Meaghan

= = =6th Grade Jitter Bugs and Worries:=
 * On the first day of 6th grade, I was full of Jitter Bugs and and Stomach Butterflies that caused me to be both excited and worried. I was worried because I did not know if I would like my teachers, If Icould remember let alone open my locker, and I was already worry about if I would fail the grade because it was going to be too hard! But, as I got closer to the middle of the year I was begining to get into the swing of things and decided that there was no possible way I would fail 6th grade if I worked my best and paid attention to what Mrs.Yurconic and Mrs.Fuini-Hetten taught my class mate and I. I have decided that 6th grade is more fun and easy then I imagined on the first day of school!**

=Science:=

This year in science class, Mrs.Fuini-Hetten taught my class mates and me many science subjects. These subjects were as complex as an under water coral reef world to gravity and volume. Being in this years science class helped me to allow myself to view the world differently. Instead of thinking that many of the worlds creatures dont't have relationships with any other species, I have begun to learn that their are many more interactions between many species that we usually don't care to take time and examine. These relationships are called Symbiotic relationships. Though, symbiotic relationships are separated into three subtopics. The first relationship is where the host for the benefitting animal is being injured, this relationship is called a Parasitism relationship. the second relationship is where**
 * //__Viewing the world differently-__//

Learning about the coral reef has made me more interested in the ocean and it's many organisms! When I travel to the beach in the summer, I always try to get my mom to buy me a snorkal so I could examine all of the magnificient organisms that make their homes in the Ocean and coral reef's sandy and shallow waters. While I learned about the coral reef, I had to construct an organism of my choice. I chose the Sea Aneminea! Along with sculpting the choosen creature, I had to write a short summary of it's life![|click here to see a picture of a Sea Anemone in the wild!] Along with being able to create my very own sea creature, I had to create my own Oceans Web Page about the weather conditions the oceans create and experience. **
 * //__Oceanography-__//


 * //__Birds of Prey and Back Oven Knob-__//**
 * In Science class, we learned about many of the birds in Pennsylvania. We learned what there eating habits are, where their habitats are located, and how to identify the different types of birds using their characteristics like the shape of their tail or flying tecniques. We were even able to see some of the birds we had learned about in class when bird experts came to our school and gave us more information about the different kinds of birds using real life examples! My favorite part of this Science topic was going on the Back Oven Knob field trip. Their we traveled to different sights so we could spot the different birds of prey using the many characteristics we had learned in Science class and a pair of binoculars. Luckly our trip was worth while because my class and I discovered and spotted many of the birds of prey we learned about and some knew and non-bird species! Learning about the Birds of Prey and going to Back Oven Knob helped me to take one more step forward to a Bird expert just like the presenters that came to visit my school!**


 * //__Adventure Aquirium-__//**
 * One of my favorite field trips was Adventure Aquirium.This is true because I LOVE animals, so being at this field trip was was sort of like heaven to me! It was amazing the way the sharks and ating rays would swim right above you! The bottom of the sting ray made me believe that it was smiling. Ha Ha! It was upsetting to see that the tough the see the shark and pet the shark exhibit was closed for renevation, but I found plenty of other activities that I could enjoy like seeing the huge hippos and turtles! They were soooo cute! This field trip was an awesome experience! (The food was pretty good too!)**


