Good Brain Food

A wonderful, inspiring quote from the late, great mind behind Apple; "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do." Steve Jobs. 

Laser Quest Friday!

We will be going to Laser Quest tomorrow for our last day of in-service. I think this video is a great example to showcase the fun everyone will have!

Field Day Play

Today we will be at Brackenridge Park for Math games. I think these are a great learning tool, because they make education fun, which is what kids, and for the most part, we all, want to have! :)

Great Day in Downtown SA!!!

Today was a fun-filled day of in-service. We were split into groups and came up with ideas for a scavenger hunt for the sixth grade. While walking and taking the sites of downtown in, we were able to come up with many ideas for lessons and educational reinforcement.

Fuel Up to Play60 Rap Video

Last Day of School!

You all have learned and accomplished so much and I have had an awesome year with you guys! I cannot believe how fast it went! Have a wonderful summer!

Here's to a Fabulous Field Day!!!

Today is Thursday; the day before the last day of school. We are going to Brackenridge Park for educational activities while soaking up the sun. I am really going to miss you guys this summer! Kudos to all the amazing kids!

A Great Day at the Beach...

Today the leaders go on the end of the year celebration- a complete fun-filled day at the beach! Have an awesome day; y'all deserve it! :)

The Power Teachers Possess...

I read this quote and found it inspiring; "The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery" (Mark Van Doren). The goal of a truly great educator is to inspire and make his or her pupils actually want to learn.

Limited and Unlimited Government

Today we discussed two types of government; limited and unlimited. Here is a brief review:

Andy Warhol at the McNay!!!

Today we are going to view an Andy Warhol exhibit at the McNay. His artistry is iconic, and I am excited to share this experience with the leaders! I encourage you guys to take a look at some of his creations!

Suffix Review!

How to Multiply Fractions... Make Sure to Simplify!

Being nice is priceless...

I heard this quote from Earl Campbell, a former professional football player, and found it inspiring;
"It takes a whole lot of energy to be nasty to somebody, but little to be nice." So true!

Another Great Day to Come!

I remember going to Natural Bridge Caverns when I was in school and had such a good time. I am so excited you guys will share this experience with me! :)

Subtracting Fractions from Whole Numbers

StudyJams Rocks

Use StudyJams to help you out with learning about the different types of rocks

Study Jams Rocks

Adding and Subtracting Fractions with Mixed Numbers

Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers

Practice adding and subtracting with mixed fractions.

Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers

Review of Prefixes and Suffixes

Religions Around the World

Religions play a big part of many cultures around the world.  Use this website to help you gather your notes to share with the rest of the class.


Religion website to help you out...

Bill Nye Rocks

The famous Bill Nye on Rocks :)

Bill Nye on Rocks and Soil

Good Luck, Leaders!!!

STAAR Testing is about to occur, sixth graders! Try your best and double check your answers... y'all will be successful. I have faith in you guys!  :)

Radius and Diameter Review... by song!

Enchanted Rock

We are going on a field trip to the Enchanted Rock.  It is rich with history, science, and excitement.  Get to know the area before we go.....

Enchanted Rock Info

Enjoy this marvelous Monday!

A day to reflect upon what has been taught, what you guys have learned before the big day... I am so impressed with how far we have come together as a class...

Fact and Opinion Review

Order of Operations Jam!

Order of Operations Review

Converting Fractions to Decimals and Percents

Ordering Fractions

Play this game to practice putting the fractions in order.

Ordering Fractions

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Decimals to Fractions Song!!! A fun review...

Converting Fractions to Decimals

Fuel to Play 60 Sign Up

Fuel to Play 60

Click "Join Now"

Make a username and password:
      Username: firstlast
      (example: shannonlochridge)

      Password: student6

Answer questions.

Join the recommended SchoolTube site at the end of registering by clicking on the link.

Simile and Metaphor Review

More News About the Solar System...

Literary Devices Song!

There are no limitations to achieving your goals...

We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Comets and Meteors

Bill Nye explains comets and meteors better than anyone I know :)

Meteors, Meteoroids and Meteorites

Writing Equations

Practice and a "How-To" write equations....

How - to Write Equations

More Practice

Getting the Gist... Comprehension Strategies for the Leaders

A Great Lesson on Proportions

An Introduction to the Solar System...

Solar System Song!

Middle East Research Resources

The Middle East has a culture that is very different from ours in America.  We will be learning about the differences between our country and the Middle Eastern Countries.

Middle East Culture

Middle East Religions

Middle East Geography
Middle East Geography

Middle East Information on Countries

Middle East Politics

Middle East Economics.

