Thursday, February 27, 2014

T- Triple- A- Thursday

Today's title is brought to you by Gideon A1. It stands for "Talking About African Americans Thursday."  We are about to finish up the speeches. I am so impressed by the work and thoughtfulness that Team 201 has put into this project!


Tonight at home...
  • complete the metric conversions math sheet
  • in Journeys, read, or reread the Edible Schoolyard on p. 576
  • Finish the final draft of your poem or news article about Cesar Chavez.
  • Parents, progress reports came home yesterday. They were in sealed envelopes. Please read the report, sign and return to indicate that you have seen it. 

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Taking Chances Tuesday

Today we took our chances with Probability. By the end of today's activities, it is more probable than not that your kids are ready to express probability as a fraction, ratio and percent. We also reviewed the Rock Cycle today. Check out the link to Mr. Lee's Rock Cycle.

This evening at home...
  • practice your speech and put the finishing touches on your AA project. 
  • complete the open response math problems. There are 2 on each side.
  • read about plant and animal cell, and answer the questions on both sides. 
  • if you can, check out these great animations at Cells Alive:
 http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/cell_model.htm



Monday, February 24, 2014

Making Symmetrical Area Maps Monday

This evening at home
  • complete the measurement practice
  • complete the "analyze text" questions found on page 567, 569 and 571
  • work on your AA project, which is due Thursday.  If you are finished, practice the speech in front of a live audience or the mirror.
About the AA Project:
  • You do not need to memorize the speech. Use note cards to help you remember the key points: Who, What, When, Where and Why.
  • For the speech, you may not read from your research paper.
  • The Stamp: you may create a collage of images and words, or draw images.  
  • If you choose to use outside sources for the images in your paper or on the stamp, you must give credit.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Figuring Out Faces ( and vertices and edges) Friday

.....This is what your kids will be spending some time doing this weekend.
  • cut out each net and fold it to make a 3 D shape.  Count and Label each: How many vertices, faces and edges does each have? If you don't have tape, you can still fold each and label them.
  • read the "Layers of the Earth....." articles and answer the questions
  • watch some BrainPop!  Watch the segments on Reflection and Refraction. You should  also review the segments about heat and energy.
  • read for pleasure and record on your Gold Card. 2 x
  • be ready for some Math Art on Monday. We will be exploring area and perimeter. 
Don't forget that the AA Project is due on Thursday.  Time your speech. It should be no longer than 2 minutes.



Other Stuff....
  • This week we worked with proverbs and adages. Today we discussed, " A stitch in time saves nine" and " A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Thank you Gideon, Patrick and Deandre for posing as birds.  
  • We also " reinvented the Classics." Students researched Greek Mythology and wrote original myths staring some of the major players.
  • We got a bit further in the Adventures of Flora and Ullysses.  We are really enjoying this book!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

What's That Sound Wednesday

Today we talked about sound. We compared pitch to amplitude. Can your child explain the difference to you? Ask and find out.  Check out Study Jams for more help with Sound concepts.  Brainpop is great too!

201, your Myth Making abilities are fantastic!  Great job on this project. We will add finishing touches to your original takes on the Classics tomorrow.

This evening at home...

  • Complete the Graphing problem. It is double sided.
  • Read for pleasure and respond in writing.
  • Work on your AA project.
  • Try this experiment at home, if you can!

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/makemusic.html

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Turning Tuesday

Today in 201 we....

  • talked about "turns" in terms of degrees
  • created original myths after researching Greek Gods and Goddesses
  • worked on responding to text in writing. We compared two texts about Evergreen Trees. We worked with partners to discuss Theme, compare and contrast, and evaluate evidence from texts
  • spent some time talking with our friends Circles, Angles and Degrees.  We especially like, Chord. He is so musical and "off center." It is refreshing!

This evening at home.....
  • Finish the rough and final drafts of your myth. Most students are finished with the rough draft.
  • Read for pleasure and record
  • Complete the "lines and angles" page

Friday, February 14, 2014

Feeling Good About Friends Friday

There is a whole bunch of Valentine- inspired good feeling in here today.

This weekend at home....

  • finish the Measuring Angles Math Packet. It is not as bad as it looks. Most of it is instruction!
  • finish the Allusions to Greek Mythology activity, if you haven't. This includes coloring!
  • read for pleasure every day and record on your Gold Card.
  • work on your AA Stamp project

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Thoughts About MyTHology Thursday

Today we participated in "round 2" of the school - wide  ISAT Simulation.  201 students showed excellent stamina.  Tomorrow, we tackle the Science practice.  Post test, we talked about Greek Mythology and Allusions. We again discussed the origins and meanings of terms such as  "Midas Touch" and "Achilles Heel." Table teams worked together to create modern examples of these terms. Thanks to Patrick, Lucy, Gideon. Faaizuddin and all of the other kids who have posted the Mythology Links on Edmodo.  Thank you Ms. Fitzpatrick, for lending 201 so many Myths from the Disney Library.

