What happened to the post we wrote this afternoon? It has disappeared! Thank you Lucy, for providing us with today's title. We are thankful for the smile and creative spirit that you bring to class each day.
Tonight's homework:
bring in last night's homework
read for pleasure and record it on your log
bring in your Book Club book and you will get a new one
Field Trip Forms/Notes are due tomorrow. If you do not have the form, please write a note that includes your signature, permission, and emergency contact information. Don't forget to sign the note and send the 6.50 fee. Our chaperones for the trip are: Adam's mom, Jocelyn's mom, and Maya's mom. There will be more opportunities to help soon. Thanks to all of the volunteers!
Today we kicked off the start of our Engineering and Design Unit. We looked to the skies, or the ceiling, or the light fixture (ANDrew....), or the floor, as we tested our homemade paper airplanes. This morning we learned about thrust, lift and drag. Next time, we will work on modifying our designs to see if we can improve them.
Tonight at home.....
bring back your parent teacher conference sheet. Many of the time slots have been taken. Here is what is left: 3:20-4:20 is wide open. 4:40-4:50 is also open. Please indicate your first, second and third choice. Conferences are 10 minutes. I was able to indicate the open spaces on most kids' sheets today.
complete the ice- cream treat pages. Use this week's vocabulary words, which you will find highlighted within the story, or on Think Central, lesson 21. Select the two words that are the biggest challenge. Each treat must contain: the word, a mini definition, the part of speech, and a sentence.
on today's Science Lab sheet, calculate your distance averages. Then, write a conclusion based on your results. Why do you think the planes acted the way they did? What are some variables that cyould have affected your results? What will you change next time.
Tomorrow, we travel to the Field Museum! Wear comfortable shoes and get ready to learn in one of my favorite Chicago spots.
complete the "math test" to help you prepare for tomorrow's real test.
in Journeys, read Make The Switch pp. 642-644. Select one of the Compare Text activities on p.645. You may use the internet to find Ads. No T.V. ads, please.
Reminders
Bring in your trip form and fee for the Museum of S &I.
We will be back at school for lunch and recess on Thursday.
Conference time forms are being sent home today. Please return as soon as possible and follow the instructions on the sheet.
This math test, and the chapter 9 test, will go on the Q4 gradebook. Kids will get the Chapter 9 test back tomorrow.
Students are coming home with another field trip form today. The fee, $6.50, is due on Wednesday! I apologize for the late notice. We will travel to the Museum of Science and Industry on April 4th. Students have tickets to see the Disney Exhibit. Please send in the money and form by Wednesday at 8:00 a.m.. Remember, if your child has misplaced the form, you can write a note that gives permission. Be sure to include your signature and emergency contact information.
Ask your child about today's title. If he or she was paying attention, there should be mention of Fur Trading and Flora and Ulysses.
finish the rough draft of your Fur Trader Letter. Use your notes and the Edmodo resources.
Prizes will be awarded to students who successfully finish this morning's Math puzzle. This is extra credit.
Oh yes, please read your Book Club book and record in your reading log. Make sure you bring it to school on Monday! I hope that we will all be ready for a new book this week!
Today's title alludes to our work with decimals today. We compared them using models and number lines. We stacked 'em, and we wrote 'em as inequalities.
This evening at home.....
Read for 25 minutes or more in your Book Club book and complete one of the following activities:
Write a poem or song about the actions, events or characters. Yes, you can do an acrostic, but each line must be rich with information. If you select Haiku, you must do 3.
Illustrate a scene/ idea from your book. Include captions and a heading/title. Make sure that your picture is rich with details and is your best work.
Write up an interview with one of the characters. The interview will contain both questions and answers about events and the character's thoughts and ideas. Avoid "yes or no" questions. Make it interesting and, yes, rich.
complete the MY Math pp. 673, front and back
Did you keep up with today's classwork? If so, you are DONE with your ROK cards this week. Yeah, you!
