Science Fair is Just Around the Corner!

Science Fair

This week will begin talking about the upcoming science fair. On Tuesday afternoon, students will be receiving a packet of information about the upcoming event, and how to plan a successful science fair project. For homework this week, I am asking students to come up with a question, hypothesis, and basic outline of a procedure for their project. This is a rough, rough draft, but it will give me time to look through their ideas over the weekend and provide helpful feedback to ensure their project is a success. Unfortunately, the sixth grade information packets were not ready after school, hence the Tuesday start date.

I believe most of the students are excited to participate. Many years ago, I was invited to attend a week-long science fair symposium at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It was an amazing trip; students who are eager to enter the STEM fields should look at a science fair as an opportunity to explore an area of interest and to learn more about the scientific process. 

Our science fair night will be help on March 31, 2016. As the weeks progress, I will include helpful information through the classroom blog to help students stay on track. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know how I can help.

Doernbecher Days & Clam Chowder Sales

We are currently in the midst of two fundraisers. This week our Doernbecher fundraiser includes a talent show (Monday), Burgerville Give Back Night (Tuesday), Survivor Night (Wednesday) and Lip Sync Battle (Thursday). Event information can be found on the district website. If you would like to donate money to the cause, our classroom collection jar is fairly empty. It could use a little help. Any donations are welcome!

In addition, the fourth grade has started their annual clam chowder sale. Order forms are available in our classrooms. If your students would like to participate, please have them grab a form. I can direct them to the correct location.

Have a great week,

Ms. Kinsman

Homework

Homework 

This week I am asking students to complete assignments from class as their homework. We have been reading Freedom Walkers for the past two weeks and have completed a number of activities from the students' Reader's Notebooks. In order to move on to the next story, I am going to ask students to complete the reading and Notebook pages at home and turn them in on Friday.

Here is a list of pages must be completed. Most of this work was supposed to have been completed in class.  If you student is struggling with the reading, please feel free to offer support. This is a challenging text, with a lot of vocabulary and topics new to the kids. 

Student Notebook Pages: 121-130, 132-133, 138,143-144

Thank you for your help in getting this story wrapped up. Please be sure your student takes very good care of their book. It is important that we keep these in good shape for the upcoming years. 

Valentine's Day

Thank you to all the family members who were able to help at this year's Valentine's party. The sixth grade team appreciates all of your support. Thank you also for all the gifts. The thoughtfulness of the kids is touching.

This Week

In social studies, we are continuing our study of ancient China. Students will be writing the scripts, and begin recording, their multi-media presentation on one Chinese dynasty.

In math, we are continuing operations with fractions. Expect homework practicing these skills.

In language arts, we will be starting a new realistic fiction piece and focus on understanding how the author develops theme in their writing. 

In health, we are finishing the chapter on smoking prevention.

Have a great week!
Ms. Kinsman

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

On Friday, we will hold a grade level Valentine's Day party. There will be music and dancing in the commons, iPads, games, and snacks in the classrooms. Before the party begins at 2:00, students will be allowed to pass out Valentines to their classmates. Remember, this is an optional activity. I have provided large envelopes for students to decorate at home.

If you would like to volunteer to help out at the party, please let me know. We will need assistance with snack preparations and supervision. It should be a lot of fun!

Box Tops

If you have any box tops lying around the house, the final day for turn in is February 26th. We have a nice collection started, but could always use more. I appreciate any donations!

Pencils & Homework

Thank you so much to the families who sent in pencil reinforcements. We are working on being more diligent about how pencils are placed in our desks, and getting pencils off the floor each afternoon. Hopefully, we have enough to make it until the end of the year!

I also wanted to remind families that this week's writing homework requires a parent signature. Please take a moment to read through your student's assignment and discuss any edits or revisions that might be needed. For weeks with a good amount of writing required on the homework, I pass out writing awards to those students I feel showed improvement, or went above and beyond on their assignment. This gives the students the privilege of having a buddy lunch with the iPad. I'm looking forward to reading their work from this week's prompt. 

Have an excellent week!
-Ms. Kinsman

A Long Post for the Start of the Third Quarter

Sorry for the span of time since the last blog post. It has been a very busy couple of weeks!

Report Cards
Report cards will be coming home with your students tomorrow. Please be sure to go through the envelopes carefully, as a number of other important documents will be included. In addition, please make sure you read through the Oregon Student Wellness Survey form. We will be completing the survey next week during our scheduled computer lab time.

If you have any concerns about your student’s performance, please do not hesitate to reach out. Most students are on track to meet, and in some cases exceed, sixth grade standards by the end of the year. At this point in the year, my primary focus will be getting the kids ready for middle school. This means I will be asking the students to be more mindful of the quality of work turned in each week. My goals for the next quarter are to:

1. Hold students accountable for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors in all assignments. Some work may need to be resubmitted if poorly completed.

2. Work to ensure that all students are reading at least 30 minutes each night. As the reading expectations become more demanding, it is important to spend as much time with text as possible.

3. Improve writing scores! We definitely need work in this area. After this week, I will be asking parents to sign writing homework assignments. Please take a few minutes to read through your student's work before it is turned in on Friday. If you notice large amounts of errors, please have your student spend time revising their drafts. Remember, all writing homework assignments can be submitted through Google Docs.

Valentine’s Day
I will send home a list of student names in the report card envelopes. Students are not required to make Valentine’s for their classmates, but if they do I ask students to make sure to include everyone in the class. If they would like to participate, I will provide students with a large envelope to decorate at home. This will be sent home on Friday as a weekend project.

We will also be holding a sixth grade Valentine’s Day party on Friday, February 12 at 1:30. We will have an informal dance in the commons area, crafts, a fun story project, games and technology. Snacks will also be provided. If you would like to volunteer, please let me know. More information will be sent home soon.

Pencils

We have completely run out of new pencils. While the pencil program (eight pencils checked/refreshed each week) is still in effect, the design of the classroom desks has made it nearly impossible for many students to keep a solid pencil supply. As a result, we are out of new pencils. Pencil donations would be welcome at this point. I appreciate your help in keeping the classroom supplies stocked for the students.

Our Studies

Social Studies: We have just started our new social studies unit on Ancient China. Students are working in groups to complete activities relating to how geography impacted cultural and economic growth in China and how its government changed over time. In the coming weeks, the students will begin a research project one of the ancient dynasties. Their studies will be showcased in a multi-media project near the end of the month. 

Language Arts: Over the next two weeks we will be reading Freedom Walkers, a non-fiction narrative about the Montgomery bus boycotts. Students will be completing a number of comprehension and writing activities relating to the text.

Math: Most students are now working on mastering operations (multiplication and division) with fractions. Please check in with your student to see if they math homework each night.

Science: Students are working with Mr. Jeremiah to learn more about physical science. Please watch for homework.

Health: For the third quarter, we will be covering the chapters on nicotine, alcohol, and drug abuse. 

Movie Night

Please join us on Friday, February 12th for a family movie night. We will be showing Inside Out.