We are off to a great start of a new year!  Scott Middle School will  have a celebration to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 16 where  Mr. Nathan Woods will be honored for his work in the Lincoln community.  The students are currently learning about the Civil Rights Movement and writing poetry for this special event.  This is one of my favorite writing assignments of the year!  The students continue to amaze me with their thoughtfulness and creativity.

I passed out literature books on Tuesday.  The AM group is reading, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, and they should be on page 74 by January 16.  The PM group is reading, Counting by 7s, and they should be on page 95.  Both groups should also write three reactions to their reading in their literature journal.

The MAP test for math will be on January 14 and 15.  Students will all take the test with their first period teacher.  This is not a timed test, so all students will have the opportunity to complete the test.

I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful winter weather.  It sounds like the cold is coming, but we’re Nebraskans; we can take it!

Our cards for veterans were delivered to Kearney.  Many veterans commented on the students’ beautiful work and thoughtful words.  Thank you 6B students.  You are appreciated!

The students are working hard on research.  At this point, students should have their introductory paragraph and three body paragraphs.  We will work on the closure tomorrow.  Next week students will make the cover page, print out their bibliography, and begin practicing for their oral presentation.  The students will be giving an oral presentation on their research the week of December 2.

Students got their new literature book on November 8.  The AM group is reading, Wonder, and the PM group is reading, Summer of the Monkeys.  Both groups will do a Thinkmark for literature groups on Thursday, November 14.  The AM will write three important quotes, and the PM will write three similes, metaphors, or expressions.

Three UNL athletes came to talk with our sixth graders today.  They spoke about what it means to be a student athlete, and that it is okay to fail, but you need to continue working hard.  It was a great message!  We appreciate the UNL students giving up their time to come to Scott.

The 6B second quarter service project is to make cards for Veterans as we celebrate Veteran’s Day.  I was impressed with the time and attention the students put into making their cards.  Each student will make a card, and some have volunteered to make make more than one.  The cards will be delivered to Nebraska’s Veteran’s home in Kearney next week.

This was our unit 2 testing week.  Students took a reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary test, along with writing a text dependent analysis (TDA).  Plays were introduced, but we didn’t have too much time to work on them.  We will continue the plays next week.

The students are finishing up their literature books.  The AM class has been reading Summer of the Monkeys and the PM class is reading Wonder.  Both classes need to complete the book and the ABC Summary Chart by November 7.

The grammar lessons this week focused on plural nouns. For writing, students are finishing up a book review along with their personal writing for quarter one.  Both assignments will be due October 16.

Students got their new literature books on Thursday.  The AM groups is reading Summer of the Monkeys, chapters 1-5, stopping at chapter 6.  The PM class is reading Wonder, pages 1-78.  Literature groups always meet on Thursday, but since we will not have school on Thursday of next week, our literature groups will meet on Wednesday, October 16.  Because of the shorter week, students do not need to write in a literature response journal this week.

Unit 2 in reading has been on ancient civilizations.  Have your child tell you what life was like during ancient times.

Hope you’re enjoying this cool weather!  It’s a great time to curl up with a good book!

It was so nice meeting so many of you at parent/teacher conferences.  If it didn’t work out for you to attend, feel free to email me with any questions.

The students chose their new literature book on Thursday.  Bridge to Terabithia should read pages 1-84, Farewell to Manzanar should read pages 1-82, Hatchet 1-88, and Timothy of the Cay, 1-81.  Literature groups will meet again on Thursday.  As always, students should have read the required pages and bring their book and response journal to literature group.

The 6B team will start collecting money for our first quarter service project next week.  We will take the money we collect to Super Saver and purchases groceries to donate to the Food Bank. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to help those in need in the Lincoln community.  We would love to have parents join us on October 15.  If you are able to volunteer, talk to your child’s first period teacher.  Thank you for your support!

I was so impressed by the students focus during testing this week.  Their hard work and attention to detail paid off.  Great job, students!

