Oh, Dear!!!

Far tooooooooo long since the last update and so much has happened since that time!

Suffice it to say, 6th grade ELA is very, very busy and growing by leaps and bounds!

Quick rundown.

The Fall Festival was a HUGE success! Special thanks to Christopher Guzman's mom who stayed and ran booths for the entire festival. Other parents from my homeroom who made a tremendous impact were Ms. Ortiz, Ms. Barrera, Ms. Garcia (she is always here to help), Ms. Sockwell, Ms. Robles, Ms. Barrientos, and Ms. Umana. You ladies will never know how much we ALL appreciate EVERYTHING that you do!

Shortly after the festival, we started gearing up for the holidays and end of semester exams. A what, you say?!? That is the same thing my sixth graders said about the new challenge. The tremendous news is that EVERYONE showed growth, progress, and understanding of what it truly takes to become an outstanding scholar. My heart and my thanks goes out to the entire sixth grade for pushing through and making it happen. Congrats!!!!!

Too soon, our holidays ended, but it was wonderful to return to friends, colleagues, and incredible people!

And now, for this semester.

We started off the year learning about theme and topic and their differences. We are moving into non-fiction, biographical reading and starting a new novel. "The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963" is a wonderful historical fiction that prepares us to celebrate (with knowledge) Dr. King's birthday and the events happening in our country during that troubled time.

As with last semester's "bullying" theme, this semester is rooted in learning about prejudice past, present, and keeping it out of the future. From historical fiction to poetry, to daily language exercises, the focus is prejudice.

I am really excited to see the continued growth and development of an AMAZING group of sixth graders as we gain confidence and intelligence!

Great job and keep up the hard work.

Check back for homework assignments and keep working on vocabulary and spelling flipcards on a weekly basis.

Oh, and don't forget to help me root for my Fightin' Texas Aggies and they renew the storied rivalry with Louisiana State University, this Friday, January 7th.