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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

The sixth graders finished up their dvar Torah projects by creating Midrashim (stories that fill in the missing details of their parashah) about their portions in January.  Our first 6th graders have celebrated their mini-bar and bat mitzvahs this month by reading Torah and delivering their divrei Torah and they are an impressive bunch!
For the past few weeks, we have done an in-depth study of the Mishnah from which the bar/bat mitzvah traditions are derived from. We learned that according to Halacha (or Jewish law) a boy is obligated to mitzvot (commandments) at 13 and a girls’ vows are valid at 12 and a day. After analyzing these sources through the lens of our Kushiyot (text-based questions), the students wrote their own modern halachot that represent their opinions. For example, some students wrote mishnahs that addressed the question of gender equality and others explored how to create a law that is gender neutral. And other students felt comfortable with the law as is in the Mishnah and articulated that opinion as well.
HEBREW HERITAGE 
להורים שלום,
השבוע המשכנו לעבוד על יחידת האישיים, כשהפעם התרכזנו בזמרים ישראלים. התלמידים למדו על עידן רייכל ושלמה ארצי, קראו טקסטים הנוגעים לחייהם ויצירותיהם, שמעו שירים נבחרים מהמוזיקה שלהם. בדומה ליחידה אודות פוליטיקאיים גם ביחידה נערוך השוואה בין הזמרים באמצעות מילות קישור והשוואה שלמדנו. בנוסף לזה הייתה לנו פעילות מהנה של השינשינים בנושא תיאטרון. כשנחזור מהחופשה נמשיך את היחידה, אך הפעם בנושא של אומנים והשפעתם על התרבות הבינלאומית וזו הישראלית.
מאחלת לכם חופשה מהנה,
אילנה
HEBREW
Dear parents,
This week Hebrew J finished the unit on clothing with an awesome fashion show! I am posting the link below.
In addition, the students finished their versions of the fashion show “What Not to Wear.”Hebrew K finished filming their own version of an Israeli episode of the show “Mom Swap.” I am posting the links to some of the videos below. Unfortunately, some students had issues with their iPads, so I was not able to upload their videos at this time. Hopefully, we will solve this soon.

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!

I wish you and your children a relaxing and safe vacation,
Andreea
JUDAICS
We just finished up our Moshe and the Sneh (Burning Bush) art projects. Students work hard to find kushiyot in the text and learn how to use art to display lessons and symbolism. We also learned classic Midrashim from this section of text. All week students have been using clay and paint to make their Artist Explanation come alive. The classroom looks like an art museum. I can’t wait to show you all the finished products. I have been so impressed by their ability to look creatively at text and include their life experiences and feelings in the way they interpret it and its importance. Pictures coming soon!
Shabbat Shalom,
Laura