In the Know
February 12th Community 6 News
Lead Learners
Rachel Stricklin (English) rachel.stricklin@pikeroadschools.org
Kathleen Griswell (History) kathleen.griswell@pikeroadschools.org
Karen Granfeldt (Math) karen.granfeldt@pikeroadschools.org
Upcoming Events
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PRS RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS WEEK
FEBRUARY 8TH-12TH
To gear up for National Random Acts of Kindness Day which is celebrated February 17th, our community 8 Respect Diversity Project Group is sponsoring a PRS Random Acts of Kindness Spirit Week next week, February 8th - 12th. We hope you will join us by spreading kindness throughout the Pike Road community!
K- Kickoff Random Acts of Kindness Week MONDAY
(Showing support for your favorite sports team.)
I- Inspire someone to by kind TUESDAY
(Dress as your favorite superhero and inspire others to be Kindness Superheroes.)
N- Neon bright WEDNESDAY
(Make the world a bright place by sharing kindness.)
D- Dive into kindness THURSDAY
(Dress in your favorite tropical wear or sea life as we dive into kindness.)
Friendly FRIDAY Twins Day
(Pair up with a friend and dress alike.)
Please be sure that you stay within our dress code guidelines throughout the week.
Wish List Items
Notebook paper
tape (packing, scotch, masking, painters, and duct)
hot glue sticks
colored pencils
sharpies (black and colors)
Eraser caps for pencils
Sheet protectors
Clorox Clean-ups
Baggies all sizes
Sumdog Leaders February 1st
Class leaders are determined every Monday based on the number of correctly answered math problems. To be a leader, at least 85% mastery must be maintained. Each week I post that week's leaders. Watch your child grow and have fun doing it!
Sumdog Leaders January 25th
Sumdog Leaders February 8th
Science
February - Students had an amazing time working with Mrs. Shelton's Family! They were interviewed and Community One students even gave our Trash Creations names!
Last Friday, students viewed and critiqued their Public Service Announcements. They will be uploaded to FreshGrade by the end of the week. Next week we will begin our Space Unit and students will begin spreading the word about their Penny War Donation Drive for those affected in the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Code.org - Students have begun an introduction to computer coding using the site Code.org. This is a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to Computer Science. Community 6 students begin with Course 2 and are working on the coding courses at their own pace. This does not need to be completed in a day or even a week. Students may work on these during enrichment or when needing a challenge. I am monitoring their progress as the move through the courses.
Looking Ahead - April will bring INVENTION CONVENTION. Students will use the Engineering Design Processes to design and create an original invention that will solve a problem. I have discussed with students that they should begin brainstorming problems and possible solutions/inventions.
Sharing our Trash Creations with Community One
Sharing our Trash Creations with Community One
Sharing our Trash Creations with Community One
History
Mrs. Griswell was officially back as of Friday, February 5th!
I stopped by school on Monday, February 1st to inform the learners they had until Thursday, February 4th to complete any work assigned by Mr. Temple, my longterm substitute, as well as work on reassessments of the objectives he covered with them for WWII.
Last Friday we completed an activity that correlated with Community 6's community wide project question "What if today's great invention was tomorrow's worst nightmare?" In history, we answered that question with "nuclear power." In particular, we talked about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the last days of WWII. Your learners became forensic scientists. Their job was to research the negative effects of nuclear weapons like radiation poisoning, skin burns, etc. They were told about several theoretical "patients" suffering various symptoms from nuclear radiation and based on that information, calculate how close that patient was to the blast of the atomic bomb. This project will have students utilized multiple skills like chart reading, analyzation, and medical research. The end result allowed students to think critically and help them make decisions that will ensure that nuclear weapons will never be used in warfare again.
They very much enjoyed this activity and many expressed the thought "being a doctor with patients on paper is so much easier than real living patients."
This week we are beginning our unit on the Cold War. Your learners will participate in a variety of activities that will help them understand and apply different economic systems such as communism, socialism, and capitalism. They will also analyze Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain Speech."
English
Current Standards:
Reading & Comprehending Fiction-
This week we are finishing our study of fictional texts by reading and analyzing different versions of "Cinderella." We will work on writing summaries, identifying themes, and citing evidence from the text.
Thursday will be the Independent Reading Project Check-In Day. Students will be able to work on this project in class, and I will check to see what progress & questions they have about their projects. Students should have already finished or be close to finishing their books by this point.
