Day 84

We made it!  Today marks the halfway point in 6th grade!  Please read and enjoy the RFotD while I take attendance.

Today we will finish our analysis the differences between Jean Shepherd's book and screenplay of A Christmas Story.

RFotD: World War I was interrupted by Christmas.  Read this amazing story here.  Special thanks to Ava Blakley for providing today's RFotD.

Homework: Have a safe and fun-filled Winter Break!  See you on January 9th!

Day 83

Happy final Wednesday of the semester!  Please read and enjoy the RFotD while I take attendance.

Today we will be analyzing the differences between Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story and his screenplay.

RFotD: Jean Shepherd had a cameo appearance in the movie as a grouchy department store customer who tells Ralphie to go to the back of the Santa line. Read other cool facts about the movie here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 82

Happy Tuesday!  We're getting closer and closer to Winter Break!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will finish My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art from A Christmas Story. 

RFotD: The number '172' can supposedly be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.

Read about other money theories here.


Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 81

Meme courtesy of Gavin Carter

Happy Monday number 17!  This is the last school Monday of 2017.  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art from A Christmas Story.

RFotD: Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano! Read about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 80

You made it to the final Friday of the semester!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will study Grover Dill and The Tasmanian Devil from A Christmas Story.

NsRFotD: Luke Skywalker was originally going to be named Luke Starkiller, and retained the name up until the film began shooting. Luckily, the name was never mentioned, so it was changed to Skywalker with little effort. Read more Star Wars facts here. 

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 79

It's Thursday!  Only 6 school days left until Winter Break!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin studying The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message, or The Asp Strikes Again from A Christmas Story.

RFotD: Half of the population of the United States lives in just 9 states!  Read all about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 78

Happy Wednesday!  It's early release! Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be visiting the library for the last time this semester. We will also finish Duel in the Snow, or Red Rider Nails the Cleveland Street Kid.  

RFotD: An earthquake on Dec. 16, 1811, caused parts of the Mississippi River to flow backward! Read about this strange occurrence here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 77

Happy Tuesday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.  

Today we will continue with Duel in the Snow, or Red Ryder Nails the Cleveland Street Kid from A Christmas Story. 

RFotD: As you age, your ears and nose both get larger and larger due to gravity.  Read about it here.

Homework:  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 76

Happy Monday!  Please write independently while I take attendance. If you wish you may choose to write to the following prompt:  

You are out Christmas shopping with friends.  While paying for your items, you look over to your friend and they have disappeared! As you are looking for them, you drop your bag and slip of paper falls out.  It's a ransom note.  It is signed "Santa". Write a story about what happens.

Today we will begin our mini unit on the book,  A Christmas Story.

RFotD: Snowflakes aren’t the only form of snow.  Read about it and other snow facts here.

Homework:  Finish and submit your Argumentative Essay.  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 75

Happy Friday! Be sure to do a good job for the sub.  Remember, there's XP to be earned!  Please write independently while the sub takes attendance.  You may choose to work on your essay as well.

Today you will finish your argumentative essay!  Remember, you have access to the Unit 3  Slide Show, to help you with your conclusion and anything else you may need.  Also, don't forget an infographic (if you have time).

RFotD: As of July 2013 Wyoming only has two escalators!  Read about here.

Homework: Finish and submit your argumentative essay.

Day 74

Happy Thursday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be working on our argumentative essay.

RFotD: The boomslang snake’s venom causes you to bleed from all holes in your body.  Read about this dangerous snake here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 73

Happy Wednesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be organizing our information and begin writing the body portion of our argumentative essays.

RFotD: Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine! Read all about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 72

Happy Tuesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin writing our argumentative essays, focusing on the introduction.

RFotD: The world’s oldest piece of chewing gum is over 5,000 years old!  Read more here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 71

Happy Monday!  Only two more Monday's after this on before Winter Break!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin researching your topics for your Argumentative Essay.

