Simulated Congressional Hearing
The 5th graders prepared all year for a major event - Simulated Congressional Hearing. They learned about government, and then invited community leaders to serve as congressional committees. The kids formed expert panels to testify in front of the congressional committees. Parents came to observe. I volunteered as a photographer (and Jen helped with the food). There were a lot of people there.
Molly and the rest of the 5th grade chorus sang Hats Off to America, including some custom made patriotic hats.
Here's the committee Molly testified in front of.
Molly's expert panel is ready to testify. They testified on the subject of why the American colonies went to war against the British.
After their initial testimony, the committees asked the kids questions to probe further into their subject.