Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Why 5th Grade?

When I tell people I am going to be a 5th grade teacher I often get asked why I want to teach that age and not the "cute younger kids." Here is a short list of why I am excited to teach 5th grade:

1) Prerevolutionary War history (Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Intolerable Acts...super exciting part of history)
2) The students do not yet have the middle school attitude
3) Kids aim to please
4) They are excited about learning
5) They can work independently and with groups well
6) So many fun projects!
7) Students start to learn their academic strengths around this age, so they develop their own personality and interests
8) I get to prepare them for middle school!
9) It seems that 5th grade is the first year in school that many adults remember, so it's exciting to know that I get to be part of that
10) I get to dive into books like Number the Stars!
Most importantly: I get to be a light to these kids and love them

Here is what I remember from my 5th grade year:
-Marble jar as motivation
-"lots of homework" (which actually was not all that much looking back)
-Electricity jingles: "Eeeelectricity: where does it come from, how does it work and how does it get to me?"
-Building model rockets
-Being teacher of the day (where my desire to become a teacher solidified)
-First research paper on the state of Arizona
-Getting to participate in band and chorus
-Plays about the Irish potato famine
...and many others

Needless to say, I am excited to be a part of students' learning experiences and memory making :-)

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