Field Trip Money and Forms are Due Tomorrow Morning! If you have lost your form, write a note. My son/daughter,___name____________, has permission to go on the field trip to the Field Museum on March 27.
Thanks, Gideon, for coming up with today's title. Gideon is referring to our work with fractions and decimals. We talked about 7/10 and we talked about 70/100. We wrote .7 and then wrote 0.7 and compared them. Some of us wrote 0.7000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000- O.k., that was me! Most of us moved on to using models and equations to compare decimals and fractions.
Today we also....
posed the questions: Why was the Fur Trade important? How did it pit French, British, and Native Americans against one another?
met in our Book Clubs. We worked on main ideas and details and wrote some alliterations. This is more difficult that it sounds.
rocked out some ROK card work. Students are constructing examples to help them learn new concepts. Each child was assigned different work, depending on their learning targets.
"esparked" in math.
This evening at home.....
don't forget to get a parent signature to prove that you are doing the reading at home! Fill out that log!
complete two more sections of the Reading Response sheet. Use your Book Club book.
bring your Book Club book tomorrow. You will need it to participate in the discussion.
complete My Math Enrich activity
bring in your trip form and money tomorrow! We already have three volunteers for this trip. If you would like to come on the next trip, which is in early April, please send me an email. I will try to give preference to those who have not yet joined us.
Tomorrow is Pod Color day, which means GO GREEN! Show your spirit: wear as much green as possible!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Have you heard of the expression " the luck of the Irish?" Well, now you have! What is the origin of the saying and what does it mean. Do a little research and send my your answer via Edmodo. I will award a badge and some extra credit for all correct responses. Remember, it is your words that I want to hear. No cutting, pasting, or internet pirating!
Today we....
read and discussed the non fiction text Horses.
began our two-week unit on the Fur Trade in early IL history. We will be exploring how the fur trade influenced the events, economy and history of the IL region.
were interrupted by a fire drill. You kids exited the building quickly and quietly. Great job!
met with our Book Clubs. We developed questions for the characters and author.
took a math test
use micro viewers to explore plant and animal cells
spent some time with Mr. Marshall in the Music Tech. Lab
This evening at home.....
Read your Book Club book for 25- 30 minutes and complete two sections of the Reading Response page.
Complete My Math page 625
ROK Cards- 4 due by Friday
get your trip form signed. They went home today!
Friday, March 14, 2014
...is next week!
Monday: Pajama Day
Tuesday: Sports Team Day
Wednesday: Pod Color Day ( Green)
Thursday: Fancy/ Formal Dress Day
Friday: Disney Spirit Day
This weekend at home....
Complete your Doodle For Google. Make sure that the form is signed by a parent and that you have done the writing/description. You may take a picture of your Doodle and email it to me, or you may send it directly to Google. See doodleforgoogle.com for details.
Read for pleasure and record. I will expect to see two entries Monday morning.
Don't forget to bring you Book In A Bag to school on Monday. We will meet with our Book Clubs.
Math test: this Monday! Topics: adding and subtracting fractions; mixed numbers; multiplying whole numbers and fractions
Have a wonderful weekend, Team 201! It was a pleasure to work with you this week!
Today we explored the Doodle For Google topic " What could you invent that would make the world a better place?" Here are some of our inventions: Smilinator, Homelocator, NonPollutionator, Carlocator, Perfectinator, Onlinemommyjob.com, Happyhealthyfoodsolarpowerednomorehomelesspeopledogooder, Goodluckinator, Freshfoodflinger, Flyingsportware, Faaizuddinultrafoodmaker, The Pollutiontrapper, Worldtour, and the Nonlitterator.
Wow! Get those final drafts done this evening. Students, don't forget to get a parent signature on your entry form!
This evening at home...
study those vocabulary words!
review the microscope parts. The quiz has been delayed, but will be given tomorrow.
complete the My Math pages 617/618
read your Book Club book for 25 minutes or more. Write a reflection. Focus on a single action or character. Analyze the events. What do you think? Do not write a summary.
