All the Big Doings in Class!

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Monday, November 23rd, 2015 – Blogging, Boomerangs, the Beauty of Light and a Bounty of Thanks… YOUR KIDS ARE BLOGGERS! Last week we officially began our roll-out of digital camaraderie, with your kids communicating via the blog in an impressive way. Using Pages in the above menu bar – The Front Porch: The House of Reading and Writing Page (because front porches are where people gather to chat), and the So Whataya Think About? Page — students are writing and sharing their thinking around the books they’re reading, the historical eras they’re discovering, and/or the current events that affect and shape their lives. They will be asked each week to generate their own well-thought out posts, and then comment as well on those of others in a thoughtful and respectful manner. I invite you to check out their blogging on a regular basis. Simply click on to the above-mentioned pages and then scroll down to the bottom to the comments section. I am very impressed so far, and I hope you will be as well…

Look for Boomerang Folders to come home to you next week (most likely on Monday, 11/30). Don’t feel rushed to check out the work and sign the folder – you have a week to peruse, sign and return it via your child, and remember the work stays at home.

In exciting Science news, we are beginning our new unit on Light and the Human Eye. Last week students built pinhole cameras and investigated with them.  They discovered something totally unexpected!  Ask them to tell you what that was, and how the human eye works in much the same way. As the unit goes on, students will use mirrors, lenses, prisms and color filters to learn about the three ways light can be controlled (reflection, refraction, and absorption), as well as about the spectrum of visible light (remember our dear old friend, ROY G. BIV?) Well if not, here’s a link to a fun little song about the guy…

In social studies, we are now at 1620. Today and tomorrow in class we will be acting as Separatists, on the eve of boarding the Mayflower, who are being asked to prioritize no more than 10 items from a list of supply options most crucial for survival in Virginia. We will then have a Separatist town meeting to debate the merits of the different choices and come to an understanding of what should be loaded on the very small Mayflower for the good of the colony. But first some backstory on what the kids have recently discovered…

The settling of Jamestown in 1607 was nearly a disastrous failure, much like its predecessor Roanoke, but by 1619, it was a thriving colony thanks to the cash crop of tobacco. Seeing such success, the despised Separatists in England sought and received a charter to settle in America, hoping to make a pilgrimage to Virginia and obtain religious freedom for themselves. However, the Mayflower was blown off course by the harsh November gales, and the Pilgrims landed on the shores near Cape Cod in a place called Massachusetts. After a winter of death, starvation and disease, the Separatists began to see their own colony thrive due to the crucial aid and friendship they received from Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit, and the other local Wampanoags. To show their true appreciation, the Separatists invited the Wampanoags to their annual harvest feast of Thanks-Giving (such a day was a common custom back in England).

So finally and fittingly, I’d like to say how thankful I am to spend my days with your children. They have worked hard this autumn season and have grown in so many ways since the end of August. I am proud to know them. In this world we live in, it is so necessary to take the time to pause and reflect on our blessings and to just enjoy being together. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow – Cathy

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