I don’t know about you, but I was more than ready to get back into a routine this week! I love my kids and all, but we all needed it—ha! It’s been so great seeing the middle schoolers reunite after a few weeks off. There have been so many stories shared, hugs exchanged, and new looks to admire.
Moments like this always remind me what a special place The Cooper School is. I’ve worked in many schools over the years, and none have ever felt quite as “at home” as this one. One of my favorite times of day is watching the kids during breaks and lunch. They’re so comfortable with one another—capture the flag happening next to a kickball game (with runners cutting straight through it), a volleyball being volleyed back and forth, finger knitting on a bench, kids chatting in the playground tower. Even with so many different things going on, they’re all connected, kind, and aware of one another.
It’s truly the best to sit back and watch.
-Rives
Upcoming Dates:
- January 16 – ice skating 5th + 6th
- January 19 – MLK day no school
- January 23 – ice skating 7th + 8th
- In March, we will be going to JICP for PE. Please sign this waiver as soon as you can, so we will be ready to roll!
ELA: 6th grade ELA was like a teacher’s lounge this week! Educators began culling non-fiction research together in small groups to develop the start of their lesson plans for 3rd and 4th grade students. These co-teachers considered how to give their student’s background knowledge using the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, and why) and then push into the lesson’s how by providing supporting details, visuals, and activities. Students also began studying their unit 5 vocabulary this week.
Next week, students will finalize lesson plans and begin practicing presenting! They will test on Thursday 1/15 for vocabulary, roots, and stems.
Science: This week in Science, our 6th graders reviewed what they have learned about the characteristics of living things through reflection and investigation. This learning culminated in a hands-on exploration of what humans are made of, as students examined their own cheek cells under the microscope and connected their observations back to the defining features of life.
Next week, students will begin investigating how scientists compare living things by exploring the largest level of classification: Domains. Students will also demonstrate their understanding of the characteristics of living things on an assessment scheduled for Tuesday, January 13th. There is a study guide on google classroom for students to reference.
Social Studies: This first week back we continued our unit from before break on ancient China and India. We moved into learning about the culture and religion of India and their role in their society. We will continue with this next week, also learning about Buddhism, and even practicing the ancient art of meditation!
Math: This week in math, 6th graders began unit 5. In this unit, we are exploring proportional relationships and using our previously mastered skills of unit rates, ratios, and expressions to help us learn about linear relationships. We learned about constants of proportionality and rates of change. Next week, we’ll connect our understanding of rate of change in tables to their respectable graphs! We’ll also begin to explore pi as a constant of proportionality as we dive into circles.
