The students in Mrs. Callahan's S.T.E.P. class participated in a thematic unit called Building Bridges. They worked together to design and construct the strongest or most unique bridge. Their "company" was made up of an accountant who balances their accounts and writes the checks for buying the materials. Another student played the role of the project director who oversees the building and spending, and signs off on all order forms for materials. The "company" teams also kept a log of the progress that was made each day. The bridges were tested at the end of the unit to see which was the strongest and safest bridge. |
What's Happening in S.T.E.P
S.T.E.P. students worked together on a unit about bats. They learned about ways that bats are both helpful and harmful to our environment. We also had a fun time building bat houses. Students are authors, too, in S.T.E.P. classes. We write episodes all year about a character that we have created. The first episode involved a storm story because we were studying natural disasters such as hurricanes. The second episode the students wrote was about bats. Other episode topics included artificial intelligence, a visit to another country, favorite traditons, and more. Even though the stories, or episodes, are fiction, the students have to show that they have researched their topics by including facts embedded in their stories. Students also read current events and keep journals about the articles they read. We do this all year long. This winter, students will be studying Traditions around the World. In this unit, students choose a country and research to find an interesting tradition from that country. Their episode writing will involve the country they researched.
A Community Service Project for the Month of May
The fifth grade students have recently been involved in a community service project to construct lending libraries to place in various residential sites around our school community and in Newnan. The project encourages reading, sharing, and becoming life-long learners and a lifetime appreciation for reading and knowledge. The little libraires also add a certain appeal and beauty to residential areas. Students helped with some of the construction of the lending libraries and also did the painting and designs.
S.T.E.P. students worked together on a unit about bats. They learned about ways that bats are both helpful and harmful to our environment. We also had a fun time building bat houses. Students are authors, too, in S.T.E.P. classes. We write episodes all year about a character that we have created. The first episode involved a storm story because we were studying natural disasters such as hurricanes. The second episode the students wrote was about bats. Other episode topics included artificial intelligence, a visit to another country, favorite traditons, and more. Even though the stories, or episodes, are fiction, the students have to show that they have researched their topics by including facts embedded in their stories. Students also read current events and keep journals about the articles they read. We do this all year long. This winter, students will be studying Traditions around the World. In this unit, students choose a country and research to find an interesting tradition from that country. Their episode writing will involve the country they researched.
A Community Service Project for the Month of May
The fifth grade students have recently been involved in a community service project to construct lending libraries to place in various residential sites around our school community and in Newnan. The project encourages reading, sharing, and becoming life-long learners and a lifetime appreciation for reading and knowledge. The little libraires also add a certain appeal and beauty to residential areas. Students helped with some of the construction of the lending libraries and also did the painting and designs.