This week, learners will continue revising and editing their informational writing drafts in Google Docs. By the end of the week, learners will have their published writing pieces ready to share at our publishing party next week.
Driving question: How can we, as anthropologists, celebrate and teach others about the diversity of countries and cultures in South American and Africa?
This week, learners will begin drafting their informational writing for their assigned country, using their research from last week. Mini lessons this week include: writing a strong introduction, organizing body paragraphs, using transitional words/phrases, and including writing strategies that make their writing more engaging.
Driving question: How can we, as anthropologists, celebrate and teach others about the diversity of countries and cultures in South American and Africa?
This week, learners will continue researching for their informational writing on their assigned country. Learners have chosen 4, 5, or 6 topics about their country's culture to research and write about for their Global Studies "Cultural Library" project, where learners will create a book for their country in Google Slides.
Learners have finished CAASPP testing in humanities! We will continue with our regular curriculum this week.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the countries and cultures of Nigeria and South Africa. These will be the final countries we will learn about together as a class. Then, learners will be assigned one of the countries we have studied, and will begin researching for their informational writing.
This week, learners will take the two ELA CAASPP tests in humanities. We will have a modified schedule with longer blocks for testing. When they are not testing, we will continue our regular humanities curriculum.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the country and culture of Ghana. Learners will watch video clips, read an informational text, and identify the main idea and supporting details in the text. Learners will also have a mini project where they will choose a Ghanian Adinkra symbol that represents them, illustrate the symbol, and write a reflection on why they connect to that symbol. Adinkra symbols are what we use for our nine Nea principles, although there are many more beyond the main nine symbols we use in our community.
Welcome back!
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the countries and cultures of Sudan and Senegal. For Sudan, learners will take notes while watching videos and reading information texts. Then, learners will use their notes to write a journal entry, as if they are visiting Khartoum (or another Sudanese city). For Senegal, learners will visit stations on various aspects of Senegalese culture and read informational texts and respond to comprehension questions.
We will also have another practice session for CAASPP. Learners do not need to do anything to prepare for this. We have these practice sessions to help learners feel more comfortable with the format of the test and the types of questions they will be asked. CAASPP testing will take place during the next two weeks.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the countries and cultures of Ethiopia and Eritrea. For Ethiopia, learners will take notes while watching videos and reading information texts. Then, learners will use their notes to write a journal entry, as if they are visiting Addis Ababa (or another Ethiopia city). Learners will repeat this process for our exploration of Eritrea.
We will also have our second test practice session for CAASPP. Learners do not need to do anything to prepare for this. We have these practice sessions to help learners feel more comfortable with the format of the test and the types of questions they will be asked. CAASPP testing will take place later this trimester.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
We continue our Global Studies unit and move on to exploring the continent of Africa. This week, learners will dive into the countries and cultures of Egypt and Morocco. We will start with a reflective activity about stereotypes and the language we use when describing a country/culture/group of people. Following this, learners will categorize and take notes while watching videos and reading informational texts about life in modern Egypt. Then, learners will use their notes to write a postcard, as if they are visiting Cairo (or another Egyptian city). Learners will repeat this process for our exploration of Morocco.
We will also have our first test practice session for CAASPP. Learners do not need to do anything to prepare for this. We have these practice sessions to help learners feel more comfortable with the format of the test and the types of questions they will be asked. CAASPP testing will take place later this trimester.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the countries and cultures of Peru and Brazil. For Peru, learners will watch clips of a Peruvian food documentary, take notes, and summarize their learning. Learners will also read informational text about Peruvian holidays and compare and contrast those with the holidays they celebrate. For Brazil, learners will use maps to engage in geography activities, watch videos and take notes to compare and contrast a kid's life in Brazil and their life in the U.S., and explore various aspects of Brazilian culture through station activities.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
This week, we continue our Global Studies unit with an exploration of the countries and cultures of Argentina and Peru. For Argentina, learners will read an informational text and identify the main idea and supporting details, engage in vocabulary activities with a text about Argentinian culture, and take notes on videos and readings to compare and contrast the life of a kid in Argentina with their life in the United States. For Peru, learners will again practice reading an informational text and identifying the main idea and supporting details.
