Happy early Thanksgiving!

Happy early Thanksgiving! Miss Devine is off to Honduras tomorrow. Pen pal letters will be delivered. :)

Today in Humanities, we discussed writing a bibliography for a book. Bibliography collectors practiced doing this and then groups headed to the library to continue research on our notable European person. Groups were to turn in at least 8 complete notecards by today. The last day of research will continue on Monday and Mr. Underwood will help. Students may check out books on their person from their own public library or bring in pre-printed internet articles. We will not be using the computers at all in school for this project.

There is no homework beyond collecting information. Enjoy your break. See you December the 1st!

Research- European up-standers project

Today, students turned in their pen pal letters. We reviewed the research questions that we'll use to collect information on our notable European. These research questions are:

1. Who is this person? What are the 5 main and most important facts that one should know about this person's life?

2. In what way(s) did this person challenge authority, speak out for injustice or stand up for change during his/her lifetime?

3. How is the world in some way different as a result of this person's actions?

Miss Devine explained that students would be using the index card method for taking notes and that students would research using encyclopedias today. Bibliography collectors practiced citing an encyclopedia source and then we headed to the library to collect information using encyclopedias. Groups turned in the research they collected at the and of class.

Students ought to remember who they're researching- Lech Walesa, Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Martin Luther, Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, Margaret Thatcher, Oskar Schindler, Joan of Arc, Mikhail Gorbachev, Catherine II, Maria Montessori, or Mother Teresa. Students also need to remember their role in the group as well- bibliography collector, report typer, role player or presentation leader.

Homework: Bring in index cards for your group to use if you have some at home. If you would like extra credit, the thank you note for the Holocaust speaker is due tomorrow.

Who are some up-standers in European history?

Today in Humanities, Miss Devine collected the I Promised I Would Tell books. Students need to turn in these "borrowed" books by tomorrow or they will owe $7.

Then, we introduced the project that we will be working on for the next 3 weeks. Students were divided into groups and chose an upstanding person from European history to research. In groups, students divided themselves into roles that they will perform during the project.

Then, students had time to work on their pen pal letters that are due tomorrow!

Homework: Pen pal letters due tomorrow! Extra credit: write a thank you letter to the speaker who spoke to you at the museum yesterday- Herbert Kohn or Manuela Bornstein.

A great trip!

Today, we visited the Holocaust museum and it was SUPER! Thanks to all of the chaperones who helped out. The kids were very well-behaved and engaged. Today was one of those days that made me really proud to be a teacher. :)

We had a shortened class schedule and during class, we talked about and presented what we learned at the museum and spent a little more time talking about the pen pal letters that are due to Miss D by Thursday. Students can turn them in when they are finished.

Homework: Continue working on the pen pal letter, due Thursday. Tell your family what you learned today when you were at the museum!

Holocaust reflection, pen pals and museum prep!

Today in Humanities, students took their vocab quiz over the second set of vocab words from I Promised I Would Tell. Then, they received information about the Atlanta to Honduras pen pal exchange project. Students are to write a letter to their Honduran pen pal, include a recent photo of themselves and turn this letter package in to Miss Devine by Thursday. Students then journaled, reflecting on Sonia's role as one who challenged authority, spoke out for injustice and/or stood up for change in history. We will discuss these journal entries as a bridge to the study of other notable people in European history on Wednesday.

Miss Cassaro then led the students through prep work for the museum visit tomorrow. Students learned how to analyze a photo as a historic artifact and discussed the information that can be collected by doing so.

Tomorrow, students will head to the Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum. If students have not turned in permission forms, tomorrow is the last day to do so, or they will not be allowed to participate. Thanks to all the parents who have volunteered to chaperone. See you tomorrow!

Homework- Work on pen pal letter, due Thursday. Remember that you must show Miss D the letter to get credit before sealing the envelope.

Celebrating the weekend!

Today in Humanities, students visually represented a scene from their homework reading from chapter 8 (I Promised I Would Tell) and we discussed these. We read chapter 9 aloud in class and answered questions together as we read. Later, we watched "Daniel's Story," a historical fiction film, depicting a young boy and his family's experience in the Holocaust and discussed the film.

Homework: Students need to study their vocab words from I Promised I Would Tell for the quiz on Monday. Students who have not brought in money and permission forms for Tuesday's trip need to do so.

Have a great weekend!

What's going on in Humanities?

Today in Humanities, students took a quiz over their reading of chapter 6 in I Promised I Would Tell. Then, they did a quickwrite from either the perspective of Sonia, rescued from the Holocaust, or from the American soldier who rescued her. We shared these aloud before reading. We read aloud chapter 7 in class and then talked in pow-wow format about the reading and about other displaced persons in the world today. Students selected best work to add to their portfolio as well.

