Howdy all. A rather mellow was to be had with our further adventures in report writing and a groovy Titanic documentary. Friday brings us a math test, a vocabulary quiz and our "Island of the Blue Dolphins" cumulative quiz. Friday will bring us our last day with body paragraph writing before we jump into intros and conclusions next week. Friday also wraps our reading of Roald Dahl's "Matilda." We will celebrate that accomplishment, along with our many others, by watching the film version of "Matilda." I am still weighing my options with the next literature unit, so please stay tuned for information on what book we will delve into next.
Friday (tomorrow) is the last day to submit Scholastic Book Club orders.
The students are responsible for the following work tonight:
-Reading Log (due next Friday, not tomorrow)
-Math pretest 3A
-Reading practice book pages 48 - 50 (all compound or connecting sentences)
-"Island of the Blue Dolphins" section 3 vocabulary due tomorrow
Respectfully, Mr. B
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Wednesday and Thursday
Howdy all. We are officially in the midsts of writing our ocean animal reports and will spend the next five days completing our rough drafts. We are writing out of sequence, but are using the color-coded organizational system I discussed at the Back-To-School Night. Expect rough drafts to make it home at the end of next week for students to prepare their final drafts with. We will be begin working with our Power Point presentations next Tuesday.
Students were sent home with Picture Day order forms today. If yours mysteriously disappeared between school and home, additional copies are available in the office. Picture day is next Tuesday, September 18th. No bed head!
Students are responsible for the following work tonight:
-Reading Log
-Math lesson 20 (1-20)
-Reading Practice pages 41 & 42
Respectfully, Mr. B
Students were sent home with Picture Day order forms today. If yours mysteriously disappeared between school and home, additional copies are available in the office. Picture day is next Tuesday, September 18th. No bed head!
Students are responsible for the following work tonight:
-Reading Log
-Math lesson 20 (1-20)
-Reading Practice pages 41 & 42
Respectfully, Mr. B
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Saturday ideas
Howdy all. Two great opportunities for some family good times and extra credit are rolling around this weekend.
First, the Coastal Commission is sponsoring their 23rd annual clean up day from 9am - noon on many of the local public beaches and waterways. Please consult www.coastal.ca.gov for further information or call 1-800-COAST-4U. I happily take part in this worthwhile endeavor each year and would be thrilled to see a show of support from the classroom.
Secondly, Henry Cowell off Highway 9 will be hosting their 22nd annual Ohlone Day from 10 -4. The event is free, but they stick it to you with a $6 parking fee. The day is especially cool in that it has coincided with our classroom kick-off of Native Californians this week. Much of what will be offered at the Ohlone Day event mirrors what we have discussed, read and written about in the classroom. Info can be found at 831-335-7077 or 3174.
I will make events like this known to families and students over the course of the school year as they become known. I realise that these events are not school curriculum and I often refer to them as world classroom events. It is my hope that students and families are willing to take the learning experience beyond the classroom. If students choose to participate in either event, I will happily give them goodwill extra credit (5 points) toward the subject matter of their choosing. In return for the extra credit, I ask that each student write a short paragraph explaining what they did and if they learned anything from the experience. The written paper will need to be signed by a parent acknowledging their child's efforts.
Respectfully, Mr. B
First, the Coastal Commission is sponsoring their 23rd annual clean up day from 9am - noon on many of the local public beaches and waterways. Please consult www.coastal.ca.gov for further information or call 1-800-COAST-4U. I happily take part in this worthwhile endeavor each year and would be thrilled to see a show of support from the classroom.
Secondly, Henry Cowell off Highway 9 will be hosting their 22nd annual Ohlone Day from 10 -4. The event is free, but they stick it to you with a $6 parking fee. The day is especially cool in that it has coincided with our classroom kick-off of Native Californians this week. Much of what will be offered at the Ohlone Day event mirrors what we have discussed, read and written about in the classroom. Info can be found at 831-335-7077 or 3174.
I will make events like this known to families and students over the course of the school year as they become known. I realise that these events are not school curriculum and I often refer to them as world classroom events. It is my hope that students and families are willing to take the learning experience beyond the classroom. If students choose to participate in either event, I will happily give them goodwill extra credit (5 points) toward the subject matter of their choosing. In return for the extra credit, I ask that each student write a short paragraph explaining what they did and if they learned anything from the experience. The written paper will need to be signed by a parent acknowledging their child's efforts.
