With the storms brewing this past week and the feelings of uncertainty, and maybe even fear, they can bring, I am brought back to the discussion my advisory held a few weeks back. We explored the autumnal equinox and what it entails scientifically – which is often where most people stop. Much like I speak about the “winter arc”, I view the autumnal equinox as a pivotal moment in our year – especially here in Charleston. September is very much a goodbye to the summer (even though it might not feel like it – my glasses fogged up every morning when I left my house), as we dive into earlier nights and chillier temps. This shift in energy feels HUGE for us – as we have seemingly become immune to the morbid heat and humidity the south brings us every summer.
However, the kids and I often talk about how our calendar years feel like they start in August. With a new school year comes new aspirations, hopes, dreams, and goals – and the autumnal equinox is an ideal time to evaluate our goals and their progress, and shift the energy if needed. During this point in the school year, we often fall complacent. Six weeks is enough time to learn the routines and find ourselves coasting along – until we catch ourselves – and now is the time! What habits have we created? Do they align with our goals? What things have we grown this summer? Do they align with our goals? What things can we shed to better align ourselves with our goals?
I did this activity and created a tree in my classroom, where green leaves represent growth, and orange leaves represent sheds. From the kiddos, I noticed hopes of growth in family time, patience, and confidence, while I noted hopes to shed things like screen time, co-dependence, and preconceptions. How awesome is it that our ten-fourteen year olds can identify these things in themselves? Surely, we, adults, can do the same.
I challenge not just myself and the kids, but all of us to use this major shift in our atmosphere – whether it brings on feelings of fear or uncertainty – to help us realign ourselves with what we want. What habits can we nourish, what habits can we shed, and what can we grow instead to help us be the best version of ourselves?
-Allison
ELA- 5th grade essayists worked hard to complete and revise essays this week! They learned the art of editing and warmed up their cursive writing skills just as they began their final, handwritten drafts. We also continued grammar studies of coordinating conjunctions and compound sentences – they will be bring home a study guide that they can review in preparation for their test on 10/8!
Next week, students will be carefully handwriting essays and turning them in on October 8th! Be sure to study for next Wednesday’s grammar test!
Science- This week in science, 5th graders continued exploring topographical maps with a case study of the St. Helens volcanic eruption. Students examined USGS maps of before and after the eruption and created a profile to see how the eruption changed the landform. Students also discussed and explored some ways in which landforms could be changed very rapidly. Next week we will explore rocks and earth materials as natural resources.
Social Studies- Fifth did a fantastic job with learning about the fifty states and enjoyed the songs I played for them! We also worked on learning about the geographical locations and areas important in the United States. Going into next week we will continue with the major geographical features as well as looking into humans role with geography and land use.
Math- This week, 5th grade mathematicians began working on fraction and mixed number multiplication – related this type of math to “¼ of the cake” or “⅗ of 12 miles”, etc. We related this to area models to see the connections with “fraction of a fraction”.
Next week, we’ll work with more generalized fraction multiplication within recipes and distances, including mixed numbers and fractions requiring simplification. We’ll also begin exploring fraction division, and they’ll learn my favorite acronym for math (keep change flip = KCF, which they always inevitably read as Kentucky Fried Chicken. Growing up in the midwest, my heart cringes – but I’d do anything to get them excited about fractions!)
