Friday, November 03, 2006

Making Connections

We have just wrapped up two units on decimals. We will spend the next three months working very hard to "make the connection" between whole numbers, decimals and fractions. The ability to understand and utilize fractions is a necessity for success in future math classes.

Any time you find yourself using fractions at home try to involve your student. Ask your child to help you read a recipe and complete the measuring. Allow your student to decide how many pieces the birthday cake needs to be cut into and let him/her execute that skill. If you find yourself measuring a wall in your closet to determine how large of a shelf to install, have your child hold the tape measure and determine the measurement, etc. The more "real-life" activities your child has to use his/her knowledge the better they will be at owning that information.

On Monday, we will begin studying the basics of fractions: factors, numerators, denominators, GCF, LCM, simplifying etc. Check out the corporation website www.plymouth.k12.in.us for our daily/weekly assignments. Once there, click on Riverside, then Homework, then Stars Homework. That's us...we are the "Stars." This information is updated every Monday and will show the work for all six academic subjects.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

What is enrichment?

To me, enrichment means a chance to show what you know in a "different" context. Some students will be offered enrichment homework for chapters 3 - 7. Students doing enrichment homework for ch. 3 have aced their past two tests. These students are taught the same lesson and have direct instruction during class, then they work together in the hall to complete a different homework assignment. Students can earn enrichment for the next chapters by getting an A on this test. Students are not automatically in enrichment each chapter. It must be earned through consistent excellence in the classroom. These students will have the same instruction, quizzes and tests as their peers.

Upcoming Homework:

Oct. 4: Complete p. 110 #8-36 all, copy each problem. Enrichment students complete the 3-2 enrichment sheet and p. 11- 327-36.

Oct. 5: Comlete the 3-3 worksheet and p. 112-3 #4-7 all, #28 - 38 all. Enrichment students complete the 3-3 enrichment sheet and p. 113 #28-38 all.

Oct. 6: Complete p. 118-9 #11-33 odd, #34, #37, #39-47 all. Enrichment students complete the 3-4 enrichment sheet.

Oct. 9: Complete the Halloween Decimal cut and paste worksheet. Enrichment students may choose between the regular assignment or the 3-5 enrichment sheet.

Oct. 10: All students are to prepare for the ch. 3 test by: re-reading Ch. 3 using the SQ4R method, reviewing: notes, homework, quizzes and then taking the practice test that was sent home.

Oct. 11: CHAPTER THREE TEST - NO HOMEWORK

Oct. 12: First Quarter Benchmark Test - NO HOMEWORK - End of the first grading period. Report Cards will be sent home during P/T Conferences.

Oct. 13: Ch. 3 Test Corrections - when the work is done students will play yahtzee or T-Races in class.

Monday, September 25, 2006

WE DID IT!!!

We all survived ISTEP week. We lived through the altered schedules and the long testing sessions. The perk was that students had little, if any, homework last week. Sorry, but it is back to business today. Please be checking class progress using In Touch On-Line. What a great way to have updated access to student performance. Call the Riverside office if you need help signing up or if you need your password.

This week, Friday to be exact, we will be taking our Chapter Two test over graphing skills. Vocabulary is very important to this unit and will consist of 33% of the test. Every student has a vocabulary sheet to utilize for studying purposes. Practice a few words each night to guarantee retention and success on the test.

Monday: Complete the 2-6 worksheet for tomorrow and beging Part Two of the chapter project (due Wed.)

Tuesday: Complete the 2-8 worksheet packet over misleading data. That and the Chapter Project are due tomorrow.

Wednesday: Read-In day during math - no homework. An extra credit opportunity was given today and will be due on Thursday.

Thursday: Re-read ch. 2, review notes and homework, memorize the vocabulary sheet and take the Ch. 2 Practice Test.

Friday: Chapter Two Test - no homework The Math Class News - 3 bulletin was sent home today.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

It's almost here - ISTEP+

ISTEP testing will be done in a three day block the week of Sept. 18th. On Monday, students will visit their testing room to fill out some basic student information and to familiarize themselves with their testing accomodations. Testing will then occur during their regular class day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Regular class instruction and assignments will be at a bare minimum during this testing window. Here are a few helpful ISTEP OR ANY TEST tips:

Get plenty of rest - off to bed early.
Eat a healthy breakfast.
Relax.
Bring extra pencils and have them sharpened - leave the mechanical pencils at home this week. They make too much noise in a quiet testing situation and run out of lead when you least expect it.
Quickly look through each section before starting so you know how to pace yourself. Remember, all parts are timed!
Read all answer choices carefully BEFORE answering and if you are not sure, eliminate two you don't think make sense and then make your choice. You now have a 50/50 shot of being correct.

Mrs. Sharp

Math Homework for Sept. 11 - Sept. 22

Monday (11th) - Ch. 1 test corrections/signed by a parent

Tuesday (12th) - Students took the 6th grade problem solving pre-test in class today. There is no homework.

Wednesday (13th) - Complete p. 52-3 #8-16 even, #20 - 24 even, Begin part one of the ch. 2 project - Take a survey and creat a frequency table of your data.

Thursday (14th) - Complete p. 58 - 9 #6-9 all, #18 - 26 all, continue working on your project.

