In math, we are wrapping up our “Good Life” project. Students have chosen a career, researched median salaries, colleges, calculated taxes, budgets, their GPA, and other information connected to their Good Life. Students have created a presentation based on all their research and calculations made to construct their good life. We had a Career Day on June 17th. Volunteers listened to students give their presentations and give students advice on how they could accomplish their goals. We are hoping students begin to connect what they do know will make things easier or harder for them in the future.
As we wrap up our year in social studies, we found ourselves exploring the many layers of Greek history and having deep and meaningful discussion about the idea of legacy. To showcase their understanding, students have been working on constructing narratives about the Greek legacy using rap and poetry. We have been using the amazing technology available to us here at Putnam Ave Upper School to record our music. Students have been able to not only display their knowledge and understanding of "legacy" but also work on skills like writing, mixing music, recording, and performing. It has been an enjoyable final project and great wrap up to the school year.
During our last weeks of 6th grade science, students have been working tirelessly on a variety of projects and testing the validity of ideas that they've developed throughout the year. We have learned about a variety of biology and geology topics through the students' independent 20% Time Projects. Students are simultaneously working on developing educational materials about how water shapes their national parks as a culminating geology project, using their own revised versions of the water cycle. We have seen concepts from our physics, biology, and chemistry units return during our geology unit; students have been eager to discover and dismantle misconceptions they have about science and have been diligently collecting a large body of evidence to confirm their new scientific findings. I am very proud of all the hard work they have done, and am very pleased at their critical thinking skills that they will bring with them to the 7th grade!
As we wind down to the last days of 6th grade, students have completed reading The Giver. We are currently working on Independent Reading commercial projects. The purpose of this project is to give students an opportunity to create a fun, inspiring commercial for upcoming 6th graders. Our children will create a 30 second radio commercial to emphasize the plot and universal themes of their favorites titles. I plan to keep all 93 commercials to use throughout the years as a way to have an additional source for students when they are choosing an independent reading text.