Hello 6th Grade,

Welcome to February 💖. Your teachers are super excited to meet you every single day! You are loved and you are important. Remember without YOU at school, our ‘snowman’ in the cafeteria will not grow. Parents are requested to motivate their child to help his/her class contribute toward their classroom success.

Important Dates & Reminders

• February 8th & 9th: WIDA Testing
• February 8th: Quarter 2 progress reports go home
• February 12th: Lockdown Drill
• February 14th: Candy Gram distribution
• February 19 : President’s Day - Student Holiday
• Reminder: Please do not send soda, candy or gum to school with your child. 
• Students should be reading at least 20-30 minutes each night.

Language Arts

What are we learning?

• Reading Unit: Content Research 
  • Readers engage in a process of inquiry to ask and seek answers to compelling questions. 
  •  Readers  synthesize information across multiple texts and experiences in order to construct emerging understandings.
  • Readers collaborate and discuss to seek new ideas or clarify unresolved questions.
• Writing Unit: Content Research
  •  Writers will write in a variety of forms to include narrative, expository, persuasive, and reflective with an emphasis on narrative and reflective writing. 
  • Writers will self- and peer-edit writing for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, paragraphing, and Standard English.
  • Writers will l find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources to create a research product.

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

•  How do researchers use their curiosity to guide their research?? 
•  What connection does my research have on our changing world? 

Books we will be reading:

• Our Environment: Everything You Need to Know by Jacques Pasquet
• Blood and Germs: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease by Gail Jarrow
• Perspectives Flip Books series Published by Capstone Press

Math

What are we learning?

Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities

• As mathematicians we will:
  • simplify numerical expressions involving integers.
  • solve one-step linear equations in one variable, including practical problems that require the solution of a one-step linear equation in one variable.
  • represent a practical situation with a linear inequality in one variable.
  • solve one-step linear inequalities in one variable, involving addition or subtraction, and graph the solution on a number line. 

Advanced Math-                                                                            

• Congruency of line segments and shapes on a grid
• Introduction to functions

Home/School Connection:

• Relate Algebra to Real-life Situations:Expose your children to various real-life situations where algebra is applicable. For instance, share examples of grocery shopping, travel budgeting, or cooking where algebraic principles are useful. 
• Encourage Problem-Solving: Challenging your children to solve real-world problems using algebra can help improve their analytical and problem-solving skills. Whether it’s finding the best deal while shopping, determining the quickest route to a location, or analyzing their favorite team’s statistics, using algebra in problem-solving can make the learning experience interactive and fun.
• Assist Them in Homework: While you should refrain from doing their homework for them, guiding them through the process and explaining the relevance of algebraic concepts in everyday life can be highly beneficial.

Science

What are we learning?

All about Water (H₂O)

• As scientists we will learn to:
  • evaluate our own water consumption
  •  analyze practical methods of conservation of H₂O
  • expand upon the understanding of the properties of water 
  • describe sources of freshwater, wastewater, and stormwater in Fairfax County, VA

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

• How can water resources be managed responsibly?
• Why should we have practices for the wise use and protection of water as a natural resource?

Social Studies

What are we learning?

• New Nation
• Westward Expansion and reform

As historians we will be learning about:

• outcomes of the first Constitution of the United States established by the Articles of the Confederation.
• the historical development of the Constitution of the United States.
• the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States.

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

•  Describe the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States.
• Since the field trip this Spring will be at George Mason University, get your son/daughter acquainted with why George Mason was important enough to name a university in his honor.
• 

ESOL- English for Speakers of Other Languages

WIDA assessment information:  The state of Virginia administers the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessment from January 16-March 15. This assessment monitors students' progress in learning academic English in the areas of reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Families can find translated information about this assessment at this link: https://wida.wisc.edu/resources/what-access-ells 

Please encourage your child to do their very best, and be sure your child is well-rested for test days (and every school day)!

Students in grades 1-6 can continue practice at home for the assessment through this link: https://wbte.drcedirect.com/WIDA/portals/wida/assessment_selection?adminId=596372