6th Grade News 3/3/23
6th Grade has accomplished so much this past month! Read the blurbs below and check out the photos. This week’s photos show the 6th graders…
–Running their Tu B’Shevat fair booths for the rest of the school
–Participating in team challenges in advisory class
–Sharing their Judaic Studies art
And more!
Judaic Studies
In Judaics class, we have been moving through our Jewish year, learning about the New Year for trees during Tu Bishvat, moving through the book of Shemot watching Moses’s rise from helpless baby floating in the reeds to chosen prophet of G-d during the encounter at the burning bush.
For Tu Bishvat, we followed the development of Tu Bishvat from a humble date on the calendar recorded in the Mishna, to a Kabbalistic transformation connecting the New Year of Trees to the land and agriculture in the land of Israel, and finally a expanding out to a modern focus on sustainability for the world. With that framework, students created booths for a Tu Bishvat green fair, teaching the other students in school about various topics on environmentalism and sustainability through interactive games and activities. With each booth being rooted in Jewish teachings supporting their lessons.
In our Torah study, we explored the complex nature of identity: Both Moshe’s dual identity as Egyptian and Hebrew and their own complex identities. We then closely read the chapter where Moshe encounters the burning bush, focusing on what we learn about Moshe from the Torah’s description. Following our practice of artistic depictions of Torah, students then made their own creative rendition of the scene incorporating their own kushiot (text questions), midrash, and biblical commentary in their final product.
As of this week, we are in the midst of our studies of Purim. As we prepare for the annual student reading of Megillat Esther this coming Tuesday, we will study a Mishna focusing on the role and status of Hebrew in our traditions, rituals, and practice.
Shabbat Shalom & Purim Sameach!
Matt
Hebrew:
The 6th graders are learning more about Israeli culture and Hebrew through different types of schools and what students do in these schools. The readings and discussions about art schools, nature schools, fashion schools, and also regular schools bring a lot of new vocabulary to the students. At the end of the unit students are able to describe their daily schedule using a vast vocabulary related to their activities.
Tomer
Math:
The 6th grade has just finished an introduction to positive and negative numbers, something they will be seeing for the remainder of their math careers. Following this introduction, we are moving right into the coordinate plane. The coordinate plane offers so many opportunities to bring the real world into the classroom. We will be doing some of the following: creating a treasure map, designing a house, graphing art, planning a road trip, or mapping population. It is a very exciting topic that the students always enjoy!
Katie
Humanities:
Some of you might have seen my email, but if not – here are some updates from 6th grade!
Roll of Thunder:
This week, 6th graders began a new class novel – Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. The book takes place during the Jim Crow era in rural Mississippi and highlights the life of an African American family facing challenges like poverty, prejudice, and the constant threat of violence. Some parts are heartwarming and hopeful, while other parts are tragic and difficult to read — reflecting the real danger of daily life for Black families in that time and place. We’ll learn more about American history as we read, focusing especially on the systemic injustice that grew out of slavery and the enduring impact of discrimination against Black Americans. We’ll also highlight the hopeful themes that emerge in the book, including the value of family, the power of community, and the risky but worthwhile endeavor to pursue justice.
It may be nice to read this book alongside your child; it could spark meaningful and important discussions about both history and the ways we treat each other today. Especially since this book is more challenging than other class books we’ve read in the past (in both content and vocabulary), reading with your child could be particularly helpful. You could suggest reading it out loud and switching off pages, or just reading the same chapters independently. For your reference, here is our reading schedule.
Rome Research Project:
In Social Studies this week, we began our long-term ancient Rome research project. Students each chose topics that interest them, including Roman architecture, engineering, fashion, food, and more. I encourage you to ask your child what they are studying!
Students are referencing both online sources and books to learn more about their topics. They have access to several Rome books in my classroom and also through the reading website Epic. You are welcome to look for other helpful Rome books with your child at bookstores, an online library app like Libby, or an in-person library. (But this is not necessary.) In my experience doing these research projects with 6th graders, the most useful books are general Rome books aimed at young teens and children that cover a wide range of topics (like this one). I’ve instructed the students to take a look at the table of contents or index to see if a book may cover their individual topic.
After the research stage, students will plan and write their essays, and then complete a hands-on/creative activity to showcase what they learned. Feel free to reach out with any questions about this project or Roll of Thunder.
Shabbat shalom,
Naomi
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