Thankful.

I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am to have these kiddos in my life! I know it's that time of year, but I am grateful for them day in and day out. They make me a better person in this world and challenge me to give my all. This week is all in pictures! 

We did an Inventor's Lab where we took various materials and made tin can phones! We tried out ribbon, yarn, tissue paper, and pipe cleaner to see if we could make a phone that really carried the sound waves from our voices. The purpose of this lab was to help us experience a piece of what inventor's go through and then what they need to take their invention to the next level and turn it into a business and industry. 

"I can hear you now!"

Some of the materials were much harder to work with than others!

We also worked to discover ways this process would be easier such as using machines, different materials, more time and money, etc.

Mrs. Underwood even joined in the fun!

We worked super hard on our equations vocab this week, as well as to balance them!

Other exciting things this week:

Look at these sweet kiddos doing a civic duty and picking up the trash that got scattered all over the soccer field!

Ways we can be kind! 

Ms. D's Weekend Snapshot: 

I went to Ripley's Aquarium and the jellies are my second favorite thing! You can actually pet some now!

This guy cracked me up! 

My first favorite...penguins!

They had an AMAZING Pearl Harbor exhibit with interactive touch screen maps, complete WWII timelines, excellent simulations, and my favorite POTUS: Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Ms. D the Riveter

My sweet sister and aunt at the tallest, most beautiful tree in all of Pigeon Forge. 

Shark tank selfie!

Where I Come From.

In history this week, we pulled all of our knowledge of immigration together in a mini-project. We read The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco to help us understand what heritage and traditions are. In the past, I have made actual quilts with my classes, but this year I decided to take a break and try something new. However, some people really wanted to make heritage quilt squares, so we decided to let people choose to make a paper quilt square or head outline that reflected their heritage. There will be photos next week of our display! I have had this wonderful classic stuck in my head all week. Check out George Ella Lyon's poem, Where I'm From. We will actually explore this poem as a class later on! 

One student brought in a painting that a family member did of their family crest! 

In math, we tackled algebra vocab and the major differences between expressions and equations! Ask your student to share the difference with you! Here is an example of our notes where we color coded and labeled all the parts of an equation to review and prepare us for solving them next week! 

Other exciting things this week: 

• These wonderful handmade cards for A.B. Westrick to thank her for her visit to CES!

• Another lost tooth! 
• Students helping each other out and sharing their materials! 

Ms. D's Weekend Snapshot: 

This is what your car looks like when you have worked all four jobs all weekend long!

Celebrated this sweet lady's birthday! 

How awesome is this cake!?

Played in the leaves this weekend with this sweet boy! 

Boo.

What a great week! They just keep flying by! It's going to be Christmas before we even know it (Mrs. Thomas and Ms. Nelson won't complain about that I'm sure!).

This week we took a look at some major challenges of immigration. We discovered that tenements, overcrowding, a huge influx of immigrants, sanitation, and political corruption were some problems, just to name a few. Sanitation issues grossed us out the most! We read one of my favorite stories about Boss Tweed, Ely Beach, and Thomas Nast. Ask your student to share with you! Boss Tweed is quite the interesting character and I think students were shocked at how mean spirited and corrupt people could be during this time period. We also took a look at tenement life through the eyes of Jacob Riis and analyzed his photos using sticky note responses. Check out the result below!

In math, we knocked some integers out of the park! We have really been working hard on our non-verbal communication skills and here are some pictures of students communicating the answer to a comparing integers question without using their words!

Other exciting things this week: 

Cruella Deville and one of the 101 Dalmations visited on Halloween!

October was Principal Appreciation Month. The entire school participated in a community art piece to honor Mrs. Cromer! 6th graders wrote on stars to tell her how she has inspired them for their futures!

Ms. D's Weekend Snap Shot:

Turning everything in on Friday sounded like a good idea...until I saw this! Got it done and now I can enjoy a relaxing weekend with a shift at the BRR, reading, and an extra hour of sleep on Sunday! 

I got to go to the Shelor Motor Mile Growing the Future Talent Show Saturday night and watch this beauty perform!

I also ran into a few people we know who got to snag a photo with Danny, Zach, and Monica of the K92 Mornin' Thang!