Sixth Grade News-August-September 2008

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather we have had so far, our class went on a Solar System walk in Creston to demonstrate the huge sizes of the planets and distances within our solar system.  A real solar system model would never fit inside a little box, as some science projects try to show, and we discovered that we could not even fit half of one in our whole town…not even when we made the sun’s model the size of a playground ball and the earth the size of a small peppercorn!  Next the students are going to give presentations on each of the planets so we can learn more about them and the rest of the universe.

We also have been talking a little about taking care of our own planet and have begun our year-long Earth Day project of raising garbage eating worms!  These worms live in a bin in our classroom, and they eat our garbage.  While they do, they turn it into nice, rich topsoil that will make a great addition to gardens or houseplants in the spring.

We also read a book that talks a lot about taking care of the earth called Ida B and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. We will get the opportunity to meet the author and ask questions when we go on a field trip to Rochelle Middle School.

The year is off to a great start with students doing well in math, keeping up with their goals in reading, and generally doing a good job in sixth grade!