Kickball Rematch, Story Swaps, and a "Shelf"ie Update!

We officially made it through our first five-day week of sixth grade! To celebrate, Friday had some extra exciting elements.

Throughout the week, we practiced close reading with non-fiction and discussed the author's craft strategies. Next week we will be using these strategies in our own personal narratives.

On Friday, we had Fun-Write Friday where students spent time writing parts of a story that they then passed to the person next to them. Then, that person had to continue writing that story. It was fun to see how the stories turned! We also practiced using author's craft strategies to get ourselves in that mindset.

On Friday afternoon, we finally got that kickball re-match! Our plan was to have one tie-breaker inning, but that inning ended in a tie! So, we went into a second tie-breaker inning! Team Strickler won by one run ... it was a close one!

Finally, our "Shelf"ie continues to grow! We are on our way to filling all the shelves!

Question of the Week: We talked a lot about simile, metaphor, and personification this week. What is an example of one of these? Email me by Monday morning to win!

FUN FRIDAY (and more)!

On Friday, the class enjoyed our very first FUN FRIDAY! We worked hard all week and were able to enjoy a game of class verses class kickball. Team Strickler came out strong, but got a little too excited, leaving room for Team Goins to come up from behind. The game ended in a TIE! We will hopefully earn some extra time for a tie-breaker inning this week.

This week in ELA, students started spelling groups. In two weeks, we will be diving into reading groups, too. We are excited for Workshop to begin so we can start learning in ways that work best for us at a speed that helps us learn the most.

In writing, we are studying Saturday and Teacakes to learn different examples of author's craft so that when we write our personal narratives next week, they can be filled with powerful strategies!

We all are continuing to enjoy a solid block of time for class-wide independent reading and after a week of reading conferences, I think it's safe to say this is a successful addition to our class schedule.

Question of the Week: What reading strategy do you enjoy using the most? Why? Email me by Wednesday morning for a chance to win!

Our Class "Shelf"ie!

As students complete books, they fill out a book spine to add to our class "shelf"ie. The wall started out empty and our goal is to have it filled (maybe even overflowing!) by the end of the year. We are only five days into the school year and we already have books on our shelf! Keep up the fantastic reading everyone!

One Week Down!

It was a fantastic first week in 6th Grade! We spent time discussing how independent reading and free writing should look and sound so that our time spent in these moments are as engaging and successful as possible throughout the year.

Coming up this week ...

• We'll be talking about good strategies that readers use to stay engaged with their books.
• We'll chat about what makes a good letter and will be starting our own Letter Logs to keep in touch throughout the school year! (We'll be reading one of my favorite picture books to introduce this concept!)
• We'll start talking about different genres to help us decide what books we love the most ... and maybe even explore some new ones!
• Finally ... we'll have time for independent reading! So come ready to curl up with a good book!

Question of the Week: What picture book do you think we'll be reading? Email me an answer by Monday morning to win some candy!

HINT: The answer is somewhere else on this blog!

Welcome to Sixth Grade!

Hello Sixth Graders!

I hope you all enjoyed your summer! Our classroom is finally ready for us to kick off a great school year on Wednesday. Be on the lookout for a Skyward email blast that includes all the information you will need for the first day. We cannot wait to see you soon!

Check out a preview of our classroom below. See you on Wednesday!

Miss Strickler :)

Our Class "Shelf"ie!

Happy Summer!!! I hope everyone enjoys the sun, warm weather, and relaxation that comes with the break. Summer is a great time to catch up on some really good books, too!

Below is the final "Shelf"ie wall. We didn't quite fill the wall, but there was a lot of awesome reading that happened in 6th grade this year! Be proud!

Thanks for such a wonderful year! Good luck in Middle School!

6th Grade Event, Move the PRIDE, and More!

It is hard to believe that this is the last weekend of the school year...! We only have 1.5 days left of 6th grade! It was a busy final week, too.

On Wednesday, we had the 6th Grade Event. This was such a fun day filled with all kinds of activities! The day began with speeches from fellow sixth graders and a slideshow of all the different experiences we shared throughout the year. After lunch, we headed outside for stations like Capture the Flag, Minute to Win It Games, Bounce House, Human Hungry Hungry Hippos and more. The day ended with a Tug-of-War competition between homerooms. I don't mean to brag, but ... Strickler beat Wolfgang to take us to the final round! Kudos to Mrs. Koplitz's class for winning the championship game!

After the Event, we had Move the PRIDE. Our 6th graders took a trip to the Middle School to see what their year will look like next year. While everyone is a bit nervous (especially about getting lost), I know you will all do great! While the current students were visiting 7th grade, I met the 5th graders who are coming to team Strickler/Wolfgang next year!

Finally, to close our week, we wrote letters to our future selves. Students will get these letters before their next big transition ... middle school to high school!

Stay tuned for our final "Shelf"ie update and more!

Question of the Week: What has been your biggest takeaway from 6th grade?

Poetry Writing, Camp Read S'More, and the Track Meet!

It was a busy week at North Hills (and thankfully the weather cooperated!)! In writing, students have been studying different styles of poetry and creating their own poems. On Thursday, the weather was so nice we decided to go outside to share our favorite poems.

On Thursday night, teachers "camped" out (although, we didn't stay overnight because of the Track Meet) to celebrate our students getting so close to their school-wide reading goal. We are all so proud of the wonderful reading everyone has done this year. There are still 11 days of school left to reach 100%, so keep reading!

On Friday, we had our Track Meet! After getting rained out last week, we had the perfect day! The sun was shining, the rain never came, and there was a nice breeze. Students had a blast dancing to music, participating in the events, and just enjoying the fun times. It was a great day!

With only 11 days left in the school year (WOW!), we will be wrapping up our non-fiction units in Workshop. In Writing, students will have a chance to apply all the skills we have learned throughout the year in a project of their choice. Let's finish strong and make these last couple of weeks fantastic!

Question of the Week: What has been your favorite non-fiction unit so far? Why?

"Shelf"ie Update: Only 16 Days Left!

With only 16 days left in the school year, we have completely filled up the top three shelves! We are so close to filling the entire bookshelf, so keep reading!

A Quick "Shelf"ie Update

As we approach the end of the school year, I will try to post a weekly "Shelf"ie update. We are so close to completely filling up the third shelf! We only have 22 days left, so keep reading!