March on to April
The month of March consisted of two very quick weeks before spring break. Grandparents' Day was a pleasant celebration for all. The class attended a fantastic play put on by the Middle School Drama Department in which some of the elementary school students participated. The class also enjoyed working with the sixth grade to create a welcoming quilt for the Dalai Lama. The entire school kicked off spring break with the Ho'olaule'a Festival -- food, fun, and friends. Mr. Black went out with a splash at the dunking booth. The fifth grade students were very excited to have a two-week spring break. Many went on a trip early and missed a few lesson. Everyone had a good time over the vacation, and they are all ready to work hard through the end of the year.
The class has been focusing on improving working relationships with their peers and teachers. We have had many discussions about communication, responsibilty, and respect. As the students prepare for sixth grade, they have come to realize that it is important that they enter middle school as a strong unified class. Their emotions and self-perceptions are maturing as they grow through thier adolescent years and they face many social issues with an ever-changing perspective of how they fit into the community. It is a time to be supportive and remind them to focus on things they have control over and not worry about things they can not control.
In math we have had a lot on our plate. The students are preparing for the upcoming S.A.T. testing, which requires a lot of review work and practice tests. They are using past knowledge to solve new problems. They have learned the "order of operations" to solve complex math problems. They are refining their knowledge of geometry by applying what they have recently learned about algebraic problem-solving. The students understand that new, more complex math concepts are built on past math knowledge and that difficult problems can be solved by breaking them down into manageable steps. This task requires the students to be organized, to be neat, and to apply math skills they have learned throughout the year.
In science the students are enjoying their final project, on water. They are working with a new program to create a well-polished inquiry report. They have also been learning about living organisms, life processes, and the human body systems. They are gaining an understanding of how their bodies work and how to care for them. As they learn about the different systems in their bodies and how they function, they will be more confident in dealing with the changes they face as they go through puberty. We will have puberty education in May. The boys will be with Mr. Black, while the girls will be with Mrs. Matsumoto.
Posted on April 16, 2007 11:30 AM | Permalink