What's Happening in the Sixth Grade?

Language Arts

Welcome to 6th Grade English Language Arts. My name is Molly Fawcett and I have taught at the GET Middle School for six years. However, I am going into my 20th year of teaching. In ELA we use StudySync for the curriculum. Students will use the online app as well as a workbook that goes with each unit. We will complete four units this school year to cover all ELA standards.

November 11- December 13 (Term 2)

StudySync- Unit 2 You and Me

Academic Vocabulary

Unit Essential Question: How do relationships shape us?

Walk Two Moons
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Teenagers
The Voice in My Head

December 12 or 13 (Term 2)

Unit 2 Assessment on RL 6.2 Theme & RL 6.4 Academic Vocabulary

December 16-January 19 (Term 2)

Holocaust Unit- Students preview and analyze a variety of genres: historical fiction, poetry, memoirs and graphic novels to start developing knowledge of WWII and the Holocaust.

January 20-31 (Term 3)

Genre of Writing: Argumentative

Beyond the Classroom: ELA

Math

Welcome to Sixth Grade Math! My name is Mrs. Burmeister and this is my second year teaching math at GET, but is my 25th year of teaching. I strive to make sure all students are doing their best work and encourage them to do more. Every child can succeed!

Our Math Resource is Open Up. We will also be using a new program to us called Magma Math. This will allow us to incorporate more technology in the classroom and meet the needs of all students.

Extra Skills for Practice:

Multiplication Facts through 12x12

Resource: 99 Math (app on Ipads)

Important dates:

January 7th- Unit 4 Mid Unit Assessment

January 16th- Unit 4 Final Assessment

Unit 4: Dividing Fractions

Below is the guaranteed standard for this unit.

M.6.NS.A.1. Interpret, represent and compute division of fractions by fractions; and solve word problems
by using visual fraction models (e.g., tape diagrams, area models, or number lines), equations,
and the relationship between multiplication and division.

For example, create a story context for (2/3) ÷ (3/4) such as “How many 3/4 -cup servings are in 2/3
of a cup of yogurt” or “How wide is a rectangular strip of land with length 3/4 mile and area 2/3
square mile?” Explain that (2/3) ÷ (3/4) = 8/9 because 3/4 of 8/9 is 2/3.

Beyond the Classroom: Math

Social Studies

Welcome to 6th Grade Social Studies! My name is Mrs. Knutson, and this is my 26th year at G-E-T. I am beginning a new adventure just like our 6th graders as this is my first year as the Social Studies teacher.

We will be learning about Ancient Civilizations this year and working on map skills throughout all of the units. Our standards for Social Studies are noted on this page for your reference. Students can see the standards, specific learning targets, and vocabulary for each unit posted on one of the bulletin boards in the classroom.

Unit 1: Historical Skills
Unit 2: Early Peoples
Unit 3: Mesopotamia
Unit 4: Ancient Egypt
Unit 5: Ancient India
Unit 6: Ancient Greece
Unit 7: Ancient Rome

Each unit will have an Essential Question to focus our thinking about the content that is presented, and we will use the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) format for written responses. Our HMH resource is online, but we will also utilize traditional textbooks during some of our class periods.

Students finished their thematic maps and are enjoying seeing them displayed in the sixth-grade locker area.

We just began Unit 4: Ancient Egypt. The essential question for this unit is: How did old ways and new ideas help Egypt thrive for centuries? Students will be working on a mini research project during this unit that will be guided by research questions they have developed. They are also using their online textbook's "newer" version for this unit on Egypt. We anticipate that this unit will continue through the first week of February. Our next unit will be on Ancient India.

Beyond the Classroom: Social Studies

Science

Welcome to sixth grade science! My name is Ms. Jones, and I am new to GET. However, I am not new to teaching, as this is my 29th year. I absolutely love this profession, and I am excited for this new adventure!

We have a new curriculum for science, and our first unit will be Cycles Influencing Weather and Climate. I have posted the guaranteed standards for this unit below. These are also posted in the classroom for the students as "I Can" statements.

Guaranteed Standards/I Can Statements:

I can use a model to explain how weather and atmospheric conditions determine varying climates.
I can develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
I can apply scientific principles to design and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.

October Update:

We are working on finishing up our first unit. The students have created some amazing projects! We will put the finishing touches on our PSA project this week, and then will be working on the last standard for this unit which is:

I can use a model to explain how weather and
atmospheric conditions determine varying climates.

We will return to the standard: I can apply scientific principles to design and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer, in the spring.

December, January, and February -

We have been learning about force and motion. This starts with learning about energy, and tying it back to the previous unit of Weather and Atmosphere. Energy is at the center. We now are taking energy to forces and motions. Our standards for this unit are:

I can explain and give evidence to support the relationship between, energy, force, work, motion, and power.
I can understand data to provide evidence of how forces respond between objects.
I can plan construct, and apply Newton's Laws of Motion to interactions of different forces.

Beyond the Classroom: Science