In READING students developed their nonfiction reading skills by researching extreme weather events in groups. Then, they practiced publishing their findings by creating presentations that they shared with the whole class. We are taking a break to go back to basics and students are working to increase their independent reading stamina and their stamina when writing about reading. This includes but is not limited to summarizing their text, identifying character traits, making predictions, asking questions, considering characters' thoughts and feelings, envisioning the setting, and understanding the message/theme of the text and how it applies to the world around them. After MCAS we will be moving on to our unit on Historical Fiction Book Clubs.
In WRITING students worked to craft informational texts on topics that are meaningful and interesting to them. Similar to reading, we're taking some time to get back to basics and increase our writing stamina by working on fictional narratives and freewriting.
In SOCIAL STUDIES students learned about different explorers and colonizers during the original age of exploration. They analyzed the causes for exploration and colonization and the impacts on indigenous communities. We then jumped ahead in time to discuss immigration to the United States throughout various points in history. We examined causes for immigration, challenges immigrants faced/face, and contributions immigrants made/make to American culture.
In SCIENCE we have just started our unit on Botany! Students planted seeds and have learned about the parts of a seed. Next week we will discuss different types of seeds and examine different ways they travel.