Sixth Grade Social Studies: ROME DEBATES

The sixth graders recently debated whether or not the Roman Empire should have expanded.  Expansion would have affected the population of slaves, the distribution of land, trade, military expenditure, relations with neighboring powers, and even women's rights.  The sixth graders had fun dressing up and pretending to be Roman politicians and personalities, and of course they had fun arguing with each other!  Have a look at the video montage below.

Getting to Know Our Fellow Super Friends

As part of our "Super Friends" program, the sixth graders recently interviewed each other within small groups and created placards for one another based on those interviews.  This is just one of the ways we've gotten to know and appreciate each other this year.  Below are some photos of this activity.

What We're Doing for the New Year

Hi 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Folks,

For the new years, all my classes are starting new units.

For social studies, the 6th graders have started a unit on ancient Rome.  We'll be learning about Rome's rise to power, how Rome kept that power, and its lasting influence on the world.  We'll all do some fun projects along the way.  We'll start out by creating a travel brochure for ancient Rome (in conjunction with Computer Class), and we'll also be creating Roman architecture models.

For English, the 7th graders have begun their History Day projects.  They'll be researching a historical topic and then creating a webpage based on their research.  Several of these websites will then be submitted to the Minnesota History Day competition.

The 8th graders have also begun History Day projects for English class, but rather than create websites, they will be writing research papers.  It is a great chance to engage them in the research, writing, and editing processes which will benefit them so well once in high school, and of course, eventually college.

Obviously, we're going to be very busy!

Lisa Svoboda

Sixth Grade China Unit With Mr. Olson

China Unit With Mr. Olson

The sixth graders have almost finished their unit on China.  My student teacher, Jacob Olson, taught most of the unit, and thus the students could enjoy a different teaching style for a few weeks.  Mr. Olson was very informative and led some fantastic discussions and activities with them.  For this unit, the students also went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit . 

Below you’ll see some photos of projects they created for the China unit and a morning Tai Chi lesson.  We’ll miss Mr. Olson, and we wish him good luck!

How Do Sixth Graders Study?

I asked the sixth graders recently what their favorite method of studying was.   An important part of sixth grade is learning HOW to study, so I was very interested to see what they'd say.   Below are some of their answers, along with visuals.

Creative Seventh Grade Writers

The seventh graders have been flexing their creative muscles in English class these past few weeks, writing fanciful expository pieces such as "My Dream Bathroom" and "Why I Would Like to Own a Sasquatch."  Besides being creative, they've also been practicing different paragraph structures.  Check out some samples of their writing below.   I think they should feel proud!

Sasquatch, Oh Sasquatch

       To have a Sasquatch would be one of the best things that ever happened to me. One reason is that he could be my best friend forever. We could do everything together, like play in the park or go swimming in the river then get large malts and burgers at the diner. The second reason I would love my Sasquatch is we could take pottery classes at the pottery studio by the mall. We could make wonderful pots, plates and bowls that we could display on the huge bookcase that we just bought from Ikea. The last, but not least, reason I would like to have a Sasquatch is he could make me a lunch everyday before school. He would make me the best lunches I could ever have with what ever I want, like spaghetti or pasta with freshly baked cookies. Those are just a few of the many reason it would be my honor to have a Sasquatch as a pet.

The Delight of Having a Sasquatch in My Life

It would be just dandy to have a Sasquatch as my pet. My first reason for wanting a Sasquatch for a pet is that he would like to do the same things I do. We could sneak up behind people and scare them, go tramping through the woods in search of anything awesome, or even have him hide in my sister's bed and scare her when she comes home at night. Another reason for wanting a Sasquatch is that I could feed him my food that I do not like when he is under the table. It works out for both of us that way because he gets his dinner and a treat, and I don't have to eat my squash, cabbage, or brussels sprouts. My final reason for wanting a Sasquatch is he would be a great guy to have on the football team. He would be really good at tackling people, but best of all he would scare the ball carrier so badly that the ball would just pop right out of the ball carrier's hands for a fumble. That is why a Sasquatch would be a spectacular pet for me.

