ELA Update
On Monday we went over our P&P and discussed the novel, as per usual. There are lots of predictions flying around about how things will end up for our characters! Even reluctant readers early on in the book are finding it irresistible to weigh in on the fate of our characters by this point in the story! On Tuesday and Wednesday we used a webquest document to learn about the Salem Witch trials and the history of the idiom “a witch hunt” as it applies to the book and what happens to Kit when she is accused of being a witch. Spoiler alert! She’s not a witch! And everything ends up okay! On Thursday we began to focus on our character analysis project by choosing our character and brainstorming what traits they exhibit throughout the novel that made them appeal to us. We will consider our character’s values, accomplishments, goals, beliefs, virtues, vices, and more as we create posters about our selected characters.
Math Update
It was an exciting week in math class. Both groups participated in this activity Ms. Lorrie invented called “Riddle Race” (It’s not really a race–that’s just a catchy name leftover from an advertising degree! haha!) The kids work through challenging math problems in small collaborative groups. When they have agreed on a solution, they come to the ‘checking station’ to confirm. A correct solution gives them a cryptic letter. When all letters are accrued, they receive a strange riddle to decipher. It really depends on the kids whether this activity is a hit or not, and it was really exciting to see BOTH classes EAT it up! The math was tough and the resilience was high–it was so cool to watch them power through! Year 1 kids learned about decimals–starting with concrete models, of course!–to the hundredths. Year 2 kids polished up their adding/subtracting/multiplying decimals skills. Next week, we’ll move into prime numbers. Let’s just say a few Lite Brights have been procured to help make our factorization unit a little more artsy!
Theme Update
On Monday we finished up some of our branches of government work from last week and began filling out our applications for one of the three branches. On Tuesday and Wednesday we learned about important amendments that have been passed to the constitution: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and The Voting Rights Act of 1965. We explored a timeline of the history of voting rights in the United States and also learned about things like the poll tax, literacy tests, and other items that prevented black people and women from voting. We read two different sections from the literacy tests used in 1965 and took note of the major differences between them and learned about the suffragette movement. We explored a timeline of the history of voting rights and also talked about the activism that played a huge role in achieving these rights. This will all come in handy next week as we explore the 2024 election and the wonderful opportunity we have to vote and make decisions about our democracy! On Thursday we skipped Theme to enjoy some well-earned class rewards with popsicles and an auction after Shipe Park day. It is a Gamma tradition to take the afternoon on Shipe park day to revel in all of our hard work with an auction!
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