October 22, 2010

Another week gone by and we're having a great time! Lots going on! First off, our pictures for this week are student examples of the two art projects we've done in math recently. The first is a factor tree, which is used to find the prime factorization of a number:

The second is the story of the Frog and the Dog, which helps the students understand dividing with decimals: This week at a glance: In science they took bacteria samples and watched them grow under a microscope. Once that project was complete, they began learning about mushrooms and other types of fungi. Quick note, their Microorganisms end of unit test is next week. They should have a study guide for it at home with them.

The reading story this week was Old Yeller, always a good story.

Arts and Technology can be summed up just by saying Cultural Fair. Their Cultural Fair projects turned out amazing. Also, the informace this week was based around the Cultural Fair. I was happy to see as many of you as I did there. Thanks for your support!

In social studies this week, the students have been reading a book called 20 and 10. It's a book about a school with 20 children in it, 10 of whom are Jewish. They've also been really getting the basics as to what history is through definition, and by thinking about their own history.

Math this week we focused on angles and their measurement and dividing by decimals, and writing and grammar we did our second to last poem, the Shape Poem, and learned about common and proper nouns.

Unless I can find the time otherwise, we also had our final Cancer Awareness lesson today. A huge thanks to Deena Bigger, a cancer survivor, for coming in and sharing her story. I think it did the students a lot of good to hear a first hand account of it.

Last couple of announcements, the end of the first term is this week. Unless other arrangements have been made, the grades online, at least for my parts of the rotations minus spelling (so grammar, writing and math) are complete. I have two more groups to give spelling tests to this week before I can upload the final test and be done with those grades.

I seriously can't believe the first term is already over! Can you?! Where has the time gone....

~ "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." - Grouch Marx

October 14, 2010

It feels like so much has happened in such little time, that I don't know where to start. At the same time, I look at my calendar just to see that the first term ends in just two weeks. In one hand, time seems to not be moving, and the other it's flying by. It's hard to tell which is which. This is part of the inspiration for this week's picture. It's an action shot playing football during P.E. Time is going in just about as many directions as the students are.

Keeping in mind that the term does officially end in two weeks, I'm making a deadline for all missing work. This coming Friday will be the last day I accept any late work. To help encourage the students to get caught up, I am making the class time during my rotation on Monday a period to catch up. Those students with no missing work, will have free time, those with missing work will have the 45 minutes to work on it. I will also be giving them new copies of eveything they are missing, so there will be no excuses. Remember, this all needs to be in by Friday, October 22, 2010.

I wanted to take a minute to bring up the discussion we had in class last Friday. It was the first time I had a minute to really get the students to focus on why I've been wearing pink all month. The "goal" of the discussion was to find out what the students knew about cancer, so we filled out the first level of a KWL chart, which is simply what the students know about a topic. The screen shot of that is pictured below.

There's only six things that actually got listed, but more importantly than that was the discussion we were able to hold. Almost every single student was able to share a story about someone close to them who has fought the fight with cancer. It was so neat for me at the end of the lesson to be able to say, "If you listened, almost every single one of you shared a story today. This is why we need to be more aware. There is not one of our lives that has not been affected by cancer."

I could take some time to list out everything the classes have done in the past week, but I would rather just ask you to watch the gradebook closely. The end of the term is coming quick. As I've said, for my room, they will have a list and copies of all their missing assignments on Monday. You might need to be a little more proactive for the other teachers. Either way, keep a close eye so we can end the term strong. Again, my last day to accept any late work will be Friday, October 22, 2010.

A few other important dates coming up are the Cultural Fair, which is this Monday thru Wednesday, October 18-20. The informance is also this week. For those that were here last year, you have previously experienced an informance. For those that were not, an informance is an informal, informative performance. The students take about a half an hour to forty-five minutes to show you just some of the ways that we've been incorporating the arts into the curriculum. If possible, please show your support by attending. It is Wednesday, October 20, at 8:45 in the morning.

With that, enjoy the long weekend. Have your students rest up and be ready to come back working hard!

~ "I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." ~ Thomas Jefferson

October 3, 2010

First and foremost, I could like to say congratulations to our classroom's very first student of the month, Sami Christensen! She was not only high on my list, but when the students were given a chance to nominate, she was nomitated by several of her peers. She is a fantastic student who always gets her work in on time, and always has model student behavior! Congratulations Sami!!!

In math this week, we finished up the September lessons in our curriculum map. This lead us to a review on Wednesday and a test on Thursday. As a whole, I'm happy with how the class did. Remember though, anyone below 80% has the required assignment of fixing their test. Now, they're not only supposed to go and circle the correct answer, but they either need to show the work for it, or explain why that would be the correct answer. Doing this will earn them half the credit they missed back.