HOMEWORK: Students need to read chapter 8 tonight. They will be assessed over their reading tomorrow.

Bystanders and upstanders...

Today in Humanities, students voted and selected the cover for their class magazine. Miss Devine collected the vocab work for the week and rescheduled the vocab quiz for Monday.

We summarized what we had been reading with the substitute in I Promised I Would Tell and caught everyone up to chapter five. We reflected on what we thought would happen in this chapter by making predictions using a graphic organizer. We read chapter 5 together and in small groups, completing the prediction/outcome chart. After reading, students reflected on the roles played in the chapter. Students reflected on the following:

A bystander is an individual or institution who is aware of the victimization of others and chooses to do nothing. An upstander is an individual or institution that, recognizing the victimization of others, chooses to act on their behalf.

-Who acts as a bystander and who acts as an upstander in this chapter?
-Is Sonia's writing of her memoir an important act in history? Why or why not?
=Is Sonia acting as a bystander or as an upstander in writing her memoir? Why?

Homework: Students need to read chapter 6 in I Promised I Would Tell and be aware that there will be a quiz over this reading tomorrow! Don't forget to bring permission forms and $5 for the field trip to the Bremen next Tuesday!

Busy busy Tuesday-

Today in Humanities, students submitted their final informational articles for the class magazine. Students submitted the following items along with their article:

-bibliography of sources
-all written notes on topic
-all prewriting activities
-rough draft of article
-peer & self revision sheet
-peer & self editing sheet
-final copy of article
-self assessment/reflection

Miss Devine will be grading students on their research, evidence of the writing process and the final, written piece. Students should receive these grades by the end of the week.

Later, students voted on the title for the class magazine and had some time to do some extra credit cover design work. Miss Devine handed out the permission form for the field trip to the Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum next Tuesday.

HOMEWORK: 6A- vocab pictures and sentences; 6B- vocab sentences. Students who would like to create a colorful cover design for extra credit may do so. Don't forget to get the permission slip signed and bring in $5 cash or check for the trip!

Field trip on November 18th: Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum

The 6th graders will be taking a field trip next Tuesday, November 18th to the Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum in downtown Atlanta in order to tie into our Holocaust study.

Field trip permission slips go home today and need to be signed and returned by this Friday, November 21st. The cost for the trip will be $5/student and $7 for any adult chaperone who wants to accompany us. Feel free to check out the website for the center: http://www.thebreman.org/. It will be an exciting trip!

Contact me at cdevine@atlantachartermiddle.com with your questions.

Marvelous Monday!

Today, students received new class organization. It's the new trimester!

6B students received new vocabulary words from the upcoming chapters in their book, I Promised I Would Tell:

These words are:
1. delouse-v- to remove lice from
2. unsanitary-adj- not readily kept clean
3. meager-adj- falling short of what is necessary
4. emaciated-adj- very very thin
5. delirium-n- mental state characterized by confused thinking and usually disordered speech, hallucinations
6. displaced-adj- without a home or proper place
7. miraculously-adv- done in a manner that suggests a miracle or supernatural power
8. indifferent-adj- marked by no special liking or dislike of something

6A did not get to copy these new words and will do so tomorrow. The quiz over the vocabulary words will be on Friday. Students were also given class time to use computers to complete their informational articles. Completed and formatted articles are due tomorrow at the start of class. Miss Devine will give students time to organize their research folders, but no more class time will be given to type the article.

Tonight's homework: Reading response due tomorrow. Students should do any work necessary to have the article completed tomorrow. 6B students should do vocab pictures for the new vocab words.

Thursday, Thursday-

Today in Humanities, students had more time to continue formatting their informational articles on the computer. Monday will be the last day when we have computer usage to do this, so students need to work hard to make sure that they are finished! Articles are due to be published early next week.

Miss Cassaro talked with students about the election results and students filled in the map of the U.S. with the data they found about their state.

Homework: Students are to complete the TAKE-HOME vocabulary quiz.

* Miss Devine will be absent again tomorrow, as she was chosen to go to the National Conference for CES, the Coalition of Essential Schools, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Enjoy the weekend! See you Monday!

The exciting whirlwind!

Wow- what a week!

Well, Miss Devine was sick and absent on Monday and yesterday was a moment in history like none other. Congratulations President Obama! Today, we just caught up on the whirlwind.

In Humanities, Miss Devine returned students' edited informational article drafts and showed students how to format the drafts to look like a magazine article. Students corrected editing and added titles, subtitles, columns, pictures and captions. We will continue with this process tomorrow.

Tonight's HOMEWORK: Study the vocabulary words from I Promised I Would Tell and bring Ms. Cassaro's electoral votes homework from last week.