October 29, 2012

This was a week of completing things. Students finished their Persuasive Letters, don’t worry, they are school-based topics. We will begin woking on a writing project, “The Garden Book”. Students finished their social studies unit on ancient civilizations and took their unit test. Next, we will start a science unit, “Life Thru Time”.; Mid-trimester reports go home today. In spelling, we finished the first multi-unit review and in math students are working on fraction to decimal conversions. Everyone enjoyed cupcakes make by John’s mom. It is official, John is eleven years old. Mid-Trimester reports go home today. Please get in touch if you have questions or comments. The Fall Festival, aka Halloween Party, is this Wednesday afternoon. Mr.Davis has planned several activities and it should be a lot of fun. On Friday, Nov 2, the Coast to Canyon group is having an Italian supper. On the menu, meatballs and spaghetti, meatless marinara, lasagna, and lobster alfredo. The time is 5-7pm and the suggested donation is $10 per person or $25 per family.

October 22, 2012

Two field trips, the fall middle school hike and a trip to Woodlawn in Ellsworth, plus a workshop day for me, kept us busy and changed our weekly routine. We had a beautiful day for the hike up North Bubble Mountain. Because of the wind, we decided not to hike to Bubble Mountain, and instead hiked down and around Jordan pond.  

I was a bit apprehensive about the trip to Woodlawn because this was a new multi-school format. It turned out to be another great day and every student was anxious to go back. The highlights were playing croquet and making apple cider. 

Students completed unit 5in their spelling books and continued to work on their writing projects.

This week, the 6th graders have a math quiz and all students have a Social Studies test. We will be finishing the persuasive writing pieces. (You can see the standards for this writing piece on the class blog. Look for the tab titled “Persuasive Writing”. ) 

There is an Italian Supper coming up on November 2nd.

October 15, 2012

I do not think I will ever get used to sending parent newsletters home on Monday. I have always thought of these letters as a capstone of the week with information for the next week. So, I hope you remembered to help students get ready for today’s hike. The weather looks cloudy, but it should be warm. Later in the week, Thursday, the 5th - 8th grade is going to the Black House (Woodlawn) for the day. Students will need bag lunches and clothing for the whatever weather we might have. Last week, we finished the Fountas & Pinnell reading benchmarks, worked on prefixes and suffixes, and building words. This week, we will continue to work on vocabulary and on spelling unit 5. The 6th graders will spend the next few weeks learning when to use and how to convert between fractions, decimal and percents. Last week in social studies, we studied the Sumerians and their contributions to culture. This week, we begin to study other peoples of the Fertile Crescent and then we will move on to early Egypt. On Friday, the 6th graders made applesauce for the class. It was a nice afternoon treat and it took very little time. Later this week, we are hoping for a few nice hours so that we can plant our tulips.

October 9, 2102

I am glad to see the end of NECAP testing. It is tough on students; it is tough on teachers. There are very strict limitations on what teachers can say, do and answer. In any event, everyone worked very hard. Today, we will do the final survey and be done until May.

On Friday, the Union 93 teachers met in Surry to discuss the screening data for students. It is our hope that these screenings will help us pinpoint math, reading and vocabulary concepts that are difficult for each student. Once we know this, we can taylor instruction to meet the exact needs of students. 

This week the 6th graders take their first unit test in math and begin the next unit, Bits and Pieces I. I have posted the learning goals on the class blog. http://besjohns.blogspot.com  We’ll continue working on our Persuasive essay and in reading, we will work on skills such as making inferences, identifying affixes and writing with descriptive words.

In social studies, we are continuing to study the Sumerians, known for the greatest cultural advance in history: writing, wheels, plows, sewers, geometry, and architecture.

Last week, we made BLTs. At the end of this week, the 6th graders will be making apple sauce for snack. 

October 1, 2012

This week is almost entirely devoted to NECAP testing. Math, reading and specials will not be interrupted, but students will not do their regularly scheduled Social Studies and Writing. The school is providing crackers and apples for snack.

This week in reading, we will finish Tuck Everlasting and, if possible, watch the movie. 

We harvested a batch of tomatoes, and the students are made sandwiches today. Thanks to Jasmine, who made cupcakes, John, who brought Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Hope, who brought the chips.

September 24, 2012

We ended the week with a trip to the Common Ground Fair. On Fridays, the fair is free to schools. The 5th and 6th graders had an opportunity to meet the Penobscot 5th and 6th graders and tour the fairgrounds. The highlight of the trip for almost everyone was the blacksmith shop, the Woods which featured campfire cooking, forts and paths and the sliding hill.

 This week in math, the 6th graders will be finishing up their first math book, Prime Time. Next week, they will begin work on their unit project and complete their first unit test. We have begun studying our first civilization, Mesopotamia. We will spend a week here and move on to Egypt.

Last week, we worked on skills for writing and ideas for persuasion. This week, we will begin planning for that writing project.

The cover crop, winter rye, is beginning to sprout but in the green house, tomatoes are still ripening. The seedlings we started are growing well and we hope to get them in the ground this week. Next week, October 1 - 4, 3rd through 8th graders will be taking their NECAP tests. All students have the 5th off.