Thursday Feb. 17, 2011

Tonight's homework:

READING- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking and theory. IT IS DUE TOMORROW.

WRITING- Final Draft: Re-copy your revised and edited draft in pen or typed

SOCIAL STUDIES- map study of West Africa

*Reports

We Visited West Africa!

Today in Social Studies we talked about what we know about West African culture through our study of fabric, specifically kente cloth and folktales.




Today we took a ride around the coast of West Africa! We used a close-up map of West Africa and followed the countries around the west coast. We began thinking about why West Africa was where most of the slaves were taken from and brought to America. We looked at a timeline and used what we already knew to construct our own understanding, thinking about people and events. We will be continuing to build onto our timeline.



Tonight for homework, we are thinking about questions and reactions we have to slavery in America.

Wednesday 2.16.11

Tonight's Homework:

READING- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking, about YOUR THEORY

WRITING- EDIT your realistic fiction drafts using your organizers. Make sure you have 3-5 examples of each craft. Use the color code to underline or circle your examples in marker or colored pencil if you didn't do this last night!-
RED- comparisons
BLUE- alliteration
*BLACK-onomatopoeia (look at the list we came up with today)
YELLOW-sophisticated/fancy words
GREEN- descriptive/sensory language
CHOOSE YOUR OWN COLOR- dialogue

SOCIAL STUDIES- Complete the "Slavery in America" web in your Social Studies notebook. Write down all questions you have or reactions you have. If you do research about anything we talked about today, please share it with us tomorrow.

Tuesday Feb. 15, 2011

Tonight's Homework:

READING- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking, such as I'm wondering... or I'm thinking...I can't believe...I have a theory...

WRITING- last night to revise your realistic fiction drafts using your craft organizer. Make sure you have 3-5 examples of each craft. Use the color code to underline or circle your examples in marker or colored pencil-
RED- comparisons
BLUE- alliteration
*BLACK-onomatopoeia (we will do more work with this tomorrow)
YELLOW-sophisticated/fancy words
GREEN- descriptive/sensory language
CHOOSE YOUR OWN COLOR- dialogue

MATH HANDOuT- You did this work yesterday, so tonight you need to "publish" it on the handout. Be sure your work is clear. Attach paper if you need to.


Tomorrow is SING!

Monday February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tonight's homework is to read and fill out the new reading log.
Keith's birthday wish is for no homework, so there's nothing else! Happy Birthday Keith!

MATH CHARTS

Here are some charts from our unit on Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. I hope these shed some more light on our class work in math. Students can refer to these when doing homework.

Film Canisters Needed

We need small film canisters for a science project I'd like to do this week. I know these are hard to come by these days, but if you have some you can donate it would be greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to do this experiment Monday or Tuesday. THANK YOU!

Friday Feb. 11, 2011

Happy Weekend!!

WEEKEND HOMEWORK:

- Revise and edit writing draft (*remember craft! look at the blog post from yesterday). Use a different color pen and attach more paper if needed. I should be able to see your revision work and editing. We will do partner editing Monday and get ready for publishing.

- Find a current events article that interests you (see if there is anything that connects to your society or First Light) and complete the "In the News" handout
*read the directions carefully and fill out everything

- Math handout + write and solve a multiplication problem using 2 strategies

******BONUS: add onto our list with more sophisticated ways to say...
walk: stroll, march, glide...
said: yapped, chattered...
brown hair: chestnut waves, brownie curls, chocolate brunette, curly doodles...
like(d):: adore, addicted, enjoyed...
bad: sinister...
cry: sob, weep...
playing:
want:


*Thanks to all the families for visiting our very student-run Project Time Celebration!
And thank you Donna for all of the popcorn. It was very generous and exciting!

Independence is a large part of 4th and 5th grade, especially as students are transitioning into upper grades and middle school. This means that things are sometimes a little "messy" while they figure out and negotiate how to work together and solve problems that arise. Kids need to have this experience before they can move forward to a "clean" independence. It gives us lots of rich things to talk together about such as sharing the "spotlight", presenting work, engaging and thinking of an audience, and of course supporting one another.

Students have been working very hard on their projects and had really cool things to share. We look forward to celebrating together again!

Writing Like Our Mentor Authors, Karen Hesse and Christopher Myers

We have been working on a Realistic Fiction unit in writing. We have done a lot of work around craft, looking as writers as Karen Hesse's "Come On, Rain!" and Christopher Myers, "FLY!" Some of the craft moves we have looked closely at include, comparisons, alliteration, onomatopoeia, sophisticated words, and descriptive/sensory language. Some of the reasons we thought a writer might use these craft moves are...
comparisons to help the reader create an image in their mind,
alliteration (words that begin with the same letter or sound) to create rhythm,
onomatopoeia (words that sound like their meaning) to create rhythm and sound that captures attention and allows the reader to hear what you are writing,
sophisticated/ fancy words to turn ordinary language into extraordinary language and make the writing more interesting
descriptive language to really allow a reader to create a clear picture of the setting or character and really connect with your story.
Below are some examples from the texts that have served as mentors.

