October 4, 2010

La Paloma Academy
6th Grade Newsletter
 October 4, 2010
Mr. Festerling

SOCIAL STUDIES

In Social Studies class, we dive into the study of the maritime trading civilization of the Phoenicians. Not only were they great sea farers, but the Phoenicians contributed to society in many ways. For example, our alphabet comes from the Phoenicians. Students will also consider possible trade routes the Phoenician sailors may have taken while trading their famous “royal” purple dye.

MATH

Rational numbers, solving the area of simple polygons, and ordering integers will be the focus of learning in math this week. A question you could inquire of your sixth grader would be, “Is it possible to divide by zero?” Additionally, students know that completing daily homework is essential for test preparation as concepts continue to build up.

READING

“That’s the real McCoy.” Where did this saying come from? Sixth grade students will learn just who the real McCoy was in reading class this week. We will also discuss historical and cultural aspects found in a cross-cultural work of literature. A reading process we will work on will involve using context clues to identify the meaning of unknown words.

As a reminder, the next book report is due October 18. The format of the book report is a written report covering main literary components. The students have a copy of the format outlining the expectations and scoring guidelines. Sixth graders are free to select a 6^th grade level book of their choice to read.


WRITING
Identifying verbs and using them correctly in sentences is the main focus of conventions this week in writing. Students are also transitioning prewriting practice into a rough draft this week. It is wonderful to hear the creative stories of the students as they share their writings with the class. Keep up the wonderful writing sixth graders!

SCIENCE
In Science class we will look at the forces at work in the universe. Students will be able to explain the relationship between force and motion. It is interesting to see how these forces are at work all around us, from weight, to driving a car, and even performing tricks on a skateboard.

CHARACTER COUNTS
Caring is the theme for our Character Counts lesson this week. Students will take a self-evaluation regarding caring for others. Additionally, we will discuss questions such as, “To what extent would you inconvenience yourself for another person?”

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