L’SHANAH TOVA

L’Shanah Tovah, Have a Sweet and Healthy year.

In SCIENCE Our fifth graders are currently working on a “mini-report” on an inventor and his/her invention. Marcia Lovelace, our wonderful librarian, has brought stacks of books about inventions into our classroom. The students got to peruse the books and choose an invention or inventor each was interested in. They also got information at home on the internet and brought it to school. In class we are learning to take notes and organize the information into categories. Tomorrow, Wednesday 9/16, we will be typing up these reports in the computer lab and learning to put images in the reports. If your child was absent these last few days, he/she may feel uneasy and behind the rest of the class. I’ll do what I can to catch them up with the assignment but they will need to work on the weekend to catch up. Rosh Hashanah starts Friday night. There is no school on Friday. I suggest Friday may be a good day to work on this mini-report. See the INVENT booklet, p.4 for what is required to be in the report. Next week they learn about another invention which they pick and see how it has changed in design from the past to the present. Then they will think about how they would like to improve the design and function of that invention and come up with that invention in its future form.

In HISTORY, we have been learning about how the Europeans in the 14th and 15th centuries developed a desire to trade with the Orient, also known as the Spice Islands. This desire for trade and for the specific goods found in India and China such as silk and spices and precious metals, inspired sea exploration. The need for a sea route to Asia to bring these goods to Europe launched the Age of Exploration and discovery. It opened up the world to Europeans and led to colonizing the “New World,” the Americas. Shira and Amara brought in examples of things made out of Silk which were very beautiful. Selma, our chef, made everyone in the school delicious honey spice cakes for Rosh Hashanah which were redolent with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, some of the very spices the Europeans wanted to get from the Indies (India). We also have been looking at inventions and technology which encouraged exploration such as the rudder, the lateen sails, the cross-staff, the Caravel ship, the compass, and more. Here we see how inventions and technology have played a crucial role in the history of civilization. We also saw a 28 minute documentary on the three stages of the Age of Discovery: the crusaders and the tales of Marco Polo, Prince Henry of Portugal creating a college of navigation an training and developing navigational knowledge and skills and the voyages of Columbus, Magellan, Cortes, and many other explorers who “discovered” and conquered lands and the impact it had on Native populations.

In WRITING, the students hav been writing letters to a “friend” warning of the dangers of sea exploration as believed by people before 1492. They have been told to vividly describe the dangers of drifting off to sea and falling off the edge of the flat earth. They are writing dire warnings of grotesque sea monsters gobbling up ships like a play toy and of enduring storms and possible capsizing due to the weakness of the ships. Of course, this writing activity is meant to enrich not only the student’s writing ability, but reinforce our study of the Age of Exploration.

In MATH, we are learning about estimation and approximation for use in mental math. Today we introduced the concept of factors and how certain numbers have more factors than others. We will continue to learn about factors and multiples and how there are factors and multiples common to certain numbers. By the end of the week we will be learning about prime numbers.

Today, I introduced The Million Dollar Project to the class. I showed them several projects that former students did and we discussed many different ideas. I told the class to bring in a written proposal describing what project they would like to do by next Wednesday (Sept. 23). They need to have a second back up plan in case two people chose the same idea or I realize their project idea won’t work financially. The Million Dollar Project must be a service or business which benefits the community either locally or globally and is a non-profit. Most of the Million Dollar Project will be done in school.

In READING, we are getting further into the intrigues of True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. We have been emphasizing vocabulary as well as other literary devices. Ask your child to tell you what decrepit, loathsome, stench, cringe, gesticulate and grotesque mean.

Please check your child’s red homework assignment book and make sure they have done and packed in all their work. Best regards.