Days 67, 68, & 69

November  22 & 23 & 24^th , 2011

Days 67, 68, & 69

Finishing the unit.

Sophie’s Blog: *Write 20 complete, well-written sentences about the first unit and 70 days of school.

My first unit in sixth grade was about The Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark. I learned a lot of interesting material during this unit because these are two very interesting topics. For my final projects at the end of this unit I made a Louisiana Purchase comic book and a Lewis and Clark expedition board game. They turned out very well and both show a lot of education in a very creative way if I do say so myself. For science I studied eco-systems which was also very exciting to learn about because I have three eco-systems that I see almost every day! I observed the ponds in the front, back, and the farm to learn more about eco-systems. I enjoyed learning about eco-systems this way because it informed me just a little bit more every time I watched the pond rather than just reading from books. For math this unit I studied geometry. I love geometry and I really enjoyed learning about all the shapes and angles and measurements that you can find in everyday life. One of the activity’s I liked doing during geometry studies was the backyard measurements where I went outside in the yard and measured the sizes of six different objects. It was really quite fun! I also like backyard angles where I found and measured different objects with different angles. Also for geometry I am making a blue print of a house with Emma, I am sorry to say but with all the drama of the last couple weeks, we have not gotten around to finishing it yet, but it will be done sooner than later. I really enjoyed this last unit and am ready to take a little break but get back in to school, school, in January.

Science: Eco-System Poster

*Sophie, describe your poster in 10 good sentences:

For my final project of science for this unit I made a poster about Eco-systems. I took information from my 6x6’s that I did on eco-systems and pasted them on to my poster. I also took my drawings and pond observations and put them on the poster as well. My poster explains about the importance of an eco-system and what eco-system’s are. Mom showed me a trick for writing my title at the top and making all the letters fit. The trick is to put the first letter where you want it and the last letter where you want and just keep filling in the rest doing the same pattern. I think it turned out rather well. It felt good to accomplish this project because this was the first bit of school that I did after I found out the terrible news.

Farm School: Almanac & Comic Book

*Sophie, describe your comic book & almanac, 10 good sentences:

At the farm for this unit I made a comic book for the Louisiana Purchase. I also made a fall almanac. I worked with gamma mostly for these projects but Bo helped a little too. Gamma helped me make caricatures for my comic book. I have got to say, it is pretty hard to draw the same character the exact same way over and over again! My fall almanac summarizes my summer, and explains of what happened during the fall. It came out beautiful and I thank Gamma for helping me and putting so much time and effort in to it.

Link to Comic Book PDF

Link to Almanac PDF

Lewis & Clark: Board Game

*Sophie, describe your game: making it and playing it in 10-15 good sentences:

For my final project of this unit, I made a Lewis and Clark expedition board game. Lewis and Clark was probably my main topic of the unit so I know a whole bunch about them now. To make the base for the board game we took an old Crayola art set carrier that we got for Christmas a long time ago. We painted it grain and then pencil lined in the squares for the game. I already had a story map drawn so don’t worry, I was not doing this free handed! Gamma came over last week to help me paint in the squares. We decided on Gold, Pink, Purple, and orange for the coloring of the squares. We took rocks to use for the players, Sacagawea, Lewis, Clark, Patrick Gas, and Charbonneau. We collaged on some birds and Indians and over all, the game looks fantastic! Me and Dad are going to play it after I’m done writing this so….. RIGHT NOW!

Link to Board Game You Tube Video

Skating

Counseling

Snow day

Book: Shakespeare’s Secret

Chapter 4: Hero sat down with Mrs. Roth who promised hero she would tell her the story of the Murphy diamond. She said that the Murphy’s that lived in Hero’s new house before Hero, Had a secret diamond hidden in their house, a big one, almost the size of a walnut, Seventeen carats! It was part of a necklace, a very beautiful jeweled necklace that has been in Eleanor’s (the woman who lived in Hero’s house before her) family for centuries. Mrs. Roth told Hero that Eleanor’s maiden name was Vere and Hero wondered why she needed to know that, but it was very important. Eleanor and her spouse Arthur hid the diamond in Hero’s house but no one knows where. A year ago someone broke in to the Murphy house and stole the necklace, but not the diamond, everybody wondered why. Later Hero asked her father why Arthur Murphy was so interested in his job. Hero’s father said it was because Eleanor Murphy was a descendent of Edward Vere, The secret Shakespeare!

Math: Sophie has finished both her her workbooks--Guinness and Sylvan math! We've ordered two more books and will start working with them starting in January.

She's also done some cool Backyard Measurements math activities and has worked with Emma on her blueprint, which helped build her geometry skills.

We've also been working with the Southwestern Advantage math program *picture of book

On Tuesday Nov. 29th Sophie and I spent an hour and a half reviewing her math skills. Here's what we worked on:

1. Writing whole numbers--standard form, expanded form, written form, and short-written form. We practiced each form and discussed the uses of the form in communication.

2. Ordering numbers--number lines & lining up digits

3. Memorizing multiplication facts

4. Memorizing division facts

5. Strategies for Subtraction

6. Word problems--4 steps to solving problems-- What you know; What you need to find; Estimate answer; Calculate answer--Review & Check

*we worked through about 7 word problems together, following the steps.

Based on this review, Sophie will need to practice and work on her multiplication and division facts so that they are easily recalled

We will also continue working with Word Problems and beginning in January she will do at least 1 word problem a day for each school day

We also worked through a final Geometry worksheet together with 10 good, hard problems titled "Points, Lines, Planes, and Angles.

Sophie did a great job and she learned a few "new" things today and worked on some math vocabulary

1. Congruent

2. Supplementary angles

3. Complimentary angles

3. adjacent

4. alternate interior angles

5. alternate exterior angles

She accomplished 3 hard problems by measuring angles--as many as 6 unknown--witt only 1 angle measurement given!

For Christmas school, we will be doing a lot of Cookie Math again!

She will also continue playing some math games on-line and on her Itouch. And we will start a new math unit in January.