Students in the middle grades are participating in a class that is using the Jack and the Beanstalk story to explore underlying principles of our system of justice related to fairness and honesty. Students are engaging in activities that encourage their own opinions about fairness and then in class discussions children are exposed to views Read More >>
Native American Unit
To start off our unit on native tribes in the US, we studied maps and discussed how the original inhabitants of North and South America came to the continents over the ice covered Bering Strait. We looked at the tribes in the 5 regions, (north east, south east, north west, southwest and plains) and how Read More >>
Systemic Racism
Our children, our students, live in a world that has developed all kinds of media and ways to transmit information, disinformation, ideas, and images. They hear the media, adults, other peers talking about events and opinions as they move through their days. Some of these ideas are exciting and innovative, others are darker and disturbing. Read More >>
Shadows
Over the span of 4 weeks, students from 3rd to 5th grade had the opportunity to learn with our student teacher, Emily. During her time with us, she taught a science unit on shadows! This unit was equally as exciting and difficult with the challenges presented to us in the world with distance learning. We Read More >>
Arrow Over the Door book club
Over the next five weeks, fourth grade students will be participating in a book club with our student teacher, Kelly. In book club, they will be reading The Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac, a historical fiction novel that is written through the viewpoints of Stands Straight, a young Abenaki Indian, and Samuel, a Read More >>
13 Colonies Update
After looking at maps and realizing how many people were already here in the “new world” each student was assigned a tribe to read about, do research on and report about their customs, homes, food and more. Students were also given picture of Native Americans in different situations and used VTS (visual thinking strategy) to figure Read More >>
Forensic Science
Students in grades 3, 4 and 5, used what they learned earlier about physical and chemical changes, and their powers of observation to identify a mystery white powder. Over a period of three weeks students examined and tested 8 different white powders. They had to keep meticulous notes on their observations. Each white powder was Read More >>
Chemistry 101
What is matter? What are the three states of matter? How do atoms behave differently in solids, liquids and gases? Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 love this hands on chemistry class. As they learned about matter, they explored the physical characteristics of matter, and the three states of matter. Now we were ready to look at Read More >>
13 Colonies
As we delve into our social studies unit this year, students in grades 3 – 5 are taking a close look at where the 13 Colonies were established on the North American continent and who was already here when people started claiming the land. Currently we’re using maps and stories to explore this concept of Read More >>
War Horse Book Club
A small group of fourth and fifth graders decided, after reading four short novels by Mildred Taylor that they wanted to continue with the book club and read another book together. They all voted to read the book at home. And so I selected a favorite book, War Horse by a favorite author, Michael Morpurgo. Read More >>