Classroom Updates 2025-2026

Q1 Part 1 Updates

3rd

ELA

Students read “Introduction to Polio” , a secondhand account of Polio.
Students read “The diagnosis” Part 1 and 2 a firsthand account of Polio.
Students practiced closer reading skills, underlining important information to answer comprehension questions
Students worked to define vocabulary words by using context clues and a glossary.
Students brainstormed ideas for a personal narrative
Students attempted a two paragraph essay about their favorite celebration and foods involved.

Students have begun learning about landforms and features around Chicago.
Students explored sea level maps and climate maps
Students have learned about neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Bronzeville, and North Lawndale.
Students observed a map sectioning off the city into different regions.

5th

ELA

Students created skits and acted out the script for “The Math Test”
Students revised each other's writing for a time that they felt nervous.
Students studied comic strips to see how an illustrator brings a story to life.
Students focused on one piece of the comic strip and wrote a story to “focus on the moment”

Students began exploring different native groups.
Students began learning about the positioning of Native groups in South America
Students took notes about Apache, Navajo, Olmec, Choctaw, Cherokee groups.
Students explored the maps of Native groups and the states they lived in the United States.
Students learned about different artifacts and debated if placing them in museums was a strong idea.

Quarter 1 Part 2 Updates

3rd

ELA

Students began Unit 2 discussing Medieval Times/ The Middle ages

Skills being worked on:

close readings
building vocabulary
the use of to, too and two
Analyzing prefixes and root words. (-un, -non, -en.)
Identifying when to use adverbs vs adjectives
How to write adverbs

Students are analyzing how people adapted in the past to now.

Students are analyzing the effects of humans on the planet with deforestation, rebuilding canals, and changing the flow of the Chicago river.

5th

ELA

Students have been building essays including topics of

Writing claims
Writing hooks
Writing introductions
Two body paragraphs
Citing evidence
Using text evidence to support claims
Building conclusions.

Students completed Unit 1 assessment (10/6)

Students began analyzing the journey of Christopher Colombus

Students are analyzing different empires from the past.

Students reason what power meant to the empires and how they maintained and grew in size.

Jan. 2026

5th Grade Updates

Week of 1/5/26

ELA

Reviewed procedures
Created one goal for the week and two goals for the month.
Began our book study of Hello Universe focusing on motifs and themes reading chapters 1-3
Completed problem solver writing
Field Trip to the Daley Center

Students revisited Unit 3 Lesson 3 discussing the powers across the world and empires developed and fell within the world.

Week of 1/12/26

Show week!

ELA

Continuation of our book study, with a focus still on motifs, themes and ideas that are becoming consistent in Hello Universe.
Read Chapters 4-6.
Continued problem solver writing essay.

Students have begun to analyze the institution and system of slavery developed in colonial America.
Studied maps of slave trades and materials being transported in and out of Africa, the Colonies and Europe.

Week of 1/19/26

ELA

Continuation of our book study, with a focus conflict.
Students analyzed chapters to discover different layers of conflict between characters, characters and themselves, and characters vs nature.
Students read Chapters 6-9

Students continue to analyze the institution and system of slavery developed in colonial America.
Studied maps of slave trades and materials being transported in and out of Africa, the Colonies and Europe.
Students discussed how slavery changed the identity of African Americans.

3rd Grade Updates

Week of 1/5/26

ELA

Students created one goal for the week and two goals for the month
Reviewed procedures and expectations
Began Unit 5 Amplify Geology
Field Trip to Daley Center

Students discussed the midwest expansion of the United States.
Analyzed how groups of people became affected by this movement.
Studied how Native Americans were moved to reservations/specific states.

Week of 1/12/26

Show Week!

ELA

Students began reading chapters 1-3 in their readers.
Discussing what is Geology
How do we use it?
What will do we know, wonder, and think about Geology?

Students discussed the midwest expansion of the United States.
Analyzed how groups of people became affected by this movement.
Studied how Native Americans were moved to reservations/specific states.

Week of 1/19/26

ELA

Students completed lessons 4-7
Students will explain what causes earthquakes, how scientists measure the intensity of earthquakes, and how faults and tsunamis relate to earthquakes.
Students used plate tectonics to discuss how scientists can predict earthquakes and tsunamis.
Students used hand gestures and movement to discuss how tectonic plates move.

Students explained and analyzed why people move to new communities.
Students describe how people identify problems in their community and how they work to solve these problems.
Students explored how social movements change communities.

5th Grade Updates

Week of 2/2/26

ELA

Students continued Hello Universe Chapters 15-18

Students analyzed the author's techniques in creating suspense.

Students built out a constructed response discussing Virgil's traits and how his actions revealed his traits and what his motivation was.

Black History Month Project

Students researched the accomplishments and contributions to society from African Americans in the past and present.

Week of 2/9/26

ELA

Students continued Hello Universe Chapters 19-23
Students created annotations discussing figurative language.
Students analyzed the story for the use of figurative language
Focus on simile, metaphor, onomatopoeias, hyperboles, and personification.
Students created a social media page for a character, creating three images and explanations of how the image connects to the character, and explaining more about who they are.

Black History Month Project

Students researched the accomplishments and contributions to society from African Americans in the past and present.
Students created a slideshow to present their research of the accomplishments from someone in the past
Students presented these slides to the class.

Week of 2/16/26

No School Mon-Tues

ELA

Students continued Hello Universe Chapters 24-28
Students analyzed symbols and discussed their deeper meaning and connections.
Students discussed three types of irony seen in Hello Universe.
Students read and took annotations on Character actions, and discussed how their actions revealed more about their character.

Black History Month Project

Students researched and discussed the GReensboro sit-in movements
Discussing how this movement was peaceful and able to create a change in the community.

3rd Grade Updates

Week of 2/2/26

ELA

Students completed geology lesson 11-14
Students explored plate tectonics and how they create tsunamis and cause volcanic eruptions
Students researched volcanic ranges in Alaska and wrote about their activity, the type of volcano it is, and gave background information on the history of the volcano.

Black History Month Project

Students researched the accomplishments and contributions to society from African Americans in the past and present.

Week of 2/9/26

ELA

Students completed Unit 5 of Geology.
Students began their book study of El Deafo
Students completed a scavenger hunt to explore Graphic Novels
Students explained what makes a book a graphic novel.
Students learned how to annotate their story, cite text evidence and explain their own thinking from the text evidence.

Black History Month Project

Students researched the accomplishments and contributions to society from African Americans in the past and present.

Week of 2/16/26

No School Mon-Tues

ELA

Students continued book study El Deafo
Students read chapter 3-4 and 5-6
Students wrote about the Author’s purpose (P.I.E) and provided evidence of how they knew the purpose.
Students continued to annotate the story, and cite text evidence.
For each text evidence piece students had to put it in their own words and explain the connection.

Black History Month Project

Students researched the Greensboro Sit-in movement and discussed how the movement was effective and why.