In science this week they have been diving further and further into microorganisms. This week, they specifically looked at the three different kinds of protists: plantlike protists, animal-like protists and fungus-like protists, as well as the the traits that classify into the different categories.

In the reading rotation this week, they did take the Theme 1 test. After that, they read through an exert of Number the Stars. If this is a book they've never read all the way through, believe me, it comes highly recommended. It is a powerful story about the happenings in Denmark during World War II.

In Arts and Technology this week, they began learning how to use the cameras and tripods. They also began discussing their first whole-class newscast. Our class has decided to do a newscast on Halloween Safety. Whether we trick-or-treat or not, this is a high traffic night, and it never hurts anybody to learn how to be safe during it.

In social studies this week, they have continued learning about the different types of maps. This week focused specifically on time zone maps and precipitation maps.

Finally, in grammar and writing this week, we learned how to write Haikus. We also learned about complex sentences and how they are the combination of a dependent and an independent clause.

Now, this month is a big month in my household. For the entire month, the students will see their teacher wearing either a pink tie or a pink shirt. That's right, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Did you know that about 190,000 women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer and around 40,000 a year die from it? Kids are never too young to start being aware. With that, I am planning a few activities this month based around it. One thing I would like to do, but I will need parent help with, is finish the unit with a visit from a survivor. I know a few survivors, but am not certain they would have time to come in. Also, I think it would be a lot more powerful if it came from a family member of one of our students. I will be sending out an e-mail asking this same thing, but if you happen to know anybody who is a cancer survivor and would be willing to come in and age appropriately share their experience, please contact me. I think it would have a powerful affect on the students.

If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like (no other). ~Lance Armstrong

September 6-10

I remember where I was September 11, 2001, and I'm sure all of you parents do, too. It's strange to me that I'm teaching something in school, that I've lived through, that's considered history. Give it two more years and I'll be teaching kids that weren't even alive when it happened, but it won't make it any less real to them. I have decided that 9/11 is a good time of year to really teach the students the difference between a celebrity and a hero. The students have learned the definition of hero to be a man or woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities.

Day 1 of the unit we talked about different heroes and the deeds they have done. On day 2, we discussed the different heroic things the students might do in their time. On day 3, 9/10, the closest I could get with 9/11 being on Saturday, I had the chief of the Syracuse Fire Department and one of his men come in and visit with the students. Hearing the firemen talk about how many of their fellow brothers they lost on that day really brought home the lesson better than I ever could. It also gave the kids a chance to honor some of our hometown heroes. The picture below is our class with the two firemen.

Well, with week 3 down, I think there are finally enough grades loaded into the computer to make it worth while to give out the user names and passwords for our online gradebook. Keep your eyes on your e-mail, I should be sending those out sometime this week. Another thing I meant to do on Friday, but will do on Monday, is send home missing assignments sheets. What I've told the students is that assignments will only make it to a missing assignment list once. So if it was on this week's list, when I print them again in about two weeks, if the assignments were not turned in, they will be entered into the computer as a zero. I will still accept the assignments past that, but I am not going to spend the entire term chasing after assignments from the start of the term, so after the first list, it is up to the students to get missing assignments in.

Other than that, things should be as usual this week. We will finally begin the spelling program. With the rotations, it took me a while to get everything ready for 135 students, but, thanks to the help of several parent volunteers, it's finally done. If things go as planned, our class should also be starting the first sixth grade play of the year this week. Everything else, reading, science, social studies, should be steady as we go!

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family who lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children." -President George W. Bush

Mrs. Lawrence vs. Mr. Pratt

By Cathy Taylor

Part 1

Mrs. Lawrence welcomed the very first day of SAA.
When out jumped Mr. Pratt and said, “Introduce myself, if I may?”
Mrs. Lawrence took a shook of her head,
When a student broke his pencil led.
When Mr. Pratt jumped all about,
Mrs. Lawrence started to shout.
When Mr. Pratt left the room,
Mrs. Lawrence knew she was doomed.
Then she shouted out, “No test on Friday! We must protest!”
With Mrs. Lawrence and her trick,
She laughed and took a sip of her Dr. Pepper.

