Friday, February 25, 2011

Vocabulary Words

What are some things that you are eager to do/have?

Christmas
Easter
going on vacation
getting a toy
getting a pet
playing with your friend
going on a date

What are some things you would want to be accurate about?

weather
test
reading

What are some things that intrigue you?

a secret passage
somebody gets ambushed
a secret password
a secret

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The students created Venn Diagrams comparing and contrasting their planet to Earth. We used our Venn Diagrams to create compare or contrast paragraphs about our planet and Earth. The students chose to either compare or contrast their paragraphs. Some students used a paragraph frame to help them use compare and contrast vocabulary in their paragraph.

Saturn and Earth

By Ava

Earth differs from Saturn in several ways. First, Earth has one moon. However, Saturn has about 53 moons. Another differences is that Earth has life and Saturn has no life. Finally, Earth has 4 layers and Saturn is made up of gases.

Saturn and Earth

By Sam

Saturn has 53 moons. Earth has one moon. Saturn has no living things and Earth does. Saturn is really far from the sun.

How Earth and Neptune are Similar

By Collin

Although Earth and Neptune are very different, they are alike in several ways. First, they are very big. Similarly, they both have water. Finally, they both have storms.

Earth and Mars

By Josie

Although Earth and Mars are very different, they are alike in several ways. First, they are both round and they are both small. Additionally, they are both hot. Similarly, they both go around the sun. Finally, they are both close to the sun.

The Similar Things of Earth and Venus!

By Rebecca Matteson Leech

Although Earth and Venus are very different, they are alike in some ways too. First, they are both spheres. Additionally, they orbit the sun. Similarly, they are both inside of the asteroid belt. Finally, they both are made out of gases.

The Differeneces between Earth and Mercury

The Differences between Earth and Mercury

By Julia

Mercury differs from Earth in many ways. First, Mercury is very close to the sun. However, Earth is not. Another difference is that they are different temperatures. Finally, the Earth's moon is about the same size as Mercury.

Two Different Planets

By Sabine

Mercury differs from Earth in several ways. First, Mercury has no moons. However, Earth has one moon. Another difference is Earth has air, but Mercury doesn't. Finally, it takes 24 hours for one day on Earth and takes almost three months for one day on Mercury.

Uranus and Earth

By JaShon

Uranus and Earth have some differences and similarities. Some of the similarities are that Uranus and Earth have the same inside and they both orbit the sun. The differences between Uranus and Earth are that Earth has air and water, while Uranus doesn't have air or water. Uranus is tilted and the Earth is not.

Differences between Neptune and Earth

By Abby

Earth and Neptune are very different. These are some ways that they are different. Neptune's atmosphere is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane, while Earth's atmosphere is made of oxygen and nitrogen. People live on earth and no one has been to Neptune. Earth is the third planet from the sun and Neptune is the eighth planet. These are some of the differences.

Differences between Earth and Mars

By Ian

The Earth differs from Mars in several ways. First, we live on the Earth and Mars has no life. However, Earth is a warm planet and Mars is very cold. Another difference is that we have water and Mars does not. Finally, one day on Earth is 24 hours and one day on Mars is 24 hours and 38 minutes.

Differences between Earth and Jupiter

By Madi

Earth differs from Jupiter in several ways. First, Earth has one moon. However, Jupiter has 63 moons. Another difference is that Earth has living things and Jupiter does not. Finally, Earth is made of gases.

Differences between Uranus and Earth

By Emma

First, Earth is hot. But Uranus is cold! Next, Earth is solid, but Uranus is liquid. The last difference is that Earth is close to the sun, but Uranus is far!

By Sam

Jack and Annie went to the future in the magic tree house. They went to the moon. Then they met the moon man. Peanut turns into Morgan at the end.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Planet Postcards

Today Miss Abbott, one of our UNI students, read the book Postcards from Pluto to the class. Each student wrote a postcard from his/her planet giving important information about that planet! The students also had to use two of our previous vocabulary words in their postcards!

Postcard from Venus

Dear Tay Tay,
Today I'm on Venus! I had to be very valiant!
Venus is 107-109 million miles from the sun! Isn't that astonishing?

From your big cousin,
Rebecca

Postcard from Mars

Dear Mom,
Mars is very massive.
My planet is made out of rocks and dust.
It is very big and it has a pink sky.
In the winter it gets to -200 degrees and in the summer it can get to 80 degrees.