Respectfully, Mr. B
Tuesday's fin
Wow, these days can be exhausting. We covered a great deal of material today and I think the kids had fun in the process. We've finished our reading of the Titanic salvage efforts and will be viewing a documentary on Thursday. We are very near completing our Island of the Blue Dolphins reading and will wrap the book on Friday. Kids will be quizzed on the vocabulary that same day, and will have a culminating quiz for comprehension.
We had the opportunity to get on the laptops today (all the kids have their own account now) and were able to reference source material from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their upcoming ocean animal reports. The site is linked to this very blog if you care to look over what we viewed today. Our rough draft writings will begin tomorrow and follow through to early next week before kids take them home to prep final drafts.
We also ventured into the subject of native Californians today. The kids are making study books for the some 10-odd tribes we will cover in depth. These books will remain at school, so you probably won't see them until they are done. Still, they end up pretty groovy. In the course of this unit of study, much discussion arises regarding native American beliefs and culture. The subjects steer into the areas of religion and worship, so please be mindful that these subjects will be a topic of discussion in classroom and (probably) at home. For instance, today we discussed legends that involved animal worship and creation. They are fascinating stories, but often a topic of contention for some.
The students are responsible for the following tonight:
-Reading log
-Math lesson 19 (1-10)
-Reading practice book pages 39 & 40 (started in class)
-California Reflections page 14 (started in class)
Respectfully, Mr. B
We had the opportunity to get on the laptops today (all the kids have their own account now) and were able to reference source material from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their upcoming ocean animal reports. The site is linked to this very blog if you care to look over what we viewed today. Our rough draft writings will begin tomorrow and follow through to early next week before kids take them home to prep final drafts.
We also ventured into the subject of native Californians today. The kids are making study books for the some 10-odd tribes we will cover in depth. These books will remain at school, so you probably won't see them until they are done. Still, they end up pretty groovy. In the course of this unit of study, much discussion arises regarding native American beliefs and culture. The subjects steer into the areas of religion and worship, so please be mindful that these subjects will be a topic of discussion in classroom and (probably) at home. For instance, today we discussed legends that involved animal worship and creation. They are fascinating stories, but often a topic of contention for some.
The students are responsible for the following tonight:
-Reading log
-Math lesson 19 (1-10)
-Reading practice book pages 39 & 40 (started in class)
-California Reflections page 14 (started in class)
Respectfully, Mr. B
Monday, September 10, 2007
Monday and the week
Howdy all. Much to share, so I will get right to it. Green Folders are choked full of goodies. Please be on the look out for progress reports. Be mindful that these reports reflect only four weeks of work. Please don't freak out if you are not feeling particularly well about what you see thus far. Realise that there are still 6 weeks to turn things around. I feel that the reports are self-explanitory, but should you have questions or concerns, I am happy to field them.
Permission slips for the Sept. 28th Tech Museum trip are also in the folders. Please sign them and return them to school ASAP. Drivers and chaperones are needed. Please come along if you can. I am covering the expense of this trip. I noted to the class today that The Tech is opening a new exhibit on human anatomy the day we visit. I informed the class that the exhibit is comprised of preserved human bodies and that I would not take them into the exhibit. If you would like to see the exhibit (which I saw in LA last year and is disturbing, but fascinating), I would ask that you accompany us on the trip and take your child through that portion of the museum.
The students have until Friday to submit book orders.
The students are responsible for the following tonight:
-Reading log (new and in Green Folder)
-Math 18 (6 - 26)
-Island of the Blue Dolphin vocabulary 3 (due and quiz on Friday)
-California Reflections page 13
Respectfully, Mr. B
Permission slips for the Sept. 28th Tech Museum trip are also in the folders. Please sign them and return them to school ASAP. Drivers and chaperones are needed. Please come along if you can. I am covering the expense of this trip. I noted to the class today that The Tech is opening a new exhibit on human anatomy the day we visit. I informed the class that the exhibit is comprised of preserved human bodies and that I would not take them into the exhibit. If you would like to see the exhibit (which I saw in LA last year and is disturbing, but fascinating), I would ask that you accompany us on the trip and take your child through that portion of the museum.
The students have until Friday to submit book orders.
The students are responsible for the following tonight:
-Reading log (new and in Green Folder)
-Math 18 (6 - 26)
-Island of the Blue Dolphin vocabulary 3 (due and quiz on Friday)
-California Reflections page 13
Respectfully, Mr. B
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