RFotD: In honor of National Sock Day, here are some really interesting facts about socks!

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 70

Happy Friday! We finally made it through the week!  Please complete the holiday survey from yesterday, if you weren't able to.  Then write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will change seats! We will also select our topics for the argument essay.

RFotD: Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum! Read about gum's strange history here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 69

Good afternoon! It's Thursday and we're getting close to the weekend.  Please write independently while I take attendance.  You may choose to write to the following prompt if you wish:

You are in class one day reading an article about a historical event and when you read the date on the page you are somehow transported to the time and place of the event!  Write a story about what happens. 

RFotD: There are more mobile phones in the world than there are personal computers!  Check out the infographic about cell phones here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 68

We made it to Wednesday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will practice looking at sections of text and analyzing their parts in the whole.

RFotD: The names of the days of the week are mostly related to mythical gods.  Read each day of the week's name origin here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 67

Happy Tuesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.

We will be making a special trip to the library today.  We will also be looking at how a writer uses certain parts of their text to develop their message.

RFotD: McDonald’s uses about 7% of the potatoes grown in the United States for its French fries. They sell more than 1/3 of all the French fries sold in restaurants in the U.S. each year.  Read more about the glorious french fry here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 66

Welcome back!  I hope that you had a tremendous Thanksgiving Break, and are ready for the final push before Winter Break.  Please check your Reading Log and be sure that it is up to date.  When you have finished, write independently.

Today we will have our big debates: Are athletes overpaid? and Should sugary drinks be labeled?

RFotD: During the Dust Bowl, people sewed clothes out of flour sacks when money was tight. When flour distributors heard about this, they made their bags more colorful so the subsequent clothing would be more attractive.  Read about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 65

Happy Friday! Please get right to your research while I take attendance.

Today we will finish our preparations for our Debate Seminar, which will take place on the Monday that we return from Thanksgiving Break. 

NsRFotD: Male turkeys, also called toms, are the only ones that can gobble. The females, or hens, make clucking or clicking sounds.  Read more interesting Thanksgiving facts here.

Homework: Catch up on any unfinished assessments.  If you are caught up, you have NO HOMEWORK!

Day 64

Happy Thursday! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will take out Spelling Bee pretest and begin our research for our Seminar Debate.

RFotD: The first webcam watched a coffee pot. It allowed researchers at Cambridge to monitor the coffee situation without leaving their desks!  Read about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 63

Happy Wednesday!  We're half-way there!  Please write independently while I take attendance.  You may choose to write to the following prompt:

You are working on your homework one night when as you type, you realize that the words describing what you are thinking about begin to materialize right in front of you as you type (if you type hamburger, a juicy hamburger appears). Write about what happens.

Today we will have our second practice debate! We will also begin the process of choosing topics for our debate assessment.

RFotD: In 1889, the Queen of Italy, Margherita Savoy, ordered the first pizza delivery. Read all about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 62

Happy Tuesday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will have a practice debate in class and read another argument.

RFotD: The average American uses more than 20,000 squares of toilet paper in a year. Read more t.p. facts here.

Homework: Catch up un unfinished/ missing work.  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 61

Well, it's Monday again.  At least we only have a week's worth of class until Thanksgiving Break!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin evaluating arguments to establish a stance on a topic.

NsRFotD: Today is World Kindness Day.  Find out how to honor the day here.

Homework:  Do something kind for someone. Read for 30 minutes.

Day 60

Happy Thriday! This day of the week only comes around once in a while, so savor it! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be tracing arguments and claims to check their validity.

RFotD: The earliest recorded use of the word “weekend” occurred in 1879 in an English magazine called Notes and Queries.  Read about the history of the five-day work week here.

Homework:  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 59

Happy Wednesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.


Today we will be evaluating claims.


RFotD: Because news traveled so slow back then, slaves in Texas didn’t know they were free for more than two months after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Read more here.


Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 58

Happy Tuesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.  You may choose to write from the following prompt:

You and a friend win an all expenses paid trip to Italy!  On the trip, your train to Venice is secretly robbed.  You and your friend must solve the mystery of the robbery.

Today we will continue our work with claims and how to identify them.

RFotD: Ōkunoshima, nicknamed “Rabbit Island,” is home to — brace yourself — hordes of fluffy bunnies.  Read about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 57

Happy Monday! Life returns to normal today, but we only have four days this week! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin Unit 3: The Power of Argument.

NsRFotD: Benjamin Franklin proposed something similar to Daylight Saving Time in a satirical essay in 1784.  Read all about it and other facts about Daylight Saving Time here.

Homework:  Be sure that your Reading Log is up to date and read for 30 minutes.

Day 56

Happy Friday! Today we are on Assembly Schedule so classes are about 20 minutes shorter.  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will work to finish our research essays.

RFotD: Contrary to popular belief there is a word that rhymes with orange: sporange. It means "spore case". Here are some other really fun facts to go with it.

Homework: Finish your research essay. If it's finished, no homework!

Day 55

Happy Thursday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be working on your research essays.

RFotD: Because light takes time to reach us, everything we see is in the past. The sun you can see out of the window is 8 minutes and 20 seconds old. The light from our nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is 4 years old. Read the explanation here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 54

Happy November 1st.  I hope you had a wonderful Halloween evening!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will visit the library and begin work on your research-based essay.

RFotD: If all of the candy corn produced by Brach's Candy Company each year were laid end to end, it would wrap around the Earth more than 4 times!  Read more candy facts here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 53

Happy Halloween!  Please continue your research from yesterday while I take attendance.

Today we will be reading a creepy Halloween Story and doing some spooky writing.

NsRFotD: The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips!  Read more fun facts about Halloween here.

Homework: Have a great Halloween night and stay safe!

Day 52

Happy Spirit week!  There are a lot of exciting things planned!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin work on a mini research paper.

RFotD: The katzenklavier ("cat piano") was a musical instrument made out of cats!  Read more here.

Homework: Finish your assessment from last Friday. Read for 30 minutes.

Day 51

Happy Friday! Be sure to work hard for the sub! Please write independently while the sub takes attendance.

Today you will be taking an assessment about how an author introduces, illustrates and elaborates in a text.  Remember you may use my slideshow, and any notes that you have in Google Keep that you have created.  

RFotD: Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second! Read more interesting pizza facts here.

Homework: Finish your assessment from today and read for 30 minutes.  Also, don't forget to pick up some candy for our Fall Fest activities. 

Day 50

Happy day number 50! It is hard to believe that it has already been 50 days since school started!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be practicing our skills in finding how authors introduce, illustrate and elaborate on topics.

RFotD: According to many language experts, the most difficult kind of phrase to create is a palindrome, a sentence or group of sentences that read the same backward and forward.  Read a list of some good ones here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.  Get candy to bring to your first-hour teacher.

Day 49

Happy Wednesday! We are already halfway through the week!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will look at how authors elaborate in informational texts.

RFotD: A banana "tree" is actually an herb!  Read more here. 

Homework: Finish reading your article from class and read for 30 minutes.

Day 48

It's Tuesday! One week 'til Halloween!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will read a new article will begin the study our final reading standard for this unit:  RI.6.3.   

RFotD: The first food consumed by an American astronaut was applesauce.  Read more about the history of food in space here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 47

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you had a terrific weekend! only 8 days until Halloween!  Please write independently while I take attendance.  You may choose to write to the following prompt:

You wake up in the night to sound of shuffling footsteps outside your bedroom door.  When you get up to investigate, you see a transparent person who looks at you and then disappears.  Write a story about what happens next.

Today we will write an objective summary top go with the central idea response to Malala the Brave.

RFotD: Traffic jams in China can be absolutely epic.  One particularly bad jam lasted a staggering 12 days!  Read more here.

