We are in the flow, being productive, and feeling groovy. This honeymoon is over folks. Routines are established, now just being practiced, soon to be muscle memory. Introductory lessons are over and the curriculum is on the minds of students and teachers. Having a fresh mind that was able to rest and recover from mental fatigue over the summer provides the perfect platform for these first few weeks of school to be super productive, once we feel that flowy groove that we remember from last school year.
This second week of school, we have watched students excited to be presented with new material, challenging themselves, and pumped to start new projects. The momentum will ebb and flow, but we are definitely taking advantage of this time and getting STUFF done!
~LD
Math:
Last week, we began with creating a definition for volume and exploring three-dimensional shapes. We used unit cubes to help us visualize volume, and we’ll relate volume to multiplication. Next week, we’ll begin creating and using expressions to find different volumes.
ELA:
This week in ELA, 5th grade readers reflected on what their reading goals would be for the new school year and developed plans to reach them. We began the novel Hello, Universe challenging ourselves to write enthusiastically about our reading with charts, journal entries, maps, and sketches. In civil discourse, 5th graders learned the research behind the benefits of “admitting when you are wrong” and discussed how to approach arguments without a sense of “who will win.”
Next week, readers will use their reading notes to begin developing analytical ideas and theories about characters and themes. Civil Discourse classes will encourage students to self-identify to remind one another of our own humanity and then enter into our first “low stakes” conversations.
Social Studies:
This is going to be an exciting year in social studies! We will begin our subject matter for fifth grade this Monday, which is world geography. We begin with the Western Hemisphere and will be going over maps, their types, functions and how to use them to help guide us through our study of the Western Hemisphere.
Science:
Fifth graders contemplated the importance of maps and why we use them. They started to design a map of their neighborhood, thinking about important landmarks in relation to their house. The fifth graders also made air trolleys, racing them across the playground, to practice engineering procedures that will help them this year. Next week, they will rock into geology and consider where soil comes from.
Important Dates:
September 2nd – Labor Day
September 4th – MS Curriculum Night (5:30pm)
September 7th – Family Fun Night @ The Charleston Battery
