The Fighting Gnomes

The Fighting Gnomes http://fightingnomes.posterous.com This website will house short updates from the T4 Sixth Grade Teachers at Salem Middle School. posterous.com Wed, 16 May 2012 12:36:04 -0700 Science Current Events Studied http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-current-events-studied http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-current-events-studied Dear Parents,

One of the ways that I like to introduce students to content from our ecology unit is to read science current events in class. Often, the current events introduce the content that we are studying in a far more engaging way that the textbook can.

Thought you might like to see the events that we looked at this week. Read them and then talk with your kids about them. They should be able to tell you how each event connected to the content that we've been studying in class:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2012/05/09/meat-eating-plant-digests-insects-using-ants/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18021500

Hope this helps,
Bill Ferriter

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]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 12:32:48 -0700 Science Update http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-update-96462 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-update-96462 Dear Parents,

Just a quick update on what we're doing in science class:

(1). We finished our study of natural selection and adaptation this week. Your children should be able to give you examples of how specific animals have adaptations that make them uniquely prepared to survive and thrive within their habitats.

(2). We are moving into a study of the carbon cycle. Specifically, we will discuss the potential impact of carbon released into the atmosphere as a gas. We will also read several current events about interesting steps that people are taking to reduce the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere as a gas.

(3). When we are finished studying the carbon cycle, we will finish our ecology unit with a quick review of food chains and biomes. This content is LIKELY to be review for your kids from previous grade levels, so I'm expecting that it shouldn't take us long to get through those lessons.

Hope this helps,
Bill Ferriter

]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 10:47:48 -0700 LA Update http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/la-update-39500 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/la-update-39500

We are wrapping up poetry this week! The students will be participating in a poetry seminar tomorrow. We will be disusing "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes and "Can't" by Edgar Guest. Students need to read and annotate the poems to be prepared for tomorrow's discussion. As always, I am looking forward to the kids' insights and debate!

Our summative poetry assessment will be this Friday, May 18. We have already begun reviewing for the assessment in class. I will send a study guide home with the students tomorrow.

Lastly, I checked-in with each student individually about their novel game projects last week. It's exciting to see how focused many of them are. They seem to be enjoying the books and moving right along. Please let me know of any questions that pop up as they begin completing the mini-projects.

Have a wonderful week!

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 10:46:45 -0700 Iceland and Greenland http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/iceland-and-greenland http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/iceland-and-greenland

Iceland.pptx Download this file

Hello All,

In Social Studies we are continuing our regional study of Northern Europe. Yesterday we started watching a Globe Trekker travel documentary on Iceland and Greenland. I have attached a link to a YouTube introduction to the video. You have to pay to see the entire video, but at least you can get a taste for what we are up to in class. As students watch the video they will take notes and then complete the reflective questions I have attached here.

You may want to start a conversation about the lands of Iceland with your student to see what has stuck with them.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mr. Hutchinson

]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 10:31:12 -0700 Gnomes Read Notes http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-notes http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-notes

Wringer pgs 104-141.pptx Download this file

Hello all,

This week we will meet again for Gnomes Read in the Media Center. Thankfully the times have not been switched on us again so we will meet back at the regular time of 12:10 to 12:39.

At this Gnomes Read meeting we should have read up to chapter 27 or through page 140. The questions are attached here, let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks for sharing this time with us.

Mr. Hutchinson

]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 10:36:16 -0700 Novel Game Rubric http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/novel-game-rubric http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/novel-game-rubric

NovelGame Rubric.doc Download this file

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 06:48:38 -0700 Science Update http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-update-34724 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/science-update-34724 Dear Parents,

First, here's to hoping that you enjoy a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! I'm taking my wife and daughter to the beach for the weekend -- which will be our first vacation in a long, long while. We're obviously looking forward to it.

Second, here's what's happening in class:

(1). We spent the early part of this week working on a metaphorical thinking activity. This is something that we've done in class several times this year. Your students connect a concept from our unit on energy to a random object from our curiosity box. When we were finished, students completed a self-assessment and gave their peers feedback about the quality of their final analogies. All in all, it was a productive and successful activity.
(2). We've been doing a TON of self assessment work in class lately. One of the things that our school is trying to do is teach students to be able to look at their own work and evaluate it for strengths and weaknesses. As logical as that seems -- accomplished learners are constantly evaluating the quality of their own work -- it's a behavior that kids need to practice in order to be successful.
Ask your kids about the experience. For the most part, I think they really enjoyed it. And I was impressed by the fact that the VAST majority of our students were able to spot the strengths and weaknesses in their own work.
(3). We've started to work through our unit on ecosystems. Specifically, we started the week by looking at the lesson on page D9 of the textbook that introduces the notion of biotic and abiotic factors in an environment. The key point that kids were to learn is that the abiotic factors of a habitat often influence the biotic factors of an environment.
We also started talking about natural selection -- the idea that the animals that are the best suited for a habitat will survive and thrive and the animals that are poorly suited for a habitat will die off -- and the impact that invasive species have on habitat. Specifically, we've been looking at the following weblinks, which introduce animals with unique adaptations and animals that are destroying habitats:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8552000/8552157.stm
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5796372
These topics are always interesting to students simply because they are fascinated by quirky animals.