Driving question: Who is in our global community?
Welcome back! This week we start our Global Studies unit, which is our final unit in humanities. Throughout the next few months, learners will explore countries and cultures in continents of South America and Africa. This unit culminates with each learner researching, organizing, and crafting an informational writing piece on one of the countries. This week, we will begin by labeling the countries we'll be studying on a map, and then explore the geography, diversity, food, and culture of Colombia.
Driving question: How could we change the Bill of Rights to reflect life in the United States today? What Bill of Rights amendment(s) should we repeal or propose?
This week, learners will wrap up final drafts their opinion essay that responses to the driving question. Guided writing lessons this week include: using a checklist to revise, quoting research, and final editing for punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Learners will also reflect on a mentor opinion text and use it as a guide for their own opinion writing. We will have a publishing party on Friday to celebrate learners' hard work and share their published writing pieces!
Driving question: How could we change the Bill of Rights to reflect life in the United States today? What Bill of Rights amendment(s) should we repeal or propose?
This week, learners will continue drafting their opinion essay that responses to the driving question. Guided writing lessons this week include: connecting evidence, reasons, and thesis, using transitional phrases, and writing a strong conclusion and call to action to wrap up their essay. Learners will also reflect on a mentor opinion text and use it as a guide for their own opinion writing.
Driving question: How could we change the Bill of Rights to reflect life in the United States today? What Bill of Rights amendment(s) should we repeal or propose?
This week, learners will use their notes and reflections from the past two weeks to identify an existing amendment that should be changed or repealed and/or propose a new amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Learners will outline their opinion essay using the boxes and bullets method. Then, learners will use their outline to begin drafting their opinion essay. Guided writing lessons this week include: writing a strong introduction and organizing each body paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting details. Learners will also reflect on a mentor opinion text and use it as a guide for their own opinion writing.
Driving question: How could we change the Bill of Rights to reflect life in the United States today? What Bill of Rights amendment(s) should we repeal or propose?
This week, learners will continue to apply their general background knowledge of the Bill of Rights to dive deeper into each amendment. Learners will read informational articles about the 5th, 8th, and 10th Amendments and take notes in an organizer to prepare them for writing an opinion piece that responds to the driving questions. Learners will also in engage in reading and reflecting about the Equal Rights Amendment and other proposed amendments that have not been ratified.
Driving question: How could we change the Bill of Rights to reflect life in the United States today? What Bill of Rights amendment(s) should we repeal or propose?
This week, learners will apply their general background knowledge of the Bill of Rights to dive deeper into each amendment. Learners will read informational articles about the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Amendments and take notes in an organizer to prepare them for writing an opinion piece that responds to the driving questions.
Driving question: How is the development of the U.S. government and Constitution connected to equality and inequality in the U.S. today?
This week, learners will continue building background knowledge about the U.S. Constitution and federal government, specifically the Bill of Rights. Learners will read informational articles about the Bill of Rights and identify the main idea and supporting details in each article. They will also explore scenarios connected to the Bill of Rights to determine whether an individual's rights were respected. Finally, learners will reflect on their opinion perspective/connections to each right in the Bill of Rights.
Welcome back!
Driving question: How is the development of the U.S. government and Constitution connected to equality and inequality in the U.S. today?
This week, learners will begin the first steps of their next project with building background knowledge about the U.S. Constitution and federal government. Learners will engage with an informational reading to examine key vocabulary and respond to questions about the U.S. Constitution. Then, learners will do some self-directed exploration of a resource of their choice to further their knowledge about the U.S. Constitution.
Please visit Virtual Expo Night on Thursday evening (12/16) this week!
Driving question: How can we, as youth activists, advocate for social justice issues through poetry and art?
