APRIL News from the Upper Hall
Tapping into Grades Second - Fifth @ CBA OAKS
Second Grade:
Students have taught us about many new things and new places to visit with their current event presentations. In April we will shift our focus to poem recitals in honor of National Poetry Month. We will help students select an short poem to memorize and then recite for the class. We will maintain the same schedule as the current events.
We are also excited to kick off our National Park Project. Students have chosen their parks and will begin with an art project of sketching and filling in with oil pastels a beautiful scene from their respective parks. In class we will be researching facts about the parks and students' culminating project will be a collaborative keynote slide presentation. As the project comes to an end, we will invite parents to our Virtual Park Tour so all of their knowledge can be shared. We will even have National Park Passports available so that presenters can stamp your passport to show you were here.
The Third Grade Tribune
3rd grade loves reading graphic chapter books. Captain Underpants, Big Nate, and Geronimo Stilton are some of our favorite books we enjoy reading. This year as a creative writing project we will be working on creating our own graphic chapter book, our chapter book will highlight principals and students from Chesterbrook Academy! Each student will write one chapter and create colorful illustrations for the book. We started by examining how writers such as Dav Pilkey write and illustrate graphic chapter books, and focused on the characters, setting, and plot of the books. Taking a close look at how writers organize and create their books will help us create our graphic chapter book. Then we interviewed Mrs. McCall and Mrs. Myers to obtain background knowledge for our characters. Our next step is to storyboard the plot of our book. Please stay tuned for exciting updates!!!
Asking important interview questions to Mrs. Myers.
Inquiring minds, questioning Mrs. McCall.
Exploring how graphic chapter books are organized.
Fabulous Fourth Grade!
This month the students have been learning all about Colonial Pennsylvania and the events that led up to this Nation's independence. One event in particular that we focused on was the Boston Tea Party. The students were able to integrate STEM into this learning experience by taking the challenge: "Can you design and create a crate that will keep your tea bag dry for the longest period of time in a tub of cold water?" In taking part in this challenge, not only did the students learn about the Boston Tea Party, they read and understood non-fiction text in their Social Studies Weekly Newspaper and what this event meant to the Patriots, integrated Next Generation Science Standards by applying the Science of density and physical properties of matter, used their Math skills of measurement, and administered Scientific and Engineering Practices. The students worked through the Engineering Design Process of ask, imagine, plan, create, test, and reflect and in doing so, the students were made to think critically and develop a crate in which they were successful in keeping their tea bag dry.
Fifth Grade is Fantastic!
Welcome to Mrs. Vail's incredible voyage with fifth grade!
The fifth grade had a busy and exciting March! Between persuasive debates and the field trip to Echo Hill Outdoor School on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the students were engaged and challenged to soar to new heights.
Choosing between which is better to eat chicken or pasta, the students investigated the techniques used in advertising to persuade you. They looked at the ads found online, on the airwaves and in print to identify which strategies were being used and whether they were effective. Working in groups, they then created their own advertising campaign which was presented to the first grade, who voted for the group they thought was the most persuasive.
Echo Hill Outdoor School presented the students with both physical and mental challenges along with some new skills. We began the day at 6:15 am, and arrived on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to begin our day at 9. The first order of business was to orient ourselves through an orienteering adventure. The students played a few games before getting down to the scavenger hunt. Using the compass, degrees north and pacing, the students searched for clues leading to the next stop. The end point was a cabin where popcorn was popped over an open fire, and more about maps was discovered. The students created their own maps before settling into a community style lunch in the dining room.
In the afternoon the students took on the challenge course. Each student set a personal goal and then headed up the vertical climbing wall and then a vertical ropes course that led to a perch 35 feet in the air. Tethered by experienced belayers for safety, the students climbed as high as they felt comfortable. After an exhilarating day, we had dinner at a local restaurant and then headed home, tired but having grown personally as well as academically. Next month we tackle the challenge of creating our own tall tale among other things!