Major Middle East Governments

Conflict Timeline
Water Conflict

Planet Song

Refresh your memory on the planets!  

Be nice!!!

More Proportions!

Another Great Day!

Today the leaders went on a field trip at Gym Kids by Aerial Athletics. They had so much fun at the gym,  and it was nice to see them being so active! Exercise is vital to living healthfully, but doing so while playing makes it even more beneficial! ; )

Proportion Practice

Play this dirt bike game to practice finding the correct proportions.  You will play against others online.

Dirt Bike Proportion Game

Perimeter, Area and Volume Review

Diorama Help!

This website has some great ideas and examples of dioramas.  Take a look at how creative you can make your project.

Diorama Ideas

Field Trip Fun!

The field trip to Sunken Gardens and Brackenridge Park proved to be a success today. The kids were focused and on task with their work regarding measurement and reading the historical books they chose from the library. Great time with the sixth grade leaders! You guys are awesome!

Stay Motivated!!!

"Challenges are what makes life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." I definitely found this quote by Joshua J. Marine inspiring! :)

Mesopotamia Introduction

Mesopotamia Introduction

We are going to begin our unit on studying the Middle East.  It is full of history and one of the first civilizations.  We are going to compare the past and present in this unit.

Finding Volume

Not everything in math has to be boring.  Here is a song on finding the volume :)

Geometry Review

Review your geometry skills about everything we have learned by playing some of these games :)

Geometry Review

Students, please take this statement into consideration!

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk.  ~Doug Larson

Conversions Rap!

Innovative Sixth Graders Recognized by KSAT!!!

This video shows sixth graders promoting their new invention; a thermal imaging cooking device. In this clip, they noted that food warmed in a microwave is unevenly cooked (I agree). This creation, a (TIM), provides a way to not only heat food, but turn raw meat brown and edible (microwaves cannot cook raw meat). According to the students, the chef will be able to observe his or her glorious cooking process to perfection. Awesome!

I

Atoms Family Song

We are learning about atoms.  Here is the "Atoms Family Song."

I LOVE THIS COVER!

This is an awesome song. Ms. Lochridge played the original version of "Mean" by Taylor Swift for the sixth graders earlier this year, but I just wanted to show another version. The message remains...

Great Saturday!

The ATE conference on Saturday confirmed how beneficial student cooperation is... an essential to success!

Polygon Song!

Exercise

Read this article about why exercising is very important.

Healthy Exercise

Atoms and Elements

Bill Nye always explains science stuff better.....

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Persuasion is Powerful!

Kudos to Ms. Lochridge who works in Special Education.
The Special Place: Tips on persuasive writing

Propaganda Review

Another video reviewing the most popular propaganda techniques.  You will need to choose at least on to use in your advertisement.

All the Angles of a Quadrilateral Equal 360 Degrees

This is an example to remind you of why all the angles of a quadrilateral equal 360 degrees.

Use Your Persuasion!

Angles Rap!

Types of Triangles and Their Features

This video explains the details of each type of triangle.

The website below is a review of the triangle features.  Complete the practice problems.

Triangle Relationships

Positivity makes all the difference!

Be Yourself!

The Power of Literacy

It is not true that we have only one life to live; if we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.
S.I. Hayakawa

Persuasion Paper Pre-Write

Use this ReadWriteThink Interactive to do the pre-writing for your persuasion paper.

Persuasion Paper Pre-Write

Using Protractors

The following website explains how to use a protractor to measure and draw angles.  Complete the practice problems.  When everyone is done, we will draw our own angles, and your partner will measure the angles.

Using a Protractor

Element Research

To help you out with your research about the most common elements on Earth, use the following websites.

Web Elements  - Click in left margin on essential data, history, geology, and biology

It's Elemental  -  This is a little more detailed, but also a good website.

Element Song

You will not have to memorize all the elements, but this is fun!

Estimating Angles

Practice estimating angles using this game to rescue the aliens.  Move the slider to the correct angle position.

Estimating Angles

Main Idea

Main idea can be confusing, but always remember that it is the topic of a paragraph too.  This videos explains the main idea.

Angles are FUN!!

The following website explains the different types of angles.  Complete the practice problems at the end.

Angles are FUN!

Transfer of Heat Interactive

Use the following interactive website to create a Venn Diagram about the similarities and differences between radiation, convection, and conduction.

Transfer of Heat Interactive

Respect! A Funny Video We All Can Relate To!

Mean, Median and Mode Rap!

Mean, Median, Mode Rap

Great Song!  I know y'all like rap!

World War 1: Cause and Effects

This video shows how to create your own bar graph.

Convection Box

Convection is the transfer of thermal energy to air which flows from cool to warm.  Below is the demonstration of the air moving from warm to cool.

