Welcome to (or back to) the middle. Middle school will always have those classic stereotypes weighing it down whenever we think deeply about this time – awkwardness, experimentation, identity, socializing, moodiness, physical growth (or lack thereof). The image in my head is of some Buster Keaton type with his legs painfully split between two moving cars in a wacky silent film – trying to jump the gap, a little stuck, kinda funny, difficult. We met as a whole middle school for the first time this Wednesday, and it felt like the best place to start was addressing the elephant in the (middle) of the room. We talked about being ourselves, even when we are not sure who that is yet. More importantly, we talked about allowing others to experiment, change, and grow without judgement.
We watched a short news report about a cute 3rd grade boy who wore brightly colored suits to school. His peers eventually joined him in wearing fancy clothes on what they called “Dapper Wednesdays.” Instead of judging, the children applauded and even took part in this show of individualism…. Then I brought it up: Could this same cute story be possible in middle school? Our highly empathetic hawks did a great job of discussing why this might be a hard story to live out in the middle, how this time can turn down our confidence, turn up our judgement. We spoke on ways we could make more space for folks to experiment, grow, or change without fear. I have to say, it is easy for most of our students to be both accepting and themselves. It’s one of our strengths here at TCS. However, no student body is perfect, and every year is a new opportunity to be reminded of the unique opportunity that “the middle” presents. May this be a year of trying, failing, growing, and finding our best selves, knowing we’ve got an outstanding community to cheer us on.
-MK
Upcoming Dates:
- 7th Grade Off Campus – Wednesday, August 26
- Labor Day (No School) – Monday, September 7
- Cooper Cluster Lunch – Wednesday, September 9th
- Middle School Curriculum Night – Wednesday, September 9th 5:30-6:30
Fifth Grade
ELA: This week in 5th grade ELA, we opened our first class novel, Hello,Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly, and considered how to read deeply by writing about reading in our beloved reader’s and writer’s notebooks. We adopted new strategies to make inferences about characters and trace multiple complex character arcs. Readers also considered our essential question carefully each time we read: How do you overcome your inner critic? This question will fuel our reading for the whole unit! 5th graders also began their Unit 1 vocab study, with their first test scheduled for Thursday, 8/27.
Next week, readers will explore character point of views and how they can shape a story. Be sure to utilize the flashcards we made in class, including roots/stems cards, to prepare for next week’s test!
Science: This week in Science, 5th graders were introduced to C-E-R (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning), an important tool for supporting scientific claims with reliable evidence and clear reasoning. Students also began our chemistry unit by diving into mixtures and solutions. 5th graders explored how different mixtures can be created and separated and discovered what makes a solution unique.
Next week, students will be introduced to our Charleston Water Filtration Project and take a field trip to Mount Pleasant Waterworks. They will continue investigating methods for separating mixtures while beginning to connect their classroom learning to the systems that help provide clean water to our community.
Look out for a reminder email to families whose permission slips are still outstanding.
Social Studies: Fifth grade has had a great start to the year! We have begun our first unit on basic geographical concepts and the five themes of geography! Next week we will start working on our first project in which the students will be working together to create our version of a world map. Through collaboration and our study of maps they will reproduce the map onto a large canvas to show their understanding of the world!
Math: This week in 5th grade math, we practiced our routines of utilizing planners, accessing Google Calendar, and organizing our materials before we dove head first into our first unit! We defined volume, used unit cubes to visualize volume, and debated what “bigger” really means. Next week, we’ll develop a formula for finding the volume of rectangular and compound prisms. We’ll practice this (along with our multiplication skills) a TON next week before our first assessment!
