We are back in full swing after the Rosh HaShanah holiday. In history we are getting deeper into learning about the Age of Exploration. In class the students have written :letters to a sailor” warning of the dangers of sailing the oceans as perceived by the Europeans in the 1400’s. Dire warnings of sea monsters consuming ships and storms and winds forcing ships off course and off the edge of the flat world. The students wrote wonderfully graphic descriptions of the dangers which lurked in ocean travel. We also have beenlearning about the technological advances that Europe made over a 400 year period such as the lateen sail, the rudder, the compass, etc. which helped them feel more able to sail. We learned about how even the printing press played a role in developing navigational know-how. Students made illustrations of three inventions which helped launch exploration and wrote about how they were used. We have also been looking at maps to determine the geographical underpinnings of exploration such as why Portugal was the first European country to set sail for a sea route to the Indies (India). We will be looking at the unfolding of history through the lenses of geography, economics and , social conditions. As in today’s world, religious differences also played a great role in the Age of Exploration.

In our unit on Inventions, students have worked in class on projects such as looking up inventions from the past and present and have created their own designs of these same inventions in the future. Tomorrow in the computer lab, they will be practicing word processing by typing up the mini-reports they wrote on an inventor. They will be learning how to format a report, how to include images and how to use font sizes, spacing of lines and margins, etc. Today, I introduced to the class the concept of a Rube Goldberg “invention.” Each student will be designing his/her own Rube Goldberg invention. All this is done to stimulate their creativity so they will be able to come up with their own “original” invention.  Our study of history and science have inter-connected in learning about inventions and technology. From the invention of the printing press and the rudder to today’s Iphone, the course of history can be linked to the development of technology. Later this year we will be taking a trip to the Tech Museum of innovation in San Jose to further immerse ourselves in the world of technology.

In math, my  group is studying prime numbers, factors, multiples and exponents.  We have learned how to prime factor a composite number and write its prime factrs in exponent form. We will be reviewing all that we have studied this term so far and there will be a math test next Wednesday. All students have math notebooks where they have written down definitions of terms and examples of problems which will help them study for the math test. In addition, they will be taking home their textbook and workbooks for studying purposes.  Some students have also been working on an enrichment activity where they have to find out what numbers are “perfect,” “deficient,” or “abundant.”

In reading, we are talking about cliffhangers, allusions, symbolism and how characters change as the story progresses. Vocabulary is an important part of our reading. Ask your child to tell you what the following words mean: litany, decrepit, disembarkation, grotesque, cringe and dirk.  We are also writing short pieces from the main character’s point of view as well as our interpretations of the author’s point of view.

As you can see, we ar engaged in a rich and creative curriculum and that your children are doing very interesting and high level academic endeavors.  Nexy week they will get a chance to write their own skits for history and create their own inventions out of everyday materials in the classroom. Stay tuned.