Welcome to the Sixth Grade Room 208!

Room 208 Teachers: Mrs. Weiss and Ms. Uhlenkott

Room 208 is the main science classroom for the sixth grade.
It also hosts a homeroom and fourth period writers’ workshop.

Science

Currently, we are studying the diversity of life. This thrilling unit began with the students classifying organisms as living or non-living according to their characteristics. Then we progressed on to study different organisms. We studied protoza and celery cells under a real microsope, and now we are studying snails and Hissing Madagascar Cockroaches.

After Winter Break, the students will actually switch science classrooms, because they will be studying Family Life and Sexaul Health (FLASH) with Ms. Boswell in room 209. During this time, the students will actually be studying math in room 208. We will have a unit about fractions during that time.

After FLASH ends, room 208 will once again be the science room, and we will begin an exciting unit about industrial wastewater and its treatment. We will begin the unit by learning about general water pollution and then narrow it down to industrial wastewater. We will then study mixtures and pH through a series of hands-on experiments and simulations. In the end, we will use what we learned about filtering mixtures and neutralizing acids to figure out the best way to treat factory wastewater. (The “wastewater” comes from the science kit and not an actual factory, so don’t worry about anyone being exposed to dangerous toxins.)

During this unit, we are hoping to take a half-day field trip to the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant near Discovery Park in Seattle. This is a terrific opportunity for us to learn more about wastewater and appreciate the work that goes into cleaning it. This field trip will be in cooperation with the King County Wheels to Water Program. We are looking for chaperones to accompany us on this field trip, so keep an eye out for more information about this in March!

Writers’ Workshop

We began the year writing personal narratives. Once the students mastered the personal narrative, we progressed on to writing personal essays. The essays are set-up with an introduction that includes the topic sentences from each of the paragraphs, three paragraphs whose topic sentences are supported by examples, and finally a conclusion that sums it all up. The students have choosen a significant topic from their lives about which to write these personal essays and all of them are very good and express important feelings. This essay unit will continue through the middle of January.

From the middle of January until the end of February, we will be working on an exciting writers’ workshop unit around the theme of “working together,” which is also the school’s value for the month of February. We will be researching and analyzing the answers to the following questions: “What does it mean to work together?” “What does it take to work together?”

During this unit, we will write short fictional books about working together. First, we will read and analyze books to discover the common elements about this theme. Then, since it is important to write for an authentic audience, we will complete a service learning project with the afternoon Head Start class at Broadview. We will interview the younger students and then write personalized, fictional books to send home with them. It should be a great community building experience!

Homeroom
Homeroom is not just a time for announcements, but it is an important time for silent reading. Reading is very important and the more it is practiced, the easier it gets. Students are required to bring a silent reading book to homeroom each morning, and they are expected to read for 20 minutes as they mentally prepare for the day. Students are encouraged to read a variety of genres and books at different reading levels. If students ever need a suggestion for a good book to read, they can find one in the sixth grade classroom libraries and/or they can ask any sixth grade teacher, who would happily recommend one or two great books.

Periodically, during the year, the room 208 teachers read aloud Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings. This is an intense book about a middle school student, who has to make some tough decisions that affect his friendships.