We had time for  Math and Science today too. In Math, we compared decimals and fractions, and we drew models. We also used number lines to model, compare and order fractions. In Science, we discussed Light and Color.  Log on to Brainpop for more learning on this subject!    Tonight at home......


  • show someone the Science ISAT study guide and the "fractions and decimals" sheet.These are yours to keep at home.
  • complete the double-sided Science Sheet on Light Energy
  • complete the double- sided math work on fractions and decimals
  • don't forget that tomorrow is Valentine's Day!








Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Tuning In To Simple Machines Tuesday

This afternoon was all about Simple Machines.  Go to Edheads.com for great interactive Simple Machines. Brainpop is another fantastic resource.


This evening, or tomorrow....

  • complete the readings and activities centered around Simple Machines and Work
  • complete the "multiplying fractions" work
  • read for pleasure and record
  • spend some time with JiJi
  • log on to Edheads.com and explore the Simple Machines sections
  • Don't forget that Friday is Valentines Day. We will celebrate last period.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Musings on Myths Monday

Today we kicked off our mini- unit on Greek Mythology. We will spend 2 weeks on our current story, Hercules, and will devote time to reading and discussing other Greek Myths. Many kids already have a wealth of knowledge to share.  Today we talked about allusions to Greek Mythology, discussing the terms "Midas Touch" and "Pandora's Box."

Tonight at home....

  • CCore Ready Math pp. 158-159 Adding and Subtracting Fractions
  • CCore Ready Reading pp.309- 310 Greek and Latin Word Parts
  • read for and record on your Gold Card
  • see the note about Valentines Day on the previous post

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Valentines Day in 201

We will celebrate Valentines Day 7th period on February 14.  Students are encouraged to bring cards for each of their classmates. There are 29 students in our class.  Students may also bring individually wrapped treats to share.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Faaizuddin Formulates a Phunny Pun Friday

Lucy inspired today's title.  She was inspired by Faaizuddin, who came up with a good one today. We spent some time brushing up on Mean, Median, Mode and Range this morning.  Tim and Moby helped us. Students used a blank template of Tim's T-Shirt to make a teaching poster to show what they know about these concepts.  Well, Faaizuudin offered that we should really call it Tim's TEACH- Shirt.  I  Love it!

Today we.....
  • were involved in the M/M/M/R activity
  • used calculators to practice working with decimals
  • revisited out Science Lab data and found the averages for each trial
  • read Flora and Ulysses
  • took our reading test and discussed the responses
  • might have done some other things, but it is only 12:10, so I will have to get back to you
This weekend at home....
  • complete the Main Idea and Details practice
  • work on the "Modeling Operations with Fractions" sheet
  • read for pleasure and record in your log
  • check the website for learning opportunites
  • visit Jiji and play some games on ST Math
  • help your parents with something, and wear a smile while doing so
Next Week.....
  • we will participate in a school-wide ISAT simulation for two periods a day on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Tuesday and Thursday we will work on Reading and Math. Friday will be devoted to Science
  • we will begin a unit on Simple Machines.  Watch the Bill Nye video to get a jump start.
  • expect some "skipping around" in Math and Science.  We will be covering a variety of topics pre-ISAT.  All topics will be explored in depth later!  




Thursday, February 6, 2014

Trying To Type in a Hurry Thursday

Tonight at home......
  • get your math test signed. The average grade was an A! To get extra  points, make corrections, showing all of your work. I will award partial credit.  This is due on Monday.
  • complete the Fractions work. We are moving on to Operations with Fractions.
  • read and complete the Motion and Forces pages.  Use the blank sheet to create a mini fact finder diagram.  You may focus on one of these topics.]
  • complete the adverb and adjective ROK cards are due tomorrow!
  • read for pleasure and record.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Wondering About Friction Wednesday

We went to the lab today. Our wonders were in the form of hypotheses.


Tonight at home....
  • My Math 449-452
  • Math Test tomorrow!
  • Read the Dog Rescue article and respond to the text. Select three quotes from the text and record them on the graphic organizer. Respond to each in detail. What is your reaction to this quote? 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Text Questions Tuesday

Today, we talked about informational text.  Students created alternate titles, discussed powerful words, and used text evidence to back up their ideas. It was loud, but it was productive.  We also worked further on Mixed Numbers and Fractions. We will be ready to test on Thursday!  In Social Studies, we are exploring the Western Region.  Students will create digital scrapbooks to document their learning.  Today in Science we began our unit on Forces and Motion.

This evening at home......

  • complete the My Math Homework found on pages 547-548
  • in Science Fusion, read pages 535-545. Complete ALL of the activities within the text.
  •  2 ROK Cards: Adverbs and Adjectives, are due on Friday
  • read for pleasure and record on your G.C.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Math is Logical Monday

Tonight at home....

  • complete the My Math pages 541-2
  • read Science Fusion pp 327-337 and complete the Active Reading activities. 
  • work on getting the biography for your project
  • read and record on your new Gold Card