Students have been working on determining theme (the underlying message or universal lesson an author wants readers to take away), identifying central idea, vocabulary, plot elements, and character traits through small-group and whole-group collaborative discussions while reading short stories and informational texts. Students are also continuing to build our classroom community and practice our PACK agreements.

In science, students have been studying the physics of how light interacts with different types of materials. To study this, students have been investigating the “one way mirror” phenomenon, where depending on which light is on in two rooms, the same material can act as either a mirror or a window. By testing the materials with flashlights and light sensors, and modeling how light interacts with the different materials, students will be able to explain how light transmits, reflects, or refracts. The unit caps off with the class dissecting a cow eyeball so we can study how our eyes work with light and our brains to take in the world around us.