Weekly Objectives for 4/27/15 - 5/1/15

Overview - The NYS Exams are now a thing of the past. We are ready to move on and jump into our next major project.  Over the next couple of weeks, the entire sixth grade will begin the "Ramp - Up" process.  During this time we will begin to expose students to our over all theme: "Rescue Bots."  Students will learn about Natural Disasters and their impact on our societies.  They will also learn about a new generation of robots being created to assist rescue workers when these disasters strike.  In each room, teachers have created lessons centered around these general themes. Our intentions are to flood their brains with as much information about these two topics as possible.  After the two weeks are up, we are hoping that the students will be able to make an informative decision as to which job they would like to apply for during the project.  We will have the jobs and their descriptions posted soon.  We will also have a description of the project for the parents in the near future.

Monday - 4/27/15 -
       Today in class we broke into groups of four  and discussed what our "Ramp-Up" week would entail.  Students are going to be challenged to produce "Emergency News Bulletins" that focus on preliminary warnings, in-process warnings and aftermath warnings.  Our hope is that they will pick up valuable research skills, strong writing abilities, and confidence with their speaking capabilities during their presentations.  We will provide more information as the week unfolds.

Tuesday - 4/28/15 - 
       The students worked in groups researching various aspects of Natural Disasters.  They are being challenged to produce (3) News Bulletins that will be read to the general public.  Each news bulletin must have information about the Natural Disaster and any safety precautions that need to be taken.  The three pieces will be broken into a pre-disaster warning, in-the-disaster warning, and post-disaster warning.  They bulletins must be filled with straight facts and useful information.
       The students are expected to use credible sources and provide information stating where they pulled their info from.  In addition to completing these bulletins, the groups are also responsible for designing a Natural Disaster Warning Poster for their selected disaster.  The groups are expected to share their work in a presentation in front of the class.  Additional credit will be given to the groups that also produce a video warning on YouTube.

Wednesday - 4/29/15
       The groups are deep into their research.  At the end of class today, we expect all research to be completed and also would like to see the groups begin their bulletins.  The students are required to bring in (1) poster board per group.  The board will be used for their Natural Disaster Warning poster.