It's ELEMENTary...

Physical Science is our unit in science that we will be working on until Spring. It sounds so far away with all this white stuff on the ground but it's only 6 weeks away!  That doesn't sound as bad!
We have looked at the states of matter and physical changes that occur in the world around us.  As we move forward we have been getting to know the Periodic Table and the Elements.

The students organized sets of cards of the first 20 elements.  They had to become familiar with the number of protons (atomic number), neutrons, and electrons.
The next day we discussed the energy levels that the electrons travel on and added to our puzzle of the first 20 elements. 
Come Meet the Elements with They Might Be Giants by clicking here.

 6th Grade Physical Science:  All matter is made of atoms, which are far too small to see directly through a light microscope. Elements have unique atoms and thus, unique properties. Atoms themselves are made of even smaller particles. 

What I Wish My Teacher Knew....

To wrap up Fish in a Tree I asked the students to complete the statement What I wish my teacher knew.... This was done anonymously and they connected it to a quote that had meaning for them about overcoming struggles and finding success from failing and trying again and maybe again and then again.

Class Project Due Date is Extended!

Happy Snow Day!! 
Our class Element Project will be extended until after vacation! No need to work on it at home.  

Meet the Characters of Fish in a Tree

What a great book Fish in a Tree was! And we learned so much!  The characters really came alive and we learned so much about them inside and out.  Our end result was a character study of who these characters were not only on the outside but on the inside as well.  The students were reflective and creative as they made them come alive and introduced them to our school community.

Meet Oliver, Albert, Ally, Keisha, and Jessica

On the front of the character's shirt introduces who this character is on the outside; how people think they are. Such as Albert appears to not be affected by kids picking on him. 

When you lift up the shirt, the students explain who this character is on the inside; the parts of people that are not always apparent.

But Albert on the inside is affected by others words but has the belief that giving them his energy is not worth it. 

Meet Mr. Daniels, the inspiring teacher of this group

Mr. Daniels works to find the best in each of his students

Meet Jessica and Shay, the bullies of the group I loved this book!  My favorite part of the book was when Mr. Daniels gave Ally the piece of paper that said "POSSIBLE".  This scene in the book emphasizes the theme of perseverance and how working through things that are difficult are the best learning experiences. What was your favorite part of the book that would best explain one of the themes overall?

Watch Lynda Mullaly Hunt read the final chapter of Fish in a Tree and answer questions:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Fish in a Tree-Chapters 25-30

Created with Padlet

Part 1:  
On page 158, Mr. Daniels inspires Ally with a quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein.  We have responded to this quote already and what we think it means.  Having read further in the book and learning more about Ally, how does this quotation speak to Ally and her experiences?  How does this moment in the text serve as a turning point for Ally?  "Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it's stupid."

Part 2:  NEXT: 
Go to Brainy Quotes’ Albert Einstein page.
Choose an Albert Einstein quote that you think represents you.

Choose an image, that represents your quote.  Remember to give credit to the photographer in your post.

POST: 

The quote by Albert Einstein 

The image (remember to give credit to the photographer)

A brief statement about why the quote represents you and/or is meaningful to you







**Correlates to Common Core Standards

Balloon Popping!

Atoms are the smallest building blocks of matter and molecules are two or more atoms connected together. 

Today in class we investigated a drop of water and examining it on a molecular level.

Watch the video of a water balloon popping in slow motion and write a comment answering the question:  

Why do you think the water keeps its shape the moment the balloon is popped?  

Balloon Popping Video:

Parent Conferences

Just a quick notice about Parent Conferences!
Please use the link on the Parent Conference page of my blog to schedule  your time!  Please notice the dates.