March 18, 2015


Dear Parents,


All grades have started their final unit in TAG - I can't believe that it's our FINAL unit! So exciting!




My first and second crew mates are off on the TAG Cruise Ship. We are taking guided tours of the oceans of the world. As we will delve into the various ocean zones, kelp forests, and coral reefs, we will be looking critically at all the oceans' inhabitants and conducting many science experiments! We will also look at the problems facing the ocean biome and brainstorm possible solutions.


Carrying our own passports, hopefully no one will get lost. Hopefully, we will not have a man-overboard! (we will of course have a drill to make sure that does not happen).






Third graders are examining the various types of governments around the world and will determine how they world like to set up their 'new country'. Welcome to KID NATION - a place where kids rule! As they determine the type of government their new country will have, they will have to ensure that all citizens are safe, what roles they will play in their new country and what their responsibilities  are required of the citizens. They will discuss the 4 types of productive resources. (Do you remember a bunch of years ago, the TV show called - KID NATION......well it's alive and in our new country, I mean classroom).






We have packed our duffel bags as the fourth grade is taking a tour of many of our National Parks. While visiting each park, they will study human and physical systems, westward expansion, physical and manmade features and Native Americans. They will also study the changes in various ecosystems, animal adaptations and food chains. We are also going to Skype with a Park Ranger in the Badlands! Finally, they will create their very own National Park - stay tuned for more info!




Bonjour! Fifth grade is on a discovery of the arts. We will study many artistic movements in American History and align the art movements to American historical events. The students will have many opportunities to express their ideas in an artistic way throughout the course of this unit. Each day we will begin using the strategy of See, Think, Wonder, to explore a timeline of art history. We will be investigating art movement from Medieval Art through Pop Art by:
*analyzing pieces of art
*analyzing descriptions of art movements
*deciding on criteria that defines an artistic movement
*sorting art into movements based on our criteria and reasoning
*after the investigation, the students will choose the most polar artistic movements (in their opinions) and begin creating landscapes of the same image in the two movement styles.
*in the decision making lesson, the students will be challenged to answer the question: What is art?"




I am excited to share all of these exciting units with the students. They will be given the opportunity to express themselves and build upon their own ideas. I am looking forward to working with each of the children and watching what they produce!

I look forward to working with each of your children as we head into the last of school!
Amanda Shams Ed.S