Here’s what we’re doing in the 5th grade classroom:

Writing: Starting a new poetry unit!  This week, we will discuss the differences between prose and poetry and the various ways to use rhyme and repetition.  We will read lots of poems to get a sense of the broad scope of poetic styles, including analyzing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Robert Frost’s “Dust of Snow,” and Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky.”  Students will brainstorm lots of topics for poems, write a giggle rap, and write a tongue twister in the style of Dr. Suess.

Reading: Reading groups continue. Discussion topic for this week: theme.

Spelling/Grammar: It’s a grammar week this week.  We are focused on capitalization and commas.

Science: Students will learn about how electricity moves.  We will experiment with using fruit to create a current.

Social Studies: We will discuss why so many Europeans were interested in exploring and moving to the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries.  We will also begin talking about the European explorers that followed after Columbus.

Math: Rounding, ordering, and adding decimals are on the agenda for this week.