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The Grade 6 Adventure! 2009-2010
This is for discussion, comments, and help related to Grade 6 topics. If you have thoughts or comments about class, or if you want to respond to one of the posts, this is the place! If you're a parent or legal guardian of a student in my class, you are welcome to join in on the discussions! Please use first names only (no nicknames or aliases), and do not post your email address.
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Trial 1
I've never hosted a blog before, so this will be qute an experiment! Please feel free to suggest topics!
posted 9/18/2009 10:32 AM EST
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Nomads vs Villages, Towns, etc
Yesterday in Social Studies, we discussed the different "stories" that people around the world have been living out for thousands of years.
For as far back as archaeologists can figure, humans were Nomadic, living in small groups and settling for brief periods until the food (trapping, fishing, hunting, gathering) ran out. Then they would move on. They did this season after season, year after year, generation after generation, oftentimes retracing the same paths and re-setttling the same territories as their ancestors.
Then things changed.
Some groups continued to live the nomadic lifestyle, while others began building permanent settlements where they would farm and herd animals for food. Villages, towns and eventually even cities began to emerge. These people were living a different "story" than their nomadic neighbors. Their story is our story, and it is the one we continue to live today.
The question tonight is: Where are people still living the old story? Are there any left in the world? If so, then where are they? Are there modern nomads, modern hunter gatherers, modern tribes still out there?
posted 9/24/2009 3:50 PM EST
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No Food, No Water, No WAY!
The question from class today came from a brief discussion of the easy availability of food in water in our present culture. We've observed how often food (mostly junk food!) is around us all the time, no matter what kind of event we go to. That phenomenon is a direct result of what we are now studying in Social Studies: the Neolithic Revolution- when humans changed from food gatherers to food producers. The question for tonight's Blog is: When was the last time you were somewhere where there was no food or water available?
I'll start the ball rolling.
When I was 19, my best friend from high school and I decided it would be a good idea to drive down to Memphis and visit my brother. He was living in Memphis, and neither Mike nor I had never been. It was March, so we figured Memphis would be nice and warm. We packed Mike's Honda Civic with t-shirts, shorts and sleeping bags and set off on the 1,000 mile trip.
What we didn't do was check the weather forecast.
A late-season snow-storm was moving in, and it was a monster. By the time it reached full-strength, we were in the mountains of Pennsylvania heading right into it. Mike and I agreed that it was best to keep going. We figured that eventually we'd get south of the snow.
We got as far as Virginia, and the snow was too deep to go on. We stopped along the side of the highway (at least we HOPED it was the side! There was no way to tell) and hunkered down for the night. We had tick-tacks and that was all.
We stayed 2 nights in that Honda Civic, eating snow and trying to drive through ever-deepening drifts. At least we had fresh breath! Finally the snow stopped, and we were able to continue on to Memphis...
posted 9/28/2009 5:56 PM EST
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My Side... Project Time!
Remember: The "Project" portion of the My Side of the Mountain final assessment is optional. You can do very well on the essay, and never complete any additional project. Most students enjoy the freedom of choice that the project offers, as well the chance to work with parents or older siblings at home on something creative. If you choose to do a project, it can be something that adds to or illustrates a point in your essay, or it could be something you just imagined as you were reading the book. Look back at some of your thoughts and ideas from early in the book, and maybe they will spark your imagination.
If you have an idea for the project, share it here so that others can be inspired by it! For tonight's blog, describe your project ideas!!