This week, learners will choose one of their poem drafts to publish and either create a final draft by hand or on the computer. Learners will also illustrate the final draft of their poems.
Driving question: How can we, as youth activists, advocate for social justice issues through poetry and art?
This week, we will continue our social justice movements unit. Learners will reflect on social justice movement(s)/issue(s) that are important to them, and convey with their perspective/connection to this issue through poetry. We will read mentor poems from the book "No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History" and explore different types of poetry, including cinquains, concrete poems, tankas, ballads, and free verse poems. Learners will draft multiple poems about their choice of social justice movement/issue and choose one of their poem drafts to publish next week.
Welcome back from Fall Break!
Driving question: How can we, as youth activists, advocate for social justice issues through poetry and art?
This week, we will continue our social justice movements unit, focusing on the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement and Disability Rights Movement. Learners will engage with informational videos and text and reflect on their learning through a KWL (Know, Want to Learn, Learned) chart for each movement.
Driving question: How can we, as youth activists, advocate for social justice issues through poetry and art?
This week, we will continue our social justice movements unit, focusing on the Women's Suffrage Movement and Women's March. Learners will engage with informational videos, text, and vocabulary.
Driving question: How can we, as youth activists, advocate for social justice issues through poetry and art?
This week, we will transition to a social studies unit that focuses on social justice movements in the United States, both past and present. Each week, learners will explore two social justice movements to build background information, before choosing one movement/issue and express their perspective through poetry and/or art. This week, we will continue learning about the Civil Rights Movement (focusing on lesser known leaders and activists) as well as the Black Lives Matter movement.
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, we will read the Chapters 13-15 of the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class. Learners will engage in discussions, reading comprehension, reflections, vocabulary, and social studies work about the Civil Rights Movement. We will wrap up our novel study this week and also watch the movie adaptation of the book.
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, we will read the Chapters 10-12 of the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class. Learners will engage in discussions, reading comprehension, reflections, vocabulary, and social studies work about the March on Washington (1963) and the connection between the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter movement today.
Welcome back!
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, we will read the Chapters 7-9 of the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class. Learners will engage in discussions, reading comprehension, reflections, vocabulary, and social studies work about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama.
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, we will read the Chapters 4-6 of the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class. Learners will engage in discussions, reading comprehension, reflections, vocabulary, and social studies work connected to the novel.
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, we will read the Chapters 1-3 of the novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class. Learners will engage in discussions, reading comprehension, reflections, vocabulary, and social studies work connected to the novel.
Driving question: What can we learn about identities and experiences of people of color in the United States? How can we use mirrors, windows, and blindspots to reflect on these identities and experiences in literature?
This week, learners will have a publishing party in class on Tuesday to share their published stories and celebrate their hard work.
We will begin a new reading unit this week that will continue for the rest of Trimester 1. Learners will read the novel The Watson Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis as a whole class and engage in discussions and activities to explore the social and historical context, reading comprehension, and vocabulary work connected to the novel. This week, learners delve into pre-reading activities to build background knowledge about the Civil Rights movement.
Driving question: How can we, as authors, share stories about identity?
This week, learners will finish editing and revising their narrative stories on Google Docs. Writers Workshop will focus on punctuation and revising their writing using the narrative writing checklist. We will have a publishing party in class on Friday or Monday to share their published stories and celebrate their hard work.
Reading Workshop will focus on integration of ideas, with learners exploring how the illustrations in a mentor text adds to their understanding of the story. Our mentor text this week is Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai.
Driving question: How can we, as authors, share stories about identity?
This week, learners will continue drafting and/or revising and begin typing one of their narrative stories in a Google Doc. Writers Workshop will focus on writing a strong ending, revising to make writing more powerful, building engagement by telling a story bit-by-bit, and using a narrative writing editing checklist to self-assess writing. Reading Workshop will focus on craft and structure, with learners exploring how a mentor author connects their story ending to other scenes in the story. Our mentor text this week is The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation by Alice B. McGinty.