Love,
Josie

Postcard from Jupiter

Dear Mom,
Today I'm on Jupiter. I saw the great red spot; it was made by a crater and it's stayed ever since. It is colossal. I bet it is tranquil too. I am having fun, but I might be late for supper.

Love you,
Madi

Postcard from Uranus

Dear Toshiana,
I'm on Uranus today. Uranus is massive and tranquil. Uranus is 90 degrees tilted.
Uranus is blue and sometimes purple with blue.
Love,
JaShon

Postcard from Mars

Dear Grandpa B.,
Today I am on Mars. It is very warm in most spots, but in some spots it's very cold.
There is lots and lots of rocks on Mars. Mars was named after a god of war.
It is the 7th largest planet and it has two moons. It is not massive compared to Earth, but it
is colossal to me. If I weighed 100 pounds on Earth I would only weigh 38 pounds on Mars.
One day is 24 hours and 37 minutes (a little more than Earth).

Ian

Postcard from Neptune

Dear Mom and Dad,
Did you know that Neptune is named after Poseidon and that it is covered with blue gas?
It is not massive compared to other planets, but I like it.
I am eager to get home. It is very tranquil.

From,
Collin

Postcard from Mercury

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today I am on Mercury.
It's kind of astonishing. I think I might die. Well, I'll only die if I take my helmet off then I would suffocate 2 hours later. We decided to camp out on Mercury for the night. It's kind of scary, but I think I'm being very valiant.

Love,
Sabine

Postcard from Uranus

Dear Ava,
My planet is Uranus. Did you know that Uranus was found abruptly?
It is also one of the Gas Giants.
It is the third hugest planet.
Isn't that astonishing?
The other Gas Giants are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
It is very cold.

Emma

Postcard from Neptune

Dear Alexa,
Today I went to Neptune (I'm not joking!)! Neptune is massive compared to Earth.
Neptune has the highest wind speeds of all of the planets.
I think that's incredulous because it's the last planet.

Love,
Abby

P.S. Neptune is very cold and nearly 60 Earths could fit inside Neptune!

Postcard from Saturn

Dear Mom and Dad,
I am on Saturn. It is a massive planet.
It is a gas giant! I can't go on the planet, but a camera can so we can see the planet!
Love,
Sam

P.S. It has 53 moons!

Postcard from Mercury

Dear Mom,
I am on the second smallest planet.
The planet is closest to the sun.
It is tranquil here, nothing like the traffic on Earth. I give you...
Mercury
(not a vast planet)

Love,
Julia

Friday, February 18, 2011

Vocabulary Practice

The students collaborated to come up with examples for the following vocabulary words.

Things that may make you hesitant:

going to the dentist
taking a test
telling a secret
the principal
first time driving
walking across the street

Things that could make you look suspicious:

hands behind your back
whistling
sweating
looking down
all covered up even though you're inside
blushing
serious look in your eyes
not making eye contact

Things that are incredulous:

toys coming to life
dragons
monsters
giant hot dogs
giant cockroach
the sun going out someday

Things that could be profound:

books
parents
friends
school
teachers
college
military
activities

Vocabulary

This week's vocabulary words were incredulous, hesitant, suspicious, profound, discrepancy, and surreptitiously. The students each chose one of the words and crafted a sentence using the word.

JaShon: I think he's acting suspicious.

Rebecca: I was hesitant about opening my mom and dad's door.

Josie: I was suspicious of my cat because he was licking in the wrong cup.

Abby: Your mom and dad may have a profound effect on you.

Collin: He was going through the hall suspiciously.

Ava: Sometimes a dragon can be incredulous.

Ian: I was suspicious when my brother had his hands behind his back.

Madi: A teacher is very profound.

Sabine: It was incredulous that my parents gave me a car for my sweet sixteen.

Julia: Mom! He's acting suspicious!

Emma: The criminal was very surreptitious because the police was right under him.

Sam: He is hesitant because he thinks it is not good to steal a dollar bill.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Constellation Legends

After reading several Native American legends about various constellations, the students created their own constellation and a legend to go with their constellation. The students' legends and constellations are posted below!

Digoneso

By Emma

There once was a dog. He loved barking at the stars. But he did not know what they were! One night he went outside and wanted to get a closer look. So he jumped and jumped, but he couldn't get to them! Then he did one more jump, but he didn't make it. He lost his temper and jumped and jumped, and on his last time he jumped so high that he went into the sky and now is the constellation Digoneso. He is still barking up there at the stars he has seen.