comparisons
COME ON, RAIN! - "I am sizzling like a hot potato." "Her long legs, like two brown string beans."
FLY - "His head swims in circles, his hips jump, his wrists twist. The pigeons are floating, swimming, jumping, and twisting with him."

alliteration
COME ON, RAIN! - "I aim a spoonful of sugar into my mouth, then a second into the drink."
FLY - " 'Newk's got bebop in his blood. He be bobbin' his head up and down when he walks."

sophisticated/ fancy words
COME ON, RAIN! - "And that's when I see it coming, clouds rolling in, gray clouds, bunched and bulging under a purple sky."
"Wet slicking arms and legs, we splash up the block, squealing and whopping in the streaming rain."
FLY - "He is flying, swooping, soaring"

onomatopoeia
COME ON, RAIN! - "...while the music from Mrs. Glick's phonograph shimmies and sparkles and streaks like night lightening."
FLY - "I can hear the warm twittering of pigeons in the sun."

descriptive/sensory language
COME ON, RAIN! - "Mamma lifts a listless vine and sighs. 'Three weeks and not a drop," she says, sagging over parched plants.
FLY - "A bird with a little tuft of feathers jutting from his head dips and struts in a circle, puffs out his chest, and whistles a twisty tune."
"I creak up the stairs, toward the door to the roof, nervous as the light that falls into the hallway where the bulb has been burned out for a month."

Thursday February 10, 2011

Tonight's homework:

READING- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking, such as I'm wondering... or I'm thinking...I can't believe...I have a theory...IT IS DUE TOMORROW.

WRITING- revise your realistic fiction drafts using your list of sophisticated/fancy words to replace the ordinary ones + find at least 2 new places to use descriptive language (for setting or character description) using our mentor authors Karen Hesse and Christopher Myers. You should have the mentor stories (Come On, Rain! and FLY!) to look at to help you.

SOCIAL STUDIES- How will your society get energy? And how will your society use energy? Draw and Write about it.

PROJECT TIME CELEBRATION tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm. You may bring refreshments/food if you like.

Project Time Celebration Tomorrow Afternoon!

We will be having a Project Time Celebration tomorrow at 2:00 pm. You are welcome to come anytime between 2:00 and 2:45. Students will have their projects out on display. You may bring refreshments if you would like. For those who cannot make it tomorrow, we will have another Project Time Celebration in the next few weeks.

Celebration of Work...This Friday!

Students Talk About Kente Designs

Wednesday 2.9.11

Tonight's homework:

READING- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking, such as I'm wondering... or I'm thinking...I can't believe...I have a theory...

WRITING- revise your realistic fiction drafts using the comments your partner wrote to you

SOCIAL STUDIES- read p.36 and answer the questions on the handout

*Stay tuned for videos on our kente designs...

First Light and HOME

Yesterday, we talked about how the documentary HOME connected to our understanding of our read aloud book, First Light. First we thought about how the images of Greenland we saw in HOME to help us better understand and imagine what the setting looks like in the book, since it takes place in Greenland. We had an interesting conversation that brought up many ideas and theories about the book. Stay tuned to see some of our thinking...

Tuesday 2.8.11

Last week we looked at a lot of amazing images West African kente cloth designs. Then we analyzed some of them using color and pattern. Students created a title for their kente image, using the colors and shapes to tell a story. Today, Isabell shared some of the kente designs she created over the weekend, such as "Colorful Women"- they were bright and beautiful. Sarah, our wonderful student teacher, talked about a design she created that told a story about where she grew up in Pennsylvania. She talked about how she represented meaning, such as triangles for the mountains and the color black to show maturation (growing up, maturing). Then, students went off and started their own designs, paying close attention to shape and color to tell their own story. They are looking stunning!

Today's HOMEWORK:

- Write the story of your kente design (*you may also continue your design or create another)

- what do you think are fair and logical consequences if we do not...
1- do transitions that are quick and quiet
2- start work right away

- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY. Your reading log should include some of your thinking, such as I'm wondering... or I'm thinking...I can't believe...I have a theory...

-Your writing draft must be complete. Tomorrow a partner will read your draft and make comments.

-Find out your parent's email address(es)

- *If you are reading this, please post a reply or comment about what you will be working on during project time tomorrow...

MATH: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents

We are finishing up our math unit on Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. These are some pictures taken in the beginning of the unit while students were working in partnerships...

Monday February 7, 2011

Good Afternoon!! Today we went to see the documentary, Home, about our planet Earth. The images were amazing and beautiful. The content was extremely informative. We started a list of facts we learned from the documentary, such as 80% of the world's natural resources are used by just 20% of the population! Or did you know that there are over 1500 different types of fish and 400 types of coral in the Great Barrier? We also watched the formation of Earth as volcanoes and later water sculpted the surface.
For more information on the movie, check out:http://www.homethemovie.org/


Tonight's HOMEWORK (2.7.11) is...

- create a list of questions you now have after watching HOME (and add onto the list of facts if you have more!)

- brainstorm how today's movie and information on our natural resources connects to your own society that you are making (what are the natural resources in your society? how do they work? how do you take care of them? what happens if they get wasted?)

