Beech Springs Intermediate School    2016-2017

    "Let's get the juices flowing & the dendrites growing!"

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    Mrs. Gilbert loves fishing!
    Welcome to My 6th Grade Classroom!
        I am so excited about teaching at Beech Springs Intermediate School! I am looking forward to another great year.  My hope is to encourage my students to be excited and enthusiastic about becoming better readers.  My goal is to not only prepare them for the 7th grade, but to develop a love for reading that will result in each of them becoming lifelong readers & learners.  My desire is for each student to be challenged, engaged, and successful.  My wish is that each student will grow and learn in a classroom where they feel wanted, safe, and loved!
                                                                                 Mrs. Gilbert

            "Encourage your kids because you have no idea what they are truly capable of.”                                                                                                                                             ~Unknown~
    SOCIAL STUDIES
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    We started our unit on Mesoamerica before Spring Break.  Our study will be of the Mayan, Aztec, & Inca native tribes in Central America & South America.  The kids are already loving it because two of our tribes practiced human sacrifice & of course, most love anything gross.  This is a fascinating study of peoples from long ago & how they built their empire. The Aztec built their empire on a swampy island while the Inca built their secret place high above the Andes Mountains.  The Incas were master builders who created beautiful stonework with no mortar.  We only have 2 more units after this one!

    ELA
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    The big idea for Unit 6 is empathy.  Students will read texts that have to deal with problems or issues in society & then try to place themselves "in the shoes" of others to develop empathy.  One of the main areas we will cover is an author's craft. We will begin to examine various texts to study an author's word choice, viewpoint, & structure of the text. This is our next to the last unit!

    dr. seuss day at the beech

    We have had a week of celebrating "Read Across America" which not only promotes reading, but celebrates the life & work of Dr. Seuss in children's literature. Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, was an American author who wrote more than 60 children's books who died in 1991.  Each year, schools across America celebrate his life & contributions to children's literature. This year, the kids got to make & eat truffula trees. The trees were marshmallows dipped in chocolate & then covered in sprinkles...YUMMY! Then there were stations where they could take photos, do a team project, & a quiz to see how much they knew about Dr. Seuss. Here are some pictures of our day & there are even more in the photo gallery.
    DATES TO REMEMBER
    4/14 - D.R. Hill field trip
    4/18 - Muffins for Moms - 7:15am
    4/23 - Chorus concert 6pm
    4/26 - Family STEM Night 5:30-7:30
    4/27 - Progress Reports Issued
    5/4 - Field Day
    5/8 - 5/10 SC Pass Testing
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    discovery place

    We had a great time at the Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC. The kids got to explore the rainforest, take a peek at Da Vinci's inventions, view the animals in the aquarium, & try out all kinds of neat gadgets including a bed of nails.  We then went to the mall for lunch.  Some of us got to enjoy our lunch outside on the beautiful spring afternoon. Below are some pictures & there are more in the photo gallery.

    debate time

    The students got to try out their skills in debating.  I know most of them love to argue about somethings so this was not such a stretch for them.  The hard part was researching the topic so they had facts to argue their point.  Then we also had to learn proper etiquette in how to debate such as not talking over each other, no name calling, & only presenting facts to support our opinions.  The groups did such a great job.  Our debate topic was: Should schools allow cell phones? One side argued for the phone usage & the other side argued against it.

    book club celebration!

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    The book club, A Wrinkle in Time, celebrated finishing the book by going to see the movie.  What a great time we had! The movie as even in 3D!