Today we got started on our Google For Doodle project. Today's session focused on brainstorming. Next time, we will begin doodling. We will practice working with value scales and shading. Kids, feel free to work on your designs at home. Why not take the advice of the expert doodlers at Google, and build an inspiration board of sketches and ideas.
Today we kicked off our Illinois unit. We will begin by studying native culture. This week's lesson is called First People. We also worked on our weekly grammar and vocabulary focus. Students read about Sacagawea. We interacted with a virtual microscope to prepare for the real deal when we visit the Science lab on Wednesday.
This evening at home:
complete My math pages 591 and 592
begin working on the Reading Response activities. Complete two this evening. Use Sacagawea
study the parts of the microscope. We will take a quiz on Thursday.
f I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place...
Welcome to the 2014 Doodle 4 Google competition
Before there was an airplane, there were doodles of cool flying machines. And before there was a submarine, there were doodles of magical underwater sea explorers. Since the beginning of time, ideas big and small, practical and playful, have started out as doodles. And we’re ready for more. One talented young artist (grades K-12) will see his or her artwork on the Google homepage and receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for his or her school.
Are you able to join us at the Field Museum on March 27? If so, please response via email as soon as possible. We need to secure our volunteers in order to get the trip approved. This is one of my favorite trips. I hope you can join us! Thanks!
mport@cps.edu
That's what we did today. Team 201 students showed excellent stamina. Some of it was tough, but there weren't any surprises! Tomorrow, our testing journey continues…..
A little bird told me that Patrick and Adam were especially thrilled about the "no homework" decree that was this day spoken. I am glad that you are glad! Remember, that you should be reading every night, and recording on your Gold Card.
Tomorrow, post Reading 2 and Math 2, we will play Are You Smarter Than a 4th Grader. This game will test our science skills. Channel your inner Ms. Frizzle or Bill Nye, Team 201!
We will also visit Ms. Ahern tomorrow, but we won't see her until later in the day.
Thanks for coming to school on time today! I will see you all bright and early in the morning.
As you all know, tomorrow is the first day of ISAT testing. Here is what I know:
Tuesday: Reading 1 and Math 1, all multiple choice
Wednesday: Reading 2, multiple choice and extended response. Math 2: multiple choice and short response
Thursday: Reading 3, all multiple choice. Math 3, extended response
Friday: Science, given in two 45 minute sessions, all multiple choice
Please arrive to school on time this week. It is extremely stress-producing for the students when they arrive late on test days.
Students may bring a bottle of water, and will be provided with raisins. Students may not bring other drinks or snacks.
201 will have their normal facilities teachers and classes this week, but will attend these classes in the afternoon.
New Gold Cards will be passed out tomorrow. There will be not regular homework this week. Students should read for pleasure and record it on their Gold Card. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Check out the new tabs at the top of the page! Dogo News is filled with current events articles that are geared toward students' interests. There is something for everyone here! Need something to read? Then click on Dogo News. You can use this for your nightly reading assignments, too. Students, let me know what you think about Storybird. I think that it looks really interesting, but I haven't played with it too much.
Talking about the weather is getting boring this winter. So, instead of talking about the weather, why not talk about the water cycle with your kids? Water vapor, condensation, precipitation…..we will be touching upon this topic and so much more this week! The annual Disney ISAT Pep Rally is Monday afternoon. This is one of the most spirited days of the year, featuring music, guest "stars" and lots of tension-releasing merriment.
On Monday we will also work more on measurement, remaster our calculator skills, and revel in reviewing scientific topics. I am looking forward to our "Gallery Walk" on Monday, so that we can showcase the written and art components of the African American project.
This weekend, students were sent home with a flimsy "ISAT" ruler and some measurement work. This was the only homework. As always, we will go over this work in class, and students will have the opportunity to ask and answer questions.
Have a great weekend! I will see you all for Math and Science Monday.
Enjoy the videos from Mr. Lee, Super Singing Science teacher, and Ms. Frizzle.
