Pin Box 3000

Using what they had learned about gaming elements and design in Game Star Mechanic, students are now starting the work on their group PinBoxes - a cardboard pinball machine.  Each group has drawn a design draft for the theme of their PinBox and are busy putting together the components (flippers and launcher). 

Science- Testing the effect of varied substrate on plant growth.

Hello From Science!

       5th Grade has started a new project, asking how plant growth will be affected by the substrate the plant are growing in. Paired with a partner, students set up 2 control and 2 experimental conditions. The control groups are simple, plants set carefully in standard potting soil. Each group was required to set up one of their experimental conditions with a mixture of sand and vermiculite to test growth in a soil free environment. The other experiment was up to them. We now have a wide variety of budding plants to monitor for the coming weeks. A highlight is the group who set a plant floating on water using some quite ingenious use of paper towels. Students will be caring for and monitoring these experiments each day in science. We'll see how they do!

Character Analysis at the End of a Novel

After reading The House with the Chicken Legs, by Sophie Anderson, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi, the girls were asked to create a visual representation of all of the ways that the protagonist in the story evolved throughout the book. In addition to drawing the main character and showing the ways that she changed, the girls also had to support their creation with quotes from the book. We were amazed by the creativity and enthusiasm that they put into this assignment!

Civil Rights Movement

After studying the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s for several weeks, today the fifth-grade learned about The Bryn Mawr School's history of integration, which began with Erselle Datcher in the fall of 1965. We used the blog, Bryn Mawr Recollected, written by Claire Hruban, Middle School librarian, as the basis of our presentation to the girls. We also showed them the amazing Senior Project created by Milan George and India Kutcherman, Class of 2018. You can see it for yourself here.

Here we are at the plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of Erselle Datcher Porter's graduation from Bryn Mawr. 

5_Distortion & Bookmaking

The fifth graders are in the middle of two projects both looking at different ways of presenting themselves in line with their art related theme IDENTITY.

One project is a distortion self-portrait. They learned to make grids (great application of ruler skills) and distort grids to "copy" an image. This exercise requires them to replicate the value changes they see and adapt their image using spacial information. Using a view finder and a black and white photo of their "best selves" they draw inch by inch onto the distorted grid. Meanwhile, they are listening to an audible reading of Wonder - which is a wonderful match up to so many of the identity concepts we delve into in art this year.

Here you can see how they practiced by distorting a character from Pokemon.

The other project is a book project. The challenge is to design and make a children's book that reveals something about themselves. Our new student teacher from MICA shared her artists books and taught the girls about the process and the different types of books they could make (folio, accordion, one page book, scroll, etc.) 

Here is Ms. Ashely Lim presenting some of her illustration work to the girls. 

The Grade 5 Newbery Unit

We are thrilled to announce that our special guest author at this year's Newbery Luncheon is Mr. Adam Gidwitz! Mr. Gidwitz is the author of the 2017 Newbery Medal Honor book, The Inquisitor's Tale. Our luncheon will be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, at 12:00 noon, in the Bryn Mawr Lower School multipurpose room. Each girl may invite one guest (a parent, grandparent, or special friend). You can find more information about Mr. Gidwitz on his blog, www.adamgidwitz.com.

To prepare for this special day, the girls in fifth-grade will spend several weeks studying the John Newbery Medal, as well as previous winners of this prestigious award. Here is a bulletin board of their cover designs for the books that won from 1988 through last year:

We will also read The Inquisitor's Tale in class. Students have the option to order their own copy of the book, which can be signed by Mr. Gidwitz when he visits. Information is going home today about this opportunity. 

3-5 Winter Concert

3-5 Winter Concert