Hello! I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer, and that our students are rested and ready for a great new year at school. I’m really excited about beginning this new year. I’ve worked with the incoming 6th graders last year as their 5th grade science teacher, and they are truly a wonderful group of students. I look forward to seeing them grow into their role as leaders of our school, and am sure they will continue to exhibit the humor, kindness, responsibility and good attitudes that made them such a pleasure to work with last year. I’m also excited to meet and get to know our incoming 5th graders. I know some of them already as the younger brothers and sisters of our older students, and am sure they will be an interesting and exciting group as well.

The 5th graders have an exciting year of hands-on integrative activities that will focus on four main units in the following order: Microworlds, Measuring Time, Levers and Pulleys, and Solar Energy. We will use these units to learn about the scientific method, building models, analyzing results and modifying models. This program focuses on students observing and creating concrete models of ideas, and learning how to observe and carefully record data. Students will also be pushed to clarify and correct their thinking throughout the units.

The 6th graders will also have many hands-on activities, but the 6th grade program also will push students to the next academic level needed for middle and high-school. The 6th grade unit programs are in the following order: Energy Resources, Climate and Weather, Dynamic Planet, And Fossils. This program focuses on the Earth sciences, and students will learn to further their thinking processes and hone their skills in creating questions and hypothesis, correctly observing, organizing and documenting data, and researching and analyzing their thinking and models they have created. Students should be prepared for a little more book and writing work than they may have been accustomed to from the 5th grade program.

Finally, our writing classes; in 205, we’ve already created some amazing writing - in only a few weeks. So far we’ve been focused on collecting ideas (seeds) for our writing, learning how to draft with details and dialogue, and building our writing stamina. In the coming months our focus will move to the complete writing process including revision, editing, and publishing. Please encourage your young author to share their work at home, you’ll be impressed with what you hear.

Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions, concerns or news about your child. My email address is jepeterson2@cps.edu. I look forward to working with you and your child this year.

Thank you,

Ms. Peterson-Teckchandani