My Dream Bathroom

        My dream bathroom would be so unbelievable it would the Willy Wonka factory of bathrooms. When you first walk into my bathroom you will notice a red carpet on the floor. If you walk along that carpet you will feel that it is heated. When you look around you will see high ceilings and many flat screen TVs.  At the end of the carpet you will see a bronze shinning elevator door and a big blue button. When you hit that button the elevator doors would open while in the elevator you would hear your favorite songs as elevator music. At the top you will enter a loft with TVs on the wall, all the video games you can think of, and a long orange board leading out over the tub.  As the colored haze of steam float in fronts of the tub, you can a dive into the soapy depths of the pool. If you decide to stay in the pool a long time, just dive down to the  bottom and watch TV!     So grab an oxygen tank, goggles and water-resistant headphones and dive back to enjoy a show. When you had you fill of underwater television you would get out of the pool and do one of two things. First, get in back into the elevator and hit a green button which will dry you off so you could do it all again. Second, walk back out the door and be dried by drying robots that walk with you. When you leave my bathroom the door will open on its  own accord to let you leave the unbelievable bathroom.  

My Amazing Bathroom 

My bathroom is the most amazing bathroom there is! Enter the door and you will be greeted by a diamond encrusted statues of dragons. Around these dragons is a water slide. When you go down the water slide you will experience some amazing twists and turns. Exit the water slide you will find yourself sitting down in an really relaxing bathtub. Up above the bathtub is a spectacular chandelier encrusted in a assortment of really valuable and beautiful gems. Diagonally bellow the chandelier is a 120 inch flat- screen T.V. This T.V has ever single channel in the world! straight across the T.V is a blue and red remote. Diagonally across is a inflatable slide. It goes so fast that you'll be able to dry off. After you exit the slide you will find yourself sitting in a throne like couch. Right in front of you there will be a Xbox 360,a controller, and a 290 inch flat screen T.V for play time after your shower of a life time. After you are done playing with the Xbox 360 go wash your hands in a amazing sink. Behind the T.V is a golden sink, just waiting to be used. Even farther behind sink is a diamond toilet, with a assortment of valuable of gems to gaze at. Indeed my bathroom is so fine that the king of the world (if there was one) would be honored to use my bathroom.

My Dream Bathroom

My dream bathroom is like walking into a state-of-the-art pirate’s chest full of gold and treasure. When you first walk into my bathroom, you will step through French doors and onto the red velvet carpet. If you keep walking a few feet forward, look to the left and right and you will notice the luxury pet facilities on either side of the carpet. The pet facilities include golden litter boxes and golden fire hydrants for any dogs or cats who may be with you. Continue walking forward past the pet facilities and you will encounter the beautifully cast golden toilet. The toilet is not only made of gold, but also comes equipped with a built in massager and bidet.  As you leave the toilet area, walk diagonally to the right and you will see the sinks. The sinks are accented with golden tile, have silver faucets,  automatic soap dispensers,  and silent blow-dryers.  Take the diagonal path back, passing the toilets and continuing a new diagonal path to the stunning bathtub.  The bathtub is a black pearl, eight person bathtub with adjustable water jets for personal comfort. Once you are finished with your bath tub experience, you can walk back out past the toilet, down the red velvet carpet, pick up your pet (if you brought one), and leave through the French doors.   My bathroom is complete with the beauty of precious metals as well as the comforts of modern bathroom technologies.  

Sixth Grade Ancient Egyptian Tombs

The sixth grade recently created Egyptian tomb dioramas.  The ancient Egyptians filled their tombs with things that they thought would be needed in the after life; thus, these tombs are an excellent representation of how they lived and what they believed.  If you'd like to see some examples of what our students did, check out the photos below.