Paws Team Update

We are preparing for a couple of rewards as Winter Break rapidly approaches. There will be an auction that will take place on Monday, 12-21-09. The students will have the ability to bid (using the cub cash they have accumulated) on various movie posters, Wal-Mart gift cards, and various other items. A list of items, available for auction, was sent home yesterday for a parent/guardian to sign. I have also attached a copy of the list. Students must bring back the Auction Sheet signed by Monday or they will not be able to bid on any items at the auction. The students may only bid on the items that are initialed. On Tuesday, 12-22-09 there will be a movie day the last block of the day.



Have a great and safe Winter Break!

Paws Team Update

In Social Studies, we are preparing to take our test over Ancient India-Chapter 6 from our book. Students will need to complete the study guide—blue classes got their study guide today and gold classes will get their study guide tomorrow. Please ask to see the assignments we are working on and have your student explain what they are learning and studying in class each day. The test/folder over Ancient India will be taken/due for blue classes on Wednesday (12-16) and for gold classes on Thursday (12-17).

Chapter 6 Folder--Ancient India—100 points
1. Chapter 6 Section 1 (Part 1) (20 points)
2. Chapter 6 Section 1 (Part 2) (20 points)
3. Chapter 6 Section 2 (20 points)
4. Chapter 6 Section 3 (20 points)
5. Chapter 6 Study Guide (10 points)
6. Chapter 6 Jeopardy (10 points) (will be completed in class on Friday and Monday)

*Ancient India Mini-Books (were made today for blue classes and tomorrow for gold classes)

Students may use their mini-books during the test. Their mini-books must include:
1. Glossary – define the ten words from the bottom of the Ancient Study Guide (Pages 1 and 2)
2. At least one page devoted to Hinduism (Page 3)
3. At least one page devoted to Buddhism (Page 4)
4. The rest of the mini-book they may write any information they choose to help them on the test.

If you would like a copy of the answers to the study guide to assist your student in preparing for the test, please e-mail me your request on Monday or Tuesday.

In Communication Arts, the students did a great job on their Martin Luther King, Jr. essays, "From Fear to Understanding". The essays that have been turned in so far have been very interesting and show promise of being selected as winners. Spelling Test 5 will be given Thursday, Dec. 10 (Blue) and Dec. 11 (Gold) over these words: arctic, atmosphere, balmy, boggy, boulder, gorge, molten, oasis, outcropping, resource, ridge, slate, sleet, slush, stratified, sulphur, undertow, unidentified, visible, and volcanic.

In Science, the students just completed their final geology unit test. Scores should be posted to STI by next Wednesday if not sooner. We will begin our unit on matter next class period. The students will be learning about atoms and their relationship in the world in which we live.

In Mathematics, students just finished testing over Chapter 4. We will begin our work over Chapter 5, soon. Students will have homework each time they have class.

We still have a few students that have not passed the multiplication test, so keep reviewing. We are also about to have a contest between the PAWS Team and PRIDE Team with multiplication. The team with the best percentage will have free seating at lunch for a week! Have a great weekend!

In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log. Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. There will be a reading log due every Friday.

Paws Team Update

Mid-quarter grades will be handed to students tomorrow, Friday. They will need to be signed and returned by Wednesday (12-9).

In Social Studies, we are beginning our study of Ancient India-Chapter 6 from our book. Students will have homework each time they have social studies class. Please ask to see the assignments we are working on and have your student explain what they are learning and studying in class each day. The test/folder over Ancient India will be taken/due for blue classes on Wednesday (12-16) and for gold classes on Thursday (12-17).

Congratulations to our Geography Bee Paws Team winners:
Kevin Driver
Brayden Jones
Alyssa Presley
Jimmy Gove
Kyle Brown
They will be competing against other 6th, 7th, and 8th grade team winners in the school wide Geography Bee on December 16 to crown a school wide champion. Good luck contestants!

