We sprung forward last Sunday…we will fall back again in November. Why? Why do we still change our clocks for daylight savings? Does more light keep us safer? Prompt us to buy more? Conserve energy? Do we need more daylight to make it to Starbucks with more light in the morning?
A hypothesis about daylight savings…
The “Hamster Wheel Theory!”
The Hamster Wheel Theory is based on the condition we can slip into as humans where we lose relationship to context. Have we been springing forward in March for so long that we just do it? If so, what else do we humans condition ourselves into doing throughout the year? While we ponder this theory (with our Starbucks in less morning light), we know we made it into the part of the year that the human construct has deemed “normal time.” What is “normal?” That is for another newsletter! Cheers to springing forward!
-LD
Math:
This week, 5th graders dove into unit 7 by exploring the coordinate plane and different shapes we might see on it. We also took our ERB milestone this week! The milestone will help guide me in knowing what skills (test taking or math-related) we need to review before the real deal in May. Next week, we’ll learn how to classify and sort quadrilaterals and triangles.
ELA:
5th grade Shakespeareans continued their read through A Midsummer Night’s Dream this week and studied the various adaptation styles on stage and screen. Poets finished their sonnets rough drafts – playing with figurative language in the third quatrain and staying true to rigid syllable rules. They also began a new vocabulary study, with a test planned for 3/19.
Next week, 5th grade poets will finish A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They will also use their developing cursive skills to transcribe their sonnets by the due date on 3/21. We will enjoy the reading of these sonnets aloud at High Falutin Coffee on April 9th at 5pm – be sure to mark your calendars!
Social Studies:
Fifth grade has done well with its work on Latin and South America. Once we complete this unit, students will be able to work on their first research paper in social studies. This paper will be on a subject that relates to the United States from a list of over one hundred topics I have shared with them. These range from people, to events and places. This will be a great introduction to historical papers for them and will be done mainly in class.
Science:
Fifth graders started their chemistry unit this week! They explored the states of matter experimenting with dry ice and water. They were able to see evaporation, sublimation, condensation, freezing and melting while having fun! The fifth graders also learned about the periodic table this week! They have all chosen one lament that they want to learn more about. They started their interactive periodic table that they will continue to collaborate and finish for the remainder of the Chemistry study.
Important Dates:
March 15th – TCS Spring Gala & Auction
March 31st-April 4th – Spring Break
Upcoming Assessments and Deadlines:
Math Quiz 3/19
Sonnet due date 3/21
Math Test 3/27
