5th Grade

Social Studies Overview
 

Topics:

• The 13 colonies and their relationship with England (i.e. taxation)
• How the colonies adapted to their environment
• National, state and local governments' structure, function and purpose, and power sharing
• Rights and responsibilities of citizenship

Guiding Questions:

- How do we find out the truth abut things that happened long ago?

- How and what can we learn from studying the past?

- How can you connect your personal ideas, interests, and passions to your school work?

- How does conflict lead to change?What are the effects of the American Revolution?

- What might biographies tell us?

- What is cause and effect?

- What are the causes of the American Revolution?

- What are the effects of the American Revolution?

- Could the revolution have been avoided?

While we work out of two textbooks, America's Past and A History of Us, we will use primary source artifacts and documents as much as possible to address a variety of different points of view.Social Studies should include the perspective of all people who lived during a certain era. Skill-wise, students will learn valuable content-reading strategies and a variety of note-taking skills and organizational tools. Finally, we will work on critical thinking skills by asking lots of “why” questions.

6th Grade Social Studies

Topics/Units:

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Mayans/Aztecs/Incas

Mesopotamia

Guiding Questions:

*How did the geography affect the people living there?

*How might the resources of an area influence the lifestyle of the people in that area?

*What can we learn about a culture by looking at how they use their resources?

*Are natural resources essential to quality of life?

*Did they have a religion? What were some of their beliefs?

*What types of art, architecture, and crafts did they produce? 

*How was the community organized? Who made the rules? How were leaders chosen?

*How has the ancient culture influenced modern day?

Language Arts Overview

 In the “workshop” model we read and write in class everyday.

Guiding Questions:
- How does reading help us understand ourselves and the world?
- What strategies do good readers use to make meaning and envision text?
- How do we use reading, talking and writing to grow ideas?
- How can we write effectively about what is important?
 

Over the course of the year we will read and write in a variety of genres. We will look in depth at memoir, narrative, expository, persuasive, and poetry.
First we will immerse ourselves in a specific genre by reading many examples of that type of writing, and along the way ask ourselves, what are the criteria of that genre? While doing these genre explorations I will model and teach a variety of reading strategies that the students in turn will practice in their own independent reading.
Next we will “read like writers” to help us learn how to write in that genre. Strong writing models are great teachers. My goals for reading are for students to develop, or further, a love of reading, and to experiment with reading, analyzing, discussing, and writing about a variety of literary texts. At times we will all read the same text, and at other times students will choose their own independent or literature circle book. In writing my goal is for students to become proficient communicators in a variety of writing styles.
Throughout the year we will learn about and use an array of tools and techniques to improve students’ writing. Overall, students will be encouraged to follow their interests, and to read and write about topics that are meaningful to them. I hope our classroom will quickly become a community of learners in which we help each others learn through shared discussion, and small-group guided practice. While growing and sharing ideas is the centerpiece of our work, vocabulary enrichment and usage, spelling, and punctuation rules will be a consistent component of Reading-Writing Workshop.