In Science, we’ll look at natural cycles and how they affect ecosystems.

Objectives:

• Identify the meanings, pronunciations, syllabication, synonyms, antonyms, and parts of speech of words, by using a variety of reference aids, including dictionaries, thesauri, glossaries, and CD-ROM and the Internet when available.
• Use graphic organizers in order to clarify the meaning of the text.
• Use reading strategies (e.g., drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, making inferences, sequencing) to comprehend text.
• Describe the plot and its components (e.g., main events, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).
• Identify the theme in works of prose, poetry, and drama.
• Identify natural cycles that affect ecosystems.
• Describe the way people can affect natural cycles.
• Look for steps in the carbon cycle.

Assignments:

• Selected Practice Book pages 206-218
• RS 23-24

Announcements:

• Tuesday, May 19
  • The Sixth Grade Musical “The Granny Awards” is at 9:30am.
• Wednesday, May 20
  • Sixth Grade Celebration: 9am – 11am is the Award Ceremony and cookies/punch (Parents Invited)
  • Lunch at the Park (Eegees) for Students
  • WATER DAY 12:30 – 3pm for Students
• Thursday, May 21
  • Rattlesnake Ridge Staff vs. Sixth Grade Kickball game
  • Early Release at 12:10pm – No lunch served

Elephant Symbiosis II by John and Mel Kots

Our AIMS testing is nearly complete. We’ll participate in a field test related to the new state Math standards, and we’ll catch up on any make-ups testing this week. Also, our Reading work will help us to understand what it takes to be a genius. We’ll learn that being a genius isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. In Science, we will answer the question “how do organisms interact?” We’ll identify symbiotic and parasitic relationships between organisms in ecosystems.

Objectives:

• Identify problems and evaluate solutions.
• Compare and contrast.
• Identify plural forms of words.
• Choose the correct definition for a multiple-meaning word.
• Use dictionary etymologies.
• Observe how organisms help each other.
• Describe how organisms compete within an ecosystem.
• Explain symbiotic relationships.

Assignments:

• Practice Book 137-151
• RS 18-19
• Science Links from page 93 (choose one)

Links:

Practice Book scores for PB 122-136

In addition to the Writing assessment, we will also be reading about the famous painter Chuck Close. The story of his life is almost as amazing as his painting. In Science, we will continue to learn about animals in their ecosystems and proofread, revise, and publish our work about owl pellets. Hold on tight, it’s going  to be busy week!

Objectives:

• Compare and contrast a person at two different times in that person’s life.
• Write statements of comparison and contrast.
• Read words with suffixes -ent/ence, -ant/-ance, -able/-ible, and -ate.
• Learn that many common words have their origins in languages other than English.
• Use a dictionary to find word histories.
• Identify and correct double negatives.
• Identify and write contractions.

Assignments:

• PB 122-123 (selected pages)
• Weekly Skills Tests
• Owl Pellet Essay
• RS 16-17
• AIMS Writing Assessment (Wednesday)

By Brian Scott

This week we dissect owl pellets as we explore organisms and their ecosystems. We’ll try to identify what owls eat by the waste they expel. We’ll also work to identify problems and solutions in several reading selections.

Objectives:

• Identify problems faced by characters in a selection.
• Evaluate alternative solutions and select the best ones.
• Read plural forms of nouns, including irregular forms, and identify the singular form.
• Write plural forms of words ending with f or o.
• Use sentence context to identify the appropriate dictionary definition of multiple-meaning words.
• Identify and use possessive and indefinite pronouns.
• Identify and write who, whom, and whose correctly.
• Learn how animals obtain nutrients.
• Identify an ecosystem’s energy source.
• Describe how energy moves through an ecosystem.
• Sequence: Look for the sequence of organisms, from producers to decomposers, in a food chain.

Assignments:

• Practice Book 107-119
• The Diet of Owls: Lab Report, Data Sheet, and Analysis

Practice Book 23-37

Practice Book 38-52

Practice Book 53-67

Practice Book 69-83

Practice Book 87-101

Variations of Green by Giant Ginkgo

We begin two new units this week. In Reading, we read the first in a series of selections on doers and dreamers. This week’s dreamer: Jackie Joyner-Kersee. In Science, we zoom out from our cell study to examine organisms in their environment. We’ll answer the question “What are ecosystems?”

Objectives:

• Word Roots ven and graph
• Identify persuasive techniques commonly used in propaganda.
• Distinguish between statements included in propaganda that are supported by facts and statements that are not supported by facts.
• Read words with parts ven and graph.
• Write Spelling Words that end with /iz/, /iv/, /ij/, /ik/, /cher/, and /es/.
• Identify antonyms in sentences or sentence pairs.
• Identify subject and object pronouns
• Use correct pronouns in compound subjects and objects.
• Compare different climates.
• Describe how organisms interact in ecosystems.
• Explain how climate affects ecosystem diversity.

Assignments:

• Practice Book pages 87-99
• Chapter 1 Assessment Corrections
• RS 14-15

In Science, we’ll spend Monday and Tuesday preparing for our Chapter 1 Test on Wednesday. We’ll review concepts about cell theory and the survival strategies of different types of plants.

Objectives

• Identify story elements of the myth genre.
• Discuss the use of realism and fantasy in particular myths.
• Read words with prefixes and suffixes.
• Read words with variant consonant pronunciations.
• Find the meanings of English words derived from myths.
• Use adjectives following linking verbs.
• Complete sentences using good and well correctly.
• Review chapter concepts in Science

Assignments

• Practice Book pages 69-81
• Review and Test Preparation pp. 66-67
• Science Test for Chapter 1 is Wednesday (click here to play the review game – Matching Pairs)

As we finish our seed germination lab this week, we’ll compare results to find out what seeds need to germinate and which resources seeds can do without. We’ll also read about the ancient cultures of Mali, Ghana, and Songhay

Objectives:

• Phonics: Suffixes -ion and -ation
• Comprehension: Summarize; Cause and Effect
• Vocabulary: Synonyms
• Identify and control variables related to seed germination.
• Identify the needs of plants and ways they are met in the environment.
• Distinguish between vascular and nonvascular plants.

• PB 23-35 (selected)
• Lesson 3 worksheet: RS 9-10

• Practice Book 2009.01.12 – Record your scores for the PB pages from last week.

Listen to the story here on the blog by clicking on the blue play button or download it by right clicking on the audio link and selecting “Save Link As…”

“How the Alphabet Was Made” (Audio Download)

“How the Alphabet Was Made” (Text)

Time-Order Graphic Organizer (PDF)