Next week we will start our study of poetry.
Standards:
- RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Grammar & Punctuation Usage-
Students will be working through 10 grammar and punctuation topics identified in Alabama's standards for 6th grade. I have created a Blendspace for each of these topics with review material and practice exercises. Students can work at their own pace and can work on these topics at home. All students must begin with Case 1 and work their way up. They must let me know when they are ready to test on a Case and pass it before they will be allowed to progress to the next one. Students should complete all 10 before the end of the 3rd nine weeks. The first 6 have already been posted in the Grammar Review folder in Edmodo, and the rest will be posted soon.
- L.6.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
- L.6.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Case 1 Blendspace:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/c6m9PANJgFRP0Q/case-1-s-v-agreement-prepositional-phrases
Case 2:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/jWxhNReab9wM4Q/case-2-subject-verb-agreement-with-indefinite-pronouns
Case 3:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/Awrxkf_CThnrHA/case-3-subject-verb-agreement-w-inverted-word-order
Case 4:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/-X12aUSLlTo_FA/case-4-pronoun-cases
Case 5:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/vyTldjbfJrsc6Q/case-5-intensive-pronouns
Case 6:
https://www.tes.com/lessons/OX9dWJrAtA_TYQ/case-6-pronoun-number-person
Independent Reading Project-
To conclude our study and analysis of fiction, students will give a presentation on a book of their choice in class the week of March 1-4. We have already discussed this project in class, and an assignment sheet and rubric have been posted in Edmodo. This is an independent project, so we will not be spending class time working it. The check point for this project is Thursday of this week. It is extremely important that students do not wait until the last minute. Preparation is the key to doing well on this project.
Here is a link to the project requirements and assessment rubric:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15816skCgNae3mceq11r5OzqGn0leZlJv_TnUvDZ9OuA/edit?usp=sharing
Genius Hour-
Every Friday in English class from now until Spring Break students will participate in Genius Hour. This time block will be dedicated to students researching and designing their own projects on a topic they are passionate about. The only rules are that project topics must be approved by me, it must include substantial research, students must keep a log of their research and reflections, and they must present and share their final projects on the last week. This is a great opportunity for you as parents to learn more about your students' interested and be involved in their learning! For more information, you can visit www.geniushour.com.
- W.6.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
Every Friday During Homeroom-
Students will be continuing their reading of non-fiction texts with Newsela. Every Friday morning they are required to read and take quizzes on 2 Newsela articles. This is also a great resources for helping your student work on his or her reading and comprehension skills at home. The articles in Newsela can be adjusted by reading Lexile level and have short comprehension quizzes that go with the article. Common Core has identified 6th grade Lexile level as starting at 925.
- RI.6.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the Grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Every Day- Students read independently for at least 30 minutes every day to work toward their 40 Books Challenge. Information on the 40 Books Challenge is posted on my Edmodo page in my folders.
- RL.6.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature in the 6-8 grade text complexity band proficiently.
Math
Make Over Mondays
I will be meeting with small groups to reteach and practice skills already taught. In Fresh grade, I have added lesson and practice links to all standards not mastered. Look in the comments for each yellow dot. Open mind games are still available to practice as well on Edmodo. Students should practice to be ready for re-evaluation on the following skills as needed: Decimal computation, Multiplying and Dividing fractions, Exponents, Order of Operations, Greatest Common Factor,Least Common Multiple, Graphing on a four quadrant grid, Identify axis, quadrant and signs in quadrants,Graphing reflections, Finding distance between points on a four quadrant grid, Integers, comparing and ordering, Opposites, Absolute value, Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode, range), graphing data, and interpreting data, area, volume, and surface area.
Algebra is finally here-
We are working hard to introduce vocabulary, identify parts of an expression, combine like terms, write expressions from verbal phrases, and ultimately solve one step equations. Watch Freshgrade for new standards to appear.
Area - 1 Square Foot
Volume 1 Cubic Foot
1 Cubic Yard = 27 Cubic Feet
Community 6 learners help Community 1 learners
We took time to train C1 to use Sumdog
C6 learners enjoyed helping our little friends
Important note from Physical Education
Pike Road School
Website: www.pikeroadschools.org
Location: 500 Avenue of Learning, Pike Road, AL, United States
Phone: 334-420-5310