Grade 5

The overarching theme of our spring studies in Grade Five is compassion. This topic has woven itself into the fabric of our class–from our advisory discussion about what compassion is and what it can look like both at school and at home to our exploration of the origins of Buddhism and Hinduism, the fifth graders are learning how to express and recognize this important value.

In Advisory, our class raised a myriad questions about the nature of compassion:

• How can we show compassion?
• Can silence be a form of compassion?
• Are people who get paid to do typically “compassionate” jobs like doctors or teachers less compassionate that those people who do an act of compassion voluntarily?
• Is it possible that an act of compassion could be thought by some to be non-compassionate? Is compassion relative? Absolute?

In Advisory, we also learned how Buddhist prayer flags are made, and why they are considered a compassionate act. Students learned about the 2,000 year old tradition of batiking (applying hot wax and dye to fabric) and have begun to create their own prayer flags. Please encourage your student to hang these in a doorway or outside your home to encourage good thoughts and energies to float out in every direction (per tradition).

In History, we have looked at the compassionate practices of both Hinduism and Buddhism. We acted out short skits that I wrote based on the ancient Jataka tales of India which espouse Buddhist values of forgiveness, tolerance and generosity. We learned how mandalas are used in meditation, and created our own.

In Writer’s Workshop, students are currently learning about compassionate historical figures in a group project entitled, “We are the Peacemakers”. They’ve been assigned to one of six peacemakers: the Dalai Lama; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Mother Teresa; Malala Yousafazai; Susan B. Anthony, and Gandhi. We hope to have these projects on display by next week.

Lastly, we’ve been preparing for a Valentines’ Day visit from our “Littles” the PreK/K class by crafting beautiful bookmarks for them; next week, we’ll be working on their valentines.  Each fifth grade will select a book to read to his/her “Little” at that upcoming gathering.

We’ve got many many more activities planned for the next few weeks that all tie into this important concept. Stay tuned for more compassionate adventures!

Enjoy these pictures from our projects and group activities!

Fifth Grade has had a busy month. Here are some of the highlights:

History: We have “wrapped” up our study on Egypt with the 3rd annual Senet tournament. Students created their own Senet boards and learned to play this ancient pastime. Senet was one of the games found in Tut’s tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. And speaking of Tut, students engaged in a collaborative learning experience this month as they learned more about the excavation of Tut’s tomb by researching an aspect of his discovery and creating an informational poster. For a teaching component, the class shared the posters with the 4th grade and engaged in a Q&A session about studying Egypt.

English and Writer’s Workshop:  Good readers make good writers!! This month, our English and Writer’s Workshop periods were somewhat fluid. In WW, we began by investigating compare and contrast models of organization. After writing a group essay comparing cats and dogs, students developed their own essays on a variety of topics. The writing process was scaffolded through the use of graphic organizers and bullet point lists. Students crafted transitions and topic sentences, and provided feedback through a peer edit. As we neared the end of Where the Red Fern Grows, the class began to organize our highlighted and annotated sections around the theme of the dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan. This time, students learned to use index cards as a way to organize examples with page numbers to support their statements and ideas to compare and contrast the dogs. They drafted their papers and learned to summarize, as well as to quote from the book, citing page numbers. Lastly, they added in transition words to make the writing flow and connect all the ideas together.

PTR: The December round of PTR projects was fantastic! Students may begin reading for the next showcase which will be at the end of January. Book selections will be officially due when we return to school, but you can start reading now!

Advisory: This week, we watched a short documentary, The Gnomist, (which you can see on Youtube) and had a discussion of the possible themes of this film. It was refreshing to hear the students realize how each person can play a part, no matter how small, in making the world brighter. Please watch this and discuss with your family. Thanks to Cynthia Wade for bringing it to my attention. What a wonderful story, especially this time of year.

Happy holidays to all of Grade Five!!! Each day I wake up excited to spend the day with these kids, wondering what they will write, what they will create, and how we will manage to fit it all in! Thank you to all the parents for making this year so special. Thanks to the class parents who make all of our holiday events so easy! Enjoy the vacation, and no, you don’t have to sign the planner over break!

Happy Reading!

Fondly,

Jilly