Highlights of Third Trimester

Language Arts

We are reading the novel Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, a historical fiction story set during the Revolutionary War and told by a slave girl Isabel. We have been focusing on making predictions, inferring character traits, the author’s use of symbolism, and finding evidence to support the theme: everyone deserves freedom and to be treated equally.

After lunch we have enjoyed Capture the Flag by Kate Messner , The Wishtree by Katherine Applegate and The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.

Room 22 is in the process of writing persuasive essays. We read essays that tried to persuade us to believe TV is bad for you and the opposite view – TV is the best and animal testing is wrong versus testing on animals is necessary. We decided that a strong persuasive essay uses statistics, facts, quotes, the author’s personal experience, and word choice to be successful in convincing the reader.

Math

Room 22 spent a lot of time learning about FRACTIONS: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Currently we are looking at 2D shapes and discussing their attributes and classifications.

Science

We have been focusing on the Structure and Properties of Matter. We created our own Element superhero and learned about chemical/physical changes. Students worked hard on their science fair projects utilizing the scientific method.

Social Studies

Room 22 learned about colonial America and created their own colonial character. We are currently learning about the factors that led to the Revolutionary War.