Please remember that the calendar on fast direct is a quick and easy way to keep on top of what is happening in sixth grade. This sight will be updated at the beginning of each month, but the fast direct calendar is updated
often.
Science- Art- For our art projects in January, we used two famous artists as inspiration. Imitating Marc Chagall's fantasy paintings, each student created an imaginative piece of art that showed one room from their house. Within that room, they had to include items both real and make believe. Henri Matisse inspired the class to create construction paper collages that showed balance and proportion. They worked on adding different shapes and colors to give their collage an eye-appealing appearance. |
Math We just finished what is always one of the most challenging chapters of the year. There were several concepts within this introduction to Algebra chapter that proved to be very challenging. Many students were confused by the process of adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. I gave them a few clues for getting the answer and we also watched a few tutorials on this. Some benefited from drawing a number line; they found it easier to "see" the answer when they had that visual tool. Luckily, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers came quite a bit more easily to most. Another challenge was solving algebraic equations. While many students are still struggling with the algebra basics, I feel they got a baseline introduction which will benefit them later this year as we continue to work on solving the equations. Minnesota History During our study of the Civil War, the sixth graders learned more about people from Minnesota and how they were impacted by the war. The class read letters written between the Christie family members while the three sons were off at war. They also learned what Minnesotans back home did to support the war effort. The conclusion of A Soldier's Heart was a powerful way for students to think about the impact of war on soldiers and their families. Many students were surprised to learn that while the Civil War was raging in the southeastern part of our country, another civil war was taking place right here in Minnesota. What is now referred to as the Dakota War impacted the lives of many Native Americans, as well as white settlers. The class worked in groups to create a newspaper that could have been printed in 1862. Within each newspaper, students retold the story of the Dakota War in their own words. They did a wonderful job of making it look like a real newspaper and adding their own creative flairs! |