6th Grade News: 1/29 – 2/2/18

ADVISORY

In advisory this week, students focused on gratitude. We asked ourselves: What small and large gifts are we thankful for? What are the places and memories that have made our lives meaningful? Who are the people that bring us joy? We then played the “Gratitude Game,” a combination of Bingo and Pick-Up-Sticks, which encouraged students to share their ideas on the topic. Enjoy the photos below!

 

HUMANITIES

This week in History class, students learned about all of the jobs and tasks that went into pyramid-building in ancient Egypt. They then performed skits to present each stage of the process — from choosing the perfect location, to collecting and carving stones, to pulling the giant stones up ramps and placing them on the structure. Enjoy the videos of our skits – posted below!

In Writing class, students read and created sample essay outlines in order to learn about how to organize an argument essay. They’re now working hard on their own outlines: drafting thesis statements, articulating three main ideas, and finding evidence from articles, videos, and interviews to support their points. Ask your children about their arguments; I’m sure they’ll be glad to share!

Lastly, we are continuing to enjoy Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry in Literature class. We engaged in heated debates about questions inspired by the book, such as: What would YOU do if you lived in the 1930s during the Jim Crow era? Would you stand up against racism, or would it feel too dangerous to do so? How SHOULD the characters in the book react in the face of prejudice? Is it possible for them to maintain their self-respect and dignity while protecting their family’s safety? It was fascinating to participate in these deeply personal and meaningful debates.

Enjoy the videos from our History class pyramid skits at the links below! (Don’t worry – these are NOT public videos! Only people with access to the links can view them.)

6J Videos:

Stage 1: https://youtu.be/GlKq5ITYWjc

Stage 2: https://youtu.be/a3U45d_vgQo

Stage 3: https://youtu.be/KMJgg4Z5Nqg

Stage 4: https://youtu.be/hsWtHbbMOw8

6K Videos: 

Stage 1: https://youtu.be/j3GloILt7pE

Stage 2: https://youtu.be/-h2zNyhMaV4

Stage 3: https://youtu.be/bwVOV1HmvMA

Stage 4: https://youtu.be/i4UvcROmgkc

JUDAICS

*Videos of the amazing presentations will be posted next week! 

This week we mainly worked on our Shemot Bet Presentation. We finished up all of our props, scripts, and got ready to perform. For two days of the week we did Tu B’shvat exercises. First we worked on google classroom with our chevruta on highlighting names and repeating shoreshim. This is how we preread a Mishnah before we translate it.  The second day we looked at text and found that we actually have four “new years”. We looked at which one we celebrate in each of the four months. One example is, in Nisan the Kings have their new year. This was historically when a new King was elected. In Shvat the new year of trees is celebrated. Then we drew something that represents the new year for each month. I really enjoyed getting to sit with my table and think of good ways to draw what was celebrated in each month.  Shabbat shalom!  -Gila

HEBREW HERITAGE

הורים יקרים,

השבוע התמקדנו בלימוד מילות השוואה וניגוד. התלמידים כתבו משפטים ותרגלו את השימוש המתאים בבחירת מילות קישור. במקביל אנחנו עובדים על כתיבה אישית, בה כל תלמיד מפתח באמצעות כלים שהקננו לו סיפור עם דמויות ועלילה. בניית סיפור אישי הוא תהליך ארוך שמצריך תכנון וחשיבה, באמצעות הסיפור התלמידים עורכים שימוש באוצר המילים הרחב שיש להם ובמקביל מחזקים את התחביר שלהם. הרעיונות של התלמידים מקוריים ומעניינים והם נמצאים בעיצומו של התהליך שיימשך לאורך הסימסטר הקרוב.

השבוע הגיעו אלינו השינשינים וערכו פעילויות מהנה המקושרת לספורטאים ישראליים ידועיים.

סוף שבוע טוב,

אילנה

 

SCIENCE

This week, students explored the nervous system. They conducted rotation activities in order to discover the properties of hearing. They investigated how sound waves interact with the human ear using tuning forks and other devices. Next week we will continue our nervous system unit by exploring the other human senses.  

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Noll

HEBREW

Dear parents,

This has been an excellent week for students in 6th grade. In Hakbatza Aleph, the students focused on what it means to be a good person. We learned new verbs and other words related to this topic. You can enjoy a few pictures of the kids hard at work:)

HaKbatza Bet continued to read and discuss about jerusalem, while practicing advance use of adjectives in the 4 forms, in the Present tense.

I wish everyone a good weekend,

Andreea