What's Happening in the Sixth Grade?

Language Arts

Welcome to 6th Grade English Language Arts!
My name is Molly Fawcett, and I’m excited to be your teacher this year. While I’ve been teaching at GET Middle School for the past six years, this will be my 21st year in education.

In ELA, we use StudySync as our curriculum. Students will work both online through the StudySync app and with a printed workbook that accompanies each unit. Over the course of the year, we will complete four units that align with and cover all 6th-grade ELA standards.

I’m looking forward to a great year of reading, writing, and learning together!

November 4 - January (Term 1)

StudySync- Unit 2 You and Me

Unit Essential Question: How do relationships shape us?

Walk Two Moons
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
"Teenagers"
"The Voice in My Head"
"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long"

Holocaust Unit- Students preview and analyze a variety of genres: historical fiction, poetry, memoirs, and graphic novels.

Academic Vocabulary R 6.4- Unit 1 and Unit 2 words (20 words total)

Grammar: Pronouns L 6.1 & review key grammar skills

Writing: Narrative writing

Academic Vocabulary Unit 1 & 2 Words & Academic Vocabulary Writing Choice Board

Important Dates:

November 14th - Narrative Essay Deadline

December 14th - Holocaust Unit begins

Beyond the Classroom: ELA

Math

Welcome to Sixth Grade Math! My name is Mrs. Burmeister and this is my third year teaching math at GET, but is my 26th 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 ALEKS, during our math target time. This will allow us to incorporate more technology in the classroom and meet the needs of all students. It will also allow for more time to work with small groups on skills that they need.

Extra Skills for Practice:

Multiplication Facts through 12x12

Resource: 99 Math (app on Ipads)

ALEKS

Import Dates:

STAR Assessment: January 14th

Units of Study

Introducing Ratios

Unit Rates and Percentages

In these units students will...

In this unit, students learn that a ratio is an association between two quantities, e.g., “1 teaspoon of drink mix to 2 cups of water.” Students analyze contexts that are often expressed in terms of ratios, such as recipes, mixtures of different paint colors, constant speed (an association of time measurements with distance measurements), and uniform pricing (an association of item amounts with prices).
In this unit, students find the two values a/b and b/a that are associated with the ratio a:b, and interpret them as rates per 1. For example, if a person walks 13 meters in 10 seconds at a constant rate, that means they walked at a speed of 13/10 meters per 1 second and a pace of 10/13 seconds per 1 meter.

Beyond the Classroom: Math

Social Studies

Welcome to 6th Grade Social Studies! My name is Mrs. Knutson, and this is my 27th year at G-E-T.

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.

Unit 4 began the first week in January and will continue into the early part of February. We will be focusing on Ancient Egypt with the essential question: How did old ways and new ideas help Egypt thrive for centuries?

Students will have an opportunity to work on Standard 1 (Developing Questions and Planning Inquiry) when they select a topic for a mini-research project. We will continue to work on our other standards throughout the unit also.

We will be doing a mid-year check (not graded) on our basic map skills in early February. Students will have review materials and practice opportunities in class to help them prepare for the mid-year check, which includes identifying the following : continents, oceans, and Wisconsin and neighboring states.

Beyond the Classroom: Social Studies

Science

Welcome to Sixth Grade Science!

Hello!

I am Ms. Jones, and this will be my second year at G-E-T. However, this will be my 30th year of teaching. I am passionate about teaching, and I am excited to create an engaging, hands-on science classroom where learning comes to life!

Our science journey this year starts with our first topic: the structure and properties of matter. This topic will lay the foundation for the concepts we will be exploring throughout the year. As we work through the topics this year, we'll focus on developing vocabulary, practicing CER (Claims, Evidence, Reasoning), building models, and engaging in hands-on investigations.

Guaranteed Standards/I Can Statements:

I can describe, classify, and measure matter.

I can observe and identify examples of change.

I can determine if a chemical reaction occurred by comparing the properties of substances before and after they interact.

I can develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

October Update:

We are still focusing on the same standards from above and discussing thermal energy and heat transfer.

Science Vocabulary Words to Know: Matter, Atom, Molecules, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Mass, Volume, Density, Heat, Temperature, Thermal Energy, Kinetic Energy, Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

November Update: New Science Unit: Beginning Monday, November 10th.

Weather - Cycles Influencing Weather

Standards/I Can Statements:

I can develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth causes patterns of atmospheric and ocean circulation that determine regional climates.

I can collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changing weather conditions.

Beginning Vocabulary Words: atmosphere, air pressure, altitude, wind

Beyond the Classroom: Science