit test on patterning; students should be able to represent and extend patterns in a chart and graph and be able to use a pattern rule to extend that pattern.  We have set Friday, October 7th as our test date.  Students will be working on the last couple of lessons and review before that date.  Please sign and return the quiz that went home this week if you haven't already done so.

Students seem keen to be logging the phases of the moon.  We will soon be able to see it in the night sky again as we move towards the first quarter.  We have also begun group research projects on a planet selected by each student.  They will conduct the research in groups and then create a group project to teach the rest of the class what they have learned.  Most of the work will be done in class, but students wishing to do some extra research at home are encouraged (but not requred) to do so. Students can expect to be setting a date in the next 2 weeks for their unit test on Space.  Watch the agendas for that info.

Finally, thanks to those parents involved in helping me get the junior soccer team to and from the tournament on Wed.  The kids had a great day.

Room 7 is becoming a very busy place as we are off and running with many of our programs.  This week students will be completing their first CASI reading assessment for the year.  They are quite familiar with this assessment tool which is used board wide from Grade 4 to Grade 8.  The students will be asked to independently read grade level materials and then answer 8 questions based on the text.  No worries at home, as there is not really any way for students to prepare ahead of time.

On Friday, I will be giving a short quiz to the class on number patterns, to see how they are mastering the skills expected in our patterning unit.  They will also be asked to complete 2-3 mad minute pages as homework this week.  Check the agenda for assigned pages.

Our first week of Working With Words went well with most students completing their activities on time.  A new list will be going home in agendas today.  The hilighted words are words your child had difficulty with today and they should use these words as often as possible when completing their 5 activities. Ample time is given in class to do the activities, but some students will have to do some of this for homework.  Activities are due Friday.

We are also beginning our moon log assignment this week as part of our science unit on Space.  Please check the agenda for an outline of the moon log expectations.  I have included a sample rubric.  Please sign the sheet once read and have your child bring it in to show me.  I will then give the sheet back so you have it on hand to revisit over the next 4 weeks.

It was nice meeting or getting reaquainted with several families at the barbeque last week.  Hopefully I get a chance for a face to face "hello" with those of you I have not chatted with yet, in the near future.

C.H.

Welcome to my blog!  I will try to update this every few weeks, or even more often during the busier times of the year.  I will let you know through the agenda when I have updated the blog.

I wanted to give you a brief outline of some of our subject areas for the next month or two.

In language we are working on  reading and summarizing non-fiction materials, reviewing parts of speech and paragraph writing.

In math we are currently working on a patterning and algebra unit. Following that we will work on place value-large and small numbers. I like to have small impromtu quizzes to check for understanding and then a bigger unit test at the end of each unit.  Notice will be given prior to the unit tests through the agenda and this blog.

We have begun our science unit on Space.  This is a really interesting unit for the kids.  We will be tracking the moon phases for one month starting very soon. Later in the unit, students will work in small groups to create an in-class project to teach their classmates about a chosen planet. Watch in the agenda for details.

Currently we have Phys. Ed. on days 2 and 5 (Mondays and Wednesdays for now). We are working on running and soccer skills for the next few weeks.

The much anticipated DARE program for Grade 6 students usually begins around Thanksgiving.  This very important 10 week program teaches students about the dangers of tobacco, alcohol and drug use and how to foster healthy peer relationships.

I look forward to meeting or reaquainting with you at the barbeque later in the week.  Hopefully you are able to make it!  Let's hope this lovely weather sticks around for it!

C.H.