It was great to see so many of you yesterday evening at Literacy Night.  It was by far the biggest crowd we've ever seen at this event.  In my room, I was really impressed by students' ability to use chopsticks, and to use them well!  I didn't learn how to use them until I was in my 20s and it took me a long time to actually get any food in my mouth with them.

We also enjoyed a visit from Grace Lin yesterday.  She gave an engaging presentation, telling us about her life and how she came up with her ideas.  She also led them in a New Year's dragon drawing activity which you should have seen come home.  We talked about the presentation when we returned to class.  Many of your children were very polite in not saying that she looked pregnant, even though she is.  We talked about how it's always wise to err on the side of caution when one isn't sure; once that's out there, you can't take it back.  In case you're curious, she's having a girl (that was the class' biggest question after the presentation).

Today we explored some different ways to filter water.  Thank you so much for sending in the 2-liter bottles.  Next week, groups will be designing a cost effective water filter.

This week, we've been writing about our favorite thing to do while focusing on having a developed beginning, middle and end.  They tossed around various ideas but ultimately needed to choose something that they were sure they'd have enough to say about.  If you get a chance, ask your child about his/hers.

Have great weekend!

Hurricane Sparky

Hurricane Sparky mad landfall with devastating effects.  Homes and buildings were destroyed, yet some did survive the high winds, flying debris, and huge storm surge. 

Mrs. Weigel's class.

Hurricane Sparky

Mr. Morgan's class.

Hurricane Sparky

Mr. Pfaff's class.

The new homework is up.  You should have received an email from me on Tuesday about the literacy project and Valentine's homework.  The literacy project is now on the blog as well.

You also should have received an email about our hurricane-proof house project.  Students identified a need for new technology (a stronger shelter), and have come up with plans to solve that problem (engineering design).  They started constructing their houses today in class.  We will test our models next week and then think about what could be done differently to improve the design.  If your child wishes to make one at home, please have him or her turn it in on Tuesday.  We may not actually get to having a hurricane on Tuesday because of Valentine's day but I'd still like to have them then.

This week's writing assignment is not storyline related.  We've been talking so much about dragons that I thought it would be fun to do a dragon-themed imaginative story.

Our Valentine's Day party is on Tuesday from 2:00 to 3:00.  Please make sure your child brings in his/her Valentine bag or box on Monday.  Bringing in cards for others is optional.  In case you didn't see the email with the class list, I'm including it below.

Alexa	Gabby	Kyler	Ryan
Arman	Irena	Mackenzie	Sam
Charley	Julia	Madeline	Savanna
Delany	Kai	Madison	Selina
Emma	Kevin	Odin	Tyler
Esme	Kristin	Rachael	Zach

Have a great weekend!
Carone

The literacy projects (book reports) were due today.  I was SO impressed with them and the class was excited to see what people had done.  There was definitely a lot of effort and creativity involved!  The next project will go home in a couple of weeks and will be due mid-February.

The new homework has been posted.  I know many of you will be happy to see that the math is all in one file for easier printing.  I can't vouch for your computers but everything printed fine from mine.  Again, thank you for your patience and flexibility.

Our storyline is similar to a Magic Tree House book.  Morgan le Fay sent us a letter asking us to help the people of Wamengo, Kansas, as there is a tornado approaching.  We need to find out what the tornado warning signs are, how to prepare for a tornado and what to do after a tornado.  We read some books, watched a couple of short movies and listened to Mr. Sliva (Kevin's dad) tell us about his experiences with them.  The class has done a great job pulling key information from what's been presented.  If your child hasn't already offered up some interesting facts, be sure to ask.

Have a great weekend!  Apparently, our sunny weather is long gone.

Happy New Year!

It was so good to see everyone again after the break!  It sounds like there was a lot of fun to be had and I loved hearing everyone's stories.

We are in the process of starting our newest storyline, beginning with some map work.  We've talked about oceans and continents and the lack of a definitive answer for how many of each there are.  When I was in school, there were four oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic) and 7 continents (N. and S. America, Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia and Antarctica).  Now, some feel the waters around Antarctica should be called the Southern or Antarctic Ocean because the current travels differently from that of the other oceans which touch it.  As far as continents go, there are between four and seven.  The maps that we labeled in class have seven continents and four or five oceans (I let them choose if they wanted to include the Southern Ocean).

For homework this week, there are two math worksheets as well as some flashcards to make.  It seems as though most students understand what multiplication is but are at various points on the spectrum of knowing their facts.  The worksheet of multiplication facts will be fine for some students but others may need to do fewer to keep from feeling overwhelmed.  I'll leave it up to you.  The flashcards are a resource for practice; if you have your own, feel free to use those.

There is also a writing assignment as well as our first monthly literacy project.  We talked about the project in class and they seem really excited about it.  The assignment says to do a diorama or puppet show but there was a demand for a play as well; that would be fine.  If the puppet show or play option is chosen, I can't emphasize enough the need to keep it concise and focused yet detailed.  Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Have a great weekend and happy 2012!