Author: bbellot

• practiced journalism skills by creating their own newspaper.
• chose a topic for their argument essay.
• wrote a claim connected to their topic.
• began finding facts and quotes to support their position on the topic.
• took a practice test for the upcoming SBAC assessments.

This week scholars will…

• continue gathering strong evidence for their argument essay.
• begin to formulate their essay by combining claim, evidence, and reasoning.
• spend time checking grades and catching up on missed assignments to finish quarter four strong.

Just a reminder that Friday May 27 is an Early Release day for students as we welcome incoming 6th graders into the building.

• Researched local, national, and global news stories.
• Searched for and summarized facts related to current events.
• Studied the work of youth activists in Vermont.
• Created a claim and found evidence to support their ideas about the youth activists and their causes.
• Wrote a reflection on their experiences and learning in humanities this year.
• Took the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) and reflected on their growth.
• Chose two choices of possible topics for an upcoming argumentative essay. See image below for an overview of Team Solstice top choices. Students will have the option to argue any position of the topic, as long as it can be backed up with evidence from a reliable source. Additionally, students are not limited to these topics. We welcome further ideas.

This week scholars will…

• Design a newspaper to showcase their research on current local, national, and global events.
• Create curious questions and claims for their upcoming argumentative writing unit.
• Begin researching their topic.
• Begin discussing and prepping for SBAC testing.

5/27 is a 1/2 day for 6th grade step up. 5/30 there is no school for Memorial Day.

• Begin working on skills to identify bias in the media.
• Utilize the Ad Fontes Media’s “Media Bias Chart”.
• Practice analyzing issues from multiple perspectives.
• Finalize creating a new book cover of their favorite book and a paragraph that shares reasoning for their design.
• Explore the question: What makes an activist?
• Learn about Malala Yousafzai’s many examples of activism and practice developing a claim based on what we learn.
• Engage in a discussion with our Student Teacher Intern, Roark Thomas, about life as a college student.

• Finished their five paragraph essays on how geography impacted the character in A Long Walk to Water.
• Spent time submitting missing assignments before quarter 3 ended.
• Deepened learning about Women’s History by creating a powerpoint presentation that featured inspiring women.
• Identified a country they will be researching for an upcoming unit.

• Further research the country they chose last week.
• Apply the five themes of geography to their country.
• Being a poetry unit for National Poetry Month.
• Reflect on their habits of work and learning.
• Set goals for quarter 4!

• Finished reading A Long Walk to Water and reflected on the obstacles and perseverance in Salva’s story.
• Practiced perspective taking skills by writing from the character’s point of view.
• Furthered learning about the Sudanese War and Water for South Sudan.
• Used the story to take an assessment about sign posts (aha moments, contrast and contradictions, and tough questions).
• Began writing body paragraph for their five paragraph essay. The question is: How does the geography of the place impact the character’s experiences?

This week scholars will…

• Continue finding evidence in the text to support their claim.
• Continue working on the five paragraph essay assignment.
• Use mini-grammar lessons to strengthen their essays.
• Further our learning about Salva Dut, Water for South Sudan.

• Spent time talking about where Ukraine and Russia are, the history between both countries, and the responses from leaders around the world.
• Explored the meaning of the word empathy and came up with examples of empathy in our own lives.
• Wrote letters expressing empathy and words of hope to Ukrainian refugees. Letters will be sent to Airbnb with the hope of them making it to people who have fled Ukraine.
• Continued reading and discussing A Long Walk to Water. While reading, we practiced identifying sign posts (tough questions, ah-ha moments, contrasts/ contradictions).

• Continue discussing strategies for self-care amidst the current international political climate.
• Practice finding evidence to support a claim in preparation to write five paragraph essays.
• Engage in a restorative circle that centers themes from A Long Walk to Water.
• Continue reading and discussing the text as a class, as well as identifying and using sign posts.