In fourth grade, students study Jamestown and Williamsburg as part of the Virginia Studies Curriculum. Most students find it very interesting because it is the first time they have looked deeply into American history. Due to interest in the topic, fourth grade teachers have found several ways to tie Jamestown into cross-curricular activities and projects. Students have been working on two projects recently. First, using the coding application, Scratch, they are creating a game or cartoon that represents something they learned about the Jamestown colony. The project has been a great opportunity for students to synthesize the information they have learned into something personally meaningful that they can share with others. While using Scratch, students work with several mathematical concepts including: angles, degrees, and coordinates. They must also problem solve on a consistent basis during the process of coding. Second, in language arts, they are writing a historical fiction Jamestown letter from the voice of an English settler or Native American who would have been present at the location of the fort during its establishment. When finished, students will use methods to age the letters to make them look authentic.
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Brian A. Valentine
This blog will serve as a visual representation for the exciting events that occur in fifth grade throughout the 2016-2017 school year. Archives
December 2017
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