Dear Sixth Grade Families,
The Sixth Grade class continues their Biomes Around the World block and is now learning about specific biomes. The students heard an overview of the three main forest biomes, took notes during the discussion, and used these notes to write a paragraph about each biome. The students were given an introduction and closing paragraph, and with these additions, created a second five-paragraph essay. They are learning the mechanics of this type of essay, how to gather important details from discussions, and how to combine the information into cohesive summaries. The students also checked in regarding their own biome research projects. This past week, the class learned about the importance of writing a bibliography and how to do so.
In CyberCivics, our class had the opportunity to participate in a “posting” and “commenting” activity in an offline setting. We reviewed the guidelines for posting and commenting online, and then each student created their own public post for the classroom. Their classmates had the opportunity to comment on these posts using sticky notes. This offline setting simulated what it is like to comment on someone else’s post, as well as to receive comments on their own posts. It led to a lively discussion about posting/commenting. Some of the questions that the class asked are even more useful and helpful if they are further discussed at home, such as: Can comments be questions? Can people have conversations in the comment section of a post? If I start a conversation with someone in the comment section, is that public? What if you don’t understand a comment? What if someone comments and they aren’t nice? When would you choose not to comment? Having these extended conversations at home allows you to help learn your child’s actual understanding of the internet and its usage and allows you to set guidelines that meet your family’s preferences.
In Math, the students have been tasked to apply the previous lessons of geometry to solve more complex problems and to do so initially without the help of the teacher. While at first, this may feel overwhelming or something students may push back against by saying, “I don’t know how to do this!” they are beginning to realize that they have the necessary knowledge to solve a particular problem; it might just need to be utilized in a different way. When the students finally figure it out - they are SO proud!
Announcements and Reminders:
Please remember to help your child practice their typing skills at least 4x a week!
As has been our tradition at The Garden School, instead of sending cards from home on Valentine's Day, please save all card and gift exchanges for off-campus playdates.
Upcoming Events:
2/19-2/23 Mid Winter Break (No School)
2/26 Teacher In-Service (No School)
3/9 Community Work Day 9 am - 12 pm
3/15 Teacher In-Service (No School)
With Gratitude,
Ki Melissa and Ki Lesley
