The students have been hard at work on their I-Search research projects. They have chosen their topics, read articles, taken notes, conducted interviews, discussed with their peers, and are now gathering their learnings for their papers and presentations.
Here is the schedule for the I-Search Research Conference on Thursday, June 8, 2017.
Here are some resources that the students have been using and that are also posted on Google Classroom.
I-Search Paper Rubric
Pecha Kucha Guidelines/Rubric
Ms. Richer's Sample Pecha Kucha
**Everything - the I-Search Research Paper and Pecha Kucha - are due June 8. This way the project can be wrapped up before the end of the school year. **
Monday, May 29, 2017
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Wrapping up Caminar
Now that we've finished reading Caminar, we are going to be comparing the representation of Guatemala in the novel and in the textbook that we use for Social Studies. The students will compare/contrast using annotations, a graphic organizer, then writing a letter (or some other creative piece) to show what was included and/or left out. This will allow them to practice their critical reading skills as well as show their learning in a format besides a typical essay.
Also, we are continuing with our blogs (you can have your student log into their account and send you a link to follow their blog). Each week, the students should be reading their Independent Reading book at least four times and jotting notes about what they are tracking. Here is an example of a tracker...
Also, we are continuing with our blogs (you can have your student log into their account and send you a link to follow their blog). Each week, the students should be reading their Independent Reading book at least four times and jotting notes about what they are tracking. Here is an example of a tracker...
| Date | Character Name | Important Action (in my own words) | Quote that shows the action (with page number) | My thoughts about why that action matters |
Here's the document I used to introduce the blogs...
Here's a document with some sentence starters and ideas about something they might look for...
Monday, January 9, 2017
Back in the Swing of Things!
Last week, the students finished up their Argument Letters and I was able to grade them this weekend. Now comes the family homework! Students will receive their original version, revised version, and rubric today. On the back of the rubric, they wrote a prompt for someone at home: "What is something that impressed you about this writing?" and left a spot for a signature. This should be returned to school by Wednesday 1/11/16.
Also, just another reminder that Grammar Practice packets are due tomorrow, 1/10/16. The students had a week to work on them, so hopefully they used their time wisely and don't have much left to do!
Upcoming, the students will be putting together Action Project pitches related to plastics. They will be presented in class later this week. Each class (6-1, 6-2, 6-3) will choose one project to put forward to the grade. The students will then vote on a winning project that the whole grade will work on. I'm excited to see what the student come up with!
Monday, January 2, 2017
Welcome 2017!
Sixth grade is ready to rock in the new year! Over vacation I was able to look at all of the students' argument letters and provide lots of feedback. We will do some small group lessons about appealing to our audiences, improving organization, adding transitions, and get some extra grammar practice.
For the grammar practice, we will be using a series of videos and IXL practice questions. Click here for the assignment that is posted in Google Classroom. Students may complete the work online or print it as a packet to write on. What's most important is that they are figuring out what way works best for them. I will be looking at both the written responses as well as the Smart Scores.
For the grammar practice, we will be using a series of videos and IXL practice questions. Click here for the assignment that is posted in Google Classroom. Students may complete the work online or print it as a packet to write on. What's most important is that they are figuring out what way works best for them. I will be looking at both the written responses as well as the Smart Scores.
- Smart Scores below 85 - on track for a 2
- Smart Scores from 85-95 - on track for a 3
- Smart Scores from 95-100 - on track for a 4
All Grammar Practice work will be due next Tuesday, which means the students will have to use their week wisely. There might be some extra time in class, but the students will be planning out when they will complete their work when we go over the assignment tomorrow.
Stay tuned for a final deadline for the argument letters. The revision process is always in flux, so it is difficult to determine a due date at the moment.
Monday, December 12, 2016
12/12 Update
Exciting things happening in Grade 6!
