I can't believe the school year is almost over! Despite the warming weather, 5th grade will continue working hard right up until the last day of school. We are in the home stretch and working on some exciting projects.
In math, we are culminating a year's worth of study with an integrated math and science project. Students are studying and measuring solar energy with daily science experiments to lead them towards the eventual design of their solar house. Please stop by on project night to take a look at their process and ask questions about what they've learned so far about solar energy. For more information about solar power, please visit http://www.need.org/solar. In addition to this project, students are reviewing the concepts taught this year -- particularly multiplication, division, and fraction operations.
Our final book of the year is Julius Caesar. Students will learn how to interpret Shakespearean language and study the plot development and historical implications of this classic. They will spend lots of time reading the text aloud and discussing in both formal Socratic Seminars and informal discussions, as well as completing quickwrites about their thinking.
As we approach the final days of the school year, students apply their research, writing, technology, and historical thinking skills to study a Civil War soldier. Students select a solider from online archives which have only recently become available. They then craft a short research paper (one or two pages) and a presentation for the class. All students will receive a copy of each other's research papers to compile into a folder, and they will leave 5th grade with a class book of everyone's soldier. For more complete information about the project, please read the assignment sheet here.
As you can see, our work in 5th grade has become very integrated, with most assignments touching more than one subject. Learning across disciplines allows students to challenge themselves in multiple curricular areas at once and prepares them for 21st century life.