The Legend of Terimonster

By JaShon

Once upon a time there were three African Americans. They were so poor that they were almost dead. They were almost dead because there was a monster and they called it Terimonster. Terimonster was eating all of their food. Then the three African Americans had bow and arrows and they killed Terimonster. And that's how Terimonster came to be.

Constellation Legend

By Josie

Once there was a family. There were 8 sisters and 4 brothers. There was a sister who loved to draw stars and put them in a shape. Her brothers always joked at her, but she ignored them. Once she drew a bird. She wanted to show her parents, but they were too busy. So, she somehow wanted to put it in the sky so she thought and thought and thought and then she figured it out. She would go to the magic store She got this liquid that would help her. She put it on the shape and it floated in the air. And you can still see the shape if you look in the sky.

Draca the Constellation

By Julia

Once upon a time, now this was a really long time ago (about last Friday), a female desert dragon was walking in the night when she saw Draco the constellation. The instant she saw him she was in love with him. She wanted to be with him up there (but she did not have wings), but the old dragon saying was that "even though dragons don't have wings they can still fly"! So she was thinking really hard. But she got a brilliant idea! So she stole human gliding wings (the ones they use for jumping off of cliffs). She jumped off of a super high cliff and swooped! And that's why we have two dragons in the sky, Draco and Draca!

The Legend of the Shark

By Ian

This story started when a shark had three little baby sharks. After the first two hours the baby sharks had to leave because no shark wants to play with it's hungry mother. While the sharks were exploring they got hungry. So the sharks found some food they gathered up: one Puffer fish, two dolphins, three salmon, and six squids. Now the oldest one was impatient and gobbled up the Puffer fish. Immediately spikes filled up his throat. And moments later he was dead. The two sharks remaining went for a swim and they saw a boat. Just then a Samurai jumped out and attacked. Oh, I forgot to say this, but they were great white sharks. They fought off the Samurai, but one of the sharks (the youngest) was wounded. Finally after the Samurai was defeated the two little sharks passed away from old age. And so the last very old shark swims forever. And so look up in the sky and you just might see his fin gliding across the sky.

Bobby the Butterfly

By Abby

Just today a new constellation was born. The constellation Bobby the Butterfly. This is a story of how it was born. There was once a young caterpillar it was named Bobby. He loved to eat. Almost everyday he would eat so much his stomach would hurt. One day he made a chrysalis and after a long time he came back out as a butterfly. Bobby of course still loved to eat. So he ate and ate and ate until one day he grew so fat he felt like he was going to explode! The next day after he ate a very large breakfast. He went for a fly around the neighborhood. Then all of a sudden he exploded into the sky. That is why there is the constellation Bobby the Butterfly.

Hedgey

By Ava

People believe that Hedgey was a real hedgehog. They say someone threw Hedgey into the sky millions of years ago. Hedgey is a very famous constellation. Hedgey has gold stars. Hedgey was on planet Earth for about 29 years. Every March 29th Hedgey comes up from his grave. Hedgey haunts everyone on March 29th.

The Bodiless Alien Chicken

By Rebecca

Once there was a girl. She was walking across the Great Spirit's garden. She loved Oreo's. While she was walking she wanted to play and put Oreo's over her eyes. Then there was a big buzz. She was startled and she took the Oreo's off her eyes. Right in front of her was a Giant Bodiless Alien Chicken. She screamed so loud it could be heard 1,000,000,000,000,000 miles away. She ran in circles. She was too panicked to think and she kicked the bird into space. Now there is a constellation that is the Giant Bodiless Alien Chicken.

The Winning Bucking Bronco

By Madi

The bronco started out as a very happy calf with his mother and father. Then one day the farm could not afford that many animals so they sold baby bronco and his mother and father. They were in much dismay. He went to his first rodeo and he won more trophies then you could imagine; you could fill a room with how many trophies he won. Just then he found love, a true love, and it was instant. Then they had a daughter named Savanah who had big blue eyes. And they lived happily ever after. That's what started the legend of how the bucking bronco came to be.

Umbrella

By Sabine

Once upon a time there was a girl. It was raining outside. She had an umbrella. She heard thunder she started walking home. The wind started to blow; she walked faster and faster until lightening struck her dead and her umbrella floated up into the sky and that's why there is a constellation called the Lighting Umbrella.

The Alien

By Collin

There was a boy. He was a single child. He had no friends. Once he took a stroll; he saw a light in the sky. It controlled him. He walked to it. It was a u.f.o. He woke up in a lab. He saw 2 three-eyed, 3 feet tall aliens. They thought it was a grown up. They shot him to Earth, he grabbed super kick juice. When he was grown up, he drank the juice and jumped so high and landed in the alien's ship. Then he kicked one in space. The other one thought that people were too powerful. The alien that got kicked turned into 12 stars called Goon.

