A few weeks back, we had a Middle School Morning Meeting about how much time we have left in the year, which at the time was 50-some days. As we returned from Spring Break, we were all feeling a little shocked when we realized that number was now down in the thirties, and all felt the same little spark to put our heads down, buckle up, and finish strong together. The last two months in the Cooper Middle School tend to fly by – Spread the Word, class trips, graduation, and other exciting happenings throw a wrench in our regular schedule that makes time pass before our eyes. As excited as I’m sure we all are for summer, I hope we use this new post-SB refreshed mindset to not only power through the last 7 weeks of school, but really be present and appreciate the fun we’re about to have!
Upcoming Dates:
- April 22nd – No After School
- April 22nd Art Night from 5:30-6:30pm
- May 14th – Pass It On at 5:00PM (11:30am Dismissal)
ELA: This week in 5th grade ELA, amidst heavy preparations for Spread the Word, 5th grade readers were still able to commit fully to a deep reading of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Students explored examples of dialect and symbolism in the novel, wondering how these stylistic choices enhance our reading and understanding of characters. We continued to practice writing mechanics through dictation, with a test on Friday. Be sure to inquire about their final grades.
Next week, 5th grade will continue Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry while connecting their reading to a project in historic preservation. We will start our last vocab unit of the year, as well!
Science: This week in Science, 5th graders explored how to create and separate both wet and dry mixtures. Students used scales to determine the mass of a given volume of water, applying this knowledge to create solutions with intention and precision.
They were then challenged to separate unknown mixtures using a variety of materials. Putting on their engineering caps, students designed and tested their own separation methods, discovering how properties like particle size can guide the choice of filters and how evaporation can be used to separate dissolved substances.
Next week, students will build on this work by exploring the concentration of solutions, continuing to deepen their understanding of how substances interact and can be manipulated.
Social Studies: Fifth grade has finished our unit on the continent of Asia. They did a fantastic job with this unit, learning about the rich cultures, history and geography of the continent, as well as the issues they are facing today. Next week we will start wrapping up and getting ready for their test. We will also begin to get ready for their first ever research paper! They will be able to choose their own topic to research on a historical topic.
Math: This week in math, 5th graders wrapped up their final unit of 5th grade math with some more fraction and decimal review, and explored creating some engaging math questions of their own. Next week, they’ll take their unit 8 assessment, which will assess their mastery of most of the concepts we’ve learned this year – fractions, decimals, multi-digit operations, area and volume, and graphing coordinates. They received a study guide this week, and we’ll review it on Tuesday!