In Communication Arts, the students should have their Martin Luther King, Jr. essay, "From Fear to Understanding" turned in no later than Friday, Dec. 4th. The essays will be picked up at the school for judging on Tuesday, Dec. 8th. The essays that have been turned in so far have been very interesting and show promise of being selected as winners. Spelling Test 5 will be given Thursday, Dec. 10 (Blue) and Dec. 11 (Gold) over these words: arctic, atmosphere, balmy, boggy, boulder, gorge, molten, oasis, outcropping, resource, ridge, slate, sleet, slush, stratified, sulphur, undertow, unidentified, visible, and volcanic.

In Math, next week will be the chapter 4 test. This is a very difficult chapter, so we have spent this week reviewing the chapter. Pages 202-204 have great review questions and vocabulary to study. (The test will NOT include lesson 9.) Students will also have three quizzes from chapter 4 that would be great study guides.

We still have a few students that have not passed the multiplication test, so keep reviewing. We are also about to have a contest between the PAWS Team and PRIDE Team with multiplication. The team with the best percentage will have free seating at lunch for a week! Have a great weekend!

In Science, the students are learning about the tools used to locate and measure earthquakes. The unit test will take place next week on Wednesday or Thursday. The test will cover information about minerals, earthquakes, and the rock cycle. Our unit review will take place on Monday and Tuesday. All late work will be due at that time. Please check STI to determine what work your child may be missing.

In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log (attached). Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. There will be a reading log due every Friday.

Paws Team Update

Please check the STI system and your student’s grades. Mid-quarter grades will come home next week.

Have a great, safe, and restful Thanksgiving break.

In Social Studies, I was very impressed with the amount of effort put into the Ancient Egypt/Kush-Nubia Projects. I was blown away by some of the amazing talents of the students. I still have 3 students that have not turned a project in yet 0/100 points. Students received their grade sheets on Monday and Tuesday of this week—please ask to see the grade sheet. If they received a zero for any category, they can redo that section and resubmit that part of their project. They must turn in their redone section and the grading sheet on Monday or Tuesday after Thanksgiving. They will receive half-credit for a redone section.

After Thanksgiving, we will begin our study of Ancient India. Students will have a small amount of homework each time they have class.

In Communication Arts, the students have been given the writing activity for the city-wide Martin Luther King, Jr. writing contest explaining that they are to write an essay that tells a personal story about how a person they know (could be them) came to know somebody who was different in some important way, and how that encounter helped one or both people overcome a fear or prejudice or misconception. The essays' rough drafts will be due no later that Wed. Dec. 2 (blue classes) or Thurs. Dec. 23 (gold classes). The final draft will be due on Mon. Dec. 7th. The essays will be picked up at the school by the contest officials on Tues. Dec. 8th to be judged. The winner of the contest wins $100, second runner up receives $50, and the third place winner will get $25. Mrs. McFarland has had winning essays in the past and is hoping that this year will be no different. Good luck sixth graders!

In Math, we are reviewing chapter 4, and will be testing in about a week. Students received Quiz A for chapter 4 this week, and several students scored significantly lower than their average. If parents would like to review the first three lessons with their child, and return a signed note stating they studied, students will be able to take a quiz to replace that grade. The divisibility rules on page 152 are important to know in order to score well on the quiz. Have a great Thanksgiving!

In Science, the students had their Pangaea maps graded. Please check the STI and see that your student completed this assignment appropriately. They could earn 50 points for this activity. We will continue our investigation of earthquakes in class. Next week we will be discovering how to find the location of an earthquakes epicenter and how earthquakes are measured.

In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log. Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. Reading logs will be due every Friday.

Paws Team Update

In Social Studies, we are just now finishing our study of Ancient Egypt. Students will finish presenting their projects tomorrow. Ask your student how their presentation went. I was quite impressed with the amount of work most students put into their projects. On Monday and Tuesday, we will hand back the grading sheets from the project and finish each class with a Geography Bee contest.



