5th GRADE
Heroes come in all sizes...
The 5th graders have are in full swing, back from the Christmas break and ready to learn! We are currently reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Every year, this book ends up being one of the students' favorite. It is the story of a remarkable mouse, Mrs. Frisby, and how her attempts to save her family lead her to meet a group of mysterious, super-intelligent rats. In addition, the class has been learning about the Bill of Rights, and appreciating the rights and responsibilities of citizens. We will also be looking at Westward Expansion, and exploring how the country grew from 13 colonies to 50 states. Finally, the next few weeks we will concentrate on the third chapter of the students' autobiographies. The students will focus on this chapter on their achievements in school, and will discuss memories of past teachers and friends. All along, we will ready ourselves for the state exams that are just around the corner. We are ready for any challenge that we face as a class, and are eager to continue learning!
4th GRADE
Life can change in an instant.
The 4th graders are currently reading Pam Munoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. This is a story of a young girls journey from Mexico to California, where she is forced to work in a migrant field after her life of privilege falls apart. The story is filled with wonderful figurative language, which has been the focus in Language Arts for the class. The students are also learning about the Texas Revolution, and the people that played an important role of both sides of the conflict. In addition, writing continues to be practiced, as students write both narrative and expository papers, and learn how to apply all steps of the writing process. Finally, the year long Enigma project is well into into its second phase. Students have been working in groups researching an Enigma, and are preparing some presentations for the class. Next up, they will be working individually in researching a mystery, and designing an experiment to try to test theories. We are ready for the STAAR, and looking forward to all that the year still has to offer!