E A S T A V N E N U E

Teachers Message: Mrs. Knox 6th Grade Class
Announcements and 
Greetings parents/guardians!  The end of the trimester is near and there are a few things I would like to bring to your attention  
about the report card process to prepare for our parent­teacher conference starting next week Sept. 16 ­18 .  At the elementary  
th th
Reminders
level, report cards are an evaluation of student’s level of understanding of the California State standards and not an evaluation of  
how well students can excel at each subject, which is why we use a standards base report card.  Therefore, when I evaluate and
New  
assess students, I consider the following:  specific areas of content taught they grasped or didn’t grasp (looking at parts of an  
-No school September 21st -October
assessment, not only the whole), class participation, work and study habits (class work and homework), and listening and  
th
9 , Fall Recess.
speaking. As we meet we will review my grade book and discuss student’s goals for continued success in grade level standards.  I  
will provide you with a list of passed assignments and assessments to provide opportunities for students to show improvement in
-Students will not be assessed in  
each subject area (students may retake any assessment or resubmit any assignment they feel they can show an increased level of  
social studies and science this
understanding).  The end of the trimester is October 30th, which only gives us four more weeks of academic learning because of the  
trimester, due to the insufficient
three week break.
amount of time for them to be
A Bi-Weekly Newsletter Issue 4 September 2009 assessed.
Science
Upcoming Test and -The district is in the process of working
Assignments Thursday,
on parent Sept. 10th to the zangle website;
access
Reading Grammar therefore as I get more Social Science
information you
Math
-Students
will bewill begin onTuesday,
informed how youSept. 8th
can access
Monday, October 19th
Monday, October 19th to study
this site. Please be-Students sure to check your to
will begin
Monday, October 19th
child’s
-Students will be tested Earthquakes and graded work folder for in depth
study Ancient Egypt and
-Students will be tested on -Students will be tested information on how yourinchild
comparing and ordering on the grammar work in new groups. work new is doing
groups.
on the reading (remember letter grades and numbers
fractions, problem solving, concepts taught in class- Students
don’t tell you
will receive anything, the actual
additional
and comparing fractions and strategies and key and practiced for assessment reveals
homework to help increase their a lot). Sept. 8th
Tuesday,
mixed numbers. vocabulary for theme 2
homework. -Afterunderstanding
ofcarefully
the -Students
analyzing thewill begintest,
science to
­Oct. 12th­16th students  story 1 I drawings,
have came and
to a
the study
group Ancient
drawing
conclusion Egypt
thatthat and
science concepts.
will reveiw material  students
represent struggle
the area work
with inwording
the
studied. new groups. of the
taught  prior to the break.
What’s Happening In: Strategy Focus: Question questions, therefore in order to further
Math Science
prepare them in having the ability to
Comprehension Skill: Fact and answer standard based questions, I have
For the next two weeks we will focus on -Students
decided to addareanother
examining sheetthe text as a
to the
Opinion
the following concepts: Comparing and whole class pinpointing
homework. This extra sheet will only and
ordering fractions, problem solving, and Grammar discussing
include main areas
1-3 questions of study.
involving the area
comparing fractions and mixed numbers. of study for science, which will get
Students will be taught how to grasp these Students are learning how to identify students-Students to are working
practice collaboratively to
the concepts.
concepts through various methods and and write possessive and plural nouns Old read the chapter and write summaries on
mediums. Understanding these concepts Earthquakes. They are developing an
in sentences.
will help students with comparing and understanding
-Homework of the
is due key vocabulary
Tuesday through and
ordering fractions with unlike Social Science Friday and should include a bookthereport
standards for the chapter, and
denominators. scientific
page, math,methodgrammar, on how the earth works.
and spelling. Each
-Students are examining the text as a homeworkThey are sheet
required is a reflection
to form test of what
questions
Reading
whole class pinpointing and was
andtaught
a study ingroup
class, to
so help
please ensurethem
prepare that
We are within the second theme of the discussing main areas of study. HW is fully completed. Please
for a ten-question exam. The end product remember
reading curriculum, which is called, towill
signinclude:
your child’s plannertests,
summaries, afteran
- Students are working collaboratively to reviewing their HW.
individual drawings that represent
“What Really Happened?” Within
read the chapter and write summaries on
this theme students are reading stories Ancient. They are developing an different aspects of earthquakes, and a
-Your child should bring their
that focuses historical and scientific group project. At the end of each chapter
understanding of its historical facts and notebooks home each day for the
mysteries. Students are reading studied students will have the opportunity
standards, and their traditions and art purpose
to work of on studying
a whole classand labdoing HW.that
project
story1 in theme 2, which is called work that represent the culture. They are (Their notes are a reflection of what’s
represents the area studied.
