Math: Chapter 8 on Fractions and Decimals (one lesson per day) - we will skip around in this chapter to go in a better sequence.
- Tuesday/Wednesday - We will work on our group differentiated practice tests.
- Thursday - Chapter 8 Math Test (1B, 2B, 3B)
- Friday - Math Game fun!!!!
Science: Chapter 4 - Ecosystems (one lesson per week)
- Chapter 4 on Ecosystems with Lesson 2
- How do organisms interact in ecosystems?
- How do living things interact with their environments?
- Learning Objective:
- Students will develop and use models that show how organisms interact in an ecosystem.
- Keywords: producer, consumer, decomposer, predator, and prey
- Words to Know: Lesson 2 quiz on Thursday
- BrainPop on Fungi on Friday
Social Studies: finishing the American Revolution
- Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday - Today, we started watching the Disney movie Johnny Tremain in class to end our American Revolution unit. Ask your child about it. I enjoyed the film when I was younger, and I hope they do too...we will finish the movie by Thursday.
- Learning Objective:
- Johnny Tremain is drawn into the Revolutionary War and becomes a patriot fighting to free the colonies from England. Along the way, he learns about life and himself.
- Friday - Possible game of Capture the Flag if I can get space - American Revolution style. If we can't, then they will take an I Survived the American Revolution 1776 Book Test.
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- How we’ll play, if we can …my lesson plans:
Round 1
Step 1: Prepare teams for the first round of the game.
- Have the British team line up and warm up by stretching and jogging in place. Tell the American team not to do anything. Historical analogy: The British military was better trained than the American forces.
- Move half the British team out of the game. Tell these students they can enter the game only when you tell them to. Historical analogy: British reinforcements and supplies had to travel across the Atlantic Ocean.
- Tell the French team to root for the American team. Historical analogy: France sent financial aid and supplies to the Americans early in the war.
Teacher: Ask the French team, Who do you think will win? Why?
Step 2: Have students play for approximately two minutes. Do not allow the other half of the British team to enter the game during this round. Blow the whistle to end the round BEFORE the British team can capture the American team’s flag.
Step 3: Allow students 1 minute to rest, and permit British and American players who are not currently playing the game to enter. Have the remaining members of the British team enter the game, and allow any students tagged to re-enter.
Round 2
Step 1: Prepare teams for the second round of the game.
- Tell the American team they will receive a prize if they win the game. Do not offer the British team an award for winning. Historical analogy: The Declaration of Independence increased the motivation to win for most Americans.
- Tell one student on the American team that even if the American team wins, you cannot guarantee that he or she will receive the British prize over other members of the American team. Allow that student to switch to the British team. Historical analogy: African Americans wondered whether the equality promised in the Declaration of Independence would apply to them. Many doubted it would and chose to fight on the British side. Others hoped they would be treated equally and decided to fight on the American side.
Teacher: Ask the French team, who do you think will win? Why?
Step 2: Have students play for approximately two minutes. Blow the whistle to end the round BEFORE the British team can capture the American team’s flag.
Step 3: Allow students one minute to rest and permit British and American players who were tagged to re-enter the game.
Round 3 - TWO FLAGS THIS ROUND FOR American
Step 1: Prepare teams for the third round of the game.
- Call the American team aside and deliver a brief pep talk. Encourage the American team to maintain a positive attitude despite the difficulty of their situation. Tell them, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Historical analogy: Thomas Paine’s pamphlet The Crisis encouraged Patriots to keep fighting.
- Add a second American flag that the British team must capture. Tell both teams that the British team must capture both flags to win. Tell the players on the British squad that one person may NOT capture both flags at once. Historical analogy: American victories at Trenton and Princeton, in the Middle Colonies, showed the British that winning the war would be more complex than they thought and boosted American morale.
Teacher: Ask the French team, who do you think will win? Why?
Step 2: Have students play for approximately two minutes. Blow the whistle to end the round BEFORE the British team can capture the American team’s flag.
Step 3: Allow students 1 minute to rest, and permit the British and American players tagged to re-enter the game.
Round 4
Step 1: Prepare teams for the fourth round of the game.
- Tell the American team they must not capture the British flag to win the game. They only have to keep the British squad from capturing all the American flags. Historical analogy: Washington realized he did not have to defeat the British to win the war. He only needed to keep the British from defeating and capturing his army.
- Call the American team aside and explain that if they can hold on for one more round, they will receive help. Historical analogy: The French promised to become active allies after the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga.
- Allow one volunteer from the French team to join the American team. Historical analogy: Several Europeans, such as Lafayette and von Steuben, volunteered with the British to help the Americans.
Teacher: Ask the French team, who do you think will win? Why?
Step 2: Have students play for approximately two minutes. Blow the whistle to end the round BEFORE the British team can capture the American team’s flag.
Step 3: Allow students 1 minute to rest, and permit the British and American players tagged to re-enter the game.
Round 5 - THREE FLAGS FOR American TEAM
Step 1: Prepare teams for the fifth round of the game.
- Add a THIRD American flag that the British team must capture. Tell both teams that the British team must capture all three American flags to win. Remind the players on the British squad that only one person may capture a flag at a time. Historical analogy: Successful hit-and-run tactics used by the Americans in the Southern Colonies brought out the British forces.
- Have the French team enter the game on the American team’s side. Explain that if the American team wins, the French team will also win a prize. Historical analogy: France sent troops and naval support to America, which proved decisive at Yorktown.
Step 2: Have students play for approximately two minutes. Blow the whistle to end the round BEFORE the British team can capture the American team’s flag.
Step 3: Allow students 1 minute to rest, and allow the British and American players who were tagged to re-enter the game.
Round 6
Step 1: Ask the British team members whether they want to continue playing under the current rules. Allow British team members to express their frustration over how the rules have been changed to favor the American team. Expect many British team members to say they are ready to quit, and a few to adamantly argue for keeping playing. Historical analogy: British popular support for the war decreased dramatically after Yorktown. King George and others, however, refused to accept defeat for months after Yorktown.
Step 2: Declare the American team as the winner. Have a representative from the British squad concede victory by shaking hands with representatives from the American and French teams. Historical analogy: The Americans won the war.
Step 3: Announce the terms of the end of the game. Have the British team hand over its flag to the American team. Give the American and French teams their prizes. Finally, the American team captain should have promised the British squad that they would be treated with respect, even though the British team lost the game. Historical analogy: The Treaty of Paris ended the war. By the treaty's terms, Great Britain withdrew its forces and recognized American independence. America promised not to seize any additional property from Loyalists.
*Please note that The Week at a Glance is very broad. Please check my nightly Edlio posts to read about what we did in class that day.*
