Ms. Horn's Webpage - mslichtenfeldswebpage

Our reading & writing class is well underway with our study of Art & Artists!  Students were first introduced to a variety of well-known artists, including Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Dali, Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence and many others.  Then each student chose one artist to study in depth and did some research on that person.  Now we are in the final stage of the project, in which students are writing a biography in addition to a visual presentation of the artist's work or what they have learned about the artist they chose to study.  It has been a fun project and it has been wonderful to see the students so curious and engaged in class!  In 6th grade math, we are in the middle of a unit on percents.  Students are learning how to add taxes and tips, as well as calculate discounts.  Meanwhile, the 7th graders are learning about linear equations, graphs and tables.  As we move forward into May, in reading we will begin to study poetry, which we'll kick off with a field trip to the Old Town School of Folk Music.  There, we will participate in a workshop about rhythm and rhyme in hip hop.  It should be tons of fun and will surely give us some great ideas for poetry!!  

It's that time of year...ISAT!!  We will be testing Reading Tuesday, March 6 through Thursday, March 8.  Math tests will take place Friday, March 9 through Tuesday, March 13.  Seventh Graders then take the Science test on Wednesday and Thursday, March 14 & 15.  Please ensure your child eats a healthy breakfast and gets plenty of sleep during this testing period.  It is imperative that they are alert and focused.  

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a relaxing and rejuvinating Winter Break.  In 6th grade reading class, January got under way with a focus on vocabulary development, specifically using word parts (prefixes and suffixes) to determine the meaning of words.  In February, we'll continue to emphasize reading and test-taking strategies in preparation for the ISAT, including understanding literary devices and identifying the main idea of a short passage. You will see some additional homework assignments centered around ISAT prep, both in reading and in math.  In 6th grade math, we continued our work with calculating the area and perimeter of rectangles and triangles in January.  In February, we'll move on to area and circumference of circles and extend our thinking to finding the area and perimeter of composite figures.  In 7th grade math, we are studying positive and negative integers and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide them.  Moving into February, we will focus on some algebraic concepts involving solving equations by substituting numbers for the variable, as well as learning how to solve basic equations for an unknown variable.  

The second quarter is off and running with a focus on reading nonfiction texts.  This month, students will be learning about nonfiction text features, such as the table of contents, index, headings, pictures & captions, etc., and how they can help them as they read informational text.  They will also learn some strategies for active reading, such as questioning and responding to what they are reading.  In writing, our focus is now on persuasive writing.  Students are now choosing a topic to write about and organizing their ideas using a graphic organizer.  Before school lets out for Winter Break, students should have a final paper done.  In 6th grade math, we are going to take a little break from fractions and learn some concepts in geometry this month. In 7th grade math, we are going to continue to use what we have learned in the last unit (similar figures) and apply it to ratios, proportions and percents.  

Wow, the first quarter of the year is almost over!  In 6th grade reading this month, we will continue using guided reading groups to teach reading skills to students at their individual levels.  In addition, they will continue using Donald Bear's "Words Their Way" to study word patterns at their individual levels.  In writing, students are finishing up their memoirs and we will soon be moving on to persuasive writing.  In 6th math, we will continue to study fractions.  Students are currently learning about equivalent fractions and adding fractions, using fraction strips.  Parents, look out for "Community News" coming home.  These flyers give you ideas for practicing fractions with your child at home.  

The first half of the quarter has flown by!  In 6th grade reading, we are now moving into guided reading groups, in which students will be reading books at their instructional reading level and working together with their group and with a teacher to understand the book at a deeper level.  In writing, we are working on memoirs.  Students will be writing about a personal story, with a focus on adding descriptive details and organizing their work into chronological order.  In 6th grade math, we will be moving on from learning about factors and multiples to understanding fractions.  In 7th grade math, we'll be moving on from coordinate graphs to studying similarity, properties of similar figures and using ratios and scale factor to solve problems involving similar figures.  

This first quarter in room 301, 6th graders will be learning to improve their reading and writing skills through reading and writing workshop.  We'll begin the year by working on independent reading skills and strategies, which we will continue to study throughout the school year.  We will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts as a group as well, including some about our central theme of "Giving" this first quarter. 

In 6th grade math, students will begin the year by studying factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers.  In 7th grade math, students will be studying tables, graphs and equations and the relationships between them.  They will learn how to solve mathematical problems using information given in a table, graph or equation. 

I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year of new learning!  Please use this website frequently to keep up with what's going on in room 301.  As always, feedback, questions and concerns are welcome.  The best way to reach me is by email: abhorn@cps.edu.