In Communication Arts, the students will be working on an essay for the Martin Luther King, Jr. writing contest the next two weeks. The students are asked to write a personal story by telling how a person they know (could even be themselves) came to know somebody who was different in some important way, and how that encounter helped one or both of them overcome a misconception or pre-judgment. The students will be learning about Dr. King's life and purpose prior to the essay writing. The Springfield NAACP has included the guidelines on their website:

http://springfieldpublicschoolsmo.or/culturealdiversity/index.htm. The essays will be due December 4th to Mrs. McFarland so that she can enter them to the contest by December 8th. The writing entries will be judged by those involved in the contest and the top three winners will receive cash prizes of $100, $50, and $25. The essays will also be graded and entered in the grades for second quarter in Communication Arts.



In Mathematics, students are working in Chapter 4. I am seeing way too many students coming to class without their homework. Students will have homework each time they have math.



In Science, the students are finishing their Pangaea Lab and then completing a mineral investigation lab. We will begin our investigation of earthquakes next week and start preparing for our unit test the following week.



In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log. Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. There will be no log due the week of Thanksgiving. This would be a good time for students to make up any missing reading logs.

Paws Team Update

There will be no school tomorrow (Friday, 11-6-09) due to parent/teacher conferences.

News from the nurse about H1N1
An Alert Now call was placed Monday night to notify Kickapoo feeder schools that in the next few weeks an H1N1 vaccine clinic will be held in those schools. This does include Carver. Parents were instructed in the call to phone 523-1609 (voice mail in health services) if they wanted to request the vaccine for their student. Health Services is compiling the names and other information for us. Staff from Jordan Valley Clinic will be coming in to help as well as some Carver parents. We do not have a date scheduled yet but I will let you know when that will be. We will also send home information packets (probably next week) with permission forms with those students to give to their parents. They are to complete the form and return it to the nurse.

In Social Studies, we are continuing our study of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Kush/Nubia. Students will not have homework for the next few weeks. However, students need to be completing their Ancient Egypt or Ancient Kush/Nubia projects that they will be presenting to the class on Monday, 11-16-09 for Gold classes and on Tuesday, 11-17-09 for Blue classes. Students have received information about the projects.

I am afraid there are many students who have not begun to work on the project. Please encourage your student to complete the project over the next few days. Tomorrow would be a great day to get a large portion of the project done.

In Mathematics, Blue classes will take the chapter 3 test on Monday. Be sure to practice the chapter vocabulary, and the list of vocabulary words students were given.

We are working on long division and multiplication which requires students to show a lot of work on their homework. Because of this, several students that usually finish their work on time have late work. Please talk with your child and check STI to make sure all work is current.

We will begin chapter 4 on Tuesday and begin working on factors and divisibility rules.

Have a great long weekend!

In Communication Arts, the students continue reading Trouble River by Betsy Byars. A graphic organizer of the problems and solutions that Dewey faces will be given to the students next week to complete. Monday and Tuesday is library day and several students have overdue library books so let's try to get them all returned so new books can be checked out. Literature books will need to be brought to class next week and several assignments will be read from these books so remind your child to get his book to class. We are still in the process of finalizing our stories to get them ready for compilation for the LAD Fair in April. We will begin an essay next week on Martin Luther King, Jr. which will be entered in the MLK essay contest and Mrs. McFarland's students' essays have received awards and honorable mentions in the past. Don't forget a spelling test will be given on Thursday and Friday of next week over the Ship Shape words.

In Science, the students are beginning their study of plate tectonics. They will also have their second quiz over the rock cycle next week on either Tuesday or Wednesday. It will be the same quiz they had last week. Hopefully, those who did poorly will study and improve their grade and those who did well will strive for perfection.

In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log (attached). Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. Reading logs will be due every Friday.

Paws Team Update

Grade cards were handed to students today. Please sign them and return them by Thursday (11-5-09). All students that were present at school today received one. After your student has been marked as returning the grade card, it will be handed back to them so you can keep it for your records.

