Grade 5

Fifth Grade is well-rested and ready to gear up for our final trimester! Here’s an update on what we are up to in the Peterson Hall Penthouse!

History: We have begun an exploration of ancient Greece.   We’ve been looking at Mediterranean geography,  learning about the Greek alphabet and its influence on the Latin alphabet, and exploring the relationships among the Greek city states, as well as the wars between Greece and Persia. Now, that we are heading towards our civilization finale on April 28th, each student will be creating a development piece of his/her choice as a final project due on April 24.  We hope you will join us on Friday, April 28 from 2:10-2:50 for the event in the gym.

Writer’s Workshop: In WW, we’ve wrapped up our study of the Word Choice trait, and are now delving into how good writers develop Sentence Fluency in their writing. In upcoming weeks, students will be writing powerful poetry and getting cozy with  clauses…This week we also will be taking the standardized WrAP exam. Please be sure your student has a substantial breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thank you!

Math: We begin a new unit in math this week which will introduce the metric system, as well as perimeter and area of polygons. Please encourage your student to use the home math book as a resource for clarification and review. There are corresponding page numbers at the bottom of almost every homework assignment.

English: In conjunction with our study of ancient Greece, we are reading and discussing D’aulaire’s Greek Myths. Students will begin a creative project on a Greek god or goddess by the end of the week.

Please enjoy the slideshow below to see pictures of the wrapping of the chicken mummies, our trip to Kripalu, and our baking adventures prior to Spring Break.

Click here to see the slideshow

Looking forward to seeing you on April 28th!

Fondly,

Jilly

Fifth grade is ready to take a little bit of a breather this week, heading up to the March break. With the upper school students away on trips, our class will be enjoying a field trip to Kripalu this week, along with a few surprises. Last Thursday, our class presented three of the Jataka Tales, Buddhist stories that date from 300-400 BC. Thank you to the parents who joined us for this special performance. It was so much fun to see this group showcase their creativity and sense of humor in their interpretations of the stories.

Here’s a brief update on our academic endeavors:

History: Our study of the early peoples of the Mediterranean region took us to Phoenicia, Crete (to the capital of the Minoan civilization) and to mainland Greece (to visit the Mycenaeans). We explored the development of these groups, their legacy, as well as the theories to their demise. Students tried their hand at painting on wet plaster in the style of the Minoans. Another highlight was doing an in-class (non-traditional) reading of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Currently, we are exploring creation myths from various cultures in order to be inspired in our writing of our own creation myths for the year-long civilization project.

Math: We are still investigating how fractions can be used with the four basic operations. This week, we also began to review the use of fractions in linear measurement. Students will be learning how to multiply and divide fractions this week, as well as using fractions in practical every-day  applications.

English/Writer’s Workshop:Our reading of Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Single Shard, has taken us to 10th century Korea. This novel centers on the life of a potter and the process of creating ceramics, which students have begun to participate in now that they are taking ceramics with Ben Evans. In order to connect with this creative process, in Writer’s Workshop we have been considering how to break down a complex task into written manageable steps. Students brainstormed ideas, and are now in the process of crafting their process essays. Topics range from how to use scissors, how cross a city street safely…and (don’t be surprised) how to give a hedgehog a bath.

Helpful hints:

• PTR projects are due April 1st. Please encourage your child to complete his book over break.
• Field trip to Kripalu is Thursday. If you did not fill out a permission slip already, please find one in your child’s planner.
• Please be sure to let me know if your child is leaving early for the break.
• A huge thank you to all the parents who are sending in fruit! A big shout out to Kristen who has been sending in strawberries, bananas and clementines each Thursday for a few weeks now.

Thank you for all your support,

Jilly

This week in Fifth Grade, we transitioned to an exploration of Word Choice. This is the third of 6 traits of good writers which are the cornerstone of our Writer’s Workshop in Grade Five. Each unit of study is comprised of myriad activities and mini-lessons that are grouped around one of the 6 traits: organization, ideas, word choice. sentences fluency, voice and conventions.

Using Vicky Cobb’s picture book, Blood and Gore Like You’ve Never Seen, students took a closer look at the scientific definitions and vivid lexical choices that the author uses to bring her story of the human body come alive. Students worked in pairs to create a flyer highlighting a specific body system or part, extracting passages from the book that they felt were especially descriptive, and adding in artistic flourishes and humor.

