Earth Day

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/earth_day/games/planitgreen/

Behavior management plan

Hello Parents!

In 6^th grade we like to keep the students motivated to do their best in every way they can.  Because of this we have re-evaluated our behavior management system.  A large focus of this new system was involving the students and getting their opinion on what they liked and what could be changed.  Starting the week of 3/3 the new system will be implemented.  This system focuses on positive reinforcement and consists of the following:

• Removal of the Aces dollars program.

• Students will gain and receive positive and negative “behavior points” throughout the day that are tracked by the teachers.  The students also have the option to track their own points.

• As the students receive a “behavior point” the teacher will hand the student a green or red ticket so that student is aware of what they are receiving, without having all of the class attention on them, or interrupting instruction time.

•  The points will be tallied at the end of the established timeframe and rewards and incentives will be given.

In order to reward the students that have received Aces dollars this quarter, we are still holding our “end of the quarter party” next week to allow them to  cash them in.

Additionally, to allow the students to be responsible for their academics, we have altered writing and music time in our schedules on Tuesday and Thursday.  We have now built in a 30 minute “help time” at the end of the day to allow the students to get assistance from specific teachers, work on homework for the week, or become better prepared for testing.  We hope that with this extra time, students will reduce their homework load and have time during the school day to individually ask their teachers questions and receive extra explanation.

Thank you for supporting us as we go through this transition.  We want to help your child be as successful as they can. 

Mrs. Brant  Mrs. Thomas  Mrs. Marks  Ms. Hofer  Mr. Sorce
The 6^th grade teachers

Solar System Scavenger Hunt

You have been selected by the National Space Travel Institute to take a high-speed voyage through our solar system. Your journey will begin on our star, the Sun. This fantastic round-trip voyage will take you all the way to Pluto and back again! You have been asked to find the answers to some interesting questions along the way. Click on the underlined blue links to find the answers.
Good luck...and have a great trip!

Before you start, take a look around the Sun itself. Let’s answer some Sun questions.

1. How old is the Sun thought to be? ___________________________

2. What galaxy is the Sun a star in? ___________________________

Now, let’s start our planet visits.

Traveling on to Mercury, we’d like to know...

3. What is the surface of Mercury covered with ? ______________________________

4. How hot does it get on the side of Mercury closest to the sun? __________

And how cold can it be on the side away from the sun? ________

As we arrive at Venus, we wonder...

5. What does Venus do more slowly than any other planet? ___________________

6. What is one reason a human might not survive on Venus? ________________________

A quick stop on our home planet of Earth...

7. How much of the Earth is covered by water? _____________________

8. What is Earth's atmosphere made of? (Hint:Click on the word More at this site.)

__________________________________________________________

We’ve arrived on Mars!!

9. Does Mars have seasons? ________

10. Describe the surface of Mars? ________________________________

As we fly past Jupiter, we can answer...

11. What is happening at Jupiter's big Red Spot? _____________

12. Which other planets could fit inside Jupiter if it was hollow? _____________________

Arriving on Saturn, we learn...

13. What happens to Saturn's shape because it spins so fast? _________________

14. What would happen to Saturn if it were placed in water? ______________________

Blasting by Uranus, we ask ourselves....

15. When viewed from Earth, how does Uranus appear to rotate? ____________________________________________________________________

On Neptune, we find...

16. What weather might we find on Neptune? ________________________

At last, we’ve made it to Pluto.

17. Do all astonomers think Pluto is a planet? ______________


Now, we promised that this would be a round-trip voyage. But, guess what? You get to choose which planet you would like to return to! Pick your favorite planet, and tell why you'd especially like to re-visit it.

18. Which planet would you like to return to? ______________ And why? _____________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Thanks for taking this trip. Hope you learned some neat things about our Solar System!!

Science Fair--Parent Meeting

Parent Information Session

2014 6^th grade Science Fair

Where: OCES 4-6 campus cafeteria

When: March 4, 2014  5:30pm-6:00pm

We are less than a month away from the science fair.  Come with any questions you might have about the science fair.  Mr. Sorce will be available to provide more information about the timeline and grading procedures.

Hope to see you there!

Welcome back!

Quite a few updates:

• The Cover Page for the Science Fair was due today, since we were out since the 3rd (the original due date)  As with all parts of the science fair, the students need to turn in their calendar page at the same time as each part.
• The students are aware of all the expectations of the Science Fair.  I will not accept any emailed versions of the Science Fair.  The students have had plenty of time to get their assignments printed.  Both computer labs in school are open in the morning or after school if the students need to access a printer here.
• The Purpose & Hypothesis pages are still on Tuesday.
• Today, the assignment from yesterday (Ch. 7 review) was collected, the CSI:Case One was collected, and all old papers were passed back.  The students also received a copy of their progress reports.  The official copies do not go out until next week, but the students needed to be aware of where they stand.
• Next week, we will be building our ecosystems in class.
• Also, we will continue in our Forensic Science unit.

1/29

Don't forget: Science Fair Cover Page due 2/3.  No excuses will be accepted..

The students have started to learn about Forensic Science.  We have been working with a virtual lab and will hopefully be partnering with OPD to provide some hands-on examples of this science.  

Because of the cold weather, our ecosystems have been postponed to next week when our live critters can be delivered.

Nitrogen!

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lsps07.sci.life.eco.nitrogen/the-nitrogen-cycle/

On a piece of paper, define these terms:

•  Nitrogen Fixation
• Ammonification
• Assimilation
•  Nitrification
• Denitrification