ELWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

   The sixth graders have been reviewing essential state standards to make sure they are
ready and confident for the NSCAS test they will be taking. A few topics include box and
whisker plots, histograms, measures of center, and the area of a circle. The class has also been
involved in many activities such as the opportunity to participate in the food drive at the school
and their reading activity. As part of Read Across America, each student in the class read their
three hours, so they were able to attend the movie in Arapahoe with other elementary students.
The students are really engaged with learning when they get to do fun activities like Gimkit,
Prodigy, or Blooket. They also really enjoy activities that allow them to tap into their creative
sides. For example, when they were learning about the area of a circle, they were tasked with
drawing their own pies and then finding the area of the pie that they drew. Sixth Grade Teacher
Bailey Dahlgren said, “It was fun to see what each of them came up with.”
   When the sixth graders have free time the majority of them said that they either hang out
with their friends or play video games. Some even said that they multitask and do both at the
same time! A few other students said they enjoy drawing and reading during their free time. At
school, they mainly work on IXL skills or play educational games like Prodigy, once they have
met their IXL goal for the week.
   At the moment, the sixth graders are trying to master at least five IXL skills during the week.
For the month, their main goal is to master 30 skills by the time they are done with NSCAS
testing. They are also working towards meeting benchmarks on the tests. When it comes time
for MAPS testing, they each have individual goals that they try and achieve in order to keep
them on track.
   This is a class full of creative minds, and if they set their mind to it, they can accomplish just
about anything! It has been so much fun watching them grow and have fun with their education.
I can’t wait to see what they do in the upcoming years!” exclaimed Dahlgren.