Happy New Year! After returning from a winter break, Upper Elementary picked up right where they left off in the classroom. Children were excited to return to school to finish up the final details on projects they’d been working on or were ready to present their work to their peers. Here’s a glimpse of what's been happening recently in Upper Elementary.
Imaginary Islands
Upper Elementary spent the fall exploring the composition of the earth, the theory of plate tectonics and how the plates have shaped our planet. Accompanying this study, the fourth years learned about different aspects of our planet in relationship to the sun. They particularly enjoyed exploring how the tilt of the earth is a necessary factor in dictating the change of the seasons as well as determining certain climatic zones. This learning was consolidated when they designed an imaginary island, positioning it at a specific longitude and latitude that would determine the type of ecosystem it could support. Their islands included a selection of land and water features, and some of the flora and fauna that might be found there given its climate.
U.S. History Timelines
The 5th years spent the fall exploring the timeline of United States history. The timeline breaks US history down panel by panel with headings such as: Indigenous People, Exploration, Colonial, Independence and Expansion, Reform and Reconstruction, and New Nation. Stories were told related to various images on the timeline, sparking curiosity to dig deeper about the timeline's other pictures. Students gathered information about their topic and included eight to ten key dates that could be used to create a timeline of their own. The final step was employing math skills to determine the proper measurements for the increments of time and adding the dates and related images to the final product. The student's topics included a timeline of Abraham Lincoln, the Stone Age, Sacagawea, the Great Depression, the Louisiana Purchase, Roger Williams, Music through the Ages, and the History of Discrimination.
New York City
The 6th years leave for their capstone trip to NYC in just over 3 months! Students have booked their tickets, their final research papers are complete, and their powerpoint presentations are in the works. Students have entered the second phase of their project where they’re looking at maps of Manhattan and learning about streets versus avenues, and uptown versus downtown and are finishishing up creating their own detailed map of Manhattan. Their excitement is palpable and is building with each day that passes.
