9.14.18 Week in Review in 182

Our theme this week was tone and mood. In Language Arts, we continued character work and noticed what can affect the characters actions and reactions. We noticed how the author creates the tone (emotion expressed)  and how that affects the mood (emotion felt) of the readers and the characters. We also noticed that other characters affect our protagonist in either positive or negative ways. We wondered how these reactions will move the plot forward.

Our character work has been a great segue to the social-emotional and teambuilding work we continue to develop. We discussed how tone and mood affect us in our work and how it affects how we interact with other people.  Using an improv exercise I learned in a Winnetka University class, students gave of a case scenario using a specific tone of voice and the other students had to react with the proper mood. We also used a variation of this technique during MAP testing by writing down something that made us feel happy so we could help our mood when we felt stressed.

In Social Studies, we finished working on the characteristics of a civilization using the GRAPES acronym (ask your child what the letters mean). Next, we will see how those pieces needed to evolve as early humans went from hunter-gatherers living in caves to organized and developed communities.

As a reminder, please pack a healthy and hearty snack to be eaten @9:50AM. Also, please only send water to drink as sticky spills attract pesky pests. 

Upcoming dates:

Monday, September 17 - bring your cell phone to school - the students don't know, but they will be texting you a pledge to use capital letters and correct spelling in their texts. If they don't own a cell phone, that is OK, we can use their iPads.

Tuesday, September 18 - 6th-grade Team Building Field Trip  - please pack a lunch and a drink, wear closed toe shoes and clothes you won't mind getting a little bit dirty.

Wednesday, September 19 - No School - religious holiday 

Week of October 15th - Conferences (student attended).  20-minute slot sign-ups will be available at the end of next week -- remember to sign up only once on your advisor's link. You will spend the first ten minutes in the advisor room and then switch to the team room for the next ten minutes. 

Have a great weekend. Go Cubs!

9.7.18 Week in Review in 182

I so enjoyed meeting many of you at Go To School Night! Although this past week was shortened, we were still able to pack a lot in. Most of our procedures and routines are in place and as the students are getting used to them, we are getting down to business!  We do, however, continue to spend time team building and creating a positive space because if you like where you are, you will try harder. 

In reading, we began our unit study of story vocabulary and characters in realistic fiction. To understand a character's traits, we look at their WALT - words, actions, looks, and thoughts. Just like people, we make first impressions of characters, but we should expect for them to be complex and have more than one trait. We also looked at how the setting (both time and place) affects characters. We are creating character theory charts and seeing how the character evolves over the course of the plot.

Our root of the week was ology - "the study of." This root tied in perfectly to kick off archaeology and the process used in understanding civilizations from the past. They discovered that archaeologists study artifacts to understand how people from the past once lived. They examined some ancient artifacts from my basement and made conclusions as to what they were and why their function. They also went to a dig site (a paper towel) and excavated artifacts (chocolate chips) that were covered by ages of sand (cookies) by using special archaeological tools (toothpicks). They realized that they needed to be careful and that there may be items that you don't see on the surface. The more we compared our findings to classmates, the more accurate our assumptions became about how many chips are in a chocolate chip cookie. 

We will have a short again next week with Monday's holiday and MAP testing on Wednesday and Thursday.

Enjoy the weekend and remind your child to read!

8.31.18 Week in Review in 182

Week in Review in 182 8.31.18

This first week of school went by so fast!  I am enjoying getting to know your children during these first days of school. We spent a lot of time team building and reinforcing routines so when we dive deeper into academics, they will not only know where to get their notebooks but have trust in me and their peers. This trust is important going forward as we continue to build our 6th-grade community of learners. Check out our team photo below.

We are kicking off Language Arts with reading realistic fiction. They learned how the workshop model works and how important sharing and talking is to the learning process. The big ideas for the year are: Why is reading essential to my growth as a person and empowerment? How can reading and discussing texts deepen understanding? How do readers understand and enjoy a broad range of reading genres? Why is the author's purpose important to my understanding of texts? These questions are important because they underscore why the study of reading matters. Today we touched on the author's purpose. It's as easy as PIE (Persuade, Inform, Entertain). Reading through the lens of why the author is writing helps with thinking critically about the text. It also helps us observe the author's craft which will help us when we become the author and start writing entertaining, informative and persuasive pieces. 

You might have noticed a myriad of forms this week. I am happy to report that the return rate was the best I've ever seen and we will start using iPads next week. Every student has been issued a new iPad and it is in a case with a built-in keyboard. If you are unsure if you purchased insurance for the iPad, please contact the District Office.  

Have a wonderful long weekend. Let your child know that this weekend is a great time to read a book. Whether you're going on a long car ride or hanging out in the yard, a book can take you anywhere!

I look forward to seeing you at Go to School Night on September 5 at 6:30.

Welcome to 182

August 18, 2018

Dear Walker/DeGiulio Parents,

Welcome to 6th Grade at Skokie School! My name is Tip Walker and I will be your

child’s LanguageArts, and Social Studies teacher. Together, we will continue our

growth in Winnetka’s community of learners. We will dive into ancient civilizations
to improve our analytical skills, experience a variety of reading genres to increase

our comprehension and hone our writing skills to be effective communicators. This

will be an exciting year of creativity, exploration, and empowerment, both academically and emotionally for your child.

First, a little bit about me. This is my fourth year at Skokie School. I earned my
bachelor degree from Princeton University with a major in English and a minor
in history and a master’s degree in teaching from National-Louis University with
endorsements in Middle School, Language Arts (highly qualified) and Social Studies
(highly qualified). I recently became a certified Apple Teacher and earned a certificate
in teaching writing from Columbia University in New York. I love combining language
arts, history and technology in a creative and engaging manner. I live in Wilmette with
my husband. We have four sons – the oldest works in Washington DC, the middle
two are in college and the youngest attends New Trier High School.

I believe that 6th grade is an important transitional year for our students. They are

developing their skills both as a student and as a member of a community.  We will
work hard by immersing ourselves in our studies, but have fun along the way. My goal
is to foster their uniqueness and model intelligence, curiosity and a passion for learning.

I also believe parents are an integral part of their child’s education. I send a weekly

roundup, but am always available for a check-in!  Please do not hesitate to email

me at tipwalker@winnetka36.org (my best way of contact) if you have a concern or

question. If there is another email that should be included on my contact list, please

let me know. I also have text messaging through Remind from which I will send updates
about events and homework.  Please text @84a32h (Walker Advisory) or
@9c24cc (DeGiulio Advisory) to the number 81010 to enroll.

I am looking forward to a fantastic year!