Having finished Curriculum Night, gotten into the thick of our first units of study, founded our clubs, and settled into our routines, back-to-school “to-dos” feel like they are finally complete. Back-to-school can feel like a whirlwind of crazy, but there has been something in the air at The Cooper School for the past several weeks that has made every day feel more exciting and adventurous than the day before. With students taking risks in their learning, engaging in meaningful conversations, and building intentional friendships, this first (almost) month of school has been anything but stressful. I have high expectations that every month at The Cooper School will feel as exciting and adventurous as this first month has been.
-AG
Math:
This week, we began unit 2 on rates, ratios, and percentages by creating diagrams that will help us better understand ratios! Next week, we’ll learn some more strategies to help us understand equivalent ratios, and how we can use ratios in our everyday lives.
ELA:
This week, 6th graders worked hard to use their knowledge of literary elements and annotations of Boy to answer short answer questions. We practiced breaking down the prompt and sourcing evidence that helps us to answer the question with accuracy. Overall, readers sought to “show what they know” with clarity. In Civil Discourse, students discussed modern civil rights for people of color and women.
Next week, we transition to our first writing unit of the year – personal narrative writing. Writers will dive deep into the prewriting process and learn how this step is an art in and of itself. We will also begin our first grammar unit of the year, reviewing parts of a sentence.
Social Studies:
Sixth graders are getting ready for their first test on an ancient civilization, Mesopotamia, this upcoming Tuesday. A study guide went home with each student and we will be spending our time together reviewing and getting ready for Tuesday. The class has done a great job with this subject matter and continues to learn about the significance of this first civilization and how it still impacts us today. Once we finish, we will be moving on to our next civilization, the ancient Egyptians!
Science:
This week, sixth explored air pressure. They made a vacuum using a jar and bottle to see how a closed system impacts the pressure. They also learned how low pressure systems create clouds and storms, where high pressure systems create fair weather conditions. The sixth graders also learned how to make isobar maps to interpret pressure systems.
Important Dates:
October 14 & 15: Fall Break- No School
October 31: Halloween Carnival (11:30 Dismissal)