Stem and Leaf Plots

Watch until he starts talking about the different "quarters."  This is a good video about understanding stem and leaf plots.

This song can not some up thermal energy transfer any better than I could have!

The following is a more sequential way of talking about thermal energy transfer.

Bar Graphs & Circle Graphs

This is a great explanation of how to change bar graphs into pie graphs.

Persuasive Articles to Analyze

Use WebQuest and choose 2 articles to read.  You may pick from any of the categories.  Follow the the "Data Response Format" to guide yourself through analyzing the articles.

Persuasive Articles

Stop throwing pebbles, they lead to stones. Eventually, they all turn to boulders...

Comeback Can

We are going to design a comeback can to demonstrate kinetic and potential energy.  Here is a visual on how to design your can.

Comeback Can

Once you are done, this video shows how it should work.

Area of a Circle

This is the video of how the formula for the area of a circle came to life :)

Don't Buy It! Advertising Tricks

One technique used in advertising is called Faulty Reasoning.  We often fall into the trap of believing something that isn't entirely true.  This website has the insights into advertising tricks that are used to make us believe something is better than it really is.

Don't Buy It! Advertising Tricks

Propaganda Rap!

Propaganda Techniques

Area of a Circle

Circumference of a Circle

Read and practice the following about circumference.

Circumference of a Circle

Map of Europe

Follow the link to an interactive map of Europe to assist you with labeling and coloring your map.

Interactive Europe Map

Circles

The following is the link to notes about circles.......

StudyZone Circle Notes

Complete the practice to check for understanding.

Read, Write and Spell Some More...

Here is a great resource for Language Arts studies that is beneficial to fifth and sixth grade teachers.

http://www.teachersdesk.org/

Persuasive Text

We are beginning a new unit on Persuasive Text and Media.  This video is a great introduction about techniques used in advertising.

A Comma is vital to a Commentary...

Quotation Mark Rules

Rules on how to use quotation marks are below:

1. Use quotation marks around the exact words of a speaker. Example: He said, "I saw that." "I saw it too," she said.

2. Use quotation marks around the exact words of a speaker. When the words identifying the speaker come between the parts of the quotation, put quotation marks around each part. Example: "Yes," said Jack, "I will be there."

3. Use one set of quotation marks for two or more sentences not broken by explanatory material. Example: "I know that. He has known for several days," said Jim. If part of the quotation is a new sentence use a capital letter. Example: "I know that," said Jim. "He has known for several days."

4. Use no quotation marks with indirect quotations. An indirect quotation often begins with the word that. Example: Betty said that she wished the election was final.

5. Begin a new paragraph with each change of speaker in dialogue.
Example:
"Can I count on you?" asked Carl.
"Yes, you can," said Matthew.
"You cannot fail us," replied Claudia.

6. If a quotation has more than one paragraph, use quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph and at the end of the last paragraph of the quotation.

7. Use quotation marks around the titles of short stories, short plays, short poems and short musical compositions; of art works, articles, chapters, essays, and speeches; of radio and television programs. Example: My favorite painting is "Blue Boy."

8. Use single quotation marks for a quotation within a quotation. Example: "Dad always says, 'Maybe,'" cried Pam.

9. Use quotation marks to set off words or phrases used in a special sense: technical, ironical, coined, slang, and words used as words in informal writing. Examples: Grant always uses the word "terrific." The car driving slowly down the street went "ka-lunk! ka-lunk!"

10. Always place commas and periods inside quotation marks. Example: One famous painting is "The Song of the Lark."

11. Place question marks and exclamation points inside quotation marks if they are part of the quotation. Examples: Jim asked, "Where are you going?"

Capitalization Rules

When editing your writing, it is very important to pay close attention to capitalizing the proper words.

Capitalization Rules:

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence. Example: The lessons begin tomorrow.

2. Capitalize the word I, either alone or in a contraction. Examples : Do I get to go? I said that I'm here.

3. Capitalize words such as Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Son, Daughter, and Sis when they are used in place of the person's name. Do not capitalize them when they follow possessive pronouns such as my, your, his, her, our, or your.

4. Capitalize proper nouns. A proper noun names a particular person, place, or thing. Examples: girl - Rebecca, city - Orem, newspaper - Deseret News


5. Capitalize a common noun when it is part of a proper noun. Examples: river - Jordan River, uncle - Uncle Al, street - Main Street

6. Capitalize North, South, East, West, and words such as Northwest when they indicate a section of the world or country. Do not capitalize them when they indicate a direction.

7. Capitalize religions, creeds, and denominations; the Bible and its parts; other sacred books; nouns and personal pronouns referring to the Deity (God). Do not capitalize god when it refers to mythology. 

