Our Communi ti es,

Our Stori es
A Carter/Baughman/Cuez 6th Grade Collaboration





Driving Questions
How have my stories defined me?
How has my family history defined me?
How has the San Diego community taken shape over the years?
How can we use statistics to understand a community?

Project Overview
Welcome to our first project of the year! Students will be looking at two key aspects in this project-
Our Communities and Our Stories. Within looking at Our Stories, students will be examining themselves,
their lives, and their own personal stories. Through this self-reflection, and reading the novel Bud, Not Buddy,
students will produce a personal narrative writing highlighting one of the most significant moments of their life.
The second aspect of Our Stories, will be looking at family history. Through interviews and research, students
will discover their familys migration pattern and key aspects that make their family, and themselves, unique. In
addition students will be able to visualize their community and recognize the cultural diversity that we are all a
part of..
In examining Our Communities, students will look at the history of San Diego neighborhoods, key
San Diego landmarks, San Diego habitats, and the Naval Training Center, home of the High Tech Village. This
study will include reading and research, field trips to Cabrillo National Monument and around NTC, and a visit
from a Kumeyaay elder.


Products
Interactive Community Map:
! Students will create three writing prices that will become markers on an interactive map of San Diego
County; all three writings will be in a digital flipbook format.
" San Diego Neighborhood/ Landmark
" San Diego Habitat
" Personal Narrative
! Students will create a Digital Family Tree that will represent four aspect of their family: ancestry and
migration pattern, youth,

Project Timeline (8 weeks)
Week 1: August 25- 29 ! Begin Bud, Not Buddy
! Begin study of NTC, Naval Training Center
Week 2: September 2-5 ! Selection of Historical Neighborhood/ Landmark
! Modeled Study of NTC and Write Up
! Writings to Brainstorm Personal Narratives
Week 3: September 8-12 ! Ecosystem & Local Habitat Research
! Drafting Personal Narrative
! Begin Historical Research
Week 4: September 15-19 ! San Diego History: Kumeyaay and Cabrillo Research
! Cabrillo Field Trip
! Analyzing San Diego Statistics
! Critiquing Personal Narratives
! Drafting Historical Pieces
Week 5: September 22-26 ! Native Plant/Animal Field Guide Writing
! Finalizing Personal Narratives
! Critiquing Historical Pieces
! Finish Bud, Not Buddy
Week 6: September 29- October 3 ! Finishing Historical Pieces
! Creating Flipbooks
! Begin study on human impact on ecosystems
Week 7: October 6-10 ! Creating Interactive Map
! Reflecting on Project Work
Week 8: October 13-17 ! 6th Grade Exhibition Night: Wednesday October 15th 6-
7pm






Essential Skills

Writing:
Research Cycle- Question, Sources, Gather Information, Synthesize, Report
Informational Writing- Animals/Habitats and Landmarks/Neighborhoods
Writing Process- Brainstorm, Plan, Draft, Critique, Revision, publishing
Personal Narrative Writing
Persuasive Writing- Based on novel Bud, Not Buddy- Life Rules to Survive or Thrive?

Reading:
Reading Non-Fiction- Understanding and Analysis, Uncovering Important Information to Answer Inquiry
Questions
Reading Fiction- Bud, Not Buddy- Character, Story Arc, Theme, Visualize, Predict, Infer, Question, Connection

Math:
Reading, understanding, and analyzing statistics

Science:
Understanding of local ecosystems/habitats, biodiversity, various Earth cycles (including the the nitrogen cycle
and water cycle) and the human impact on our natural resources

Multimedia:
Digital storytelling, animation
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Student Signature: _______________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ________________________________________________