In the classroom
- Morning Lesson. The class has been very busy during our studies of Ancient Egypt. As the students have been hearing stories of the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, they have been undertaking a number of different projects. From the creation of a detailed map of the Nile,to writing stories in hieroglyphs, to engraving their own cartouches on gold scratch paper, to modeling a statue of a seated pharaoh or queen, to the creation of a senet board (a game from Ancient Egypt), the children have been hard at work. The making of the senet board was particularly interesting in that the students were tasked with discovering the pattern, or net, of the board to be made out of a single piece of slab clay. It was an interesting class in geometry for them and prefaced a number of skills they will be learning in the coming three years. We will be talking about the pyramids and the process of mummification this week as we wrap up our block.
- Language Arts. We have been working on summarizing stories in a clear and concise manner.
- Speech, Song, Movement. Each day we have been reciting Egyptian prayers as well as singing a “Hymn to Ra”. We have been working with some tongue twisters as well.
- Math. This week we will be reviewing division with fractions.
- Social Life. Over the past weeks, I’ve noticed that adolescence is emerging a bit in grade 5. This is bound to create some social conflicts between the students from time to time. This gives all of us a a great opportunity to practice healthy social processes and then witness the wonderful outcomes that can arise from initially tricky beginnings. As things arise in the class, I, along with Meredith Merchant, our Student Support Coordinator, find ourselves working with students in different ways, from individual conversations, to small group discussions and activities, to whole class discussions as well. The Social Inclusion work that we have taken up at UP offers a fantastic framework for working with the children in an open and healthy manner. If you have any questions, insights, or observations as to how your child is doing socially, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
- Independent Work. There is no independent work this short week save for finishing The Iron Ring.
Reminders and Other News.
- More blog updates. Here is the link.
- We will be building a primitive kiln on Wednesday that will be used to fire our senet boards. I am hoping to fire the pieces that first day back in January (the 9th). We will need some parental help for this, as we will have to see the fire attended at all times. If you are interested in lending a hand as a fire watcher, please let me know!
Upcoming Events
- Office Hours Cancelled, Tuesday, Dec 20.
- Shepherds Play, Tuesday, Dec 20, 2:00 pm. Community members are welcome to attend this annual tradition. The Shepherds Play is a medieval nativity drama with a focus on the kindhearted and jocular shepherds. It is tradition that the actors vehemently deny being in it, and we encourage you to join in this with a wink and a nod.
- Community Advent Spiral, Tuesday, Dec 20, 5:30 pm. Join us for this most lovely and reverent of solstice celebrations. You may come on your own or bring your whole family. The Spiral is an individual experience of the inner light that must shine at this dark time of year. The event begins at 5:30 with a story.
- December Break – NO SCHOOL – Thursday, Dec 22-Friday, Jan 6. School resumes Monday, Jan 9.