 * //__Out Door Program-__//**
 * During the Out Door Program, I learned many new things over a time period of 6 days and 6 different teachers set up into either pairs for AM or PM and one teacher for each whole day. On the first day we went to the Fish Hatchery with Mr.Swayer so we could further learn about the Pennsylvanian Trout like the Rainbow Trout. During the afternoon of the first day we learned about Deciduous and Coniverous trees and how to identify the different types of trees using the characteristics of the leaves, with Mrs.Deoliveria's sub. On the second day of the Out Door Program we went to see the history of the Westren Salisbury Church with Mrs.Fuini-Hetten, and in the afternoon we went with both Mrs.Fuini-Hetten and Mrs.Yurconic on a hike to see more historical sights around Salisbury Middle School. During the 3rd day of the Out Door Program, we had a long Study Hall with Mrs.Yurconic and then went to search for Macroinvertebrets in the Little Lehigh with both Mrs.Yurconic and Mrs.Fuini-Hetten. The next week, on the 4th day, we had Mrs.Deolivaria for a compass course in the morning, and we had Mr.Swayer and Mr.Beil for the afternoon activities. The activities were the making Slime activity, the Bear and food activity, and the Balloon activity. Those were all really fun! On the entire 5th day, we went on a hike through the forest examinig much of the wildlife and historical sites, like the Spring and the Lime Kilm, with Mrs.Klinger and Mrs.B. On the last day of the Out Door Program we learned about about different topics that mainly had to do with sprinting ad jumping. We learned how hard it would be to run without having a few of your body oarts like your ears, and we also jumped woth weights so we could tell if it would be easier to jump with or without weights. As you can see, I learned about many new and interesting topics in the Out Door Program that may help me throughout my life when least expected! I loved this Program!!!**

=Vocab:=


 * In vocab we learned many MANY new and higher level words like pantomime, amble, and submissive. Learning these words made my parents commend me when I would use one of these words in every day sentences. Hearing these compliments made me feel really proud of myself. In the begging of the year Mrs. Fuini-Hetten said that we would be able to remember each and every one of our vocab words and we would be able to use them in public. In the beginning of the year I did Doubt what she had said, but by now I do know mostly all of the words and I do use them In real life conversations! WOW!!! I did it!**

= =

= = =Reading=

In reading class, we worked on lit-circles which is where you read a book and then discuss it in a group. My favorite Lit-circle book was WANTED!!! It was about a girl named Alexis who is accused of committing the murder of her father whom she loved! It seems like every one is after her and no one is on her side. Her mom trys to coax her tocome home, but alexis knows that there is no turning back now she has gone to far with this excaping thing. When I would start to read this book It seemed like there was no putting it down. Well, I guess you could say WANTED is an Action-packed Thiller that can, and will knock your socks off if read! I REALLY enjoyed reading it!!!
 * //__Lit Circles-__//

//__Book Reports-__// In reading/English classes we also work on individual projects called book projects. Book Projects are where we get about a month to read a book out of a certian genre, like sci-fi for instance, and you have to complete a project that protans to the read book. My teacher is the one who chooses the book's genre and the project that we have to complete! My favorite book project was Fantasy because I was able to read a book out of a series that I really enjoy! The book was titled __The Valley of Thorns.__ I was about a girl named alexa who sets out on a quest to free a few of her kidnapped friends, and to stop an evil doer from harming anyone else besides the ogars (once giants). Along the way, Alexa meets and is protected by many animals and humans who become her friends. I loved this book, but since it was a longer book, I had to use the different reading strategies like making text to self, world, or text to text connections, I had to make predictions, and I also had to preform many different reading strategies so I could completely understand and enjoy the bok from its front to its back cover! **

For all of the reading projects we created, we had to complete a computer test called Reading Counts. Reading count is a school computer progream that gives you a series of questions that protain to your book. There are usually only 10 questions in each quiz. I you get at least 7 questions right you pass the quiz! (yeah!) But, if you get 6 or less wrong, you haveFAILED the quiz! (BooHoo!)**
 * //__Reading Counts-__//

