ANNOUNCEMENTS
Grade 5
TED Talks The fifth grade TD classes worked for several weeks on studying global issues. Students them benefited from the TED ED curriculum and learned to create a TED Talk or inspirational speech about their global issue. The students did an outstanding job of writing and presenting their TED Talk. The 30 best talks were digitally recorded and will be submitted to TED for consideration of publication. Reading The students continue their study of Latin Stems. This curriculum teaches students the most common prefixes, affixes, and roots that are used in academic studies. During practice, students work on analogies using new vocabulary words that build critical literacy skills necessary for academic success in middle and high school. Students also have been working on antonyms, snynonyms, and translating their new vocabulary into "everyday" language. In addition to our montly vocaculary curriculum, the students spent time investigating the concepts of cultural and historical context. The classroom and TD teachers worked closely together to have student select a text and explore the relevance of the cultural and historical perspectives contained within. The students created an oral presentation and a character sketch to their peers to convey historical and cultural clues. The sketches for Mrs. Sternberg and Mrs. Butler's classes are posted in the fifth grade Google Classroom for TD. Please ask your child if you would like to see them! We wrapped up the quarter with the study of poetry featuring Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Shadow." Students learned about the literal and more contextual meanings of poetry. In addition, we studied the mechanics or structure of poetry. Finally, we investigated the inclusion of figurative language within the text. Students will need this type of study to prepare them for middle and high school studies. Math During math, the TD and classroom teachers collaborated on a real-world math project. Students applied their knowledge and skills related to Cartesian planes, budgeting, menu planning, decimals, fractions, and marketing proposals in order to run a small event planning business. The students really enjoyed working with one another and the final proposals were outstanding. Grade 4 Math Recently, students worked with fractions. We introduced Funky Fractions which gave them ways to look at fractions in history and as part of real-world today. Students have worked on several fraction projects this quarter. For example, some students worked on a budget for the NC State Fair, applying math skils to a real-world dilemma. Selecting the rides for the fair and learning to budget for the fair was a highlight. Other students worked on global issues to practice their fraction and decimal skills. Mrs. Murrer's class enjoyed the project entitled, "What if the World Was a 100 Person Village." Students learned about global issues while converting census data into fractions, decimals, and percents. Mr. Deegan's class had a challenging math experience working with the Ididarod. Having to plan for their own sled team required students to apply many of their math skills. Earlier in the semster, students studied symmmetry and the Cartesian Plane. Students integrated art and mathematics to learn about the concepts of symmetrical shames and plotting points on a plane. Below are pictures of the art work that students created through the application of mathematical knowledge and skills. Reading The students continue their study of Latin Stems. This curriculum teaches students the most common prefixes, affixes, and roots that are used in academic studies. During practice, students work on analogies using new vocabulary words that build critical literacy skills necessary for academic success in middle and high school. Students also have been working on antonyms, snynonyms, and translating their new vocabulary into "everyday" language. Mrs. Murer and Mr. Deegan's classes also studied the Hero Project as part of their differentiated reading experiences this quarter. Students studied song lyrics, pictures of historical events, and poetry to determine the archetype of a hero. Students then used Hilda Taba's Concept Development strategy to create generalizations about what it means to be a hero. It is important that students discover the meaning of concepts such as heroism rather than be shown what it means. The students enjoyed the analyzing pictures and texts in order to explore heroism. We will wrap up the unit by asking students to reflect on everyday heroes, including those found in their own lives! Finally, the fourth grade classes studied the Power of Light, a short story about two young people who escape a Ghetto in Poland. The students participated in a socratic discussion of the text. Their understanding of symbolism and imagery was evidence of their deep and complex exploration of the text. In addition, we completed a comprehensive literature web of the story in order to enhance our understanding of meaning of the story and the author's purpose for writing this particular piece of work. These lessons were tied closely to the independent reading that the students completed with historical novels. Their choices also took place during the WWII era. Grade 3 Math This quarter we have been working on a variety of math topics. Students have been involved in a series of projects that have supported students in applying their math knowledge and skills to everyday real-world math problems and situations. Mrs. Long, Asseff, and Ms. Gilbert's classes worked on a project entitled, The Design Firm. Students worked in small groups that simulated small businesses. As in the real world, students operated design firms and prepared proposals for "potential clients." The students were presented with new clients each week. Their work involved applying their study of geometry to real world applications such as architecture, landscaping, and other careers that involve designing structures in every home or community. Students are ending the quarter with another math project. Students are using measurement skills in addition to averaging and doubling concepts to create a life-sized Yeti. The students are basing the Yeti on the average third grader's size. This involves applying measurement, statistics, and multiplication. The final products will be hung at school for other students to witness. Reading Based on recent assessment information, the TD and classroom teachers worked closely together to proivde students enrichment in basic literacy skills critical to advanced learning. Students worked on making inferences, developing main idea, using illustrations to enhance textual understanding and more. The students worked hard to develop expert skills in literacy to boost their vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. More recently, students are practicing the Socratic seminar in order to understand the deeper meanings and complexities of any piece of literature. Students wrote their own questions and practiced the seminar with an advanced text called "Shells." Students have continued their use of the Socratic discussion with non-fiction texts such as biographies. These skills will carry them through their collegiate studies. Grade 2 Math For much of this quarter students have been learning about repeated addition and multiplication. In particular, we have worked on various levels of word problems to put their skills to practice in real-world contexts. Students worked with measurements, money, and a variety of other types of word problems. Many of the problems were at a very advanced level and students were very successful. Finally, students also worked with measurement. The students moved about the classroom learning about measurement tools, units for reporting measures, and conversion strategies. The students enjoyed applying measurement to the context of their everyday lives. Reading Students began the quarter by studying how fiction and non-fiction compare and contrast. Students learned worked with two books, Amazing Grace and the Story of Ruby Bridges, to compare the same time period and cultural contexts in a fiction versus non-fiction text. Students were fascinated with the two stories about the US Civil Rights movements regarding two children their ages. We had thoughtful discussions and learned a lot about how the two accounts of the same time period were similar and different. Recently, students have been working on building strong, advanced literacy skills. This quarter, students worked on developing an understanding of the moral of the story and main idea. Students read advanced texts and practiced multiple strategies for practicing each skill. Students worked closely with non-fiction and fiction texts to develop skill proficiency. In particular, students responded well to the fables used to discuss morals.
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