Fifth Grade Blogger

Please enjoy the updates from our wonderful 5th grade classes, and have a wonderful break! HUMANITIES: We concluded our formal study of Tuck Everlasting, and watched the 2002 film version. We discussed similarities and differences, and how directors make deliberate choices that authors do not. In Social Studies, we did a mini-research project in which students created slideshows about one of the dynasties we do not have time to study at length. Have a great break!-Tony JUDAICS: “This week we continued learning about Joseph and the start of his time in Egypt. We watched a netflix version of the Joseph Story and... Read More

What a great week in 5th grade! Please enjoy the updates below, and have a great weekend! Special announcement:  During the month of Adar, the month of Purim, it is a tradition to do things that make us happy. To get ourselves into the Purim spirit, all teachers, staff, and students should come to school in pajamas on Thursday, February 15th (Rosh Chodesh Adar – or the first day of the month of Adar)!  Please note, that the date on the physical school calendar says Friday, February 16th, but there has been a change of date.  Students must wear shoes or slippers. If your child has PE... Read More

HUMANITIES: In Humanities this week, we continued our study of Tuck Everlasting, had a great fishbowl discussion, and worked on grammar and spelling. In Social Studies, we explored Chinese Philosophy, including Taoism and Confucianism. We will finish that unit next week with Legalism. Have a good weekend!-Tony JUDAICS: This week students learned two texts connecting to Tu Bshvat. We learned from Devarim 20 that during times of war we cannot cut down trees that produce fruit and we can only cut down non fruit trees if we need to build something with them. From this we discussed that we learn to follow this... Read More

Hello 5th Grade Families! Please see our class updates below. Have a wonderful weekend! HUMANITIES: In Humanities this week, we continued our study of Tuck Everlasting, exploring themes such as immortality, free will, and right vs. wrong. We debated and discussed these themes, and wrote extensively about them as well. In Social Studies, we explored the early dynasties of China, including the changes and developments over time between dynasties, and the life of the controversial emperor Shi Huang Di. Shabbat Shalom!-Tony JUDAICS: “This week we studied more of the Joseph story. We had a full- class discussion about why people do bad... Read More

What a week! Our students came back from their long weekend, and did an excellent job as always of showing off their academic skills and love of learning! Please enjoy the updates below, and have a good weekend! HUMANITIES: It was a week of new beginnings in Humanities. We started Tuck Everlasting, while exploring big universal themes like immortality and family loyalty. We also worked on finding the meanings of words through context clues. In Social Studies, we started our China unit, learning about geography and the early civilizations in China. We also studied ancient and medieval Chinese inventions, and students came up... Read More

Hello 5th Grade Families! What a week in 5th Grade! We had our India Pavilion, which was a smashing success! We attended a Lower School tekes about Martin Luther King, Jr., participated in kindness activities during Advisory, and like every week, tackled new and challenging materials with curiosity and enthusiasm. Please enjoy the teacher updates below, and have a wonderful weekend! HUMANITIES: I am so very proud of our students for all the hard work and dedication they put into the India Pavilion. They spent a month and a half researching and putting together their amazing projects, and blew everyone away... Read More

Hello 5th Grade Families! We hope you had a wonderful break, and a safe and warm snow day! We’ve had a short and busy week; please enjoy the updates from 5th grade teachers below, and have a good weekend! HUMANITIES: The India Pavilion is almost here! We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday, and we can’t wait to celebrate the students’ hard work with their families. We have spent much of this week making final preparations for the Pavilion, and have set expectations and schedules for the day itself. We also have taken some time to reflect on the past... Read More

Happy Hanukkah, 5th Grade Community!  We had so much fun celebrating the first days of Hanukkah with each other and our buddies! Here is an update on what we’ve been up to this week: HUMANITIES: This week in Humanities, students continued to do amazing work on their India Pavilion Projects. This includes working on their writing pieces, activities, and trifolds, which they were so excited to get! We also continued our deep dive into Homeless Bird; we had rich discussions about topics such as widow’s lives in India, systemic poverty, and how we can be kinder to those less fortunate us during... Read More

HUMANITIES: What a week! We are making amazing progress with our India Pavilion Projects. We are researching, writing, and creating our final products. We can’t wait to blow everyone away on Jan. 9th! We also are continuing our study of Homeless Bird. We are having robust discussions on topics ranging from character traits to symbolism to Indian marriage customs. Students are incredibly enthusiastic about this text, and are making amazing progress with their reading comprehension. Shabbat Shalom, stay warm!-Tony JUDAICS:  Eliska: “This week we learned about Joseph’s dreams. We talked about the reactions from the brothers. We saw in the text that they were... Read More

Hi 5th grade parents! This was a great week in 5th grade. We changed up how we do recess and now there is a designated area for large group games and an area for smaller group hang outs and games. We are now doing recess with the 6th graders. In advisory we practiced mindfulness based on the idea of spreading happiness. We also got “spiritual chevrutas” who we will share ideas with during mindfulness advisory. In Thursday advisory we continued our work with our Empathy and Kindness unit. We did a project from the Wonder initiative called #choosekind. Students wrote... Read More