6th Grade News 2/4 – 2/15/19
HUMANITIES
Last week in Social Studies, students reviewed all the steps that were involved in building the ancient Egyptian pyramids – from choosing the perfect spot, to finding and carving the stones, to hauling the stones up temporary ramps to build the pyramids. After reading about all the different jobs and kinds of labor involved, students acted out the entire pyramid-building process. See videos of their skits below!
Links to Pyramid-Building Skits – What are the four stages of building a pyramid?
(Note: don’t worry – these videos are not public or searchable! They are only accessible to people who have the direct link.)
In ELA this week, we began a new novel: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor. This story takes place in rural Mississippi during the early 1930s, and follows an African American young girl as she and her family face prejudice and racial violence. We’ll use this powerful novel as a springboard for discussions about discrimination and racism in the past and today. We’ll also learn about important facets of American history, including The Great Depression, Jim Crow laws (laws that enforced segregation between black and white people), and white supremacy. The book does contain some violent and dark themes, and we will be sure to approach these tough topics with care and sensitivity. I’m confident that our students are ready to approach Roll of Thunder with maturity, empathy, and compassion, and I look forward to our conversations about literature and history. If you would like to read along with your child in order to continue some of these conversations at home, you can find the online text of the book and some related readings and photos at this link: http://clccharter.org/mark/rollthunder/roll_of_thunder,_hear_my_cry.pdf.
Have a relaxing weekend and a nice vacation if you are taking one.
Shabbat shalom,
Naomi
MATH
We have had a great couple of weeks using letters in math class. The students have learned to simplify expressions by combining like terms, using the distributive property, and factoring. We also enjoyed a wonderful game of Jeopardy as review the Chapter 8 Test, where all the students were very enthusiastic to solve the problems. When we come back from break, we will begin Chapter 9, which focuses on solving equations and inequalities. Have a great break, see you in a week!
BAR/BAT
WHAT NOT TO WEAR from Hannah Senesh on Vimeo.
Watching the students write the scripts, rehearsing, and performing with joy in Hebrew, has been a real treat. I am proud of their enthusiasm and passion!