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Academic Update 5/1/17 – Last Month of the School Year

ELA: Students will be wrapping up reading Red Scarf Girl this week. Tomorrow I will be introducing their final project for the novel, something called “Think-Tac-Toe”, where students have 9 options and must choose 3 while completing 1 row on a tic-tac-toe style board. Click here to view a copy of what students will receive, including the rubric for the final assessment. We will then conclude the year by reading passages of Omnivore’s Dilemma, which will allow for integrated discussions with our unit in social studies on food production.

Social Studies: Students entered our final unit of the year last week; we are studying economics and food production through the “Get It!” Heifer curriculum. Students have been looking at 3 different products (bananas, flowers and coffee) to learn more about concepts such as free trade, sustainable farming, child labor and more! They are currently collaborating in class with a partner on designing a flow chart to reflect the process one of the three products we are studying goes through to arrive in our grocery stores. Click here for a copy of the rubric for this assessment. Pairs will jigsaw later this week to have discussions about the similarities and differences that the 3 products go through.

Also, students worked in class to design a “Taste of the World” cookbook; we will now be selling the digital cookbook for $10 to fund-raise throughout the rest of the year. Click here to order – order due by May 31st!

5th Grade Math: Students are spending this week wrapping up their study of decimals with multiplication models and division strategies. At the end of the week, they will take their final assessment for the unit before moving into two studies of geometry through the remainder of the year. We will be working on identifying shapes as well as rays and lines; plus plotting points on coordinate grids and mastering essential vocabulary for both units of study.