6th Grade Weekly Newsletter
4/26 - 4/30
PLEASE READ
2021 MAP Testing
Map Testing Information for 6th Grade
- Testing will occur on Wednesday, May 5th (morning) and Thursday, May 6th (afternoon).
- Students will only be testing over Math and ELA ONLY.
- Students are discouraged to bring cellphones and/or smartwatches during those days for interference of validation of these tests. If students do bring these materials, they will be collected and stored in a safe place during the time of testing.
- Students are unable to pair their Bluetooth headphones (ex. airpods) to their Chromebooks while taking the tests with the program. They will need headphones or earbuds that connect by a wire.
- Students NEED to have their Chromebook charged and ready to go during the testing days. This prevents their Chromebook from shutting down during the test.
Friday FPC Incentive (repeat)
Parents and Students need to be aware of the following things in order to participate in our weekly incentive:
- Students need to have their missing/current work turned in by each Thursday by 11:59pm.
- Teachers will be updating grades no later than Friday by 7:30am.
- If a student turns in an assignment during the school day on Friday, teachers are unable to grade it before FPC time and students are unable to participate in the incentive.
- If it is a mistake (teachers do make mistakes), students are responsible to show their FPC teacher that the assignment is not marked missing in their Student Portal.
Congrats to our 6th Grade Students who received this week's Character Strong Trait!
Information from the 6th Grade Team
ELA
This week, we continued our Close Reading Unit. Since we have gone over all the skills (denotation/connotation, tone/mood, and figurative language), we reviewed the steps of close reading with Kobe Bryant's poem titled "Dear Basketball." We will continue looking at the poem next week before MAP Testing begins.
We also continued our Social Justice Reading Passion Project. This will act as our overall assessment of this unit. It is an ongoing project that will focus on a social justice issue by reading a book and then using close reading strategies to determine overall meaning by using comprehension, author's craft and structure, and applying historical/cultural contexts. We will have our last work day on Wednesday or Thursday next week. Projects will be due on May 10th. This seems like it's not due for a while, but it is only two weeks away!
If you have any questions, please let me know!
Science
This week in science we have been describing the physical properties, locations, and movements of asteroids, comets, and meteors. Ask your child if they can tell you about these space phenomena. Next week we will begin working on learning more about the planets.
The planets are our last portion of our space unit. The remainder of the year will be spent planning, budgeting, and organizing a "trip" to Mars.
Math
We have spent this week looking at unit rates as a way to find the better buy of many different items ending in students finding the better deal on a vacation this week.
We will spend this next week preparing for MAP testing on Wednesday and Thursday and reviewing ratios and rates. We will be taking the final test over ratio and rates on Monday, May 10th. Remember if you have any questions or concerns, please email me.
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies! We have started our combined Africa/Europe unit. We will be emphasizing European colonization and it's impact on the African continent. Students participated in an image review activity that allowed them to see the lasting effects of African colonization. Our goal with this unit is to answer our essential question of "Is colonization important?". Students were very engaged in this activity!
Specials
P.E.
This week we introduced our 2021 Barry School Olympics and each group picked a country that they will represent in a variety of sports and skills events. The students will compete in these events over the next few weeks and we will finish the unit with a celebration and medal ceremony.
Band
In 6th Grade Band, woodwinds and brass students have been busy preparing for our Spring Band Concert! I am very excited to share that we will have an in-person band concert on Wednesday, May 19th in the Barry School Gym. 6th Grade Band will perform at 6:00pm. Please read the attached letter for more information in regards to our Spring Concert and add that date to your family calendar!
6th Grade percussion students have been preparing for our annual Platte County percussion showcase, DRUM! You should have received some communication from percussion teacher Mr. Bailey in regards to this event on May 7th. If you have not, or have any questions, please reach out! Percussion students will also be preparing for the Spring Band Concert on May 19th. Please also read the attached letter in regards to the concert and add that date to your family calendar!
If you are not hearing your student practice at home, please encourage them to do so. Students should be practicing 20-30 minutes per day and have weekly practice journals in Google Classroom that contain weekly assignments.
Choir
Please see the Choir Concert information in the pdf linked below. If you have any questions or comments, please email Mrs. Duffy/Ms. Rolls.
Art
Please email Mr. Elliott if you have questions or concerns.
World Language
From now on, Hannah Rivers will be taking over this class since Mrs. Lackey will out for maternity leave. Please email Miss Rivers if you have questions or concerns at riversh@platteco.k12.mo.us.
This week 6th grade practiced their colors, numbers and greetings in Spanish. They also learned the difference between the terms Hispanic, Latino and Spanish. Next week they will be finishing their Spanish unit and presenting their assessment next Friday the 7th.
Computers
Students are working on a website of their choices made with Google Sites. This coming week will bring a focus on Google Forms and how they can be used by students.
Reading 180
Please email Ms. Berglund if you have any questions or concerns.
Important Dates to Remember
Wednesday, May 5: 6th Grade MAP Testing in the morning.
Thursday, May 6: 6th Grade MAP Testing in the afternoon.