Geometry and 3-D Shapes

I feel like we have been all over the place this week.  I just wanted to share with you what we've been doing.  In Math 6, we spent the week working with 3-D shapes.  Some kids have never worked with them before.  A prism has how many bases?  What about a pyramid?  How do you name them?  I think they have a pretty good understanding of this now.  First I must say that I get of alot of great help from Teachers Pay Teachers.  For this unit, the 6th grade used this.

 They had to cut the 3-D shapes out and place them in the correct category.  We also learned how to name them based on the polygon shape of the base(s). 

After we learned the basics of the shapes, we created them using nets.  OK - some kids found this easier than others.  After a couple of days of reviewing and studying, we have a physical quiz.  This quiz requires them to remove the correct shape from a bag within 5 seconds of me stating the shape's name.  Pyramids and prisms can get tricky when you have to be able to identify them fast.

Before their quiz, they had some time to quiz each other.  

The band did a really great job on Saturday at the C.A.R.E. Assembly in the Park.  Thanks so much to the parents and supporters that came out to listen.  I wish I had some pictures of that.  I took my camera but it sat on the stage with me and never made it out to take any pics.  Thanks to Mrs. S for bringing the clips to keep our music from blowing away.  Can't believe I didn't think of that.  You'll be hearing some of those songs again at our concert in a couple of weeks.  We have a few rehearsals to "tweak" our performance.

Don't forget the final copy (with the plan and rough draft) of their book report is due tomorrow!  I look forward to reading them.

Serve-A-Thon

Wow - What a great day we had on Friday.  The Annual Serve-A-Thon is a way for our school to raise funds (which are much needed, by the way) and at the same time allow our students to serve others in various ways.  Middle School worked hard from 9:00am until 3:00pm.  We served the elderly and/or home bound, as well as deployed spouses in our community.  Despite the sunburns and dehydration, we had a very rewarding day.  We mowed lawns, pulled weeds (to avoid those weed citations the city gives), washed windows, and pruned shrubs/trees.  If you did not get your 20 mailers turned in to gain support for your child during our day of service, it is NOT too late to turn some in to the office.  The school will be using the funds for maintenance, technology, and our building fund.  Go ahead, support the school by letting others help in the support.

 

 

After our first job, McDonald's was a nice lunch break.  They do look a bit tired, don't ya think.

Math 6 & 7:  We will be continuing with Geometry this week working with area.

Band:  We will work hard on "Pomp and Circumstance" as we prepare for the high school graduation.  On May 5th, we have the opportunity to play for the community as a part of National Prayer Day.  I will get more information out about this, this week.  We will be working "Peace Like a River" and one more piece as well as some from our book.  Be ready to work hard this week.

Language Arts: We will begin our poetry unit this week.  Get ready to be creative and have fun!

Have a great week everyone!

Mrs. Burke

Welcome Back!

Well, I hope everyone had a fun and safe Spring Break.  We traveled to spend time with family, which was a much needed event.  East Texas is home to our families so when we go to see my parents, we stay on the farm that my grandfather built.  The boys had such a great time fishing.

 

Billy shows off his Blue Gill

 

 

The boys wait patiently.  I don't think they got anything the first day.

 

We went in to town to see the Veteran's Memorial our small town has created.  It is quite a site to see for such a small east Texas town.

 

 My grandmother cooks fries up the Blue Gill for us to eat.  Yum!!!

 

 There's always bluebonnets in their side yard in March.  They make great pictures.

So, what are we doing this week?  

Language Arts: We will be working through our Figurative Language Unit and working on Spelling List 20.    PLEASE REMEMBER THAT BOOK REPORTS ARE DUE ON FRIDAY!!!  We will go over the format on Monday.

Math 6: We will review and test on Ch. 8.  Then we will move in to angles, lines, and construction.  Make sure to bring your compass and protractor on Friday.

Math 7: We will review and test on Ch. 8.  Then we will construct perpendicular and parallel lines using our compass and protractor - please bring them on Wednesday!  We will also continue our Geometry unit with Translations and Tesselations.

Assignments have been posted in RenWeb and on my Assignments page.  I'm looking forward to a great end to the school year as we begin our final quarter.  Let's make it a good one.