Constellation Research

The students researched a constellation as part of our space unit. They created the constellation and wrote a paragraph about the constellation. The students worked on writing a paragraph with a main idea and supporting details.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Draco the Constellation

Draco the Constellation
By JaShon

Draco is a constellation shaped like a dragon. You can mostly see it in June and July. Draco has 15 stars. It has 9 straight lines. One of Draco's stars is a white giant star which is 250 times more powerful than our Sun. During winter, Draco is visible to the other side of the Earth.

Delphinus

Delphinus
By Ava

The Delphinus is a very small constellation. There are five main stars in Delphinus. You can see the Delphinus in the north sky at night. The Delphinus is in the heavy waters family.

Hercules

Hercules
By Rebecca

There is a constellation called Hercules. Hercules is easy to spot around July 29th at 9:00 pm. There are 12 stars in this constellation. People in roman times believed Hercules was alive. Hercules had a funeral on Mt. Eta.

Orion

Orion
By Sam

Orion is a constellation. There are 23 stars that make up Orion. The star on the shoulder of Orion is called Betelgeuse. Orion is named after a great warrior. You can only see Orion in the winter time.

Phoenix the Constellation

Phoenix the Constellation
By Abby

Phoenix is a minor southern constellation. Phoenix the constellation is best seen in November at 9:00 p.m. It is easily visible in Australia and New Zealand. There are 10 stars in the constellation Phoenix.

Corona Borealis

Corona Borealis
By Sabine

The Corona Borealis constellation is in the northern hemisphere and is a very small constellation. It is best visible in the spring and summer. There are 7 stars in the Corona Borealis. The Corona Borealis has a Latin name. In Latin it means "northern clown" which I think is a very beautiful name.

Hydra the Consellation

Hydra the Constellation
By Collin

Hydra is one of the biggest constellations. It has 18 stars. Hydra is in the shape of a snake. Hydra is best seen in April at 9:00 p.m.

Cetus the Constellation

Cetus the Constellation
By Emma

Cetus is one of the largest constellations. It was first seen on December 17, 1780. Cetus is best seen January-October. There are 18 stars in Cetus.

Draco the Constellation

Draco the Constellation
By Julia

Draco is a constellation in the north sky. It is most visible in July. There are 15 stars in the constellation Draco. Tawaret, mostly known as Draco, was in Greek mythology.

Leo the Constellation

Leo the Constellation
By Madi

Leo is a constellation in the shape of a lion. Leo's real name is Leonis, Latin for Little King. They say his head looks like a backwards question mark. The Greeks and Romans saw a lion, but the Chinese saw a horse. Leo is only seen in the northern skies.

Aquila the Constellation

Aquila the Constellation
By Josie

Aquila is a constellation. There are 12 stars in the Aquila constellation. The brightest star in the Aquila constellation is Altair. There are three lines of stars for wings. Aquila is visible in the northern hemisphere from July through October.

Taurus the Constellation

Taurus the Constellation
By Ian

Taurus the bull is a constellation. Taurus was found in 130 B.C. There are 15 stars in this constellation. The brightest star in Taurus is the Alderbaran. Taurus is one of the 13 Zodiac constellations. It is best visible by the naked eye in the winter sky.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Layers of the Earth

Today we used an apple to help us understand the layers of the Earth. We learned that the crust, the outside layer, is very thin like an apples' skin. The crust is made up of rocks and soil. Under the crust is the mantle, which is partially solid and partially made up of melted rock that moves slowly like molasses. We learned that the mantle can be as hot as 7,500 degrees and is about 1,800 miles thick! Next we learned about the outer core and inner core. The outer core is considered to be made up of hot liquid iron and nickel and is about 1,300 miles thick, while the inner core is believed to be a hot ball of solid iron and nickel, about 1,500 miles across. Scientists believe that the inner core of the earth can reach 11,000 degrees, while the outer core can get to be about 9,000 degrees.

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Big Dipper

As we were learning about the stars and the constellations, we learned about The Big Dipper as part of the constellation Ursa Major, or The Big Bear. We were able to see the Big Dipper as well as most of our constellations on the Star Walk application on an iPad. We also read and found out more information about The Big Dipper and how it helps you find other constellations and the North Star.
We also learned:

that the Big Dipper can help you find the Little Dipper
that there are three stars in the handle and four stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper
that the Big Dipper looks different in different seasons
that in the summer the Big Dipper looks upside down
that the North Star is a guide star
that you can see the Big Dipper year round

Vocabulary Examples

We collaborated in groups to come up with real-life examples for some of our vocabulary words. The students were very creative when coming up with ideas! They are able to relate the words to their lives, which is great!