Driving question: How can we, as authors, share stories about identity?
This week, learners will choose one of their narrative stories to continue writing and/or begin revising. Writers Workshop will focus on mapping the internal story arc, telling a story from inside it, and elaboration strategies. Reading Workshop will focus on including specific details from a text to support their response to comprehension questions. Our mentor text this week is Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney.
This week, learners will continue working on narratives that connect to one or more of their personal identities. Learners may be writing a true story, fictional story, or a story that mixes true events and fictional aspects in a narrative style of their choice (chapter book, picture book, graphic novel, or a combination). Writers Workshop will focus on strategies to brainstorm ideas for stories, main events/story structure, and narrative leads/introductions. Reading Workshop will focus on identifying and outline main events in a mentor text.
This will be learners' last week of rotation! This week, we will continue (and finish) reading A Long Walk to Water as a class. Learners will engage in class discussions, and respond to comprehension questions that focus on the use of figurative language, structure of the chapters, and character development in the novel.
This week, learners will wrap up their scary story writing with final edits and revisions, and we will celebrate learners' hard work with a publishing party.
For the next week and a half, learners will engage in a class read of A Long Walk to Water. Before reading, learners will reflect on their background knowledge of Sudan and South Sudan from our Global Studies Unit, which we will be building on throughout the novel. Learners will reflect on the plot and social/historical/political context of the novel (based on a true story) through discussion, vocabulary study, and comprehension questions.
This week, learners will continue typing the final draft of their scary stories. Mini lessons will focus on using a checklist to support revision, adding figurative language to create vivid imagery, editing for commas and punctuation, and a review of elaboration strategies. We will continue reading mentor texts of different types of scary stories (scary fractured fairy tales, scary stories around the world, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) to support learners' development of their original scary stories.
On Monday, learners will take the first portion of the ELA state tests. Due to the testing schedule, fifth graders will not have humanities on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, we will continue our work with scary story mentor texts with an inquiry into scary stories around the world. On Friday, learners will complete the second part of the ELA state test.
This week, learners will engage in the drafting process for their scary stories. Mini lessons will focus on writing a strong lead to hook the reader, elaborating on the most important/suspenseful parts of the story, correctly paragraphing writing, and writing a powerful ending. We will continue reading short stories from the mentor text Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and reflecting on elements the author uses in their scary stories.
This week, learners will publish their writing piece for their trimester 3 interdisciplinary project - Everybody Moves! Learners will complete final edits and revisions on Monday. We are looking forward to fifth grade writers sharing their essays with the kindergarten classes on Friday, 4/26! On Tuesday, we will begin our long-awaited scary story narrative writing unit. Learners will read mentor texts, examining what makes the stories engaging and suspenseful. We will then begin the brainstorming process, planning story elements and mapping out main characters.
This week, learners will continue their writing piece for their trimester 3 interdisciplinary project - Everybody Moves! Learners will finish drafting their writing piece in Google Docs. Mini lessons will focus on proving by showing, elaboration prompts to further thinking, including text evidence, and writing powerful conclusions.
Welcome back! Learners will do final edits and revisions to their First Amendment opinion pieces, and then we will celebrate their hard work with a publishing party.
The second half of the week, we will begin a new writing piece for learners' trimester 3 interdisciplinary project - Everybody Moves! Learners will plan and begin drafting an opinion piece responding to the driving question: Why is physical exercise important?
This week, learners will wrap up the first drafts of their First Amendment opinion pieces and begin typing their final drafts. Mini lessons will focus on writing a strong conclusion, editing for punctuation, and using a checklist to self-assess writing.
Learners who do not finish their published writing on Friday will need to finish over spring break.
This week, learners will draft their opinion piece of the First Amendment, using their notes from last week to support their response to the driving question: What is the most important freedom listed in the First Amendment? Mini lessons will focus on planning their writing use the boxes and bullets system, writing a powerful introduction, including a topic sentence in each paragraph, supporting their claim with evidence/quotations, and crafting a counterargument.