This week, we had an amazing field trip to Hero Sports Park, and what an adventure it was. The photos truly speak for themselves! It was a fantastic opportunity for students to bond, get active, and create lasting memories outside the classroom.
In English our reading groups are thriving! Students are making fantastic progress as they work through their assigned chapters, collaboratively answering comprehension questions and summarizing key details. To deepen their engagement, they’ve been participating in creative activities like writing advice letters from a character’s point of view or crafting interview questions for a fun game of Hot Seat. It’s wonderful to see everyone so immersed in their novels and discussions; it makes it easier for me to check in on notebooks, monitor reading progress, and support the learning of three different novels in a single class session!
This week in History, we dove into the Age of Exploration, exploring the reasons behind European interest in finding new trade routes to Asia and the motivations that fueled their journeys to uncharted lands. We discussed key figures of the era, including Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and, of course, Christopher Columbus.
Our discussions centered on the three Gs: Gold, Glory, and God, analyzing how the desire for wealth, personal and national fame, and the spread of religion drove these explorers to take significant risks. We will also consider how these motivations shaped the interactions between Europeans and the new lands and peoples they encountered next week.
In Science this week, we continued our study of waves with a focus on light waves. We explored the fascinating behaviors of light, particularly how it interacts with different surfaces and materials through reflection and refraction. We examined how light behaves when it encounters clear, opaque, and translucent materials. Next week, we’ll expand our exploration to the light color spectrum and its connection to electromagnetic waves. This will provide us with insights into how light carries energy across different wavelengths and how it shapes the world around us.
In PSHE, we continued our exploration of the future of work, but this week we took a step back to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected workers during lockdowns. Students analyzed the experiences of three different workers, considering how the situation impacted their jobs, well-being, and industries. Through these perspectives, we discussed who benefited during this challenging time, the losses many faced, and the unexpected opportunities that emerged. This critical look at the pandemic’s effects helped students develop a deeper understanding of resilience, adaptability, and how global events can reshape the world of work.
This week, we made great progress preparing for the winter show. Students worked collaboratively to write a creative script, gather images, and scale and print them for props. Some students used their Photoshop skills or artistic talents to create items for the performance. Now that the physical preparations are complete, we can focus on practicing and perfecting the show in the weeks ahead. I’m so impressed with the teamwork and motivation everyone has shown—it’s inspiring to see how much fun they’re having while putting together something to entertain and delight their classmates.
Homework includes a math review for the steps covered this week for all year groups, chapter reading and any catch up activities in reading notebooks for English, and a short passage on the 3 G’s for review. Students still write week summary and homework in their planners, be sure to take a peek to help keep students accountable for their work!
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Leah