What are some things you would need to suppress?

blurting
anger
excitement
laughter
appetite
desire to play video games all of the time

What are some things that would make you feel exasperated?

a person screaming
a person jumping on you
a person burping
younger siblings yelling
when your mom bugs you

What would you need to be precise about?

following directions
a haircut
GPS
Tom-Tom
using a calculator
math test

What are things that are audible?

music
radio
T.V.
birds
laughing
elevator ding
video game
tree falling
ring tones

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Vocabulary Practice

This week we have been working on the vocabulary words from the book Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This week's words are exasperation, suppress, vacant, poise, precise, and audible. We created 4 flap foldables for this week's words.
Flap 1: Word
Flap 2: Definition
Flap 3: Illustration/Picture
Flap 4: Sentence

Fraction Explanations

The students responded to the following question: What are the numerator and denominator of a fraction? Use numbers, words, and pictures to explain.

Monday, February 7, 2011

A Wrinkle In Time Summaries

We finished reading A Wrinkle in Time! The students chose the important events in the story and wrote summaries of the book.

Ian:
A Wrinkle in Time is about Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin. They went and found Mrs.Which, Mrs.Who, and Mrs. Whatsit. They traveled to the planet Camazotz and Charles Wallace got caught in the grasp of It. Meg and Calvin found Mr. Murry [Meg's father] and he helped them. In the end Meg used love to defeat It. And Charles Wallace is free the end!

Samuel:
In A Wrinkle in Time, Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin met Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who. They tessered through the black thing. They went to Camazotz to save Meg's father. At the end of the story , they saved Charles Wallace from It.

Ava:
A Wrinkle in Time is a very good book! First Meg, Calvin, and Charles met Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs.Which, and Mrs.Who. Meg, Calvin, and Charles went to Camazotz to save Mr. Murry. When they were at Camazotz they met Aunt Beast. Meg saved Charles from It.

Julia:
If Meg loses her temper she's not afraid. And that's how she fool It! Well not really, she had love! Charles had power, but not enough to escape It.

Emma:
A Wrinkle in Time is a good book. Meg, Charles, and Calvin met Mrs.Who, Mrs.Whatsit, and Mrs. Which. They tesser to Camozotz and Charles gets trapped! They find Mr. Murry and go to It. Meg gets way too weird and they tesser out of Camozotz. They land on this strong planet and meet Aunt Beast. After Meg gets better she goes back to Camozotz and rescues Charles!

Abby:
A Wrinkle in Time is about Meg, Charles, and Calvin. They met Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs. Which. They tessered to Camazotz and Charles gets sucked into It. They found Mr, Murry and Tessered to a place where they met Aunt Beast. Meg went back to Camazotz and saved Charles.

Sabine:
Meg and Calvin meet in the woods at night because Calvin felt like he was drawn to the woods. Charles came to the woods and then they met Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs.Which and Mrs.Who. Meg is confused with what's happening; Mrs.Whatsit keeps talking about something about tessering. Meg, Calvin, and Charles find out more about tessering. All the kids go to Camazotz and defeat It.

Josie:
Meg met Ms.Whatsit, Ms.Who, and Ms.Which. They went to Camazotz and met a brain called It. Charles gets stuck in his brain and it could control him. Meg saved Charles and they went back to their home.

Rebecca:
Meg, Charles, and Calvin tesser to Camazotz where they try to rescue Mr. Murray. They got gifts from Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs.Which, and Mrs.Who. Charles gets controlled by It on the way. Meg got paralyzed and Aunt Beast had to save her. Meg saved Charles by having love!

