We are in the midst of an exciting and interdisciplinary unit in Language Arts and Social Studies about the Age of Exploration. Students are reading Pedro's Journal, a novel about a boy aboard Christopher Columbus's ship to the New World. As we read, we will be zooming in on point of view in the novel and will examine Christopher Columbus's portrayal in the novel as well as throughout history. In addition, we will be reading Encounter, a picture book that examines the Spanish encounter with the Taino people.
In addition to reading historical fiction accounts of exploration, we will also examine various non-fiction resources such as articles as well as art work and poetry. These resources will help students to prepare for a Socratic Seminar. A Socratic Seminar is a formal discussion based on a text where students are given the opportunity to discuss, listen carefully to others, and clearly articulate their own thoughts based on textual evidence.
Finally, students will begin to draft expository essays based on topics of their own choice. The focus of these essays will be organization as well as sentence fluency.
As a friendly reminder, we encourage students to read independently on a daily basis at home. Although we do not have reading log in 5th grade, we feel that it is important for students to read consistently to not only develop vocabulary and reading comprehension, but to build a love of reading as well. Please feel free to contact Ms. Pendse or Ms. Kintzer for book recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Remember that LARK is the expectation. Is your comment appropriate and kind? Then, by all means, post a comment!