Wow! We have had cabin fever, so having some new events and units in our schedule will help keep us from going too stir crazy. First, we got out some more board games and activities to do when we have indoor recess, including a parachute, which was great fun to play with in the hallway.
We are also bringing some teachers into the classroom from the outside world. Officer Tamborelli, the Mom of one of our fifth grade students, is also the DARE officer for the Ithaca City Police Department. She is coming in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach us decision-making skills, especially around peer pressure and tough choices. Students have workbooks and work in the class - which may be done as homework or during morning or RTI (extra) time. Students will culminate the program by writing an essay.
Stephen Anderson collaborated with poet Sarah Wolff to get an IPEI grant to do a special literacy project in each of the 5th grades. The project is titled "All Of Us Singing". Its aim is to enrich our student's literary lives through poetry. Ten workshops with the talented poet Sarah Wolff will culminate with students creating a published piece of poetry and a community reading of their poem. Today was our second session, and we wrote transformation poems based on the work of international poets.
We have begun new reading groups based on the books Bud, Not Buddy, Maniac Magee, and The Great Gilly Hopkins. All three realistic fiction books feature young people searching for a place to call home.
OUr writing unit is on argument-based opinion essays. OUr first experience in the unit is to research and come up with an opinion about whether the school should serve chocolate milk. Children are taking notes on materials both for and against the ban.
In Science, we are studying Simple Machines. Our next long-term project will be to study a scientist or inventor, and either create a Rube Goldberg machine using simple machines, or design an invention to solve a problem or perform a task (this does not have to work, but should be a unique idea). Details will come home next week.
Survival kit projects are due on Thursday. Please do not bring them in early. Thank you. Students will begin oral presentations of their projects next Monday. We'll pick presentation dates tomorrow.
We are also bringing some teachers into the classroom from the outside world. Officer Tamborelli, the Mom of one of our fifth grade students, is also the DARE officer for the Ithaca City Police Department. She is coming in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach us decision-making skills, especially around peer pressure and tough choices. Students have workbooks and work in the class - which may be done as homework or during morning or RTI (extra) time. Students will culminate the program by writing an essay.
Stephen Anderson collaborated with poet Sarah Wolff to get an IPEI grant to do a special literacy project in each of the 5th grades. The project is titled "All Of Us Singing". Its aim is to enrich our student's literary lives through poetry. Ten workshops with the talented poet Sarah Wolff will culminate with students creating a published piece of poetry and a community reading of their poem. Today was our second session, and we wrote transformation poems based on the work of international poets.
We have begun new reading groups based on the books Bud, Not Buddy, Maniac Magee, and The Great Gilly Hopkins. All three realistic fiction books feature young people searching for a place to call home.
OUr writing unit is on argument-based opinion essays. OUr first experience in the unit is to research and come up with an opinion about whether the school should serve chocolate milk. Children are taking notes on materials both for and against the ban.
In Science, we are studying Simple Machines. Our next long-term project will be to study a scientist or inventor, and either create a Rube Goldberg machine using simple machines, or design an invention to solve a problem or perform a task (this does not have to work, but should be a unique idea). Details will come home next week.
Survival kit projects are due on Thursday. Please do not bring them in early. Thank you. Students will begin oral presentations of their projects next Monday. We'll pick presentation dates tomorrow.