= = = =**//__English:__//**=

Throughout this year, we have written numerous Essays. A good amount of thoses stories fell along the lines of Persuasive Essays. Persuasive essays are written to persuade your reader(s) to belive in your opinion about a subject or you want your reader(s) to do something for you are for something you got to or to change your school's lunch menu. In persuasive essays, you want to use Ethos, Pathos, Nomos, and Logos. These are key components in your essay if you really want to persuay your reader(s). Click here to see one of my persuasive essays!! This year I believe that I have surtently become a better writer. I belive I am a better writer for many reasons one of my main reasons is that Mrs.Fuini-Hetten has taught me how to use stronger vocabulary so I can express my fellings and opinions in a stronger and more educated way so my reader(s) will take my opinions and feellings more seriously! I believe that is very iomportant. Another reason I believe I have become a better writer is because of the feedback I have recieved from Mrs.Fuini-hetten and my fellow students. Though the feddback is not always "excellent", I always like to think that if you do not discover your mistakes, you will never improve! So, these are the reasons that helped me to become a better writer! Click on Violent Video Games to view one of my persuasive essays!**
 * //__Writing-__//

I have better learned how to orally speak infront of a crowed throughout 6th grade. I believe this is because I have presented so many projects and book reports that I have gotten a lot of feedback. So, I was able to fix my mistakes which allowed me to recieve better grades due to less mistakes. As you can probally tell, I have become a better oral speaker due to all of the great mistake feedback I have recieved!**
 * //__Oral Presentations-__//

I have learned many new and exciting technological skills in all of my classes, including English. I have learned how to use Power Point through all of my presentations and book reports, Photo Story during my creation of the vocab Photo Story, and I have also learned how to create my very own Web Page while I was learning about the oceans in Science class with Mrs.Fuini-Hetten. As you can see, I have learned many new Technological skill that I will carry through my life!**
 * //__Technological Skills Developed-__//



=**Math:**=

This year in math class, Mrs.Yurconic taught my class and me many new and exciting math concepts and methods of learning and studying! A few of the math concepts we learned were are formulas like base mutiplied by height divided by two for triangles, How to easily find the LCM (least common multiple) and the GCF (greatest common factor) using an upside down L, and how discover the Prime factors of a number using the Prime Factorization Tree. As you can see Mrs.Yurconic helped my class and me to learn many new math concepts in a fun, entertaining, and kid friendly way!
 * //__Skills developed-__//

//__Final Math Project-__// Our last math project, luckly, consisted of fun, art, and math! In Mrs.Yurconic's math class, we get to express our talents freely through our final math project. In our final math project we had to think of how 5-7 different math concepts relate to an activity, most likely a sport. The activity/sport that I choose was basketball. I choose basketball because it is my favorite sport and, when you really think about it, basketball relates to mathe in many ways! Five ways basketball relates to basketball is that the basketball you play with is a sphere so to find its "circumference, diameter, or radius you have to use math formulas like pie multiplied by the balls diameter equals the basketball's circumference. My other connections were perimeter/area, frations, ratios, and shapes. As you can tell, basketball relates to math in many ways!**

=Social Studies:=

This year in Social Studies, my class mates and I learned about many ancient civilizations and what makes a civilization a civilization. Below is a web describing what makes a civilization a civilization.
 * //__Civilizations-__//



//__My Favorite Civilization-__// My favorite civilization that I learned about in Social Studies is the Greek Civilization. My favorite civilization is the Greek Civilization because I enjoy learning about the different Greek Gods and Goddesses from their religion. I found it interesting that the Greeks created different Gods and Goddesses for the different parts and actions of their every day lives. That is why Greece is my favorite civilization.**

=//__End of the year Blues (Cry Cry)-__//=
 * It is now the end of my 6th grade school year and and as you can probally tell, my class and I went on many field trips and learned a lot during the time we spent in the class to our many field trips. Even though I want summer to finally come inside I don't want it to come because that would mean that my fun 6th grade year would come to and END too! I will miss all of my awesome teachers and the enjoyable projects and time we had spent with them! I appreciate all that they and my parents have done to get me through this year with I smile from ear to ear. Over the summer, I will __not__ miss the school work but I //__Will__// miss the friends I have and the friends I have made! I will bring the knowledge and learning/studying tecniques I have learned I my classes with me to 7th grade and throughout my whole life! Thank you for all of the support you have given me and I will absolutly miss 6th grade!**


 * I am both happy and sad at the sam time!!!**