Today we will be wrapping up our unit on “The Horrors of Slavery.” Students have rotated through six stations where they have: learned about the traumatic experiences of slave auctions, the abolitionist movement to end slavery (and the roles of William Lloyd Garrison and John Brown), slave rebellions (Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and Gabriel Prosser), and the role and experiences of Frederick Douglass. A lot of thought stimulating questions and conversation stemmed from these topics this week.
This year especially, we’re feeling grateful for our spacious classroom. To enhance class discussions, fifth graders have been participating in a collaborative activity called “Small Fires.” Students take their supplies, and move to an area in the room where they sit in a (distanced) circle to have meaningful discussions. It’s as if they are sitting around a campfire chatting. Tuesday, we used this activity to build on our learning in language arts. Once the students have sufficiently discussed a topic, I “stir” them and have one student from each group rotate to the next. That way, various perspectives are shared through small group learning to the whole class.
Fifth graders have also taken advantage of the beautiful weather we’ve had by reading, practicing our PEMDAS math with chalk, and practicing measuring with yards and feet outside.
It has been a fun and engaging week with your incredible students!
