January: CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGES

GROWTH & POWER

CHANGES

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:
All life is interdependent and interacts causing change.
All things change over time.
Patterns, interactions and change over time, help us learn about our earth and it’s culture. 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
How do innovations and technology effect change?
How do environments effect change over time?
What causes changes in industry?
How do interactions influence change?

SCIENCE:

We ended our first trimester and our Survival Unit completing a cross-curricular project on Hatchet! Students worked in small groups to develop a poster of the ecosystem Brian crashed into complete with abiotic and biotic factors directly from the book. Students used their knowledge of the book combined with the skills and concepts learned in Science to create a visually appealing poster illustrating their understanding of the Survival Unit! Below are pictures of students working on the assignment, as well as some examples of the posters!

Science Hatchet Projects

Before Christmas break, students conducted an experiment on candy canes...yum! Students predicted the ingredients of candy canes, tested their predictions by dipping pieces of a candy cane into three different substances (very hot water, cold water, and clear baby oil), and made observations on what happened to the candy cane in each substance. Students enjoyed practicing their research, observation, inquiry, and investigation skills on a delicious holiday treat!

This trimester students will focus on two new units that connect with our theme, "Changes." Students have already started learning about Landforms, Watersheds, and Oceans covering concepts such as plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, and types of landforms. We will finish out this unit learning about features of the ocean floor, features of watersheds, similarities and differences between watersheds and the ocean, waves, currents, tides, and the impact humans have on watersheds and oceans! Students are already starting to make connections to our theme, Changes, noting how natural processes change the surface of the Earth, as well how human activity plays a major role in our ever-changing environment. Below are pictures of students completing an experiment on erosion and deposition. 

Erosion Experiment

Our next unit will be on Mixtures and Matter! Students will learn about changes within the properties of matter, mixtures, and solutions, as well as be able to formulate connections between our enduring understandings on change. 

Social Studies:

 We have started our 2nd trimester off with a focus on our new theme, CHANGES, and have tied this into our studies of the Industrial Revolution.  The students are viewing these events through the perspective lens of individuals who are living in both rural and urban environments.  It has been interesting to see how these two distinctively different areas were CHANGED due to the influx of new inventions, industries and immigrants coming to our country.  Many new jobs were created and opportunities were provided, but there were negative impacts as well.  Prejudice against those who were "different" comes to light as well as pollution issues from factories and overcrowding.  The effects of these had an impact on both society and the work place.

Invention Experiments

Our focus has been on the inventions that came about at the turn of the 20th century and how these inventions have CHANGED the course of history.  To better understand this concept, students were asked to either select an item that they use every day and research it or create their own invention  to solve a problem in their lives.  Through these activities, students learned a lot about Edison’s idea:  Genius=1% Inspiration and 99% perspiration.  Inventing is hard work! These are posted in the 5th grade hallway so stop by and take a look!

Mail Order
​We learned about how mail order helped those in rural areas by allowing them to order some of the items they previously had to make by hand.  Students enjoyed looking through a 1942 Montgomery Ward catalog and are amazed at the styles of the offerings (see the husband / wife matching sets on the right),  as well as the costs!

English Language Arts:

As we began our second trimester of learning, we are focused on the theme "Changes." In ELA, students will start reading their second novel story based on the unit. We will continue to build our comprehension by making connections, discover points of view of characters, practice main idea/details and making inferences.  Students will be working independently, with a reading buddy, in centers and with the whole group throughout this book.  Students listen closely to the comments of others, thinking critically for themselves.  They formulate thoughtful responses by using supporting evidence from the text by finding quotes or actions. They will be able to analyze diffferent types of textual structures.

In Writing, we are also working on improving our spelling and grammatical skills while also starting to practice our free responses to reading. Students will learn the format of this type of writing and practice this throughout this trimester.  

Math:

Another trimester of learning is upon us and we are focusing on the big idea of "Changes." Students are working hard to understand and master the different concepts and patterns of change in number operations. For instance, what changes have to occur for a number to increase, decrease, or become equivalent? We will continue to analyze these patterns as we explore common factors, common multiples, greatest common factors, least common multiples, least common denominators, and multiplying and dividing fractions.

Whether students are working independently, in partner pairs, or in a group, the perseverance, cooperation and mindfulness they are showing in the classroom has been impressive. I am so proud of them and love watching the changes and growth in their learning on a daily basis! Keep up the fantastic work!!

The newest Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Bloodhound visited Riverview! Students even took part in voting on her name, STARR!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVe8RC4rX9w&feature=youtu.be 

Meet STARR

Field Trip to the South Carolina Aquarium

To end the Survival Unit, students attended a fun and engaging field trip to the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston! Students got to touch baby sharks, snakes, starfish, and many other animals, as well as explore the various ecosystems throughout South Carolina! The trip concluded with a tour of the newly added Sea Turtle Hospital where students saw first hand animals fighting for survival! Take a look below at the exciting trip!

Aquarium Field Trip