Advisory is the time of the week when the Fifth Grade comes together to do a group activity. Sometimes, it’s a game or project. Sometimes we are preparing a presentation for Middle School Morning Meeting, an assembly, or a class.
No matter what the theme or activity, you can be sure that it is done in the spirit of collaboration. This week in Advisory, students were split into three groups and given the challenge of deciding as a group what 5 essential items would be taken in order to survive a week on an island. Students commented on how difficult it was to let go of their ideas, get other students to listen to their proposals and ultimately to compromise on the list. One student remarked that he had to “remind himself what the point was” of the activity–to accomplish the goal, rather than to get his way. How to listen, make space for others’ ideas and be open to new opinions are all skills that the Fifth Grade continues to develop through Advisory, as well as cooperative learning experiences in History and Math this year.