Students are in the middle of researching their chosen plastics-related issue. They are exploring arguments on both sides of the topic of their choice so that they can be well-informed when they craft their own argument letter to someone outside of the classroom. Yes, we will be learning how to address envelopes, put postage, and seeing what happens when a letter is dropped in a mailbox. As part of the research process, students will also be taking a trip this Thursday to Rhode Island Resource Recovery to see the trash/recycling processes first hand. There isn't a due date for their writing yet, but stay tuned in Google Classroom to check out the sources the students are currently using and for the drafts of their writing.
Also, students are in their second week of tracking their own reading. Last quarter, many students tracked the frequency of their reading. This quarter, they are zooming in to track something WITHIN their reading. They have created their own "data tables" (borrowed from their science skills!) and should be reading/filling them in at least 4 nights per week. Because of the way the block schedule rotates, each class's reading tracker is due on a different day:
6-1: Tuesdays
6-2: Fridays
6-3: Wednesdays
On the day their tracker is due, students have the opportunity to write in their Reading Journals. It's a great way for the kids to take ownership of their reading and use their reading skills to learn something knew about the book, themselves, or the world around them!
Students are in the middle of researching their chosen plastics-related issue. They are exploring arguments on both sides of the topic of their choice so that they can be well-informed when they craft their own argument letter to someone outside of the classroom. Yes, we will be learning how to address envelopes, put postage, and seeing what happens when a letter is dropped in a mailbox. As part of the research process, students will also be taking a trip this Thursday to Rhode Island Resource Recovery to see the trash/recycling processes first hand. There isn't a due date for their writing yet, but stay tuned in Google Classroom to check out the sources the students are currently using and for the drafts of their writing.
Also, students are in their second week of tracking their own reading. Last quarter, many students tracked the frequency of their reading. This quarter, they are zooming in to track something WITHIN their reading. They have created their own "data tables" (borrowed from their science skills!) and should be reading/filling them in at least 4 nights per week. Because of the way the block schedule rotates, each class's reading tracker is due on a different day:
6-1: Tuesdays
6-2: Fridays
6-3: Wednesdays
On the day their tracker is due, students have the opportunity to write in their Reading Journals. It's a great way for the kids to take ownership of their reading and use their reading skills to learn something knew about the book, themselves, or the world around them!
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Breaking the Single Story
We have been studying immigration for several weeks now. All of the work we have done is listed on the top of each class's "Breaking the Single Story Brainstorm" document. We brainstormed that list from all of the work that we have done together so far. All of the links are there in case anyone has lost the hard copies of documents or forgotten some of the work we've done. Below that is a brainstorm of a few ways we could set up paragraphs to answer our question: "How has your single story of immigration changed/grown?". Underneath that is our rubric we created together in class. Finally, there is a sample essay (on another topic) but it could still be a helpful model for organizing ideas.
We began this unit with this idea that "single stories" (stereotypical, one-sided stories that we are fed by media, etc) are dangerous and that we need to read more widely and have discussions to break through those stereotypes. The students' assignment is to explain how their thoughts about immigration have changed since we began this work, since we began with mainly negative stereotypes about immigrants and immigration. I believe that rather than just have the students write an informational essay that is merely a list facts that they have copied down, it is important for them to think metacognitively and be able to name what they have learned. This is a challenge for them developmentally, but that is why we have been thinking through that process together as a class!
The students will have 3 class periods this week to work on it and the final draft will be due Wednesday 11/23. I can't wait to see what the students have to share!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Immigration Sources
Level 1 Source - Easiest to read, links to additional pages in the sidebar on the right, but provides the least detail and doesn't always cite sources
Immigration: Moving Towards Hope, published by PBS
Level 2 Source - A bit more challenging, but provides sources like the U.S. Census Bureau
Myths and Facts about Immigrants and Immigration, published by the Anti-Defamation League
Level 3 Sources - Most challenging because it provides lots of questions and answers, questionable biases of creators
Facts about Immigration and the US Economy, published by the Economic Policy Institute
Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, published by the Migration Policy Institute
Other Sources of Interest
Infographic: The Screening Process for Refugee Entry into the United States, published by The White House
How do Syrian Refugees Get Into the US?, published by CNN
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