- add on to your list of academic and social needs/responsibilities that we started in class: you should have at least 10 things for academic and 10 for social. Think about consequences that make sense if the needs are broken or the responsibilities do not get done. (For example, if I don't do my reading log, what is a fair consequence?)

- look over your fraction math handout and double check your work! Use the strategies you worked on in your "strategy book". Draw pictures to prove which fractions are larger and which ones are smaller.

- read for at least 40 minutes and fill out your reading log NEATLY and COMPLETELY.

*If you are reading this, please post a reply or comment....


SNEAK PREVIEW: *Be ready to talk about your own kente design tomorrow!

Welcome Back...Supplies!!!

LAUREN’S SUPPLY LIST
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know the list is long, but these supplies will really help us get off to a strong start. I am listing the supplies in four categories: individual, communal, optional, and at-home. Please review the list carefully and read the descriptions of each item. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding these supplies!

Individual Supplies
These supplies should take priority. It is important for each child to have the following supplies in hand by the first or second day of school. Children should bring these supplies to school with them so that they can get off to a strong start.

□ 5-composition notebooks (Meade or similar brand), lined paper

□ 1 graph-paper notebook for use in math (same size as composition notebooks)
***Please do NOT get spiral bound notebooks; these come apart too easily. Notebooks work much better.***

□ 1 thin lightweight loose-leaf binder (These are for storing papers and homework. The homework binder travels back and forth, and a lighter weight make it easier on the shoulders! Also, the bulkier binders will not fit in the children’s cubbies.)

□ 1 folder with three holes punched, for keeping inside the binder

□ 1 zip-up pencil case for holding pens, pencils, etc. in backpack

□ 1 (or 2) pen(s) that you really love

□ 1-2 packages of dividers for binders

□ REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE for water- students can take home and bring back, or simply leave at school.

*□ 1 assignment notebook (This can be a daily planner or small pad for keeping track of homework assignments.) this is optional.


Communal Supplies
These are supplies for the entire class to use. Because there are many supplies, I am splitting the list in half. If your child’s FIRST name begins with the letter A-K, please buy the items on list one. If your child’s FIRST name begins with the letters L-Z, buy the items on list two. I have done my best to make the lists approximately even in terms of price.

LIST ONE (First names from A-K)

□ 2- 3 sharp scissors (adult scissors are better than kid scissors)

□ 2 packs of Dixon Tri-Conderoga® Black Pencils OR blue/black ballpoint pens

□ 2-3 rolls transparent tape (with dispenser) □ 1-2 sturdy, absorbent sponges

□ 2-3 packages of post-its (any size, shape, or color) □ 2- 3 boxes Facial Kleenex
(OVER)

LIST TWO (First names from L-Z)

□ 6 packages .07 mm lead for mechanical pencils □ 1-2 packages of hot glue gun sticks

□ mechanical pencils for size .07 lead (The imitation “pencil” style is preferable)

□ 1-2 pack(s) of sharpies □ 1-2 packs of paper towels

□ 2-3 packages of post-its (different size, shape, or color preferable)

□ 1-2 individual sturdy pencil sharpeners with case for shavings


Optional Supplies
I know this list already seems really long! Here are a few things that are always good to have, in case you’d like to contribute more to our class supply.

□ post-it TABS (post-it makes these for dividing notebooks into different sections)
□ sculpting CLAY (any non-drying sculpting clay- all colors), SCULPTING WIRE (any hardware store carries this), NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS OR JEWELRS PLIERS
□ any art or craft supplies you feel might be useful for project time.
- GLUE GUNS, glue gun sticks
- CLAY (see above)
- ORIGAMI PAPER
- MARKERS, colored pencils- sharpie, bic, etc.
- TAPE- MASKING, PACKING, ETC.
- CARD STOCK, colored or interesting paper, construction paper, ORIGAMI paper, fabric, needles and thread, old magazines, scrap cardboard, clear contact paper, etc.-- you’d be surprised what can get turned into a project!)
-
□ Zip-lock Baggies
□ Fusion pens (varied colors)
□ Clorox wipes /dish soap and/or all-purpose cleaning spray (such as Windex, 409, etc.)
□ STAPLER
□ 3-hole punchers
□ Band-aids (Band-aid brand has worked the best for us. The others do not stick or hold, so we end up wasting a lot!)


At-Home Supplies
These supplies are to help students complete their homework. They will stay at home and do not need to travel back and forth with the students.

□one ruler with inches and centimeters □ one student dictionary

□ supply of Post-it notes for reading assignments, etc. □ supply of loose-leaf paper

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP TO A GREAT START!!!

http://hearastory.wikispaces.com/

Storytelling Project

We worked with Cheryl on a storytelling unit, which culminated in the kids recording their stories using garage band. Each child chose the story they wanted to tell. They had many opportunities to learn, practice, and perform. They worked alone and with each other during this process. They had to think about tone, expression, rephrasing, importance, audience...

We have a wiki space to share the recordings with you! They are really wonderful. We have been performing to other classrooms and this wiki space creates a legacy of the work.

Click on the link above to see and hear our special work!