The 6th grade has been studying ancient Greece in our Ancient Civilizations class. We split into groups and each group researched a different element of ancient Greek society. The 5 elements we studied were Philosophy, Government, Architecture, Sports, and Mythology. Groups did individual written assignments, then combined their information. They constructed tri-fold boards with their information, graphic elements and examples, and other interesting facts about ancient Greece. They used the boards to make a presentation to the class and "teach" their element of Greek society to everyone else in the class.

Aside from the academic nature of the assignment, students were able to practice other skills as well. Time management was an element of this project, as was teamwork, listening, and public speaking.

My kids did an excellent job of "teaching" each other. I'm very proud of their effort!

For the second year in a row, the 6th grade class participated in the Bridge City Project. This is a fundraiser conducted by the Texarkana Homelessness Coalition. Randy Sams homeless shelter is our community service partner this year and is a member of the coalition. The fundraiser involved members of the community spending the night outside with the homeless, and raising money by having a chili cookoff and live music. 

Our class participated by constructing a structure made only of cardboard, paper, and plastic. The structure was then donated to this event and given to someone sleeping outside. The coalition encourages these entries to be creative yet structurally sound. The idea is to provide something fun and functional, while keeping in mind the reality of how many people in our area are actually homeless. All proceeds from this year's fundraiser will go to the Texarkana College Fund for Homeless Students.

The structure we created this year was "The Mystery Machine" from the Scooby Doo cartoon. Ms. Denise directed this project and ensured each child had a specific job. The artwork is original and not traced. The structure is wrapped in plastic to increase weather resistance and then painted. The ghosts are painted with glow-in-the-dark paint as are a few other detailed items. 

My class worked very hard on this project. They thought a lot about the concept of homelessness and the reality that many people actually do sleep in boxes regularly.  I think they did a great job. Thank you, Ms. Denise, for all your help!

Middle schoolers at St. James (4th, 5th, and 6th) are about to spend some time studying the weather. KTAL television's meteorologist, Todd Warren, recently paid a visit to our school. We are going to participate in a regional contest among schools to accurately predict the weather. Mr. Warren came to help us learn how to study temperatures, weather patterns, fronts, and other things that affect our weather and determine temperatures. He really helped us understand condensation and evaporation by using groups of us to act out the physical processes. It was a very fun and interesting way to study. We learned a lot from Mr. Warren and we look forward to practicing our weather analysis and prediction skills in the month of February. Wish us luck!

The sixth grade recently finished reading the novel "Hatchet" by Gary Paulson. It's about a 13-year-old boy named Brian who finds himself stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Brian has to rely on his survival skills, both physical and mental, to stay alive. To celebrate the completion of the book, our class took a field trip to Mudcreek in New Boston, Texas. Our gracious hosts were Gary and Mary Ted Mayo (my parents) and our activities director was Gene Joyce (my husband). We began our day by going on a hayride and touring the property

. 

After our tour, we came back to the cabin and did our first "survival" activity. We built fires using flint and steel kits. We learned from our novel how important it is to have just the right types of brush and kindling, and practicing this skill was challenging.

The Mayos treated us to grilled burgers for lunch, cooked by Joe Mayo. 

After lunch, we headed for the woods to begin our next activity - a shelter-building contest. We split up into 3 teams. After receiving some tips on where to find certain wooded materials and discussing how Brian improved his shelter in the book...the contest began! 

After lots of bamboo-weaving, cedar brush gathering, and problem-solving...we had a winner!

We wrapped up the day with an ice-cold popsicle back at the cabin. It was a beautiful day to be outside and enjoy nature. We had a great time and made some amazing memories. 

WHAT AN AWESOME DAY!!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It's hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner. The Middle School had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with lots of family and friends. 

This has been a busy week in 6th grade. We've been gearing up for a big Science test on cellular structure and division. We've also been studying Pi in Math. Understanding Pi is much easier when you can actually see the calculation in practice. We did a fun activity where we used string to measure the diameter of various circular objects and then showed ourselves the relationship between diameter and circumference. 

Next week will be busy too as we are winding up the year in many areas. However, it never seems like a bad idea to step outside and take a breath of fresh air. The weather is beautiful now and we have been enjoying getting out of the classroom for a little recess. Sixth graders are not too old to enjoy the swings every now and then!

Have a great week!!