You can help support learning at home this weekend by looking around at nature. Check out individual plants and animals with your children. Look at their physical traits and determine what it is about those physical traits that would help the plant or animal to survive and survive here in North Carolina.

See a goose? Think with your children about how a long neck and wide body is perfect for hunting in ponds. See a snake? Wonder with your children how having no arms and no legs could EVER be a positive adaptation. See an earthworm? Brainstorm with your children why eyes -- and heavy skeletons -- would be a disadvantage if you spent your life in the soil.

Simple conversations -- but conversations that can be a TON of fun.

And more importantly, conversations that will get you outside in nature with one another.

Hope this helps,
Bill Ferriter

]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/5ex0PuikDm01 Bill Ferriter Bill Ferriter Fri, 11 May 2012 03:30:50 -0700 Wringer Lunch Time Change! http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/wringer-lunch-time-change http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/wringer-lunch-time-change Dear Parents,

We are horribly embarrassed this morning because we just realized that our school's lunch schedule has been changed due to end of grade testing. That means our Wringer book club won't be meeting at our regular time.

Sixth grade lunch happens from 11:28 to 11:55 today -- so that's when we'll be meeting to discuss the second section of Wringer.

We know that the late notice means that many of you may not be able to rearrange your schedules to be here and we're sorry for the mixup. If you can make it, though, we'll see you then.

Our apologies in advance,
The Gnomes

]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 15:53:17 -0700 New Reading Group Content http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/new-reading-group-content http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/new-reading-group-content Hello all,

Many of you know that I have started another lunch time reading group devoted to fantasy novels. The book we are reading right now is called The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. In the story the creative and artistic kids are sent to their "death" at a certain age. It turns out they really go to a school where they learn to be creative and how to use magic. In one of our recent meetings we talked about how we were super creative and probably unwanted. I challenged the kids to come up with something creative dealing with a major character named Ms. Octavia. I am super proud to share some of the fantastic work your kids are doing... not for a grade, but for the love of reading, sharing and learning.

Feel free to comment on the blog, I'm sure the students would love to hear what their parents are thinking.

Mr. Hutchinson

]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 07:39:06 -0700 Barnes & Noble Book Fair at Salem http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/barnes-noble-book-fair-at-salem http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/barnes-noble-book-fair-at-salem

2012 Book fair.doc Download this file

Salem will be hosting a Barnes & Noble book fair Monday evening, May 21 and Tuesday evening, May 22. A percentage of the purchases from books, food, dvds, magazines, etc. will contribute toward new books for Salem. See attached flyer!

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 07:13:20 -0700 Europe Maps http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/europe-maps http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/europe-maps

Hello all,

Yesterday I was ill, but students began working through a set of maps for our regional study of Europe. Some students did a great job, and others had some trouble, probably because I was out and could not answer questions. If students made big mistakes we started fixing them in class today.

From now to the end of the year we will hit each of the major regions geographically and culturally. We are starting with Northern Europe. One question the students will be asked is "Do the British Isles fit with Northern Europe?" Students will look at geography and culture and make a judgement.

Attached are the maps we are working on, or will be working on, and the directions for the British Isles map and the Northern Europe Map. We are doing this work in class, so this should not be homework.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mr. Hutchinson

Europe maps.pptx Download this file

British_isles_directions

Northern_europe_directions

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]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 05:54:31 -0700 Gnomes Read Wringer: Questions for Friday's Book Group http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-wringer-questions-for-fridays-boo http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-wringer-questions-for-fridays-boo

Questions_WringerLunch2.ppt Download this file

Embedded above are the questions for our Friday book club meeting on Wringer. If you're coming, consider giving them a look and seeing what you think!

Really looking forward to seeing you there. We are INCREDIBLY proud of our team for reading together.

#verycool

Hope this helps,
Bill Ferriter

]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/5ex0PuikDm01 Bill Ferriter Bill Ferriter Mon, 07 May 2012 11:00:20 -0700 poetry quiz review games http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/poetry-quiz-review-games http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/poetry-quiz-review-games

Good afternoon,

Below are two different review games for the poetry quiz on Thursday. Students will need to know the definitions of the terms as well as how to recognize them in a poem. Practice, practice!

quizlet: http://quizlet.com/5373708/poetic-devices-figurative-language-flash-cards/

hangman game: http://www.quia.com/hm/808815.html

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 11:03:12 -0700 LA Update http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/la-update-45014 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/la-update-45014

Must Do- Can Do_Week29 (11-12).doc Download this file

Happy Friday,

As we continue to move through our poetry unit, there will be a poetry quiz next Thursday, May 10. The quiz will cover all of our poetic terms- poetic devices and figurative language terms. Students will need to know definitions of the terms and how to identify examples of each within a poem. We will be reinforcing the terms next week as we move through poetry stations.