Examples: Christianity, Protestants, Exodus, Koran, and Jesus and His works

8. Capitalize the days of the week, the months of the year, but do not capitalize the seasons. Example: Monday, March, summer

9. Capitalize names of countries, nationalities, races, languages, and adjectives derived from them. Examples: Germany, Swedes, Indians, French, English countryside

10. Capitalize geographic names and places. Examples: Mount Rushmore, Hudson Bay, Michigan Avenue, Washington D.C.

11. Capitalize the specific name of buildings and other man-made structures, ships, trains, and planes. Examples: the White House, Mayflower, Amtrak, Concorde

12. Capitalize the names of organizations (business, school, professional, social). Examples: Audubon Society, Orem High School, Better Business Bureau, Lion's Club

13. Capitalize holidays, special or famous events, historical periods or eras and famous documents.

14. Capitalize titles preceding personal names, abbreviations of those titles used with proper names, initials, or titles when used alone in place of the name or person. Examples: Mr., Miss, Rev., Dr., W. C. Johanson, Captain

15. Capitalize the abbreviations Jr., Sr., and Esq. following names; the abbreviations A.M., P.M., B.C., and A.D.; and abbreviations of academic degrees.

16. Capitalize the titles of books, newspapers, magazines, and all other kinds of literary works. Capitalize works of art, motion pictures, and musical compositions. Do not capitalize the articles (a,an,the), prepositions, or conjunctions unless they come first or last in these titles. Example: Death of a Salesman, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

17. Capitalize the first word of every direct quotation. Example: He asked, "Can this wait until tomorrow?"

18. Capitalize the first word and all nouns in the salutation of a letter. Example: My dear Mary, Capitalize only the first word of the complimentary close. Example: Yours truly,

6th Graders Making African Music!

Great Job!  This is awesome!

Reducing Fractions

This is an awesome song to remember how to reduce/simplify and put fractions into lowest terms!

Decimals to Fractions Song

Here is a fun song about converting decimals to fractions.  "Say it, write it, simplify it!"

Here is the explanation written out step by step.

Fractions to Decimals to Percents

This video explains the entire process of converting fractions to decimals to percents.

Fractions to Decimals

One of the most important concepts to understand in math is converting fractions to decimals to percents,  Here is another way of explaining converting fractions to decimals besides using our phrase "BT."

Always stay true... To You!!!

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Letter Writing

Use the website below to practice writing a letter.  Write to someone (either a friend or museum) about your piece of Africa's culture that you will be presenting.  Remember to give details about what makes your visual unique and why it is important to Africa's culture.

Don't forget to check for spelling and complete sentences :)

Letter writing

Area of a Trapezoid

Here is some extra help with trapezoid.....

Read through the explaination and then work the example problems.  I will come around in class to check your work.

Trapezoid

Tangram Fun!

When all your work is complete.....Have some fun with tangrams.

Tangram Fun

How to Write a Formal Letter

How to Write a Friendly Letter...

Area of a Parallelogram

Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators

Tim and Moby Cell Time

Tim and Moby from Brainpop can help us out with the cells!

Never, Ever Give Up!!!

If we all did the things we are capable of,
we would astound ourselves.
Thomas Edison

Students, read this quote and take it seriously. There are are unlimited possibilities to what you can achieve in life. You all have so many precious gifts and potential!

Let us Proceed More... and more...

Today, the leaders were introduced to procedural text. This type of writing is expository. Procedural text gives step-by-step instructions concerning how to proceed from Point A to Point B. Let us think of directions to learning as a tool to organize, locate a destination, or cook a celebrated family meal. These skills will never cease to be utilized!

Area of a Triangle

Area of a triangle help......this shows why we use such a weird formula to find the area of a triangle.

Area of a Triangle

Write right!

Never think that what you've written can't be improved. You should always try to make the sentence that much better and make a scene that much clearer. Go over and over the words and reshape them as many times as is needed.
(Tracy Chevalier, "Why I Write." The Guardian, Nov. 24, 2006)

These are key points to always keep in mind when writing an essay, composition or final paper. I would not be the writer I am today without utilizing these tools. Students, use patience when revising and editing. Common errors in spelled words and punctuation used hold so much importance on grading criteria. Believe me, take these words of advice. They will never fail you...

Surfing Video

We are going to compare different types of media that share the same topics.  Here is the video of Andy Iron's view of surfing:

We will also read a "How-To" on surfing and an opinion on surfing in class.

Dreams do not fade unless you let them!

“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

This is a quote that may guide you for life. Everyone has issues, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Pursue your happiness.