Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes
Due Tuesday, October 30th: Finish assignment on page 6 of Daily Reading Record and Journal worksheet if you did not finish it in class.
Due Wednesday, October 31st: Review Lesson One vocabulary words. 

READING ASSESSMENTS continued

After a couple of days out with a cold I returned to work today and heard from Stephanie that the sixth graders had been great, focused, Humanities students while I was out. They continued working on the first drafts of their Wants & Needs Project presentations, giving each other positive feedback and asking helpful questions.

MaryBeth and I will continue doing reading assessments of the sixth graders during tomorrow's Writing Workshop class, and in the afternoon we will try to finish the first round of presentations.

Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes

READING ASSESSMENTS

This morning learning specialist MaryBeth and I began doing reading assessments of the sixth graders. During Writing Workshop, while the rest of the class worked on their writing, individual students took their assessments. 

In the afternoon we began our first look at Wants & Needs Project presentations. The rubric for the presentations was similar to the rubric used for the stories.

1. Presentation is incomplete, and does not properly categorize specific basic wants and needs.
2. Presentation is incomplete, but does properly categorize some specific wants and needs.
3. Presentation is complete, and properly categorizes some specific wants and needs.
4. Presentation is complete, and properly categorizes specific wants and needs.
5. Presentation is complete, properly categorizes specific wants and needs, and has additional information.

Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes

STORIES ARE IN

The sixth graders turned in the first drafts of their stories based on their Wants & Needs Project. The stories will be assessed according to the following rubric:

1. Story is incomplete, and does not properly categorize specific basic wants and needs.
2. Story is incomplete, but does properly categorize some specific wants and needs.
3. Story is complete, and properly categorizes some specific wants and needs.
4. Story is complete, and properly categorizes specific wants and needs.
5. Story is complete, properly categorizes specific wants and needs, and has additional information.

On Wednesday the students will perform the first draft of their presentations for their classmates.

Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes

WORDLY WISE 3000: Book 6

In lieu of their Writing Workshop class today the sixth graders were introduced to the vocabulary workbook, WORDLY WISE 3000: Book 6. We spent the class working on the first couple of exercises in lesson one. Lesson 1C was assigned for homework.

In their afternoon Humanities class the sixth graders continued working on their Wants & Needs Project.

Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes
Due Wednesday, October 10: WORDLY WISE 3000; Finish exercise 1B & complete exercise 1C.

Long Weekend

The sixth graders continued working on their Wants & Needs Project today

Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes

Space Ship Kidnapping

The sixth graders started a project today that is intended to clarify their understanding of the difference between wants and needs, and cement their grasp of fundamental human needs. The description of the assignment is below:

Wants & Needs Project: Part 2

You can perform this exercise individually, or in pairs.

Imagine that an alien spaceship flew through the atmosphere of the planet and kidnapped everyone in the world except your family. The ship will return in 10 years and bring everyone back. Nothing else was affected at all, so all of the buildings, animals and plants are still alive.

Write a story about how your family would survive until everyone returns that answers the following questions:
·   How will you and your family find food and water?
·   Where will you live?
·   How will you prepare food?
·   How will you heat or cool their homes?
·   How will you survive the winter?
·   What happens if someone gets sick or injured?
·   What happens if there is an earthquake?

Students will read their stories, or create a presentation for the class to present their ideas and solutions.

The sixth graders received a handout of their assignment, called Wants & Needs ll. They will work on the project in class, but can work at home if the want to. The first deadline is at the end of class on Wednesday, October 3rd., when the students should have answered the main questions in their notebooks.


Homework:
Due every day: Reading for 30 minutes