Part 2

On Friday the students had no test
Because today they had to protest.
The students made protest signs
While Mrs. Lawrence knew they had creative minds.
Once they were all done,
Mrs. Lawrence knew she had won.
When they went up the stairs,
It was as still as air.
When what trembled before Mr. Pratt’s eyes,
In his sight was only protest signs.
Mrs. Lawrence at once came,
To see Mr. Pratt’s shame.
The only thing Mr. Pratt thought was funny,
Was the shoutings of no more impersonating bunnies.
Once the students had gone,
Mr. Pratt told Mrs. Lawrence,
“It’s on!”

Part 3

While the students were all about,
Mr. Pratt snuck in like a scout.
Mrs. Lawrence came in to see,
A letter signed by Mr. P.
As Mrs. Lawrence starts to read,
The children came in like a stampede.
All children start to hear,
Mrs. Lawrence and her class scream loud and clear.
Mrs. Lawrence starts to think up tricks
While pulling on her froggy sticks.
Mrs. Lawrence and her class start to think,
How to get Mr. Pratt and his magazine link.
Someday we will get revenge,
To Mr. Pratt’s feeding cookie binge.

This poem was actually written by a student from Mrs. Lawrence's 5th grade class, but it pertains to our class as well so I figured I'd share it. It sums up the "extra-curricular" activites we've been doing in class the first couple of weeks. The upper picture is of the crew that kidnapped Mrs. Lawrence's chair and the ransom note we collaged to leave behind.

I'm a firm believer that if we as teachers can make the kids enjoy coming to school, they will be more receptive when it comes to teaching the core curriculum. So we do learn everything we need to, but we have fun also!

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. - Dale Carnegie

August 18-27

The school year has started with a bang! All of my students this year are so cute! I know I've said this to some of you before, but it deserves some reiteration: your students pretty much make me wish sixth grade didn't rotate, so I could keep them the whole day long. They are such great kids!

I was told I was brave for doing it, but during the first week, our class did a watercolor art project which I then segued into a character lesson on perspective. A lot of our character lessons this year are going to focus on the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. This is the book the junior high is basing a lot of their activities around as well, so when we were asked if we wanted to participate with it, we jumped on board. One of the first chapters of the book focuses on Paradigms and the different ways you might perceive people, and the world, which might not be true. In the end. we discovered that being principle centered is the way to be: honest, service, love, hard work, respect, integrity, etc. It was the first time I had taught the lesson the way I did, and I feel it worked extremely well. Our picture for this week's blog comes from that lesson as the students were walking through the line, looking at all of the different watercolor pictures, which all derived from the same 4x6 photo and view finder:

The upcoming week is going to be moving forward at full steam. Math will move on into order of operations, expanded and scientific notations, and properties of equations. We will also get our first glimpse into variables and expressions. During their reading rotation, they will be reading about Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs. Science should be moving forward into microorganisms and social studies should continue on with map skills, possible moving into their first of the early civilizations.

I want to take a minute to give some praise to the parents this year. I sent out a e-mail earlier this week just kind of prodding to see what volunteers I might have this year. Let me tell you what! I was bombarded with your willingness! I have never had such an outpour of support. For those that said they would want to correct from home, I will send things home as often as I can, from math papers to spelling tests, etc. For those that wanted to come in, I should be sending out an e-mail today with a schedule. I believe I've actually talked to all of you about your time but if what I have you for does not work, let me know. Again, thanks so much for your support! It might take me a while to get used to having this many parents volunteering, but I will do my best!!!

With that, I will conclude for the week! Your students are fantastic and I am looking forward to a wonderful year with them!

- Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. ~ Robert Collier

WECOME TO SIXTH GRADE!

Hello Parents!

It's that time of year again! Time to fly our Dragons into the 2010-2011 school year. I would like to start by welcoming us all together for what I hope will be one of your student's greatest years yet! Yes, welcome to the sixth grade. My name is Aaron Pratt and I will be your child's teacher, mentor, and confidante thoughout this next year.

I am excited to be here at the Syracuse Arts Academy for my second year now. I am more than proud to deliver what SAA has written as their charter. In my opinion, to teach the core through the arts is not doing anything special, it is just good teaching. It helps to get all corners of the child's mind into what is being learned.

I plan on being available to you and your student as much as possible. I am usually available at least an hour before and after school if either of you have questions. I am also available by e-mail or phone. My e-mail address is apratt@syracuseartsacademy.org and of course the school number is (801)779-2066. If I am unavailable to answer, please leave me a message as to what your call was regarding. I will return your calls and e-mails within 24 hours.

If you have any questions throughout the school year, please feel free to contact me. Also, keep an eye on this blog. I will be updating at least a couple times a month.

I am looking forward to us having a wondeful year together!

With warm regards,

Aaron Pratt