Homework: Finish and turn in missing Probes and Narratives.  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 46

Happy Rocky Top Reads Day!  Please read independently while I take attendance.

Today we will dedicate our class to reading.  We will have guests to visit with and we'll buddy read as well.

NsRFotD: Johannes Gutenberg invented the moveable type printing press.  The device that made it practical for mass production of books.  Read about the printing press here.

Homework:  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 45

Courtesy of Ava Glaza

Happy Thursday to you! Friday is just around the corner!  Please write independently While I take attendance.

Today we will be working on central idea and objective summary.  

RFotD: The Dutch village of Giethoorn has no roads; its buildings are connected entirely by canals and footbridges.  Read more here.

Homework: Make sure your favorite book from when you were younger is ready to come to school tomorrow.  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 44

Happy Wednesday!  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin to put together central idea and objective summary.

RFotD: Hans Langseth is credited with the longest beard in history measuring a whopping 17 feet!  Read more here.

Homework: Locate your favorite book from when you were younger and get it ready to bring to school on Friday.  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 43

Courtesy of Bella Bruntz

It's Tuesday! Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will be practicing our objective summary writing skills.

RFotD:  "Anatidaephobia" is the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you. Read about this unusual fear here.

Homework: Start thinking about the favorite picture book you'd like to bring to class on Friday. Read for 30 minutes.

Day 42

Courtesy of Caden Pyler

Welcome back! I hope that you enjoyed your three-day weekend.  Please write independently while I take attendance.  You may choose to respond to the following prompt:
You and a friend are walking home from school and look in the sky to see an alien spacecraft overhead.  You are immediately beamed aboard the craft.  What happens next?

Today we will finish the process of writing our first objective summary.

RFotD: The Dance Fever of 1518 was a month-long plague of inexplicable dancing in Strasbourg, in which hundreds of people danced for about a month for no apparent reason. Several of them danced themselves to death. Read more here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 41

Courtesy of Kirra Thomas

Happy Thursday-Like-A-Friday!  Please finish any door decorations your started yesterday or write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will begin to look at how to write an objective summary.

RFotD: Bees' honeycomb actually start out round, not as a hexagon! Read more here.

Homework: Feel sorry for Mr. Dees since he has to come to school tomorrow.  Oh, and read for 30 minutes. 😊

Day 40

Happy Wednesday!  Please write while I take attendance.

Today we will visit the library and work on our door decoration for Rocky Top Reads.

RFotD: The northern leopard frog swallows its prey using its eyes — it uses them to help push food down its throat by retracting them into its head. Read more here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 39

Today is Tuesday.  Only 3 more days until your 3 day weekend!  

Today we will finish work on the Anne Frank article and begin looking at objective summaries.

RFotD: They say it is physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. Read about it other "impossibilities" here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 38

Happy snowy Monday!  I hope that your weekend was a fun one.
Here's a prompt you can write to if you'd like:

You and your family are driving in the mountains when a semi truck loses control and knocks your vehicle off of the road.  When you come to, you realize you're the only survivor. Write a story that tells what happens next.

Today we will finish our work on determining the central idea in an informational text.

NsRFotD: About a million billion snowflakes fall each second, averaged over a typical year.  Read more fun snow facts here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes.

Day 37

We finally made it to Friday!It has been a long week, and now we have the weekend to look forward to.  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will refine our skills in determining the central idea of an informational text.

RFotD: The average lifespan of an ancient person was 25 years! Read more about lifespans during different eras here.

Homework:  Read for 30 minutes.

Day 36

It's Thursday. Nothing particularly glamorous about it.  Please write independently while I take attendance.

Today we will continue our work on central idea in informational text.

RFotD: The process by which bread toasts is called the Maillard Reaction.  Read all about it here.

Homework: Read for 30 minutes and talk to your family about The Rocky Top Reads Day on October 20th and fundraiser that goes with it.