On Thursday of next week, I will be meeting with each student for a brief discussion on their Novel Game progress. I will take a look at their planning calendar and the sticky notes they are using to chart their book. Hopefully I will clear up any questions or concerns that they have at this point.

I have attached the Must Do/Can Do for next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Fri, 04 May 2012 10:39:48 -0700 Voicethread: Express Your Self Poetry http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/voicethread-express-your-self-poetry http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/voicethread-express-your-self-poetry

Here is a link to our team's poetry Voicethread. You will need a password to log in- students should have their usernames and passwords. Remember to think outside the box, plan ahead, and make something memorable. Have fun!

http://voicethread.com/share/3025677/

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 03:42:16 -0700 Borders, Migration and the Schengen Treaty Assessment http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/borders-migration-and-the-schengen-treaty-ass http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/borders-migration-and-the-schengen-treaty-ass

Hello all,

Tomorrow students will show their understanding of our conversations about borders, human migration and Europe's Schengen Treaty. This short 10 question quiz will be open note, but you may want to ask your student a few questions tonight like...

Why borders are drawn on our globe?

How borders are decided on?

Why do people choose to immigrate to new countries?

What does the Schengen Treaty allow across much of Western Europe? Why is that both good and bad?

Define asylum in the context of immigration.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

J. Michael Hutchinson
6th Grade Social Studies
Salem Middle School
NBCT 2003
http://smsguysread.wordpress.com/

]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 03:35:01 -0700 Gnomes Read May 4 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-may-4 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read-may-4

Good Morning Readers,

This is a reminder note about our first Gnomes Read lunch meeting for this 4th quarter. We will meet tomorrow from about 12:10 until 12:39. We do have to change our meeting place for this week as the media center is double booked and full of 7th and 8th graders this Friday. We will meet in our team pod area and then break into a classroom or two. After you sign in with the main office just come up the back stairs and come around to the 6th grade wing. Mr. Hutchinson will be front and center pointing the way. We have about five confirmed parents and about 40 students joining us tomorrow.

We look forward to another great conversation and powerful reading experience. Let me know if you have any questions.

Mr. Hutchinson

]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 11:40:55 -0700 Novel Game sticky notes http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/novel-game-sticky-notes http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/novel-game-sticky-notes

Good afternoon! Just a quick note about where the students should be, or should be headed, in regards to the Novel Game project.

At this point, most students have their novels and have begun reading. I am asking that they use three different color sticky notes to mark important information as they read. One color will mark the interesting or new vocabulary words, another will mark aspects of the plot that will fit into a plot summary, and the third will mark possible social studies topics that may be used to write the three research questions. The sticky notes will be extremely helpful as they begin to work on their mini-projects.

I will be checking in with them every couple of weeks and have informed them that I will be looking for sticky notes to be certain they are staying on track.

Thanks for your help with this!

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 04:30:58 -0700 Gnomes Read http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/gnomes-read

Gnomes Read wringer.pptx Download this file

Good Morning,

This Friday we will once again meet as a Gnome Read Group. We are reading Wringer by Jerry Spinelli and as of Friday we should have read up through page 78 or chapter 15. You will find the seed questions embedded here for your early review. Please join us during the 6th grade lunch from 12:05-12:39ish.

The Media Center is double booked for this Friday, so if you could drop a quick email to Mr. Hutchinson at jhutchinson@wcpss.net so we can gage our numbers, we will find a suitable replacement location. Once we have solid number we will let you know where we will be meeting.

Let us know if you have any questions. See you Friday.

The Gnomes

]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:24:31 -0700 Language Arts Update http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/language-arts-update-70882 http://fightingnomes.posterous.com/language-arts-update-70882

Must Do- Can Do_Week28 (11-12).doc Download this file

Happy Friday to everyone! First of all, we had an awesome time on the field trip Thursday. The kids behaved beautifully, making it an enjoyable trip for everyone. The movie was truly amazing, giving us a glimpse of wildlife that only Disney can provide.

Hopefully by this point parents have had a chance to talk to their students about the Novel Game project. Students should begin reading their book as soon as possible. Please let me know what questions or concerns you have about the assignment.

On Monday and Tuesday of next week our students will be taking the Case 21 assessments. These assessments are valuable diagnostic tools that all Wake County students are taking this year. We will receive the results the following week with useful data, helping us know what particular skills we need to focus on as we approach EOGs. Students will take the Math assessment on Monday and the Reading assessment on Tuesday.

We will also continue our study of poetry next week, focusing on identifying poetic devices and figurative language. I will also help students plan their calendars for the Novel Game. They will receive a Novel Game calendar and will be asked to mark specific reading goal targets and our check-in meeting dates. My hope is that this will help keep them on track.

The Must Do/Can Do for next week is attached. Have a wonderful weekend!

Chambliss Barrow
Salem Middle School
6th grade language arts

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