Madi:
A Wrinkle in Time is a very good book. Meg, Calvin. and Charles Wallace met Mrs.Whatsit, Mrs.Which, and Mrs.Who. Aunt Beast saved Meg because she was cold and numb. They got out of Camazotz and saved Mr. Murry and Charles Wallace. Meg saved Charles Wallace from It. The End

Collin:
Meg, Charles, Calvin, Mrs.Which, and Mrs.Whatsit went to find Mr.Murry. He was trapped with It. It's name is It. It took over Charles. Meg got paralyzed but got Mr. Murray. They went to another planet. Aunt Beast helps Meg.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Denominators

We are learning about fractions and the terms numerator and denominator. The students worked on dividing shapes to create fractions of the denominators 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 16. We also learned that the larger the denominator becomes, the smaller the parts become.

denominator of 2

denominator of 8

denominator of 4

denominator of 3

denominator of 2

denominator of 16

Denominator of 8

Denominator of 4

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Becoming an Author

As we were writing individual writing goals this week, several of the students indicated that they would like to write more and become an author. Here is a resource and tool in which students (and adults) can create their own books, print them out, and share with others. Check it out!!

http://www.realewriter.com/index.php

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Sky is Full of Stars

We have been learning about the stars and the constellations. We read the book The Sky is Full of Stars by Franklyn M. Branley. The students chose the very important points as they read the book. Here are some of the VIP's from this informational book:

There are 88 constellations.
Sirius is one of the brightest blue winter stars.
Summer is the best time to see the Milky Way.
At different times of year you will see different stars.
The sun is a daytime star.
Pegasus is upside down in the sky.
Stars look the same, but they are not.
Stars are different colors; some are red, some are blue, some are white, and some are yellow.
Stars rise and set just like the sun.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Fraction Fun!

We began working on fractions today! We shared out all of the things we know about fractions and began making different fractions. We reviewed that fractions are a part of a whole or set. We learned that the bottom number of a fraction is the denominator and the top number is the numerator. We worked in small groups to divide a Hershey chocolate bar into equal parts and write the matching fraction. We also worked in pairs to come up with real-life examples of fractions. The following are just a few of the ideas the students shared:

money
pizza
shapes
apples
Earth (hemispheres)
steak
pie
cake
toys
time
room

How We Spent Our Snow Days!

Julia: Over the snow days I watched pink panther, went shopping, played, and a whole lot more.

Sabine: On my snow days I read, chilled out in my room, pet my cat, made pudding, did Skype with my cousin, and watched T.V.

Ian: These snow days I played Apples to Apples, Monopoly, Scrabble, and Pay Day. I also had lots of fun shoveling and playing in the snow. For supper we had pizza one night and steak on the other night. I posted on the Wiki and had a great time with my friends.

Abby: On Tuesday I went to Jane's house then I went home around 5:00. Then I had dinner and went to bed (I actually stayed up reading). On Wednesday I went to Jane's house and then I went to gymnastics.

Josie: On my snow days, I went to the library with my mom for her to work. I played with the cat and I sat through my mom's meeting. I read Judy Moody plus I shoveled the snow. We got stuck in our driveway, but then we got unstuck.

Collin: My snow days were cool. I got a Spinjitzu Lego set; a super small one and a regular size one. The small one only took 5 minutes to build. The regular size one took me 20 minutes. The regular one came with a ninja called Jay. The small one came with one that I don't know.

Emma: On my snow days I played and went to a store and got Valentine's day presents. I also had a play date with Natalie and Trevor and we all went to church and watched a movie.

Rebecca: I forgot what I did on Tuesday. On Wednesday I stayed in my pajamas all day. I watched T.V. and built a fort in a snowbank.

JaShon: On the snow days I played X-box each day. I played Monopoly on the second snow day.

Sam: On my snow days I played Mine Craft all the time.

Ava: I played in tents with my baby brother, watched Minute to Win it, played on Webkinz, and watched Free Willy. P.S. tomorrow I am doing dance competition.

Mrs. Griswold: On my snow days I spent time with my children. We watched the movie Despicable Me. I worked on my laptop and cleaned my house. I cut my thumb open washing dishes and had to get it glued back together at the Doctor's office.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

IXL Math

We are finally able to use IXL in our classroom! IXL is a comprehensive math practice site with an unlimited number of math practice questions in hundreds of math skills! One of the best things about IXL is that your child can access it from home, so you have a chance to see your child's progress!

In addition to making math practice exciting, IXL is designed to help your child learn at his/her own pace. The website is adaptive and will adjust to your child's demonstrated ability level. The site also records all of your child's results, so you can monitor your child's progress anytime by clicking on the reports tab.

The students will be bringing home their username and password so they can access the program at home! I hope you'll encourage your son or daughter to use IXL daily.

New Planets

Check out this article about new planet discovery!

NASA finds planets a plenty outside solar system

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_alien_planets

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snow day!

I hope everyone is enjoying their snow day today! I started my day with a trip to the Dr. after I cut open my thumb washing our kitchen knives! They had to glue it shut and I got a tetanus shot! What a fun snow day!
What did you do on your snow day?!