May2015

ALDEN SCHOOLDUXBURY, MA

M Mr. Tam’s Class Room 333

ay is here and we are in full gear in room 333. Read on to see what we have been getting ourselves into.

LITERACY – During Literacy, we have been reading Passage to Freedom by Ken

Mochizuki. Passage to Freedom is a selection about a Japanese diplomat

in Lithuania and is faced with the almost impossible task of helping

refugees escape to Japan to avoid the German soldiers during the

Holocaust. This has gone hand in hand with our last story (Number the

Stars), so the students understood the seriousness of the issue at hand.

In addition, we have been wrapping up our IIM projects that are due on

May 8 and I have to say that the ones that have come in early look

terrific. This project has helped them understand the process of

May2015

conducting research and finding sources on their own. I can’t wait to see

all of the presentations because I know they are going to be fantastic!

MATH – In our math program, we have been solving for perimeter, area,

and volume. The students seemed to grasp the concept once they

learned the formulas for each different shape. The one part I noticed

where people had difficulty was remembering when an answer was

squared (Area = 3cm2), when an answer was cubed (Volume = 3 cm3),

and when an answer was in singular units (Length = 3 cm). In addition,

we have been working on our metric conversions though word

problems, practice, and games. I taught the students my metric

conversion song (ask them to sing it for you sometime). They also use

the mnemonic device “King Henry Doesn’t Usually Drink Chocolate

Milk.” The first letter of each word represents a main metric prefix.

With MCAS coming up next week, we have been reviewing good

test taking strategies and even practicing a few problems here and there

to show them what to expect. The next topic we will touch upon will be

positive and negative numbers.

SCIENCE –

May2015

In Science, the kids have been learning about the different biomes

on Earth and what animals can be found in each. They have been

conducting research in class to help further their knowledge.

SOCIAL STUDIES – In Social Studies, we have moved into speaking about the causes

of the American Revolution and the Revolution itself. We have spoke

about events like the French and Indian War, the Stamp and Sugar Acts,

the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and many more. We recently

visited the Commonwealth Museum and were given a chance to learn

more about the previously mentioned events. We even got to see some

really interesting documents like the Massachusetts copy of the

Declaration of Independence. Here are some pictures from our trip.

May2015

Students simulating working in the

mills in Lowell as children.

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A student on the stand during the

Salem Witch Trials

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Student on the stand at the Salem

Witch Trials

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The judges at our Boston Massacre

Trial

The British Soldiers on trial.

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Soldiers being branded with a

stamp after they were found guilty

SOME UPDATES AND IMPORTANT DATES–- May 8 – IIM Due

- May 13-14 – Math MCAS

- May 20-21 – Science MCAS

- May 25 – Memorial Day

- May 27 – Water Shed Field Trip

SINCERELY,

MR. TAM