posted 9/29/2009 6:02 PM EST
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An Unusual Day
Well, today was certainly not a typical day at school. Many of you may have questions about what happened today, and that's fine, but I would remind you that this blog is public and so it is not the place to spread rumors and misinformation. I know about as much as you do, so if you want to ask me questions tomorrow in school I would be happy to answer them then. On the other hand, I realize that it would be impossible to ignore today's events. With these issues in mind, here is tonight's blog topic: Today our school put into action its Emergency Plan. Every school has one, and Eastford Elementary School is no different. The most common aspect of these plans is the Fire Drill, but as you saw today school officials, teachers and staff have to consider a variety of issues when formulating their Emergency Plan. Your home and family are no different. What do you think is similar about a school's Emergency Plan and your family's Emergency Plan? What differences are there? I'll check in later to see what you think about this
posted 9/30/2009 7:39 AM EST
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Book vs Movie
Today the class finished watching the movie version of "My Side of the Mountain", which was very different than the book. We all agreed that while we enjoyed watching the movie, the story that the book told was much better. I'd like to other comparisons of book vs movie. What was the major difference between a book you read and the movie version you watched? Which one was better? What specifically made it better" book/ movie, one of the "Chronicles of Narnia", or something I haven't even hear of before! Just share with us which one you liked better and why.
Remember: this is opinion, so there are no wrong answers!~
posted 10/6/2009 3:47 PM EST
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Great Mesopotamia Links
Here are a couple of links to some sites about Mesopotamia. The first is a from our textbook and includes its own link to some great pictures and information about Mesopotamian culture, as well as a few questions you can answer to challenge yourself. Here it is:
http://www.glencoe.com/qe/qe119.php?&st=1297&pt=2&bk=34
This next one will take you to a site created by the University of Chicago. Here, you will be able to click on, "Go To Dig Site", and follow instructions to run your own archaeological dig. Then you can become the curator of your own virtual museum when you click on, "Create a Museum Exhibition". Give it a try!!
http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/interactives/DigIntoHistory.html
Let me know what you think of these.
posted 10/7/2009 8:34 AM EST
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New Progress Reports
Progress Reports went home today, and they probably look a lot different than what you've seen in the past. Remember: these are not official grades, these are just updates to let you and your parents know how you've been doing so far. The first thing you may notice is that some things are written in by hand. This was done by me because of some difficulties I had with the new software. I've got it all figured out now, so when report cards come out in December expect to see the whole thing printed out on computer. The second thing you may notice is that you only got "overall grades" in five subjects. This is not a mistake, and this is how it will look on your Report Cards in December. The rest of the coded skills and behaviors might also be confusing, so if you have any questions about what something means, please ask here, or more privately by email at dcurtis@eastfordct.org All that being said, what does everyone think of the new progress reports? Do you like the new layout? Do you like all the skills listed, or is it too much information?
posted 10/13/2009 4:52 PM EST
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Egypt Begins!!
We kicked off our Egypt unit today (kind of!). We did a Chapter Walk through the chapterr on Ancient Egypt in our Social Studies book, and I handed out two books that we use during this month: one is a novel, "The Egypt Game", while the other is non-fiction, "Mummies, Tombs and Treasures". The plan is to read the novel while referring to the reference book when we have questions that arise from the novel. That way, we will be studying Egypt in Language Arts and Social Studies by reading both Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Tonight, the class was asked to begin reading the textbook chapter as well as the first chapter of the novel, then be prepared to share any questions or comments about either one here on this blog, tomorrow in class, or both.
Soooooo........... Any questions or comments so far??
posted 11/4/2009 5:06 PM EST
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Modern Wonders
We have watched a video in class about the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, and it begged the question: what are the Modern Wonders? If you could list modern buildings and structures as official World-Wide Wonders, what would you list? I would DEFINITELY nominate Fenway Park, but I'm obviously biased! Start the debate..... NOW!
posted 11/12/2009 5:04 PM EST
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The Riddle of the Sphinx
Here's the riddle:
What creature walks on FOUR legs in the morning, TWO legs at noon, and THREE legs in the evening?
posted 11/18/2009 4:38 PM EST
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Holiday Weekend
On Wednesday, we did a lot of talking and sharing about our own family's Thanksgiving holiday traditions. A lot (A LOOOOT!) of them had to do with food, but the more we talked, the more we began to share other traditions. Some families have an annual football game or round of rummy 500. Others played board games or had a variety of outdoor activities (depending on weather!). Others remembered stories that older relatives seemed to love to share year after year, but that still seemed funny and fresh.
