Springing into May

Hello from the sixth grade classroom! We have been working hard as usual over the past few weeks as we are finishing up several projects. Students have been doing awesome work, and I am very proud of the great effort I have been seeing in the classroom.

We have been spending time exploring the ministry of Jesus, and we did a study on the Sermon on the Mount. Students made "Words of Advice" posters where they recorded ten pieces of advice that Jesus gives on how to love and serve others. We used these and the Easter crosses to design a bulletin board for the hallway. Be sure to check it out!

In ELA, we have been preparing for the MAP test that is coming up, and we have been finishing up our literature circle studies. First, we reviewed things that we learned about pronouns by playing a Fan-and-Pick game.

 I was SO impressed by the students' problem-solution essays! The students spent time brainstorming, drafting, and reviewing each others' essays. We emphasized the importance of peer editing, and the students took it seriously.

We did a vocabulary unit on Greek and Latin roots, and the students were introduced to the words by trying to match up a root to an English definition. We came up with a HUGE list of words we use today that use Greek and Latin roots.

We celebrated our April incentive by enjoying pop floats! The ice cream did not last long.

Many of the students have finished their literature circle books, so we are in the process of analyzing the book. Students spent time analyzing the characters, determining major traits, and noting character change throughout the course of the book. I was very impressed with the insights students came up with from the novels!

Students made beautiful posters about cool attractions or festivals from Central American countries. Be sure to check them out in the 6th grade hallway! As we continue working on our Caribbean Island posters, we are also exploring the geography of South America through desk atlas partner activities.

We've also had some fun with science over these past few weeks! Students observed a model of an underwater volcano (wax, sand, a beaker, and water on a hot plate) and watched it erupt! Students also compared the rate of erosion between a whole antacid tablet and a crumbled up antacid tablet. As part of our erosion unit, students are exploring the soil. Students drew neat pictures of the different layers of soil as we discussed what forms soil. 

Finally, we are very excited about our new Ga-Ga ball bit! Despite a few scraped up fingers, students have been loving the game, and it has been making recess time fly by even faster than normal.