New reading strategy, Number Patterns and Identifying Living Things

In language we are beginning to learn about a new reading strategy called "Self-Monitoring" This simply means asking ourselves if we are understanding as we read, and if not, using strategies to correct ourselves so that we can understand. Here is a chart we developed in class to assist us in understanding what self-monitoring means:

Self Monitoring

In Math, we are continuing to learn about how to find number patterns. Here is a link to the lesson we did today:

Number Patterns

Finding number patterns can be quite challenging for students in grade 6 because they now involve patterns in which there are two operations. For example, the pattern might work by multiplying by 3 then adding 4 more to each term. This can be difficult to discover. The trick to finding the pattern starts by looking at the differences between the terms, and seeing if there is a pattern to them. See the link for a more in-depth explanation.

In science, we are learning about how scientists can tell if something is living. Today we used the chromebooks to research how scientists can tell if something is alive or not, and we discovered that in order to be considered alive, the organism must pass five tests. The answer must be yes to all the tests, or the organism is not considered a living thing. The five questions are;

1. Can it reproduce?
2. Can it grow and develop?
3. Can it react to its environment?
4. Can it use food?
5. Can it make or find food?

We will be continuing to learn more about biodiversity in science, focusing on  classification systems.