Week of May 9-13

This week, the 3rd graders continued to learn about aspects of poetry like line breaks and white space. We discussed that, in addition to careful word choice, decisions about how to place those words on the page can affect and enhance the meaning of a poem. The poet, Douglass We continued to write and share poems, applying the techniques we have learned so far. Check out a few examples below!

In 4th grade, some classes learned about sonnets. After learning about the rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter, we also read and discussed the themes of some of Shakespeare's famous sonnets (sonnet 18 and sonnet 73). I was very impressed with the students' abilities to find the deeper meanings in the poems! We then started to write our own sonnets. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

The 5th graders spent time researching and crafting the bodies of their speeches. We learned some techniques to avoid saying "um" and "ah": pay attention and notice when you do it, close your mouth, and take a pause. It IS possible to break this habit!