It is a busy time here at TCS. However, despite the madness, it is a time of connection and pride. Student’s have been taking pride in their work this season as they begin to present to parents and guardians here at TCS! Students have begun numerous project based presentations such as; ELA’s eighth grade Focus Lessons, which showcased their photography and writing skills. Fifth graders have been working diligently in preparation for their National Parks presentations for science. It has been a wonderful process to observe. Our eighth grade scientists have also been working around the clock on their Rube Goldberg projects incorporating their knowledge of physics!


Connections have been made during our Halloween Carnival, Parent Conferences, and our upcoming Harvest Feast! Connections between parents and teachers, students and parents, and students and students.


This truly is a busy time here at TCS, but one of the best times of the year!


KW


Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:



What’s happening in Science?
Sixth graders started learning about thermal energy this week! They contemplated how temperature is the speed of kinetic energy and that the more energy something has, the warmer the temperature. They also started reading, “Fifty Animals that Changed History.” They picked an animal that they want to research more about. Lastly, they learned about the difference between inference and observation. They will apply their knowledge to write a scientific argument.
What’s up in ELA?

6th grade writers kicked off a unit in essay writing this week! We shared in a literary essay writing “boot camp” to refresh our memories on the parts of a strong essay. We then discussed what it looked like to write a ‘character’ essay around a literary fiction character, developing original ideas and thesis statements.

Next week, 6th grade essayists will call back to our novel studies, Bridge to Terabithia or Boy, to build essays about the growth, motives, or qualities of our favorite characters from these novels.

What’s going on in Math?
This week, 6th graders practiced solving decimal addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems before exploring division of whole numbers. Next week, they will practice solving division problems with decimal quotients, divide decimals by decimals, and practice applying those types of problems to real-world applications. On Friday, they’ll take their unit 3 test before heading out for Thanksgiving Break!

What’s happening in Social Studies?

This week, the sixth graders prepared for their assessment on Ancient China. Students were then challenged to master the vocabulary covering their next unit, Ancient Greece. Students started the unit off with the Early Years of the Greeks before moving into an activity in which they track Odysseus through an interactive map.

Next week, the students will spend a day in Athens and a day in Sparta! Students will be prompted with a written response question to summarize their understanding of the content in each of those lessons. Students will end the week with a Venn Diagram comparing the two city- states. This will lead the students into Thanksgiving Break!

Important Dates:
November 17th – Harvest Feast (Half Day- 11:30 Dismissal)
November 20th-24th – Thanksgiving Break