Paws Team Update

Remember the fieldtrip is Monday. Make sure to bring a sack lunch, drink (not soda), and a light snack. Dress appropriately for Monday—pants, tennis shoes, long sleeves, and jacket. It looks to be a beautiful day on Monday.



In Social Studies, we are beginning our study of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Kush/Nubia. Students will not have homework for the next few weeks. However, students need to be completing their Ancient Egypt or Ancient Kush/Nubia projects that they will be presenting to the class on Monday, 11-16-09 for Gold classes and on Tuesday, 11-17-09 for Blue classes. Students have received information about the projects.



In Mathematics, we will begin testing chapter 3 next week. Please remember to study vocabulary words for the test! We will also test multiplication again for those that need to improve their score. The students have done a great job on division in chapter 3!



In Communication Arts, Mrs. McFarland's classes will be working from the novel, Trouble River by Betsy Byars. The main character, Dewey Martin, meets many challenges in this book in which the setting is back in the wild frontier pioneer days. He is forced to escape with his grandmother and travel to safety down the muddy and dangerous Trouble River. The novel will be read in class with activities and writing assignments. For those students who don't get finish during the class period, they will be allowed to finish their work at home and they may check out a book if needed one night at a time. Encourage your child to tell you the story of Dewey Martin from Trouble River and ask him/her to tell you what they would do in that same situation. This book will take about four weeks to complete.



In Science, the student took their first rock cycle quiz. Some did really well and others need to study. They will have the same quiz again. We are exploring how mining is related to minerals and how minerals are used in our daily lives.



In Reading Exploratory, please make sure that your student is reading 100 minutes per week, writing three complete summaries, and having you sign the Reading Log. Please have students proofread and edit their summaries if it is not their best work. Reading logs will be due every Friday except Log 10 will be due on next Thursday (11-5-09) there is no school on next Friday (11-6-09).

Mrs. McFarland's Language Arts Classes

All Paws Team students were told this afternoon that due to the weather our field trip has been cancelled for Thursday, October 29th to the Leadership Ranch in Republic. We are currently trying to schedule this same trip for Monday, November 2nd. We will let all students know by Friday before they leave school what the final plans will be. Thursday, October 29th will be a blue day and all the regular classes will be held as usual. If you need more information call Mrs. McFarland at 523-6919. Remember to bring a sack lunch on the field trip day!

Mrs. McFarland's Language Arts Classes

In Communication Arts, the students should have turned in their final copy of the Spooky Scary Story. As soon as all of them are turned in, a classroom anthology will be compiled for each child to receive. Mrs. McFarland has just completed reading the novel, Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen to the students. They are currently working on a writing activity in which they have to decide what five items they would want in a survival kit if they were stranded in the Canadian wilderness like the main character, Brian Robeson. These will be due next Monday (gold classes) and Tuesday (blue classes). A final test over the novel will be given to all the classes except for the gold second block group. Our next adventure story is Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen. There will be no spelling words assigned for next week. A new list will be given out on the week of November 2nd. These words include: barge, berth, blockade, clammy, cruise, fathom, galley, gusty, harpoon, intersect, jettison, latitude, marine, naval, navigate, and retaliate, scuba, shallow, submerged, and unceasing. These words will be tested on November 12 (gold classes) and November 13 (blue classes).

Mrs. McFarland's Classes

In Communication Arts, the students are starting a unit on the writing process and how to use word choice to enhance their writings. A spooky scary story rough draft is due Monday( blue classes) and Tuesday (gold classes). The students have already filled out a graphic organizer called, "Things That Go Thump In The Night" and are to use one word from each category in their story. Mrs. McFarland will be putting all their stories in a classroom anthology for each child and will also submit this to the Language Arts Fair for judging in April. There will be no Spelling Tests for the next few weeks because the students will be working on their stories and beginning a new novel, Trouble River.