Mrs. Burke

Testing Week

Well, it's that time of year again.  I can't believe how quickly this year has gone.  There is still so much to be covered this school year, but we have to test now.   I live with it and press on.  The kids have worked hard this year.  We are continuing Monday with Math and Language lessons.  Testing will be Tuesday through Thursday.   

Please make sure your kids are well rested and eat a good breakfast.  My kids will be going to bed at 8:00.  It will help them be alert, pay attention, and read questions carefully on the test.  If they eat a good breakfast, it will keep their stomach from growling and keep their minds from focusing on their stomachs.  They can bring a snack to eat midway through the morning.  Fruit or proteins are great;  sugary snacks...not so much.

I hope you have a great week.  If you need anything, do not hesitate to contact me.

Biography Book Reports

I had such a great time watching the kids present their person in our Biography Book report presentations.  The month of February, the entire class participated in a biography or autobiography report.  Throughout the year, I let them choose their genre as they work through the selection I gave them at the beginning of the year.  We mark the reports they've done on a chart in the classroom.  When a student has read the biography carefully and fully understands the events of the person's life, the reports are really neat to watch and listen to.  The students present themselves in the first person, fully dressed in character.  Here are some individuals we learned about:

Amelia Earheart

Ronald Reagan

They created time lines and completed the written book report as well.  I'm loving Pinterest for all of the ideas I'm able to steal  borrow and use in my classroom.  The kids will be choosing their March book report book by this Friday (2 days).  Happy choosing.

I never give extra credit!!!!
As an interactive bulletin board, I wanted to present the kids with an opportunity to be observant and show some self initiative.  We have done a few lessons on different types of patterns, so I had them create their own.  I would like for them to notice the board, the detailed directions, complete the task, and turn it in to me for some ...sh........ extra credit.  Not one student has even mentioned the fact that the board was changed or has asked me about the pocket with the directions on it.  Hmmmm....  I'm gonna give it a few more days.  Maybe I'll break down and mention it the day before I take it down.  I want them to be observant - or maybe parents that read this blog can encourage them to check it out.

Have a great rest of your week.  Next week is our big testing week.  We're putting last minute reviews on concepts that we've covered.  These kids will do great.  What a blessing it is to work with them each day.

Idioms and Stuff

I hope that a weekly post from me is helping you to see some of what your child is doing at school.  Last week was busy and this holiday weekend has been just as busy.  I'm trying to get this post done before I get ready to tackle a trip to Cruces, yard work, sewing some gifts, and preparing for a Professional Development Conference tomorrow.

That being said.  The kids will have subs for 3 days this week.  I will be out Tuesday and Wednesday for a Professional Development Conference for MCEC (Military Child Education Coalition).  I will be back on Thursday, but then I will be out on Friday for a Spouse function in support of my husband.  There will be a few of these between now and the end of the school year.  Expect some review lessons on topics that still need some work for mastery.

Language Arts - 6
Idioms
In lieu of Valentines Day last week, we studied idioms with a focus on those that pertain to our hearts.  An idiom is statement that by itself doesn't make a whole lot of sense or is not possible.  However, our language has given meaning to these statements and we use them often.  Sometimes we don't even realize it.  After completing a worksheet to help us understand how idioms work,  we made our own.

We are also learning the parts of speech with a focus on Verbs right now.  There are so many aspects of verbs, but they're doing great.

Math 6 and Math 7

Though we did this on different days, we have been working with conversions in our Customary System.  We spent some time on Capacity this week.  Here is the visual the kids use to help them remember equivalencies.

Praise Band - Practice hard!  Hope to be there Wednesday morning.  This week's line up: 

1.  Until the Whole World Hears - Casting Crowns

2.  Let It Go - Tenth Avenue North

3.  Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! 

I can't believe February is half over.  The kids did a great job on the Paper Bag Book Reports that they completed.  I can never just send projects home after they have spent so much time working on them so here they are displayed in the room.  The important objects inside the bags have gone home, so if you're missing something - check to see if it's still in the bag.

We're having a busy week this week.  In the next couple of days I'll get another post up about our Valentine's lessons and working with idioms and fractions.

Have a great day!