Mrs. DeLuca: Grade 5, Grade 6 ELA

The fifth grade spent last week writing, directing, and rehearsing their own plays. After reading a play and learning the elements of performance theater in our  Journeys  text, the students were tasked with writing their own five-minute plays about how every day people can promote activism in their communities. We learned how to integrate the five steps of the writing process into play writing, incorporating stage directions and dialogue to craft thoughtful, original stories. Without further ado, we present the fifth grade original plays on every day activism! Time to Take Out the Trash by Zayda D, Sean M, and Sophia O Pawrent by Andrew D, Thomas F, and Molly M Banana Split by Garrett D, Charlotte H, and Grant L

This week was full of performance in fifth grade! The middle school welcomed their grandparents on Thursday where our class performed their adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. Following the show, they enjoyed a delicious lunch alongside their grandparents. King Max (far right) leading the Wild Things and our narrators in the Macarena as part of their "wild rumpus." --------------------------------------------------- Later that same day, the fifth grade reverently led the entire school in a prayer service honoring the birthdays of Cornelia Connelly and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Grade 5 did a spectacular job leading the school in our annual prayer service for Cornelia Connelly and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a way to show remembrance for their meaningful work, each fifth grader recorded selected quotes that were projected for the school community during our service. It was an emotional tribute to two powerful leaders of faith and activism. To

Happy New Year! I hope all of our families enjoyed a restful, but joyful holiday season. I am so happy to be back at HCA. The fifth grade and I have spent the past few days getting to know each other. On Thursday, the students shared what they are most looking forward to in 2019! They also stated their goals as readers and writers in the new year. We will keep these up for the next few weeks to refer back to as we continue to "dust off" and polish our language arts skills. In Social Studies, we discussed the importance of being aware of current events on a local, national and global level. Fifth grade watched today's student video for  CNN 10  and reviewed the 5W's ("& an 'H!") that make up a strong news story. They will spend the next week choosing an appropriate, newsworthy article -- on a topic of their choice -- to write and present a summary and reflection on for their first Current Events report. I'm proud of both the fifth and six