“Amelia Earhart; First Lady of required to form test questions and a learned in class)
Flight.”During this story students are study group to help prepare them for a
practicing the following skills: ten-question exam. The end product will -Please check your child’s graded
include: summaries, tests, an individual work folder for any graded tests and
1
assignments.
a Write the sentence frame: As I was
ome Study
M AT H  
reading, I wondered about the following:
__________. Write down passages from
the reading and determine if it is a fact or
Study: Comparing and ordering
opinion by writing the sentence frame: I
fractions, problem solving, and
can tell that this is an opinion because
comparing fractions and mixed
__________ provides a clue that it was
numbers. _________ opinion. I can tell that this is
Strategies: Practice using comparing a fact because it was proved by _______.
fractions by finding the least common Grammar
multiple of the denominator and tan
comparing the numerators. Use the Study: Possessive and plural nouns.
bubble method, listing method, etc… Strategies: Practice editing writing by
to help you find the LCM. When
proofreading and correcting sentences
ordering fractions, find the LCM for
with grammar and spelling errors.
the LCD to compare all fractions.
When problem solving, write down Underline proper nouns and circle the
the information that is given and the nouns that show ownership. Example:
information that is missing and turn it Hanna’s hat.
into an algebraic expression: Social Science
Example: Study: Presenting and explaining
drawings as they relate to Ancient
Egypt. Study specific areas of the
chapter.
Strategies: Study key vocabulary by
understanding their meaning. Study
and highlight the following events:
tension, compression, shearing,
normal fault, focus, p waves, tsunami,
seismogram, aftershocks, liquefaction,
richter scale, strike-slip fault,
epicenter, friction, volcanic activity,
plate motions, shearing, and Mercalli
scale.
Science
Study: Presenting and explaining
drawings as they relate to
Reading Earthquakes. Study specific areas of
Study: Questioning what you have read the chapter.
and writing facts and opinion. Study the
following Key vocabulary: accomplish, Strategies: Study key vocabulary by
accounting, aviation, disappearance, understanding their meaning. Study
inspiration, journal, navigator, and highlight the following events: the
runway, taxied, and transmission.
Nile, cataracts, desert, priests,
Strategies: While reading the story, write Egyptian society, pyramids, irrigation
down questions you may have and write canals, forts, ziggurats, Menes, forts,
down parts of the story that may be
Khufu, Hyksos, Hatshepsut, Nile
confusing.
Delta, Ramses the Great, and New
Kingdom.
If there are any questions please do not hesitate to e-mail me at tknox@husd.k12.ca.us, or call 510-723-3815
Write the sentence frame: As I was
reading, I wondered about the following:
__________. Write down passages from
the reading and determine if it is a fact or
opinion by writing the sentence frame: I
can tell that this is an opinion because
__________ provides a clue that it was
_________ opinion. I can tell that this is
a fact because it was proved by _______.
Grammar
Study: Possessive and plural nouns.
Strategies: Practice editing writing by
proofreading and correcting sentences
with grammar and spelling errors.
Underline proper nouns and circle the
nouns that show ownership. Example:
Hanna’s hat.
Social Science
Study: Presenting and explaining
drawings as they relate to Ancient
Egypt. Study specific areas of the
chapter.
Strategies: Study key vocabulary by
understanding their meaning. Study
and highlight the following events:
tension, compression, shearing,
normal fault, focus, p waves, tsunami,
seismogram, aftershocks, liquefaction,
richter scale, strike-slip fault,
epicenter, friction, volcanic activity,
plate motions, shearing, and Mercalli
scale.
Science
Study: Presenting and explaining
drawings as they relate to
Earthquakes. Study specific areas of
the chapter.
Strategies: Study key vocabulary by
understanding their meaning. Study
and highlight the following events: the
Nile, cataracts, desert, priests,
Egyptian society, pyramids, irrigation
canals, forts, ziggurats, Menes, forts,
Khufu, Hyksos, Hatshepsut, Nile
Delta, Ramses the
2
Great, and New
Kingdom.
Announcements and