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Monday, September 23 and Thursday, September 26 from 3:30 to 6:30.  The 6B teachers will be seated in our pod area.  Conferences will last approximately three to five minutes.  If you feel a longer conference is necessary, contact the teacher and we will be happy to schedule another time.

All students should finish their literature books and response journal by Thursday.  After literature groups meet, students will be choosing their next book.  They will choose between Hatchet, Timothy of the Cay, Bridge to Terabithia, or Farewell to Manzanar.

The 6B annual shopping trip to Super Savor is coming up on October 15.  This is our first quarter service project to purchase food for the Lincoln Food Bank.  More information will be coming!

We continued to work on how to write TDA.  The final lessons on using transition words and revising will be next week.  Next week will also be the unit 1, week 6 assessments which will include two reading comprehension tests, a grammar and vocabulary test, and a TDA.

Students chose their new literature book on September 12.  If they chose Freak the Mighty, they should read pages 1-79, The Cay will read pages 1-72, and Small Steps will read pages 1-90.  Literature groups will meet September 19, and students should bring their literature book and response journal with them to literature groups.

Students are reviewing how to write a Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) this week.  They will be writing their first one in sixth grade during the unit 1, week 6 testing on September 18 and 19.  Week six testing will also consist of two reading comprehension passages and a grammar and vocabulary test.

Speaking of testing.  The MAP test for Math will be September 9 and 10.  All students will take the test with their first period teacher.  This is not a timed test, so students will all have the time they need to complete the test.

Literature groups will meet September 12.  Your child is either reading The Cay, Freak the Mighty,or Small Steps.  All students will complete the book and have their literature response complete to bring to literature groups.  Students will get their new book after literature groups meet.

Fall is here!  Enjoy this beautiful weather!

Next week we will have a shortened week because of Labor Day.  Along with that, the students will be taking the reading MAP test during first period on Wednesday and Thursday.  Because of the different schedule, we will be working on unit 1, week 5, vocabulary and stories.  The stories are much shorter during this week, and week five is not a testing week.  With two days of MAP testing, the students didn’t need to take another weekly test on Friday.  Then, on the week of September 9-13, we will go back to unit 1, week 4, and have the test on Friday, September 13.

The students will turn in their writer’s notebook on Tuesday, September 3.  A list of what should be included is on Google Classroom.  All students turned in their “Who am I? ” writing activity today.  They are posted in our 6B pod.  You’ll have to check them out at conferences and see if you can find your child.

Speaking of conferences, Parent Teacher Conferences will be September 23 and 26 from 3:30 to 6:30.  The 6B teachers will all be in the pod, and academic connection teachers will be in the cafeteria.  We do not have scheduled conferences in middle school.  Parents form a line and talk to their child’s teacher.

The students all chose their next literature book.  In the AM class, the choices were Freak the Mighty  or The Cay.  In the PM class, the choices were Freak the Mighty or Small Steps.  Literature groups will meet on Thursday.  Freak the Mighty will read to page 79, The Cay to page 72, and Small Steps to page 90.  The students will also be writing a literature response.

I hope you all have a wonderful three day weekend!  Enjoy!

We have had a great first two weeks of school!  Students know their way around the building, have mastered their locks, and are completing homework.  Here are a few reminders of assignments that will be due soon.

Literature groups meet every Thursday.  The AM class is reading Small Steps, and the PM class is reading The Cay.  Both groups should finish the book by Thursday.  When students come to literature groups, they need to have their literature journal complete.  The journal needs three reactions to what they have read.  Each reaction should be a complete paragraph and include the page number.  I have examples on Google Classroom.

Thursday is also the day the unit 1, week 3, vocabulary slides are due.  The word and definition is given to the students.  They need to use the word in a meaningful sentence, find a picture that depicts the word, and include either a synonym, antonym, or a personal story of the word.

I will do a writer’s notebook check on September 3.  See Google Classroom for a list of assignments I will be looking for.  Each entry needs to be dated and titled.

I have been impressed with the students positive attitudes and work ethic! Keep it up sixth graders! Be sure to let me know if you have any questions!