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6th Grade Expert Project Progress Update

Feb12

6th Year Parents

What a treat is is to be working with your children on this project!  The topics they have chosen are interesting and their dedication to putting together a project to the best of their ability is amazing.

As you may have noticed, we have turned a corner on the year-long journey of Expert Project.  The students are now outlining, drafting, and revising the information they have gathered over the last few months.  They are putting their 5 1/2 years of elementary school training into practice.  This work takes great skill, patience, perseverance, time, and occasionally, blood, sweat and tears.

One of the many beauties of this project is that for this one time in their educational career, they have great support each step of the way for writing such an enormous paper – from each other, from me and from you.

There are two ways in which you can support at home.  First, each week I have asked the students to either read their latest chapter aloud to an older sibling or parent, or have an older sibling or parent read it aloud to them.  (Chapter one and two drafts were both due within the last two weeks.)  This is to help them hear how the writing flows.  As I’m sure you remember, it is challenging to take a collection of notes and turn them into a flowing document.  An ear to bounce off of is helpful.  Usually that is all you need to do – they can hear what needs to be changed when it is read aloud.  The second way you can support them is by ensuring there is time in the busy family life for he or she to work. If your son or daughter is not yet strong at managing his/her time, please help by asking such things as, “How much time do you think you need for Expert Project this week?” and, “Which days will you make that happen?”  They are indeed responsible for doing it, but supporting them by letting them know you are aware of the work, and can help them figure out a schedule, is valuable.

We are planning to send out “Save the Date” cards this week, but I will also share with you, the presentations will be held on Wednesday, April 26th at 6:00 pm.

Thank you for supporting your child in this year-long endeavor!  Your children are amazing!  Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have.

Week 26 – Update

Feb7

Parent Teacher Conferences are next week.  Your child is expected to attend this conference with you, as they will be leading the conversation.  Taking the opportunity to reflect on learning is an important step to really understanding why we come to school each day.   Sharing their success and challenge will help them continue growing in our classroom.  If you haven’t already, please sign up for a conference time at this link.

Beginning this week, we will be adding a weekly Utah Compose assignment to our homework expectations.  You can find the weekly essay expectation under the Utah Compose tab at the top of the blog.  After each mini-lesson, your child will have some time to get started in class, but will need to spend time at home as well.  I have stressed the importance of reading the piece aloud to a parent or older sibling in order to get feedback.  Often, when we read to ourselves, we miss mistakes or errors we have made.  Reading aloud will give your child the opportunity to catch those mistakes with your help.

We will be having a Valentine exchange next Tuesday, February 14.  I have emailed a list of names and guidelines.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

 

 

Week 23 – The long awaited blog post

Jan17

My sincere apologies for the delayed post.  It seems like after Winter Break, the kids aren’t the only ones struggling to get back into a solid routine.

A lot has happened in our classroom since returning after the new year.  We started out the year talking about Growth vs. Fixed mindset.  The students are working toward having a growth mindset in all they do.  It’s rewarding to hear them come to class each day sharing how they had a growth mindset.  Some students even come in admitting to having a fixed mindset, but then follow it up with ways they could have changed their mindset.  This is an attitude that we are all striving to attain.  Check out this beautiful Ted Talk about growth mindset.

Our sixth grade socials committee has been working hard on planning the upcoming Winter Dance.  This activity is designed to allowed sixth grade students spend time with other sixth grade students outside of the classroom.  Each year the students have an opportunity to participate in two social activities prior to the field trip to the Redwoods.  These activities help to build bonds that will make Alliance Redwoods an even more powerful experience.

The Winter Dance is this Thursday, January 19 from 5:00-6:30.  Students are invited to bring a finger food to share.

Our annual 5th grade field trip to JA Biztown is next week, January 25.  We look forward to this trip every year.  If you have signed up to be a volunteer, I will be contacting you via email with detailed information about your duties.

 

 

Week 16 Update

Nov30

I hope you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving Holiday!

We are back in full swing in the classroom, and your children are working hard.

4th Grade – Utah History Project research notes were due Monday, November 28.  I have only received notes from one student.  If your child has not begun this research, they are falling behind.  Please ensure your child turns in their notes no later than Friday, December 2.  If you need an additional copy of the timeline for this project, you can print another from the link on the homepage of the blog titled Utah History Project.

5th Grade – Invention Convention problem selection was due November 18.  Currently only 2 students have turned in this assignment.  With 2 more assignment due dates looming and International Festival upcoming, it is crucial your child stays on track.  You can print a timeline for the current assignments from the homepage of the blog.  Look for the page titled Invention Convention.

6th Grade – Expert projects are well underway.  Your child should complete 80% of their research before winter break.  Students who are falling behind will need to work hard to catch up.  This year long project has been carefully timed and mapped out so as not to be too overwhelming.  We meet for Expert Project lessons every Thursday.  Please encourage your child to come prepared with all necessary assignments and materials.

Whole Class

  • International Festival is on Monday, December 19.  Copies of the expectations for this home project can be found on the homepage of the blog under the International Festival tab.  Please support your child’s efforts so they will have a successful experience during this school-wide celebration.
  • Our annual pancake breakfast is coming up Friday, December 16.  Please mark your calendars and join us, if you can, for this pre-holiday celebration.   Please sign up to help out with donations of food or time at the following link.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me.

 

 

Week 13 Update

Nov9

Happy Wednesday!

First of all, my apologies for the lack of blog and email updates.  My computer has not been working properly and I’ve had extremely limited internet and server access.  I have a temporary solution for now.  Hopefully I can get quickly caught up and back on track with my communication.

Due to the late notice, there are only 2 IXL assignments this week.  They are posted on the IXL page at the top of the blog and your student should have them written in their planners.  This reduced assignment load should have allowed some time for those students who are behind to get caught up.

4th – We are deep in our studies of Utah History and have finished up talking about early explorers and the Spanish Trail (ask your kiddos about our adventure!).  Utah History Fair topics were due last Friday.  Your students should have brought home their project timeline.  This timeline can also be found at the top of the blog.  Research notes, the first big step in the project, are due November 28.

5th – The invention convention assignments have gotten off to a very slow start.  Out of nine students, only 3 have turned in their first assignment.  The second assignment, “Problem Selection” is due Monday, November 14.  Please check in with your kids to see what help they need.  Partial completion of each assignment will not be accepted.  The more details they include now, the easier their end product will be.  A timeline of due dates can be found at the top of the blog.

6th – Our Expert Project is deep in the second week of note card development.  The project has been carefully designed to break down every step of the research process.  I can provide the instruction and help with questions during class time, but it is up to your children to take the initiative to complete the work.  It is crucial that your kids stay on task.  It is my goal to not give any work related to this project over Thanksgiving Break; however, if your child is missing assignments, they will need to be completed during this time.

Lastly, don’t forget our annual Chili Cook-Off tomorrow, November 10.  It’s not too late to sign up to bring a pot of chili to support this fun community event!

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