Shma Books with Kindergarten

On Monday morning, the 4th and 5th graders had the opportunity to present their Shma books to the kindergartners. This has been a project they have been working on for the past few months in Iyyun Tefillah (Tefillah Study). It was a culmination of our year-long learning about the first paragraph of the Shma: the students already knew how to say the words, and now they know what the words actually mean. Over the course of the year, different rabbis and guests came to speak to the class about all of the phrases, and the students took notes on their presentations. They wrote about what they learned in their Shma books, and then taught the information to the kindergartners, who are just starting to learn about the Shma. Kol Hakavod!
-Eliana

Slater Mill field trip by Kevin

For Social Studies, we fifth graders went on a Field trip to Slater Mill.
We learned about many historical events that happened at Slater Mill.
We also learned about the slaves in the fields, and how the slaves were out in the heat picking cotton as fast as they could. We went to a house and saw how people lived back then and the trouble they had to go through if there was an emergency. When we visited a real water wheel, and a miniature replica, we saw the structure and how it starts and how it works. After we went to a factory.
In the factory that was where we saw all the machines that they were using and getting hurt on.
Last but not least we watched a movie that was talking about how kids were working in the factory, and what kinds of accidents could happen if you did something wrong. And overall, it was the most fun I ever had on a Social Studies field trip ever!

Bunnicula

On Monday, March 28th, students reading Bunnicula with Mrs. Woods will meet for one final time about this novel.  This has been an entirely student-led literature circle, with impressive discussions!  Kol Hakavod to the readers!

Math Tests and Friday Letter

Math tests will be returned to students on Friday.  Please be sure to look over your child's test. 
Because of the field trip to Slater Mill, students will not be able to write a Friday letter this week.  Hopefully the recent blog posts will give you a sense of life in fifth grade this week.

Tuck Everlasting Update by Miss Weiss

The Tuck Everlasting reading group tackled the question of the book yesterday:  if you had the opportunity to live forever, at a single age, would you take it?

When we entertained this question at the book’s outset, students thought living forever seemed like a great idea— you could do all the dangerous things you want without ever getting hurt! But through getting to know the Tuck family, students learned that there are negative implications of living forever too. You can’t have a family when your wife and kids age naturally and you don’t. You can’t have friendships or long-term jobs. Living forever at one age means falling off the "revolving wheel" that is the cycle of life.

It’s been wonderful to witness the students as their thoughts on the issue develop and evolve. They are so perceptive and make such insightful text-to-life connections about growing up, maturing, and changing. They've certainly taught me a lot! Monday students will have a final opportunity to share their thoughts on the issue with the group. I look forward to what I know will be a provocative and thought-provoking discussion!

Natalie's Post about our Special Guest

Today a woman from Slater Mill came to our class and talked about Samuel Slater, Slater Mill, the difference between Industrial and Agricultural, and how to make plants into thread into cloth into clothing. We learned a lot about cotton, where it comes from and how to make it into clothing. We learned about flax and the long two-year process to make one small piece of clothing. We also got a ball of cotton and de-seeded three seeds, which was so hard! I continued to de-seed the cotton, and I finally got the hang of how to do it. Now I have a ball of cotton, which is softer than the fur on a dog’s ear. I think I am going to plant a seed and try and grow cotton. It must have been a big change for the people that lived in those times. They started making their own clothes and then they were sending their kids to go work in the mill! It’s a huge change. I wonder if the mill owners liked having apprenticeships. They would have more competition if other people they trained opened up a new mill. Also I think it is so unfair that the girls got paid less than the boys. Girls can do just as much work as boys can! Another thing I couldn’t imagine was putting all those clothes on in the morning and not washing them. They probably stank so badly that people would run away from you because you smelled so bad. Anyway I think it was a very interesting presentation, and I loved the spinning wheal that she showed us at the end. It was so cool! The visit was the highlight of my day, and I can’t wait to go to Slater Mill!
P.S. I also can’t wait to see Micah ville, Gabe ville and Kevin ville! Haha

Chag Purim Sameach!

It truly was a happy Purim that we celebrated together on Monday. The 5th graders amazed the school with their fabulous megillah readings. In addition to learning a section from the megillah, the students wrote a poem and illustrated their section. The rest of the school loved hearing from the seniors!
Other highlights from the day: baking hamantaschen (including gluten free hamantaschen) that the whole school got to eat at lunch, making masks and graggers, hearing Klezmer music from the Brown-RISD group, and visiting Tamarisk. The 5th graders were excellently behaved and brought smiles to the faces of the elderly residents of Tamarisk.
Kol Hakavod to all!
-Eliana

Writing and Math

The creative stories are really developing!  Writers are learning how to correctly include dialogue into their stories.  They are also working on coming up with original similes and metaphors, which are so much better than the cliches!
We reviewed in math yesterday to prepare for Thursday's math test on multiplication and division of decimals.

