Welcome to Student-led conference week! A reminder that conferences take place Monday and Tuesday evening, and Thursday afternoon. Your student is expected to attend and lead their conference. We have been working hard on our data notebooks/ portfolios, and are proud to defend our learning to you!
It's a short week before an extended Spring Break, but I want to urge you to ask your student to finish the week well. We have plenty to do still- with that said, here's This Week in Switzer:
Literature/ Reading- We finished the novels, Number the Stars and the UNI PDS pre-service teacher assigned novels. It was a tremendous amount of work, and I am VERY proud of our devotion to the reading. We had some great discussions about themes and characters in these books. This week, we'll be finishing up our research writing, and maybe throw in a Genius Hour if we can find time.
DEAR- We are still working on our portfolios and helping other grade levels build data notebooks! 6th Grade is a pioneer in our school when it comes to student-led conferences, and other students are asking us to teach them how to do a student-led conference! How fun is that? AND it allows us to be proactive and synergize with other grade levels. It's a WIN-WIN all around!
WIN- Our Math Bee teams competed last week at AEA267- while we didn't finish in the top 10, we had a blast and felt really good about the tests. Plus, Mrs. Beving bought us lunch at Pizza Ranch afterwards! Yay!
Math- We are finishing up Topic 12, and will look at taking the Benchmark 3 test after Spring Break. We also finished creating ThingLinks over geometric terms- it was a big project, but I can see from the finished products that students have a great grasp on the terms. Plus, I LOVED their "How to use a Protractor" videos. Check them out! (CLICK HERE)
Social Studies- Students took a test over Chapter 5 last Friday and will review their tests this week. Ask them how they did- many students indicated to me that the test was, "easy!" That's thanks to your devotion in helping your student study.
Science- We are looking at the Solar System and how the Universe operates (in general terms).
Writing- Parents, your student really needs your help here- this week we are trying to tie up our loose ends in a Doggy World Article research project over a particular dog breed. Your student may ask you to help proofread their writing- this is an excellent way to be a part of their learning! They may also ask for someone else to help- we hate to turn away assistance! Our goal is to finish up this week, but I am afraid that the final product may need to be pushed back until after Spring Break. We'll keep trying though! Make sure to check Lincoln6.com to find out all you can about the Doggy World Article (under the red "Writing/ Blog" button).
Thanks for sending your kids to me everyday! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns-
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Matthew Switzer
6th grade teacher
Lincoln Elementary
6th grade teacher
Lincoln Elementary
