We've had an Outstanding October!

On October 3rd, our class had a field trip to Scorton Creek in Sandwich. Scorton Creek is actually a salt marsh. To get there from our school, it was about a 15 minute bus ride. Once we got there, there were wonderful, informative field guides who helped us along the way. We had to be prepared, because we got very wet and muddy! We had a great time going in the water with nets to get crabs, shrimp, and fish. We used a special type of net called a seine net. Here's what a seine net looks like:

There was a sand bar where we found periwinkle snails. We definitely had to watch our step! If you stepped in the wrong spot, your foot might sink into the muck! Someone in our class even lost a shoe! With some muscle, we were able to yank the shoe out of the muck. Before we left, we were able to get some clay from the salt marsh. Scorton Creek was definitely a lot of fun-- and well worth ruining a pair of shoes! Here are some more pictures from our great trip!

 

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This week, our grade sent in a video to Channel 5, a popular Boston-based news station. Each morning, Channel 5 does something called a "School Shout Out", where they feature a video of students saying "Good Morning, EyeOpener!" Schools have been featured from all around the state. We filmed a video about our Falcon Five, the five characteristics we strive to meet each day. We sent in the video, and they selected us! The Quashnet School 6th graders appeared on their broadcast on Tuesday morning. It was very exciting!



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This week in math, we learned about lattice multiplication. The first step you take in lattice multiplication is to make the square, or the lattice. The next step is to put the numbers above and next to the square. Then you multiply the numbers that intersect in each box.After you multiply the two numbers for each box, you add up the numbers along the diagonals. If only one of your factors has a decimal, drop it straight down into your answer. If both of your factors have decimals, you follow the lines the decimals are on towards the center of the lattice until they meet up. Wherever they meet up, carry the decimal down that intersecting diagonal and in to your answer. Give lattice multiplication a try!
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This week, Miss Smith's smarties learned all about how to estimate in math. We also learned why estimating is important. Estimating is easy, and it can help you better understand your math problem! All you have to do round each number to a number close to it that you are comfortable with.

For example, if you wanted to multiply 397 x 9, you could round 397 to 400, and you could round 9 to 10. These numbers, 400 and 10, are easier for our brains to work with than 397 and 9. So, you could estimate your answer is with 400 x 10, which equals 4,000. This doesn't give us an exact answer to our problem, but it gives us an "about" answer. The answer to our original problem, 397 x 9 should be close to 4,000.  In fact, 397 x 9 = 3,573. Estimating gave us a good idea as to what our answer would be close to.

Estimating before you complete a problem is a great way to check your work. If you calculated 397 x 9 and came to an answer of 100, you would know that something went wrong with your calculations, because your answer is no where close to your estimate. Give estimating a try!

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In E.L.A., we have been writing about a "monster" that we created. We all folded a piece of paper into fourths. Then, we drew the head on the top section of our paper. When we were finished, we folded that over, passed our paper to our neighbor, who then drew the shoulders and chest section of our monster. When they finished, they folded that and passed it to their neighbor, who drew the torso portion of our monster. Finally, the next person drew the legs and feet of our monster.

Our monsters sure are interesting, because as each person was drawing a new section, they could not see the parts that had already been drawn. When all of the parts were finished, our monsters were returned to us so we could see what they look like.






Our assignment has been to color in our monsters and write an expository writing piece about their history, physical features, behaviors, and habitat. We are using The Expository Pillar to organize our writing. This project helps us use our creativity and imagination! Beware... you might run in to one of our monsters, so make sure you read our reports to learn all about them!




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On October 31st, we will be in school for part of Halloween! Instead of wearing our costumes to school, we get to have a pajama day! It is also a half day, so school ends at 11:30am. After school, we will be getting together with our friends and getting some treats for ourselves! Happy Halloween!