King George III of England sent an email this morning ordering new taxes to be paid by Middle Kids. The students had to pay a variety of taxes for the use of such items as paper, pencils, restrooms, and water, as well as anything teachers considered “intolerable” behavior (such as shouting out, not listening to instructions, or complaining). They even had to quarter (share their desk with) another student for part of the day. For all of you American history buffs, you may notice that this activity was meant to simulate the taxation without representation faced by the colonists before the American Revolution. While the students enjoyed this unique experience, many of them did feel the injustice and arbitrary nature of this taxation. As you can see, this week we will be learning more about the events that lead to the Revolutionary War.
This week in literacy we will focus our attention on writing a proper summary of a book. The students are learning a technique called the 5-finger summary. The 5 fingers are: somebody, wanted, but, so, then. Writing a summary can be tricky, so it is a skill that we teach and review each year.
The Rivendell Science Fair is up and running. When you have a chance this week, please stop in and take a look. If you have time and are willing, please feel free to fill out an evaluation on a project or two. The forms are available as you walk in the front door.
Remember that there is no school this Friday, and that next week is spring break. We hope you all have a wonderful time with your families.
**Special note for kids who were in the Because of Winn-Dixie book group: Don’t forget to complete your end-of-book assignment and turn it in by Thursday. The next book study group will start after spring break. We will let you know who is in that group when we return.