6th Grade Fall Updates 11/11/22

Humanities: 

It was so nice to meet you all at our parent-teacher conferences this week and last. I couldn’t have more positive feedback to share about your kids! Here are some updates about reading, writing, and social studies from these past few weeks…

In ELA, we’ve been following Odysseus’s thrilling and dangerous adventures in The Odyssey. While we read Gareth Hinds’s graphic-novel version of the class tale, students are tracking big ideas and character traits like “Temptation v. Self Restraint,” “Hospitality,” and “Hubris” – or excessive self-pride. We discuss Odysseus’s complexity as a literary hero; sometimes he shows admirable qualities like cleverness and courage, while he seems disloyal and rash at other times. In this way, Odysseus serves as a fitting jumping-off point during our larger discussions about heroism this term. While reading this book and our independent reading biography books, we are thinking about big questions such as: What does it mean to be a hero? Which qualities are MOST important for a hero to have, and which are least important? Can heroes have flaws? Is Odysseus a hero? What about the real-life person in our independent reading biography? These questions will guide us as we prepare for our “Heroes Convention” (academic showcase) on December 15, when we will share our independent reading projects with all of you.

On the writing front, students revised, edited, and peer-edited their narrative essays this week. The main topic of this essay was “growth mindset.” We learned in class that having a growth mindset means understanding that mistakes, failures, and hardships help us grow into stronger and smarter versions of ourselves. Students chose times in their lives when they exhibited a growth mindset and learned from difficult times. I recommend you ask your child to share their growth mindset essay with you. They chose to write about meaningful memories, and they wrote mature and thoughtful reflections about how these moments continue to impact them today.

Lastly, we are in the midst of our ancient Greece unit in Social Studies, which complements our reading of The Odyssey and provides context for the story’s setting. Through maps, paintings, videos, and readings, students are learning about the culture and government of ancient Greece. They practiced primary source analysis as they analyzed paintings from the Minoan era, and drew inferences about life in in the Aegean region by studying geographical features. I’m looking forward to exploring the ancient Greek Olympics and the foundation of modern democracy next!

Shabbat shalom,

Naomi

Judaic Studies: 

Sukkot, sukkot, sukkot!! We decided one week just wasn’t enough to truly celebrate one of the most joyous holidays of the year — so we extended it through our learning. Students translated and analyzed Mishna Sukkah 1:1 and used other mishnayot and articles to inform the accuracy of their scale model sukkot, which they built in class. We wondered why the Rabbis made these rules and thought about what kind of society they were trying to create. Students presented their sukkot, defended their building decision, and put their sukkot to the test against the weather (a strong wind). We have since shifted gears turning to our school’s namesake, Hannah Senesh, reading about her life and considering the heroism of her acts. Students wrote short essays about Hannah, a few of which will be featured on Kesher Day in front of the school!

Matt

Math: 

Hi families, we have hit the ground running with ratios and rates. Students have been comparing ratio relationships in context by using ratios to answer questions such as: Which lemonade should have a stronger lemon flavor? Students are using a variety of strategies to compare ratio relationships, including making direct comparisons by using a ratio table, by creating equivalent ratios, and by calculating the value of the ratio. They have also developed an understanding of the rates associated with ratio relationships. They calculate unit rates and use them to solve problems involving speed, unit pricing, measurement conversions, and other real-world rate applications.Coming up next: Students will study percentages as a fraction with a denominator of 100, and will apply their ratio and rate reasoning from previous topics to solve percent problems. Students will use double number lines, mental math, and other computational strategies to solve for the unknown percent, part, or whole.

Katie

Hebrew: 

Hebrew Heritage: