This week in readers and writers workshop we were working at an amazing pace finishing up rough copy work and beginning final copy drafts of our non fiction research topics! Students were leading the learning by producing work they were interested in, then researching and creating new non fiction literature on their topics of choice. It has been an amazing adventure to see them advocating for themselves as learners and taking the initiative in producing work they have ownership of. |
Later in the week we were fortunate enough to have a real live writer in our classroom! Michele Aldin was kind enough to come by and help out in the classroom. She presented a script to the class and taught us about the differences between writing for film, screen and stage. Some of our students are writing scripts for short videos about their topics and Michele's expertise was a great addition to their process!
In math workshop students had new new and exciting chance to learn a bit about counting in other cultures. The Japanese Soroban abacus was the star of the show this week. Students started the week off by building their own personal Soroban and then learned how to use it! Be on the lookout for Soroban related activities coming home this week. We are including the link to the online interactive abacus for you to enjoy with your child! |
In further investigation into our unit on Exploration students put their thinking up on the bulletin board. The explorers we have been studying and the quotes from the students during class discussions were on the board. Watching the students discover their own thinking was beautiful! Afterwards they were asked to respond to several of the essential questions from our unit. Students then chose a question and response they wanted to share and added that thought to the board. The bulletin board and additional art work related to the unit will be on display this coming Friday during the presentation at 9:30 am. We hope to see you all there!
We finished the week out with some special guests from the Princeton Symphony Orchestra. The small percussion ensemble came in to demonstrate some instruments and techniques and play some beautiful music. Quite a few of our students participated in the event, it was a sight to see!