We started the dream homework presentations with great excitement and passion on Monday. It is clear how well students understood their subject matter and were able to adapt when they ran into some challenges. Here is a quick summary of what we are doing in class: Literacy: -Weekly exercises in peer editing and proofreading their own work. Daily spelling and bi-weekly vocabulary exercises. -Reading and interpreting poems by Langston Hughes. Using what they learned the first half of this year when we studied the experiences of African-Americans from the triangular trade to the Civil Rights movement, each student will write their own poem incorporating Hughes' style as well as events, experiences, and emotions. -Next week, I will launch the a research project titled "Profiles of Courage." Students will choose an individual who stood up and spoke against injustice(s) during the time period we studied. -Last week we started reading "The Watsons Go To Birmingham" as a class read aloud. This historical fiction follows the adventures and challenges of the Watson family as they travel from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama during the midst of the Civil Rights movement. Mathematics: -We will finish our unit on data analysis and probability. Yesterday, the students conducted many activities where they compared their predictions (theoretical probability) to actual outcomes. Next week, we will study geometry. -By the end of next week, each student will have taken the on-line districted-approved assessment on multiplication and division. I'll let you know how to access their results when all students are finished. Science: We began our study of physical science. We are taking a different approach this year to teaching this subject. Our emphasis is to on the students’ experience: "By observing this intriguing sequence of phenomena and deriving scientific concepts from them, students build an authentic relationship to and interest in-the world.” I have developed a careful sequence of demonstrations, activities, and investigations around the concepts of sound and light. After ten days, they will move to a study of electricity and magnetism (with Alicia), heat and pressure (with Nel), and mechanics (with Sparrow and Sally).