Sixth Grade
Newtown Friends School :: February, 2016
Art
Sixth grade artists are glazing their large scale clay sculptures. Students are choosing to either work with underglazes or "true" glazes and will have to follow a system of adding coats depending on the kind and color. Later in the month we will revisit printmaking, but this time focusing on serigraphy (silk screening) and mono printing.
Community Service
6-1
Friday 2/26 - We will play simple board games with Woolman residents. Students are welcome to bring a favorite game, but please check with Kristen to make sure it is appropriate for our retired friends.
6-2
Friday 2/5 - We will be making Valentine's Day crafts with Woolman residents.
Friday 2/19 - Students will join Pennswood residents for chair Zumba.
English
Students will begin the month by completing their in-class five paragraph comparison essay. We will do a series of mini-lessons on vocabulary focusing on the classical roots "vis" and "spec." Afterwards, we will begin our unit on using discussion to deepen understanding of a text. Our mentor text will be the novel Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin, which students will be responsible for reading both in class and at home. Students will learn how to come prepared to have a meaningful discussion about literature, and how to use conversational prompts to continue a discussion. These skills will be used later in the year during our unit on book clubs.
Health
The classes will continue to be combined this month as we review and expand on the information brought to us by Ron Rolon from the Bucks County IU. The focus will shift from tobacco education to alcohol education and drug education. The class will be provided information and have the opportunity to discuss it with small groups of peers as well as ask questions to the large group. Making responsible decisions will continue to be the theme in our class.
Latin
This month the sixth grade Latin students will continue their work with Lesson IV, which features second declension masculine nouns. Students will become comfortable declining these nouns and recognizing their case and number within the context of a Latin sentence. After we complete this lesson, we will begin laying the groundwork for our Roman biography project. This project asks students to learn more about the history and culture of Rome through the lens of a real or mythological person’s life. As we work on this project, we will also begin to tackle Lesson V, which shows us how to express possession using the genitive case.
Math
Students will continue to drill and review conversions between fractions, decimals, and percents. We will learn about discounts, taxes, and tips and how to find part of a whole using percents. Students will analyze how different stores use coupons to maximize sales. Using this knowledge they will design a marketing strategy to sell a product, which they will implement in the form of a commercial or poster. Towards the end of the month we will review how to add and subtract integers and learn the rules for multiplying and dividing them.
Music
Sixth graders are working hard on the show preparations for “Jungle Book.” We are learning choreography and blocking scenes. Be on the look out for an email about costumes, after school rehearsals and a proposed show date!
P.E.
In Upper School P.E. we will continue to develop our physical fitness and work on skill development in each class. Our lessons at the beginning of this month will focus on jumping rope. Students will participate in a variety of jump rope games, skills and challenges in preparation for our school wide event, Jump Rope for Heart. This month we will also play a team game called Speed Ball, which is a combination of soccer, basketball and football. Each class will use the rock wall once in February and our fitness challenge for each student will be how many times you can jump the rope in one minute. There will also be a bonus football activity the week of the Super Bowl!
Science
Sixth graders are learning how to write up a laboratory report. They are using geologic weathering as a vehicle to accomplish this task. After we spend some time learning how to finish a laboratory report with an excellent conclusion, students will move on to paleontology. Students will get their own geologic time period and become an expert in their field of study by creating a diorama with many different features from their studies.
Social Studies
In February the sixth grade social studies students will complete their unit on Islam. The unit will culminate with a five-paragraph DBQ (Document-Based Question) essay test. The children will be expected to find similarities and differences among the three Abrahamic religions. This is the first full DBQ that the students will take and it should be an exciting challenge for them. Every skill we have practiced this year will be utilized during this test. When we complete our Abrahamic Religion DBQ we will move on to Buddhism. We will explore the many facets of and cultures within Buddhism. Throughout the month we will continue to refine our writing, reading, and critical thinking skills.
Spanish
Sixth grade Spanish will have an assessment the first week in February. They will need to present the imperative “tú” structure to demonstrate the ability to tell someone what to do using third person conjugation of the present tense. They will show how to write and speak about their chores using “tener que” structures and compose paragraphs using the learned language to describe themselves and daily life and routines. The class will learn reflexive verbs to explain their day to day habits and adverbs of time like, “de vez en cuando, a veces, todos los días, primero, después” and others to make communication more complete and informative.
Upper School 101
As Valentine's Day approaches, we will take time to focus on kindness and how to foster positive feelings in our community even when we are stressed, there is drama or when we are facing other life obstacles. Then, we will move on to planning, time management as well as how to anticipate and prepare for tests, homework and other big projects all while juggling other life commitments.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday 2/11 - Noon Dismissal, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 2/12 - No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday 2/15 - No School, Presidents' Day
Friday 2/19 - Ski Club Trip #2
Friday 2/26 & Saturday 2/27 - March Madness Basketball Tournament