The giant push for my little ELA department of one every year is Spread the Word. This year presented a new opportunity to create distinct poetry focuses for each grade that were meant to align with both their grade level standards and developmental interests! It was such a gift to find the heart and humor in 5th grade illustrated poetry, find the bridge between art and words in ekphrastic poetry with 6th, find ourselves in 7th grade identity poetry, and find meaning in rhythm in 8th grade sonnets. No matter what each grade studied, a common thread in Spread the Word is always the golden opportunity to see into the minds of middle schoolers. They are creatures often accused of being unknowable, but I would argue they are longing to be known and offering to be known all the time if we just make the space for it. Adolescent vulnerability can sometimes be veiled in awkward gestures, generational trends, jokes, moodiness, and more, but sometimes it comes sailing profoundly towards us in the form of a middle school poetry share. I was personally reminded of the joy, pain, perfection, peace, chaos, beauty, and fun of being “in the middle.” Thank you for supporting the thoughts, feelings, and imaginations of this tender age simply by showing up and listening.
-Ms. Maggie
Upcoming Dates:
- May 14th – Pass It On at 5:00PM (11:30am Dismissal)
ELA: This week in 5th grade, readers asked questions about home, land, and preservation as they were explored in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Students began exploring real acts of preservation as demonstrated by the Charleston Historic Preservation society, navigating as a class through the virtual historic markers on their website! This study allowed us to begin drafting historic markers for sites in our lives that mean something to us. We wondered what spaces in our lives were “story worthy” and how to tell a story to someone 50 years in the future. Students also began their final vocab unit of the year!
Next week, we will finish out novel and historic marker projects. Students will take their vocabulary test on 4/29.
Science: This week in Science, 5th graders continued their exploration of solutions by investigating concentration. Students experimented with varying amounts of orange drink powder in water, observing how changes in quantity affected the strength of the solution. They then applied their math skills to calculate the concentration of a saltwater solution using mass and volume, deepening their understanding of how scientists quantify mixtures.
Next week, students will apply this knowledge to determine the concentration of a mystery solution, using evidence and reasoning to solve a new challenge.
Social Studies: Fifth grade has finished our unit in Asia and will be taking their test on the unit next Friday. We have also worked hard on our research papers, in which they chose a topic they are interested in and will be writing about it from a historical perspective. This is the first time they have ever attempted to write and we will be working on this together in class. They picked really interesting topics and I am looking forward to their papers!
Math: This week in math, 5th graders wrapped up their final unit by reviewing for and taking their unit 8 assessment. This assessment tested their mastery of decimal and fraction operations, powers of 10, understanding volume and area, and so much more! These are all skills that are fundamental for and will be built upon in 6th grade. Next week, they’ll crush their end of year ERB assessments!
