For the past few weeks the fifth grade has been learning about taxes in colonial America. Right now we are learning about the Boston Tea Party, how the tea tax was put on the colonists and some who called themselves Patriots went again King George and led to the American revolution. Some were with King George and thought the tea tax was not much to pay. This led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. People from both sides came together and had a debate at the Old South Meeting House on if the tea tax should stay or get repealed. We are going to go to the Old South Meeting House to re-enact the tea tax debate. I have been very intrigued by this topic and am very exited for this field trip.
In different words, this question has been raised lately, multiple times.
This week we read that Mae Tuck killed a man to save a child, her family, and possibly the fate of humankind in our class novel, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. But did she have to kill him? Was that the right thing to do? Was that her only option? What might she have done instead?
Students were riveted by the story of the Burning of the Gaspee. As we prepare for the tea tax debate, we are looking closely at the many catalysts for the American Revolution. While some colonists wrote letters to express their feelings of discontent, many others reacted with violence.
In fifth grade, we will continue to wrestle with this question. Is it ok to do something wrong if it is for the right reason?Do the ends justify the means? For the sake of a more generative discussion, I’d like to encourage parents and fifth graders to post any thoughts they have on this big question directly onto our blog. Thank you!!!
Fifth graders synthesized their knowledge by retelling the event, sharing the big ideas, and making predictions. Completed work included: slideshows, a news article, two cartoons, and a poster board display. Below are links to the student slideshows about the Burning of the Gaspee. You might need to copy and paste the link into your address bar.
This week in Social Studies we learned about the burning of the Gaspee, which took place in 1772 when the British were ruling Rhode Island. The British had passed a tax on the cargo in ships, so they had ships to collect the tax. In Rhode Island we were very upset by this, so we would smuggle the cargo and try to avoid the tax collector ship. Then when the British found out about the smuggling they hired a large boat called the Gaspee to collect taxes. The Gaspee was a mean and aggressive ship and the crew on the Gaspee made sure no one would smuggle. One day a cargo ship called the Hannah was sailing to Providence when the Gaspee asked them to stop and let them search their ship. When the Hannah said, “NO,” and started sailing away, the Gaspee started sailing after them, and for a long time this went on until the Gaspee got stuck in a sand bar because it was heavy. The Hannah then rushed to Providence to tell people what had happened. Then a drummer went out in the streets to gather up people to plan the attack on the Gaspee. After that they all got in 8 big row boats and went to the sand bar where the Gaspee was stuck, and at 12:00 they attacked it and lit the Gaspee on fire. When the British got word of this they questioned everyone about the attack and no one told. Overall I think it would have been really cool to experience the burning of the Gaspee, but I was born 200 years late.
This week the fifth grade did so many exciting things! One of them was making bricks for the brick oven. We mixed sand, cement, water, and clay in plastic tubs, then put the mixture into empty milk cartons, which we have been collecting since the beginning of the school year. We did all this in groups of three. The groups were: Jonah, Jordan and Tamar; Tomer, Jodd and Eliora; and Abby, Elliana and Shira.
This week is also Shira’s last week before she leaves for Israel on Tuesday. We have all made cards for her, and all of us have collaborated to make a PowerPoint where each of us creates a slide saying why we will miss her. The next time she will be here will be in August. She has been a huge part of our community, and we will all miss her.
Last Tuesday we had quite a unique learning experience off-campus. We were fortunate to visit the studio of acclaimed artist Donald Gerola. Here’s a link to his webite, for those curious: http://www.donaldgerola.com/
Providence locals have certainly seen his sculptures around town.
It was our interdisciplinary Teva project that led us here. As the students worked on planning how to create an aesthetically pleasing structure to reuse rainwater in our garden, the class had to plan out what they think they will need to know and how they might learn it. Learning from a sculptor was on their list! Our Head of School, Adam Tilove, had recently met Gerola and helped us make contact.
As a classroom teacher, I can honestly say this was one of the most incredible field trips I have been on. Meeting a master artist, hearing his story, and walking through a studio filled with hundreds of creative masterpieces left me speechless. His response to my thank you email was simply beautiful. He wrote me that this was the only group of children to touch his soul and that we left magic behind in his studio. He also welcomed us to return in the spring.
As a result of our visit, students have new inspirations and ideas for moving forward with their project. They look forward to updating Gerola of their progress.
From the moment we disembarked the bus, we were in awe of the artistic sculptures.Wandering around, mesmerized by the unique shapes and colors, students forgot how cold it was outside.The artist explained the sculpture he was standing on weighs 1,600 pounds! We tried to figure out if it weighed more than all of us. (In fact, it does.)It was fascinating to hear the artist reflect on his artistic vision and process.Art that meets the sky.
This week has been full of learning. In social studies we have been focusing on the history of the Middle Colonies. On Wednesday we read a document, an old document, a primary source that William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, wrote in 1682. Unfortunately we did not get the real document, only copies, but it was still cool to see what he wrote. He wrote about how King Charles the Second gave him a piece of land which William Penn decided to call Pennsylvania, meaning ‘Penn’s Woods’. William wrote: “I the said William Penn, have declared, granted, and conformed…these liberties, franchises, and properties, to be held enjoyed, and kept by the freemen, planters, and inhabitants of the said province of Pennsylvania forever.” He meant that this place would be kept free and enjoyed forever. This was a big thing to say for that time.
To me it was interesting to see how William Penn and Roger Williams were the same. They were both founders of a state and both had big ideas about freedom. They also both had ‘William’ in their names. I think that this is one of the most interesting things that the fifth grade has learned so far in social studies.
Out of the classroom learning expeditions should enhance and deepen the learning that is taking place in the classroom. Last month, in connection with our studies of Colonial America, fifth graders visited Touro Synagogue. Because the students have been learning about this time period this semester, this expedition served as a platform for them to synthesize and deepen the ideas they’ve been thinking about and wrestling with.
At first glance, it is clear this synagogue sticks out. How so? Why?
Feeling truly free in Rhode Island, Jews proudly built their synagogue facing east, toward Jerusalem, at an angle with the street it’s on, different from any ordinary building.
Fifth graders were familiar with the principles on which Roger Williams founded Rhode Island: freedom for all and separation of church and state.
Students take pride in the fact that Rhode Island was the first colony to welcome everybody, while realizing the Narragansett Indians were displaced after the colonists arrived.
Students took notes about what they found interesting and what they wanted to know more about. They were amazed at all the connections they could make from Isobel in the novel they’d read to the journey of other Jews escaping from the Inquisition who made it to Rhode Island.
We were awed by the original Torah they used, made from deerskin.
We learned about the architecture, the founding members of this historic synagogue, and the pride of Newport over the ideal of religious freedom. Sadly, Newport played a major role in the slave trade, an ugly reality of our country’s history.
Fifth graders marveled over the perfect symmetry in the architecture. They were also proud of how impressed the tour guide was with all their background information on this time period.
George Washington once visited this synagogue and wrote a letter to the community promising they would always be free and safe.
Afterwards, students learned more about this community at the interactive visitor’s center.
On our walk back from Touro to the bus, we spotted this gorgeous public lawn and knew it would be the perfect place to enjoy our lunches on the crisp fall day. The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a private subscription library. Founded in 1747, it is the oldest community library still occupying its original building in the United States.
This was one of those moments when we all appreciated the freedom we have to enjoy a spontaneous moment.
And since we were missing the official “lunch and recess time” back at school, it only made sense for some play time to follow the meal! What a beautiful setting to have recess!
It was a day of great learning, bonding, and enjoyment.
