Simple Machines Cartoon Assignment

We are creating a Simple Machines Cartoon in the style of “Rube Goldberg”-that uses at least 3 different types of simple machines to accomplish one task. Types of simple machines: levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, wedges, and wheel and axles.

This is a group assignment. Students will have class time to work on this Monday, February 6 and Thursday. The cartoons should be turned in on Friday for a grade.

See the explanation of the assignment below:

Gaggle Blog

Parents,

We have been using a new blog in class and you may have even seen your students logging in at home. Students should all be getting into Gaggle, a safe internet resource for communication that is provided by the district. Students have been completing assignments in the message boards, email, and even chatting. We are using these features for educational purposes and some assignments are even submitted this way.

I will continue to use this blog as a "bulletin board" to keep you informed as to what is going on in our class.

I just wanted to let you know about something else that we are using both in and outside of school for our students. Feel free to have your child login to gaggle one day and you can poke around.

Dump Truck Lab

We did a Science lab this week where we talked about inertia. We discussed how the mass of something plays a major role in the velocity that an object travels at. We also discussed the effects that gravity has on an object. We related this to the Solar System and the gravitational pull of the planets and the Sun.

Science Test Next Wednesday, January 18.

We will be taking a Science Test next Wednesday over the Solar System. Please use the Power Point Presentations below as a study guide to prepare for the test along with your class notes.

Solar System Notes

Components of the Solar System Review

6th Grade Newsletter

December 5-9

Semester Exams: The countdown is on for the Semester Exams. The 6th Grade team is finishing up with the curriculum for the 2nd Nine Weeks and the information we are teaching this week, will be on the exams.

READING: Students will finish their unit on Expository Literature analyzing different types of expository text.

MATH: Students will continue their unit on Statistics, Graphing and Measures of Central Tendencies. This week students will create a Bar Graph It! Project for a Major Grade. Projects will be completed in class and are due Wednesday. Students will have a quiz over Mean, Median, Mode and Range this Wednesday. The quiz will be one of the last daily grades for the semester. Students will begin working on their math review in class this Wednesday.

SCIENCE: Students will complete their unit on Earth’s Structure and Processes and The Rock Cycle. A test will be given over Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle this Friday.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students will continue to apply the 5 themes of Social Studies to North America and Canada. Some of this unit will carry over into the 3rd nine weeks.

WRITING: Students will complete their final drafts for their Literary Response papers. Papers are due this Friday for a Major Grade.

TUTORIALS WILL BE HELD THIS WEEK. SEMESTER EXAM REVIEW’S WILL BE HANDED OUT BETWEEN WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY OF THIS WEEK.

Science Test Coming Up

There will be a test Chemical and Physical Changes, Density, Mixtures, Solutions, & Compounds next Monday, October 31. I am covering Physical and Chemical Changes tomorrow, and everything else this week will be a review for Monday's test.

I have also updated the blog with some of the pictures from our weekly Science Labs with explanations. I am sorry that I have been unable to keep my blog updated until now. Thank you for your understanding.

Lab: Scientific Process

While studying scientific process and Properties of Matter I brought in two different color eggs. I had students do a simple egg drop and make a hypothesis as to whether color effects the the rate at which an egg breaks.