Friday (15th) - Complete the 2-6 worksheet over finding the mean of data. Part one of the Ch. 2 project is due on Monday the 18th.

Monday (18th) - Complete the 2-7 worksheet over mean, median, mode and range and p. 85 #15 - 19. Part one of the chapter project was due today.

Tuesday (19th) - ISTEP TESTING - NO HOMEWORK

Wednesday (20th) - ISTEP TESTING - NO HOMEWORK

Thursday (21st) - ISTEP TESTING - NO HOMEWORK

Friday (22nd) - Sorry, but you have homework: complete the worksheet packet for lesson 2-4 MAKING PREDICTIONS

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

This Friday we will take our first chapter test. It is a unit on basic algebra concepts. Students will be given a practice test on Thursday. They will be instructed to re-read ch.1, review their workbook pages and then take the practice test. Once this is completed he/she should hand the practice test to a parent and the parent grade it using the answer key which I provided. If a student misses any he/she should go back to that lesson and re-read the notes and try it again. Never put a practice test away until you are confident you can be successful on the test. New material requires hard work and consistent effort!!! Parents should then quiz their child using the vocabulary sheet we have been working on the whole chapter. Vocabulary is 33% of the test grade.

Tuesday:
Complete p. 36-7 #11-31 odd
Correct your quizzes, write a sentence to go with each corrected problem and get it signed by a parent. Quiz corrections are due on Thursday. P. 36-7 is due tomorrow.

Wednesday:

Complete the 1-8 Area Worksheet. For credit, each problem will need to be worked out using the formula and the correct steps. Remember, we are learning a process which will take us into higher levels of math with greater success.

Thursday:Re-read Ch. 1, Review your class notes (workbook pages), study the vocab sheet, take the practice test, have a parent check it with the provided answer key and analyze your mistakes. PREPARATION IS THE KEY TO HAPPINESS. CRAMMING GIVES YOU A BELLY ACHE!

Friday:
Chapter One Test - No Homework

Friday, August 25, 2006

Another Week Down

The transitions have been getting easier each day. Most of the students have adjusted to their teachers and the expectations of each. We spent time this week learning about the problem solving process, divisibility rules and prime factorization. Students should be practicing their new vocabulary as they are given along with their divisibility rules. We made a foldable in class that will assist their studying.

Homework for 8-28 through 9-1:

Monday: Complete P. 20 - 21 #11-37 odd, #40, #41, #48 - 54 all

Tuesday: No homework - we introduced order of operations today.

Wednesday: Complete the order of operation worksheet if you did not finish in class.

Thursday: Complete p. 30 - 31 #11-39 odd, #53-61 odd

Friday: Took a chapter quiz today over lessons 1-1 through 1-6. No Homework.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Whew!!!!!

Well, we made it through week one. As the week progressed transitions became easier. I am very hopeful for the week to come. Please use the following guide to keep up on your homework assignments.

Monday: Complete the Reading to Learm Mathematics worksheet for lesson 1-1. You will need to read the lesson in your book to complete this assignment.
Tuesday: Complete the 1-1 Word Problems worksheet.
Wednesday: Memorize your divisibility rules - use your foldable to study. Work on your vocabulary sheet.
Thursday: Complete p. 12-13 #10 - 24 evens, #40 &41, #48 - 52
Friday: Students will complete p. 16 - 17 #14 - 24 evens and #32-46 evens with a partner in class. Work not finished in class will be homework.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Week One - Aug. 16 - 18

Establishing a consistent homework routine is important to a successful school day. If you have forgotten your assignment or just need to double check that you wrote it down right you can check here for that information. I am also including a link to the Riverside Website. When you have time look through it. Eventually, your homework assignments will be posted there as well.

Mrs. S

HOMEWORK

Wed. Aug. 16th: Bring 7-10 items to school in the artifact bag you were given. These items should tell something about you, your family, and your intersts.

Thurs. Aug. 17th: The Math Class Policy packet was sent home. The policy agreement and the CD-ROM paper must be returned tomorrow.

Fri. Aug. 18th: Complete the math worksheet you were given and double-check that your 3 ring binder is organized as directed. This will be checked upon return on Monday.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Introduction Time

Hi, I'm Mrs. Sharp. I will be your sixth grade math
teacher this year. This is my blog. Tag it as a favorite and
you can easily check in to see your weekly homework,
classroom updates, reminders and occasional comments from your classmates.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Ready for a Rockin' Time at Riverside

It's the last week of school. My room is packed at Lincoln and I'm preparing to leave my LJH family and head on over to Riverside. Change is always difficult and this will be no different. However, we will be ready when the start of the 2006-2007 school year arrives to get down to business and implement the changes we have spent the past year preparing for.

Many things are in store for the Riverside Rockets and they should start getting excited now. You have some pretty good teachers to look forward to. Relax over vacation and don't be nervous it always works out!

As you tour your new building during registration, stop by my room and check out the sixth grade portfolio/binder that I have put together. This is a sample of what we do and what your organizational system should look like. Organization is the key!

Watch this site weekly for homework assignments, study tips, comments from other students, class pictures, etc. This will be the place to catch up on the "Class Happenings." My room is a cool place to be even if I do say so myself.

See you in August!