Student Post

Today Miss Weiss and Mrs. Woods co-facilitated a class discussion.  Many big ideas and important questions came up while at our debate on Monday.  We posed a couple of questions to the class on Tuesday, and they voted on which question they'd like to focus a discussion around.  The big idea of believing a cause is worthy of risking your life for emerged from our studies of the American Revolution.  As you'll see in the follow post, by fifth grader Jacob, this big idea was transferable to a variety of content they've encountered.

And now please read this post (unedited by anyone other than the writer):

In social studies,we talked about what- if anything- is worth dying for. We thought that things such as going to the military in a war, standing up for people and just doing what is right are great things, even if you die in the process and how the thought is a big part of it. We related this to the story of Esther  and when she went up to the king (which she wasn't allowed to do) and attempted to save the Jews, which she did, even though she risked a punishment or even death in the process. She wasn't afraid to stand up for her people so she saved them. We also related this to Moses and how he saved the Jews by freeing them in Egypt. After some encouragement from God, he put himself in danger to stand up for what was right. There were many different thoughts about this, and we came up with some great ideas.
                                                                Jacob

Creative Stories

Fifth grade writers worked on developing their characters this past Tuesday.  We are all in the drafting stage of the writing process.  On Thursday we'll revisit our plots, to see how knowing our characters more deeply might impact plot developments.

Today's Field Trip

All fifth graders delivered impassioned speeches during today's debate in the Old South Meeting House.  It was exciting to have this opportunity to re-enact history.  The tension between the violence of the Patriots and our yearning to see our beloved Patriots as "right" was palpable.
Lunch at the Milk Street Cafe was also a fabulous experience.  How many restaurants have mezuzot on them? 
The whole class behaved very well, and I was proud of how they represented JCDSRI.
Thank you to Marissa and to Laura for driving and helping make this trip a reality!
Please ask your fifth grader for their personal highlights.

Shabbat Shalom and God Writing

Please be sure to read your child's Friday letter for their take on the week.  They each brought home a booklet, filled with their writings about God.  These are very special.  You might take the time to read them this weekend.  This is one of my favorite writing assignments of the year.
Shabbat Shalom,
Mrs. Woods

JS Update

This week, the students had the opportunity to read about the famous encounter between God and Moshe at the burning bush. We read the text together, and then created skits to reenact this amazing, awe-inspiring experience. Still to come- what will Moshe's reaction be to this encounter, and will he be excited to become the savior of the Jewish people. Here is a question to think about: Why did God choose to come in the form of a burning bush to Moshe? What does this symbolize? How is this image a metaphor for the experience of the Jewish people in Egypt?
In lashon, we have been working on the past tense- student scan now talk about what is happening and what has happened!! Kol hakavod to everyone for picking up a difficult concept so quickly!
Torah Project continues to roll along: this week, we checked out a great website that has a video summary of each parshah, with pictures and songs. Check it out at www.g-dcast.com
What a fabulous experience it has been working with this group of 5th graders- I am looking forward to another great week!
Shabbat Shalom
Eliana

Tuck Everlasting from Miss Weiss

On Wednesday, some of the fifth graders started a new book: Tuck Everlasting. It’s a fantasy book—our first of the year, and so first, we unpacked what a fantasy book is. After reading about the genre, we found that fantasy writing is more than just text that’s make-believe or grounded in the imagination. Good fantasy stories push us to ask ourselves larger questions and ponder larger concepts in our own lives.
Now, we’re less than 20 pages into Tuck, and students have already posed all sorts of guesses as to what the big question examined in this book may be. Their excitement is contagious!
The students can’t wait until next class to see what happens next in the novel. I can’t wait to see what insights, questions, and inferences the students come up with next! Good stuff.

After break

I wrote a lengthy post on Monday, which seems to have gotten lost in cyber space.  I'll try to recap: it was fabulous to be reunited as a class kehilla on Monday.  Students shared highlights from their week off.  We started a math unit on multiplying and dividing decimals.  Math tests (on triangles) went home on Monday.  Tomorrow I will go over the tests with individuals.  We've done two science experiments on energy this week.  Ask your child what happened to the bouncy balls when they were soaked in hot water.  Ask your child about the vinegar experiment!  We are seeing how thermal energy is transferred.  We finished Bridge to Terabithia on Monday.  Students are preparing for their debate in the Old South Meeting House on Monday.  Thank you for promptly returning the field trip forms!

New Books

Miss Weiss began Tuck Everlasting with a reading group today.   She will share details about this soon.  Please let us know if you'd like a copy.  With my group, we worked on how to do literature circles, which we'll be doing for our upcoming book.  Stay tuned!