Mr. Slusser / Ms. Dsylva / Ms. Abdulhadi

Hello 6th Grade,

Hello April… New Month, new beginning, new mindset, new focus, new start, new intentions, new results . Welcome to our final quarter of the year! 

Important Dates & Reminders   

• Spring break : March 25 - April 02
• April 03: Quarter 4 begins
• April 4th is Picture Day
• April 10: Eid al Fitr (No school)
• April 15: Key Middle School Tour (more        details to follow)
• April 19: Bright Minds, Big City ( Family Night) 
• Students should be reading at least 20-30 minutes each night. Ramadan Library  Easter Library  

Language Arts

What are we learning?

• Reading Unit: Testing as a Genre 
• Readers actively prepare for test questions using everything they know about tests and the genre.
•  Readers monitor for understanding throughout the testing experience (before, during and after reading the passage and test questions). 
•  Readers use test-taking strategies in order to select correct answer or answers

• Writing Unit:

 Persuasaive Essay

•   Writers consider multiple perspectives to develop their position on an issue. 
•  Writers craft a more persuasive piece when voice is informed by their audience. 
•  Writers decide how to organize and order the parts of their essay to build the most convincing argument. 
• Writers rely on feedback from the community to help refine their argument

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

•  How does what you know about different genres support you when taking a test? 
•  What kind of test question is best to check which kind of knowledge?

Math

What are we learning?

 Circles and Geometric Measurement            

• As mathematicians we will: 
• Derive (π) pie 
• Solve problems, including practical problems, involving circumference and area of a circle.
• Solve problems, including practical problems, involving area and perimeter of triangle and rectangles. 

Advanced Math-                                                                         

   Quadrilaterals and Triangle Congruence

• Solve problems between corresponding sides and angles.
• Finding unknown lengths and angles of quadrilaterals.
• Applying translations and reflections of triangles and quads in the coordinate plane.

Home/School Connection:

Take a look at some common questions we hear in daily life.

• Perimeter- How long is the wall?
• How much baseboard would we need for this room?
• Area- This rug covers how many ‘square’ feet?
• How much carpet do we need to cover this floor?
• Be involved with cooking recipes to know fractions and measurements.

Science

What are we learning?                              

• The sun is important in the formation of most energy sources on Earth
•  Energy is continuously transferred from one place to another and transformed among various forms
•   Renewable resources should be managed so that they produce continuously
•   Fossil fuels are the major sources of energy in developed and industrialized nations and should be managed to minimize adverse impacts
•  Preventing pollutants from entering the air and water can protect the health of living things
•  Secondary sources of energy, such as electricity, are used to store, move, and deliver energy easily in usable form

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

• How can we protect, maintain, and manage energy resources and the environment? 
•  How can environmental policies affect the health and safety of living things?

Social Studies

What are we learning?

Civil War

• How can individuals stop injustice in society?
• How can the President of the United States change the course of history?
• Why might people risk their lives for a cause? 
• What effects did the conflicts between the North and South have on the people in those regions?
• How does the conflict of the Civil War continue to have lasting effects today?
• What can we learn about our past by exploring diverse perspectives?

Home/School Connection

Questions to ask your student:

• What were the northern states called? 
•  What were the southern states called? 

Specials 

What are we learning? &  Home/School Connections:

• Library: 
  • In April, we will have our Spring book fair! It will be from April 11-April 22. There will be evening hours during most days for families who would like to come after school.
  • 6th grade students are continuing to explore historical fiction, evaluating websites, and citing their sources.
• PE: 
  • Falcon Families, We hope your Spring Break was full of smiles and activity. As always, we are grateful to call you our co-teachers and appreciate the work you do with your student(s).
  • Upon returning from break, we always revisit routines and expectations until students are back in “school mode.” The next actual unit will be SOCCER! Students have been looking forward to this unit because it’s many peoples’ favorite and we can finally play more outside. Falcons are lucky because Mr. Bergin is a working Varsity Soccer Coach in the county; what a valuable resource! Students will learn basic skills, rules for the sport, and practice in small games. At the end of the month, we will transition to a two-week biking unit! Families can stay alert because we will be asking for volunteers to assist with this unit. Volunteer sign-up information will likely be shared in Thursday Folders and/or Talking Points. Until then, Happy Spring!
  • ❤ Mr. Bergin and Ms. Brod
• Music: 
  • Ms Shaw’s class will be working on parody in song and writing our own song lyrics and conceptualizing our own music video to go along with it. Recorder work will take a short break.
  • Mr. Sawasky’s class:
    • All grades will continue our work on the frame drumming composition.  All students will know how to create their own rhythms and work on creating melodies.
    • We will practice singing the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” All students will express themselves through playing xylophones, frame drums and percussion instruments.
    • 5^th and 6^th will be adding to their theory knowledge by composing their own melodies. We will start learning about the blues and musical form.
• STEAM: 
  • 6^th Graders are creating software and hardware for their object-avoiding moon rover robots
• Art: 
  • In the Forestdale art program, the primary goal is to create an environment in which every student feels confident, safe, and supported by Ms. Barrett and by the other students. The goal is that each student will reach a level of technical mastery and self-confidence that allows them to take risks with their own artwork and create work that they value.
  • In April,  all students will be creating clay art projects! 
  • 6th graders will create clay plates that have their names and other surface textures embossed in the clay. All clay projects will last at least a hundred years if cared for carefully. 
  • 6th graders are also starting their stitchery unit in art!
  • All students’ ceramic pieces are delightful.
  • Thank you to all families for returning the Parent Interview Forms for each art unit! Students in grades 1st - 6th continue to use their Art Planning and Reflection Books, increasing their literacy skill practice during art classes!
  • As always, Ms. Barrett ([email protected]) is here for any questions or concerns regarding the art program.

ESOL- English for Speakers of Other Languages

All ESOL students have now completed their WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessments. The ESOL Team is very proud of how hard every student worked on each of their tests! Results from this assessment will be sent to families before the end of the school year. We are looking forward to seeing how much growth our students have made in learning academic English.