Photo by Patti Donnelly
We began our 6th grade year going to Camp Cheerio in Glade Valley, North Carolina. What was your favorite experience there? Did you learn something about yourself while you were there?
In Language Arts class we made brains that represented us. This is my brain and this is what I like and like to do. We also hade to make a Life List. A Life List is a list of things that we want to do over our whole life. My Life List mostly has things that are to do with sports. My brain also has a lot of sports in it because I like sports. In my whole life I hope to complete everything on my Life List.
In Language Arts Class we have been working on a project where we draw a brain and write down experiences we had in 6th grade. We could also write things that happened outside of school in sixth grade in our brain. The most important thing on my brain is family. My family is what makes me keep on going.
In my 6th grade experience I had lots of fun, I learned lots of things, and I studied. The best thing that I have done in 6th grade is having lunch because I get a break from all of my classes and I get to talk to all of my friends and hang out. I think next year I am going to miss all of my teachers from 6th grade because they all affected part of my life.
In Language Arts class we are using a great program named Membean. This program helps everyone in the class with their spelling and vocabulary. There are several things it does. It teaches you new words, the definition for those words, and how the word is broken up. At the beginning of the year, I was not very good at Membean, but as I kept using it I got better and better. Membean is really easy to use and I think all teachers should get an account for their students.
At the school I go to we are assigned an iPad for the whole year, I use my ipad in all of my classes but I use it the most in Language Arts. In Language Arts we use the iPads for Membean, writing down homework, writing, blogging and some people read on their iPad.
The iPads also help me in other classes. For instance, in French if Mme. E asks use to look up a word in French, everyone in the class will use them to look it up. Overall, I think that the iPads helped my learning.
To wrap up the school year, I’d like to write this blog post on my sixth grade year. It has been a blast! There would be too much I would have to write to tell you about the entire school year, but I’ll tell you about the major events and highlights.
It started off with Cheerio, the camp that everyone was ecstatic about going to. I had an amazing time getting to know my classmates and participating in cool things, like zip lining. Another thing I remember around that time was getting elected as a 6th grade representative for student council. I had been elected for the same position in 5th grade, but I was still very excited to be chosen by my peers. Then came Christmas break…yes! I was so looking forward to this well deserved break since the beginning of winter. I was very happy and grateful for all of the gifts I received, but was ready to see my friends again. The next major event was my 12th birthday. I threw a party at my Gigi’s lake house with some close friends and had an amazing time. After that, my soccer team won the Julian Brown Memorial Cup and the Seaside Classic Tournament. Next, the event I had been looking forward to the whole year. The end of the year school dance!! I had been planning it in student council and was very excited. That Friday came around and I had the best time. Ever. I danced the whole night with my friends to my favorite songs! That dance ended the 6th grade school year on an amazing note!
Sixth grade has probably been my most enjoyable and I will never forget it!
As we have progressed through the iPad experience, I have a new mindset about the iPads. I have realized that they are a privilege and we are lucky to have them. Although sometimes they have glitches, they have allowed us to discover new ways of learning. For example, the iPads have allowed us to access new apps and websites in a jiffy. Especially in Language Arts class. We have used so many apps and websites that have helped us through this experience a bunch. I think that the iPads have benefitted my sixth grade year way more than it didn’t and I’m so lucky to have had the chance to participate in this program.
This year at Durham Academy, every middle school student received an iPad. I think one of the ultimate goals of the school was to go completely paperless. This goal was not met. I am not saying that the iPads were a bad thing; they were amazing; a great help in studying and checking homework. It’s just that the iPads didn’t lessen the weight of our books, it increased it. The Otter Box that the iPads are in weighed too much. Not all textbooks were online, and those that were required Adobe Flash.
Despite all of these complaints, the good outweighs the bad (as it always should). I use the iPad in every class. I use it to check homework, and to study for quizzes. The iPad is much lighter than a computer (even with the Otter Box), and much easier to carry. Even though Adobe and Apple don’t agree (no Flash), most Internet things can still be done, with the exception of blocked sites. Looking back on the year, I realize that he iPads were a wonderful gift, and that we are lucky to have them
To finish off the year, in Language Arts class we had to draw a brain with different sections that were going through our head throughout the year. You could make your brain however you wanted to. This year was a lot of fun! From Camp Cheerio to our first end of the year dance. Besides all the many tests and quizzes that we had to have to be prepared for seventh grade, this year was pretty easy and fun. I developed new friendships and made my old friendships stronger. I have learned a lot this year and I can’t wait for seventh grade and all the many challenges that it might bring! Have a great summer!
In Language Arts we created a representation of our brain, it shows the things that go on in our brain and what we think about. In my brain, family and school are my biggest things that go on. My family is really important to me and school is too. I love to hangout with all my cousins, my brother and my sister.
This brain describes what goes on in my head. I also put my Life List in my brain drawing to show what I want to accomplish. Around the edge of my brain is everything that is important to me. I really liked drawing my brain because I got create what is in my mind and it is really cool seeing everyone’s drawing of what they think their brain looks like.