Winter Break Check In!

Hello Sixth Grade,
Just wanted to check in with you to thank you for the first four months of school and wish you all a Happy New Year!  I just finished reading The Danger Box and was really surprised at the ending.  I know several of you are reading it so I won't say any more.  I was equally surprised that the main character has Autism and OCD - two mental health issues that you do not find in YA books/characters very often.  Now I want read her other books!

I hope you are all enjoying fantastic vacation days and are doing lots of reading and resting!  See you in 2013 and Happy New Year.

Tamales

Sixth grade students had an amazing opportunity of making homemade tamales. Making tamales is a holiday tradition in Mexico and other Central American countries. It is a time when families gather together and make the masa, salsa de chile, and use hojas de maíz y hojas de plátano.  It's a family event where everyone has a task, joins the assembly line and makes tamales. The best part is enjoying the yummy tamales after a long day of hard work.

Thanks to Vicky, Ana Cristina and Ana Rosa for their help and guidance in making the tamales!

Wacky Word of the Week: Ramification

ramification

Noun A consequence of an action or event, esp. when complex or unwelcome. A subdivision of a complex structure or process.

Synonyms branch - fork - embranchment - offshoot

1800s Luncheon!

 6th grade class preparing for lunch...

 Lucy with her Indian Pudding

  Rabbit with root vegetables

  Taha enjoying waffles

  

 Kieley serving Hot Chocolate

 Almond cake, lemon curds and pie...

  Buffalo stew!

Miles to Go Drug Prevention Education

On Friday, the sixth grade welcomed back Kelly T. from the Miles to Go Drug Prevention Education program. She worked with the class at the end of last year, and they were excited to work with her again. This year, the class took on the Amazing Race Challenge. They worked in teams to learn about many of common drugs and traced their origins around the world. They learned about the drug's impact on the human body and the potential uses and abuses of the drugs.  They also took a Body Challenge where they had to identify which organs and body systems different drugs impacted.  Finally, they ended the day with the Social Challenge where the teams had to navigate a "sticky situation" and rationalize their decision. It was all very lively and engaging. 

This is a springboard for many upcoming conversations we will have about drugs in our upcoming CPR meetings. Thank you to Kelly for providing a great foundation for our future work!

EnviroSchool Comes to TCS

The TCS community had a rare opportunity today. The third through seventh grades participated in a wonderful program called EnviroSchool. We began the day with a visit from Dr. Zoolittle and Mother Meekat who shared a few creatures and challenged the students to a variety of games about animals and their habitats. 

We then broke up in to three groups to rotate through three stations: Splash Mobile, Green Machine and Recycling. Each involved making, doing, learning, exploring and thinking.

I think the most wonderful part of the day was watching students from different classes and grades get to know each other better, share knowledge, and have fun. Thank you to Denise P. for bringing the program to TCS and creating this wonderful learning and community building opportunity!

Math/Science Update 12 December 12

In math, the class is moving along at a steady clip. In recent weeks, we have been getting reacquainted with rational numbers. They have been practicing doing conversions between fractions, decimals, percentages. Some of us are still struggling to conceptualize these amounts and we will work on having a better grasp of them through the new year.  We are moving towards performing basic operations with these rational numbers.

In science, the class is really excited about making solar powered cars. We spent several classes learning out silicon and how it can be used to make solar panels. We discovered why solar panels are not currently a popular way to collect electricity and what variables may impact the effectiveness of our solar panel cars. We are in the early stages of construction. Be on the look out for images and information on our cars as they progress.

Wacky Word of the Week: Propensity

propensity
(noun) An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.

Synonyms

inclination - tendency - leaning - proclivity - bent

Lewis and Clark or Industrial Revolution?

Sixth graders have been learning about our country's westward expansion and have learned about the great adventures that a large group of men and one, strong woman took in the early 1800s.  Be sure to ask them about the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  This week, they will learn about the Industrial Revolution in America, and then they will complete a project on one of these American events or times.  They will decide which holds more interest for them, and they will also have some say with the project itself.  Either way, all students will take home a recipe from the 1800s to prepare and share with their classmates.  I have a couple of authentic recipes from which the students may choose.  We will have our 1800s feast Tuesday, December 18th.  I have encouraged the students to be adventurous, as Lewis and Clark were, and taste each of the dishes.  Naturally, this activity is meant to expand their horizons and understanding of the time period, but special diets or allergies will be honored.

The sixth graders also spent time this week honing their proofreading skills and increasing their grammar knowledge.  This small grammar unit which included comma rules, homophones, contractions "tricky" words like a lot versus alot will culminate with a quiz on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.

Here is a web site that features a fun Lewis and Clark Expedition game.  Try it to see if you have the knowledge and skills to survive a trip from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean and back again!  "O the Joy!"


http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/

Wacky Word of the Week: Lugubrious

lugubrious
(adj) Looking or sounding sad and dismal.

Synonyms

mournful - sad - dismal - gloomy - doleful - funereal

Courtesy of MHS