LAST DAY FOR IN CLASS RESEARCH

Friday, December 10th is the last day students will be given time in class to research and write about their explorer. Students have some books and an encyclopedia set available to use in class. Students should be already writing their reports and be in the process of editing. Students will also be given 45 minutes in the computer lab to do more research or use the computer to type out their report.

ALL REPORTS ARE DUE BY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15th. Oral reports will start on Monday for those who volunteer to go early. Those who volunteer to go early on Monday or Tuesday earn an extra 10 points on their oral report.

Here is the rubric describing how they will be graded:

Written Report:
1. Title Page 5 pts
2. Preferred Length 10 pts
3. Describes early life, major voyages, accomplishments 30 points
4. Student Made map 20 pts
5. Bibliography 10 pts
6. Spelling 10 pts
7. Grammar, Punctuation 10 pts
8. Neatness 5 pts

Oral Report:
1. Time 2-3 minutes 10pts
2. In Costume 10 pts
3. First person 30 pts
4. Memorized/Practiced 20 pts
5. Basic knowledge shown 20 points
6. Explained, incorporated map 10 points
** Extra 10 points available if you give your presentation on Monday or Tuesday!

Edible Extra Credit

Students have the opportunity to earn extra credit by making noodles. Students have been learning about various explorers at school. One explorer was Marco Polo who brought noodles from China back to Italy. Students can make their own noodles at home and earn extra credit. Please have your child bring a note or send an email confirming the noodles were made. It is great if a picture can be emailed or sent in to share with the class. The recipe was sent home with students on Tuesday and is on the backside of their Explorer's Gazette worksheet. Have fun and enjoy.

Speed Stacking

During the two weeks before Christmas break our class will be learning how to speed stack for physical education. If your child has a set of speed stacking cups they are encouraged to bring their own cups to use. There will be 30 sets of cups to use during P.E. Speed stacking is a great way to use your whole body and mind. Here is a link to learn more about speed stacking.

http://www.speedstacks.com/about/history.php

This should be a fun learning activity for all the students at all ability levels.

Microorganism Test Review

THE TEST FOR MICROORGANISMS IS ON
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD.

Here is the link to the test review. There are 15 questions and different experiments your child could do to enrich learning that has been done in class.

http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/science/core/6th/TRB6/default.htm

Students have also been using the following site to help review for the test in the computer lab. Students have been unable to access the virus portion of the site due to the age of our computers.

http://peer.tamu.edu/curriculum_modules/Properties/module_1/lesson.htm

Famous Explorer Project

FAMOUS EXPLORER PROJECT

Dear Parent,

In the next few weeks we will be studying famous explorers who were part of the Age of Exploration (1400’s – 1900’s). All students have been asked to choose an explorer and to research their life. Students will begin limited research in class on November 18^th. It is highly recommended that students use reference materials and books from the local library. Use of computer reference sources are permitted, including the internet. Please refer to the list of explorers on the back if you need help choosing one.

For the culminating project, students will write reports based on their research. Research requirements and due dates are as follows:

Written Report:

1. A title page

2. Body of the paper must be a minimum of four handwritten pages (best cursive) or two typed pages with one inch margins, size 12 font and double spaced. Include information about the explorer’s birthplace and date of birth, early years, famous voyages or expeditions and their purpose, major discoveries (or accomplishments) and their last effect on our world.

3. Bibliography listing at least three sources. Two of the sources must be books, other sources may be websites. Bibliography format: Name of author or authors (last name first, then first name – encyclopedias don’t list authors) for an encyclopedia list the title of the section used. Title of the books used (be sure to underline the title), Publisher’s name, where published, copyright date.

*Example of a book: Fowler, Aaron. Explorers of America. Harper Publishing, Los Angeles, 1965.

*Example of an encyclopedia: John Hanning Speak. The New Book of Knowledge. Volume 20. Grolier incorporated, Connecticut, 2000.

Student Made Map:

Students must include a student made map (not printed off the computer or copied by machine from a book) that shows the explorer’s country of origin and routes of their major voyages.

Oral Presentation in the first person, dressed in costume to represent the explorer:

Each student will present a 2-3 minute presentation highlighting the explorer’s life and major accomplishments. The presentation must be delivered in “FIRST PERSON” as if the explorer himself is speaking and each student must wear clothing that best represents how their explorer may have looked. Students must show their routes of exploration, this can be accomplished using the classroom world map, making an overhead transparency, or using their student made map (this then should be big enough for the whole class to see).

Written reports and student made maps are due by Wednesday, December 15^th.

NO LATE REPORTS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Explorers – travelers to places previously uninvestigated by the culture from which they came. Explorers had one or more several motives: scientific curiosity, economic gain, religious conversion or political domination.

Explorer to choose from:

· Henry Hudson

· Ferdinand Magellan

· David Livingston

· Sir Richard Francis Burton

· Mary Henrietta Kingsley

· Leif Ericson

· Diego de Almagro

· Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

· Hernan Cortes

· Juan Ponce de Leon

· James Cook

· Sir Francis Drake

· Sir Walter Raleigh

· Amerigo Vespucci

· James Bridger

· William Clark

· Meriwether Lewis

· John Muir

· Francisco Pizarro

· Annie Smith Peck

· Martin Frobisher

· Marco Polo

· Zebulon Montgomery Pike

· John Wesley Powell

· Jedediah Strong Smith

· Eric the Red

· Sir William Edward Parry

· Richard Evelyn Bird

· Robert Falcon Scott

· Vasco da Gama

· John McLoughlin

· George Washington DeLong

· Sir Edmund Percival Hillary

· Pierre Espirit Radisson

· Frederick John Dealty

· Sacajawea

· John Harring Speke

· Mungo Park

If you choose to do someone other than who is listed on this paper you must get approval from your teacher. YOU CANNOT DO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS!

Microorganism Links and Review

In science the focus for the end of October and November is on microorganisms. Students have been learning about good and bad microorganisms this last week. Here are some links to games and lessons that will provide additional learning and extensions to what has been taught in class. The test on microorganisms will the the week of Thanksgiving.

Helpful Links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/index_noflash.shtml

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zoutline.html

http://www.webrangers.us/activities/waterquality/?id=37

WELCOME!

Welcome to 6th Grade Specialty at Forbes. This year we will be learning so much in my favorite subjects: science and social studies. In science students have already learned about the various forms of energy with heat, light, and sound. Currently students are learning about microorganisms. Social studies is providing opportunities to learn about U.S. History. Students have started off by learning about Native Americans from all across the United States.