Grade 6

Course 2 math students completed a unit on integer concepts and computation. They then worked with algebra ideas and learned how to translate English into algebraic. They discovered ways to solve the algebraic equations they had written, and at the end of the unit, they were introduced to graphing inequalities and solving 2-step equations .

Course 3 students completed much of the same work as their Course 2 peers, and also solved 2-step equations, equations with variables on both sides, and inequalities. They had a brief introduction to functions and graphing linear equations.

We are now working with fractions. Students practiced using divisibility rules, determined prime factorization, and worked with a few different methods to find the greatest common factor of a given set of numbers. The mastery of these skills has led us into our fraction computation unit.

Congratulations to our current Continental Math League leaders at the end of the third round of competition: 1st—Dana Fahey, 2nd—Emma Bradley, and 3rd—Susannah Budd & Grant Johnson. Two more rounds to go!

Reading students are finishing a fiction unit either by participating in a Book Club or a Literature Circle for the most recent book they have read. In both cases, students are studying the basic elements of plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution), characterization, setting, and vocabulary. Students are also making connections to text, selecting important passages, and exploring the author’s style as well as researching the author’s life. Book Clubs and Literature Circles will be held during January.

Forty-four students participated in the Holiday Reading Contest and kept track of their minutes read during the vacation. Students logged 17,346 minutes of reading during this time! Congratulations to these students!

Ryan Andrews	Brian Bushnell	Felicia Greenough	Gillian Martin
Katie Beagley	Abbey Coe	Meghann Haley	Christian McDonald
Allison Beaudette	James Cohen	Amanda Hamilton	Caleb Mercier
Grady Beaulieu	Patrick Danahy	Dillon Hicks	Gwen Molind
Hannah Bellerose	Sonya DeLorie	Laura Hoeker	Nicole Perry
Miranda Benoit	Danielle DesRuisseaux	Cole Johnson	Brett Provost
Abby Bezio	Nolan Filteau	Grant Johnson	Lauren Roy
Dominique Biron	Pinky Fleury	Gabriella Kelly	Sam Selleck
Jordan Blais	Shannon Ford	Ben Kimball	Brandon Tibbetts
Emma Bradley	Chris Gallier	Justin Leach	Amelia Umbenhower
Susannah Budd	Chase Graham	Rebecca Lessard	Cheryl Young

In social studies classes, the sixth graders studied types of hominids and then participated in a hunting/gathering simulation. They had fun tossing Koosh balls at the interactive whiteboard as a review activity for the Early Man unit. Next, the students learned about prehistoric villages and drew a birds-eye-view or created models to demonstrate their knowledge. This was followed by a study of the civilizations of Mesopotamia. The students played a version of Pictionary to help them understand an early form of written language, and then they created their own clay tablets with messages written in cuneiform. They used a computer program designed to teach about the laws of Hammurabi and participated in a city-state simulation in which t hey competed for resources to survive (water access, fertile land, army support, etc.) Finally, they reviewed their knowledge of Mesopotamia by playing Jeopardy. Each student then became an expert on the Israelites, Phoenicians, or Lydians. They taught two other students about what they had learned and then demonstrated their acquired knowledge by playing an interactive whiteboard version of Wheel of Fortune. Currently, the sixth graders are learning about note-taking methods while reading about the ancient Egyptians.

Grade 6 science students have been learning about life science concepts for a while now. Students learned how scientists classify life, the qualities of life, and the smallest unit of life. Next, students studied cells and their parts and functions. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis were studied. We spent some wonderful lab days using our compound microscopes. Students first used a virtual microscope lab to acquaint themselves with the instrument. Then they looked at prepared slides of feathers, bacteria, plant cells, cheek cells, and yeast. Students then learned how to prepare their own wet mount slides. They observed algae and the other microorganisms that inhabit our classroom fish tank! Did you know that dust mites inhabit aquariums? Finally, students observed yeast cells budding. Mitosis and meiosis were introduced with the concepts of asexual and sexual reproduction of cells. Genetic traits, mutations, adaptation, and natural selection were covered next. Ask your child about Mr. Costello's pet walkin' catfish story!

Language arts students completed a rather large unit on nouns and are now considered noun connoisseurs.  Ask your child anything about nouns and be impressed by his/her vast knowledge of the subject. Students were also introduced to the awe-inspiring Maya Angelou and had the opportunity to read her poem, "Still I Rise." Students did an amazing job interpreting the poem and looking for poetic devices used throughout.   The class focused on metaphors and wrote some outstanding metaphor poems.  Many parents had the pleasure of receiving a copy as a holiday gift.  Other classes focused on concrete poems and had fun turning free verse poetry into a wonderful picture relating to the topic. 

Students in Mrs. Hinck’s language arts classes completed a unit on poetry. They studied eight types of poems and created an example for each. Then, using their artistic skills, the students created mobiles, chalk illustrations, watercolors, and collages, as well as crayon and marker illustrations to showcase their poetry. In addition, the classes have continued studying their weekly spelling words as well as working on grammar concepts. The most recent include topics such as independent and subordinate clauses, types of sentences and compound sentences.