This year, my family gathering was small, but we seemed to start a new tradition with a multi-generational round of "Beatles Rock Band". Everyone seems to be familiar with a few Beatles songs, and my family is no exception! We had a blast pretending to be John, Paul, George and Ringo, and we didn't care if it rained all weekend! Luckily it didn't and we were still able to continue with 2 other family traditions this weekend: raking leaves, and stacking wood.
What was your weekend like? Let us know!
Mr. C
posted 11/29/2009 6:56 PM EST
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"Stopping By the Woods" moments
We all need moments of peace and quiet in our lives, and this time of year in particular seems to lend itself well to those instances of self-reflection. Before the break, we read and analyzed "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. Please re-read it below, and then share your moments of silence and peace from this break.
Stopping By the Woods On A Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
posted 12/28/2009 9:58 AM EST
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Arizona Adventure!
One of our 6th graders is headed to the Wild Wild West! This is his opportunity to share some of his experiences, and any pictures or links about his journey. We can also use this blog entry to ask him questions about his flight, or what he is doing while he's out there.
Has anybody else in the class ever been to Arizona?
posted 1/7/2010 6:50 PM EST
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Robert Frost Poems
The class read several poems by Robert Frost, then wrote their own "Robert Frost- Inspired" poetry. Here are their poems.
posted 1/12/2010 11:22 AM EST
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Glogster Projects
These are the projects the class has created following some research based on "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Enjoy!
posted 1/25/2010 10:07 AM EST
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Modern Ulysses
Ulysses was one of the first great "Action Heroes", and the stories of his heroics during the Trojan War, as well as his adventures on his journey home to Ithaca, were the big- budget blockbuster movies of the day. His character and his adventures have served as models for everything from comic books, novels, video games, movies, and just about anything else you can imagine.Where can you see the influence of Ulysses today? Maybe you've read a book that has a hero like Ulysses. Maybe you've seen a movie where the main character faced many obstacles, like the ones Ulysses faced. Describe a modern-day Ulysses.
posted 2/11/2010 9:54 AM EST
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Olympic Glory!
The Greeks had their Olympic Games every 4 years, just as we do now. However, there were some really big differences! For one, they had no Winter Olympics.That's too bad, since I really like the Winter Games. Some of the events are thrilling to watch, like the ski jump, the downhill racing and the bobsled, luge and skeleton events. Some are beautiful, like figure skating and ice dancing. Others just look grueling, like the biathalon! If you have a favorite event, or "Olympic Moment" from this Winter Games, tell us about it! Check the link below for information, results and schedules of this, the XXI Winter Olympics!
posted 2/22/2010 4:24 PM EST
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When Truth Becomes Myth
What do you think it means when a true event becomes "mythlogized"?In the History Channel video, "The Last Stand of the 300", one of the historians comments that often people think it was ONLY the 300 Spartans who stood up to a Persian army of millions. It was, in fact, a few thousand Greek soldiers from several city-states who were LED by the bravery and skill of 300 Spartan soldiers against 300,000 or so Persians. Still impressive, but facts of the story don't always mesh with the myth that most people think of. What true events can you think of, where the facts have been altered and exaggerated to the point where the story has become "mythologized"? Maybe there is a family story that an older relative tells that has, over time, reached mythical status. Or it could be something in your life that happened to you, and later became a bigger event in your mind. What does it mean when a true event becomes "mythologized", and can you give an example?
posted 2/24/2010 2:32 PM EST
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Great Thinkers of Ancient Greece!
Ok, Grade 5! Here's your chance to vote on who you think made the BEST argument for their Greatest Thinker of ancient Greece. Check out these glogs, and use the rating system at the bottom to show what you think.Have fun, and enjoy them!
posted 3/31/2010 10:56 AM EST
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Eastford Elementary School
12 Westford Road, P.O. Box 158
Eastford, CT 06242
P: 860-974-1130 F: 860-974-0837
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