Mrs. McFarland's Classes

In Communication Arts, the students are finishing up the fall journal project. Each student should have all 10 writing assignments completed and in a folder to turn in on October 16. No late fall journals will be accepted. Our next writing activity will begin Oct. 15 and 16 and the students will be writing using excellent word choice, vivid and precise language, and going through the formal writing process for a Spooky Scary Story. These will be published in a classroom notebook to be entered into the spring Language Arts Fair. This gives every Paws student an opportunity to have a piece of writing in the LAD fair.

We are working on chapter 2 in math this week. It will be next week before we finish the chapter and begin to prepare for a test. Remember to finish any work not completed in class for homework!

Congratulations to all the students that have already passed their multiplication test! Great job!

In Communication Arts, we had our first Spelling Test this week and did not do so well. It was apparent that the students did not study for the test. So next week those students who made a C-, D, or F will be writing their words 10 times each and retaking the test. Please look over your child's Spelling Test and practice with them if they need to retake the test. Mrs. McFarland has required that all students get their tests signed for a grade by Sept. 25th. A new Spelling List 2 will be given out Oct. 5th and 6th. The words for Spelling List 2 include: admonish, aid, antidote, capsize, caustic, complacent, deter, extinguish, faulty, hasty, hazardous, lethal, mishap, obstacle, oncoming, pedestrian, precaution, purify, restraint, scald, and ventilation.

Linda McFarland
Carver Middle School

Language Arts Activities for Mrs. McFarland's classes

In Language Arts, the students will be having Spelling Test 1 over these words on Sept. 17 (Gold) and Sept. 18 (Blue): accelerator, alternate, axle, compartment, conserve, decelerate, departure, descend, destination, detour, excursion, impassable, inspection, maneuver, mechanical, neutral, odometer, portable, terrain, and yield. We have started our big project for the quarter which is the Fall Journal. Your student has a sheet explaining the journal and they should've asked you by now to sign it. Thank you if you have done this. The Fall Journal will be worked on in class everyday and should only be done as homework if the child gets behind. Some students have requested to type their journal, that is okay, but not necessary. The journals are due Oct. 16th and will be worth 100 points. Please continue to check your child's assignment book because the sixth graders have had some late assignments this week and the most common reason for not turning it in on time has been, "Oh, I forgot it was due today." Also, Mrs. McFarland checks the assignment books weekly for a parent signature on the Friday line. The students get $10 cub cash for each Friday signature.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, we are learning about the five themes of geography and how to use maps and globes. Students have been given information regarding their first project. The students will present their projects to the class on Tuesday, 9-15 (for gold classes) and on Wednesday, 9-16 (for blue classes).

In math the PAWS team is preparing to take a test over chapter 1. The Gold team will test on Friday, September 11, and the Blue team will test on Monday, September 14. Page 43 offers a great sample test for practice.

We will also begin testing multiplication facts next week. Students will continue to test until they make at least 90% on a timed skill test. It is very important that 6th graders know these facts so they can be successful at new 6th grade skills. You will receive your best score by the end of the quarter as a grade. This is an easy way to get a 100 points!

Remember, there's homework every time you have math, so don't get behind. Great job so far this year!

Language Arts

In Language Arts we are continuing to extend the learning and skills that were taught in the elementary program, as well as, introduce new skills. Listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, spelling and study skills are taught on a daily basis. Students need to be bring their Literature book every day they have Language Arts class and they also need to carry their library books to each class to read when their work is completed. A Fall Journal will be assigned the third week of school and students will write their thoughts and ideas in response to a suggested writing prompt. The Fall Journals are due Oct. 16th. Spelling Tests will be given every two weeks and the students are expected to study their words on a regular basis. A variety of assignments will be given to achieve success and to maintain a high interest in this course. Parents will need to continually check their child's assignment book (handbook) and discuss with them what assignments are finished and what assignments need to be completed. Academic success is the goal and together we can accomplish this.