Next, in order to demonstrate the importance of selecting words carefully, student participated in a block challenge. Two students were placed with a border between them (we used an easel stand) so that they could not see each other, but could hear teach other. Students were given an identical set of wooden building blocks of various shapes and colors. One student was instructed to build a sculpture or tower out of his blocks, and as he constructed it, to instruct the other student. Upon completion of the second student’s tower, we removed the barrier so that the class could view the results of the “good communication”—two radically distinctly composed towers. This led to a lively discussion about how important it is to say what you mean and mean what you say! Students noted the importance of precise descriptions in order to carry out the task successfully. Next week, we will use these two mini-lessons as scaffolding for some writing exercises that focus on word choice!

Math

We are more than halfway through Chapter 7, and are working with concepts relating to mixed numbers and fractions. Students have been practicing converting from one form to the other, noting the use of inverse operations. At the end of the week, we began to take a closer look at the way percent relates to fractions and decimals. We will be finishing up Chapter 7 this week.

History

We used our history classes this week to review for the test on India, Hinduism and Buddhism. Students worked in groups to generate notes for the essay that compares these two religions, and many wrote practice essays to show me. Some students have offered their suggestions for making flashcards and review guides.

Our class has decided to put on a play, based on the ancient Buddhist stories called the Jataka Tales. They have begun to learn their lines, and will be preparing for a performance in early March. Stay tuned for the date and time! We plan to invite you, as well as some of the other grades. This week, students will begin to create their religions for their year-long civilization project.

On Wednesday, students tried their hand at a 2,000 year old Indian art called batiking.. This process uses a layer of hot wax on fabric which is then covered with dye, creating a resist. The wax in then removed (by me with an iron!). Each student created a small square that will be part of a prayer flag for our class to hang at the end of the year, as well as a tapestry to hang at home.

English:

Many students were surprised by the ending of our book, Bridge to Terabithia, and had the opportunity to respond in their reading journals. Next week, they will be taking a short assessment on the book, as well as beginning to write an essay. We will also begin a short unit on Creation Myths from various cultures.

Thanks for your all your support!

Jilly

Helpful hints:

• PTR is due March 1.
• Trip to Kripalu is March 16. Please send in $20 cash when you can.
• Don’t forget snowpants, hats, gloves and boots!
• Valentines Day is Tuesday!
• Please have your student review his/her 12s if necessary. A few kids are still rusty on these!

This week, Fifth Grade explored diversity through the lense of social activism. In History, students participated in a weeklong project called “We are the Peacemakers.” In pairs, they researched a famous activist (Rosa Parks, Elie Wiesel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman) and created an informational poster to present to the class. They also reflected in writing on their person’s contributions to a peaceful society, and the process of learning about these activists.

Our diversity studies also focused on the present, as we met an activist of their own generation, Malala Youfsafzai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Together we shared and discussed the young readers’ edition of “I am Malala”. Next week, we plan to watch the National Geographic video, “He Named Me Malala.”

In conjunction with our study of Hinduism and ancient India, on Wednesday, Preeti Kedia visited our classroom to answer our questions about the religion.  Mrs. Kedia, a Pittsfield resident and former BCD parent, came to the US in 1994. We enjoyed learning more about Hinduism, and Indian culture.

In Advisory, we looked at the role that music can play in heightening social awareness. Lenny Kravitz grew up in a bi-racial and bi-religious household in the 1970s. Through watching his video, “Black and White America”, the class learned about how his parents defied social norms in the 1960s, and were able to encourage him to pursue his talents and celebrate his heritage. This talented musician who plays all of the instruments found in his music, is also an actor and peace activist. David Bowie, who died just last year, left a legacy that spanned decades and like Kravitz, he incorporated many types of music influences into his work. We viewed the video, “Space Oddity”, as well as lots of photos of Bowie over the years. Many found his sense of style provocative which facilitated a positive conversation about stereotypes and expectations about gender and appearance. Both Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie have used their music as a platform for a message of diversity.

It is my hope that families will continue to discuss diversity week at home. Our classroom was rich in discussion of those we studied, and hopefully it can inspire our kids to make a difference in the world by continuing to be curious and have a voice.