by Jennifer Jordan, History & Latin Teacher

After simulating colonists living and working in the three colonial regions, our 5th graders have continued these roles to learn about growing tensions between the colonies and England. England has to pay war debts for the French and Indian War, and it believes that the colonists should help to pay in the form of taxes. Our 5th grade colonists have experienced taxation without representation through a candy game, wherein students playing king, Parliament, and tax collector exacted taxes for situations as simple as wearing a red shirt or having a name beginning with “A”. Our colonists endured the pain of giving up their candy, which allowed them to understand the real feelings of 18th century colonists in paying taxes on items without any say!  We continued this interactive learning with our Boston Tea Party last week. After reading about the cause of the Boston Tea Party, the 5th graders created a party invitation and then engaged in their own dumping of British tea. We followed that with a little American tea, as the students were rather eager to try hot tea. Everyone had a great time! Role play has served as a superb tool to engage students and allow them to comprehend the tense atmosphere leading up to the American Revolution. 

by Jennifer Jordan, History & Latin teacher

Our annual Colonial Living History project, a.k.a. Colonial Fair, met with great success last week. This project began several years ago as a simple idea to host a live showcase of colonial businesses. Ms. Denise Henley, our resident design expert, offered her ideas. She has continually worked her magic on this project, devoting many hours. This year was no exception. After 4 weeks studying the three colonial regions, researching further, and writing a diary entry, 5th graders worked under Ms. Denise’s direction to transform the middle school commons into a colonial village. Each of the three colonial regions was represented. Students tend to learn best by doing, and there is always learning away from the textbooks and off a computer. This project enabled just that-- actual building and design of businesses and rooms in a home. Each student put his or her own touch on their space and prepared a short speech welcoming visitors to their home or business. They dressed up, too!  Other classes toured the fair in a distanced manner, and we were happy to host everyone, although we were disappointed to not invite families this year. The project was live-streamed for parents, so we are grateful for this technology. All in all, the Colonial Fair continues to be a multi-curricular interactive learning experience that 5th graders enjoy year after year. 

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a 5th grader? In our class we are busy learning new things everyday! Since returning to school in January after the holiday, our class has been actively learning more about Force and Motion and Multiplication!

“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.”

Fifth grade will soon be in charge of our outdoor garden space. We will work in conjuction with the Colonial Studies in History by growing similar herbs and vegetables that were grown in Colonial America such as radishes, corn, peas, cabbage, lavender, spermint, and parsley. Our seeds will start inside and when the conditions are right, the crops will be transplanted to the outdoor garden space.

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”

Fifth grade Math and Science class is always moving nonstop! There is so much to learn and we try to fit it all in during our time together.

In Math, we are concluding our unit on decimals while in Science, we are working with different forms of energy. While most of our learning takes place in the classroom, the beautiful outdoor spaces on our campus provide a lovely alternative learning space.