Mechanical vs. Standard Pencils

Here's another Blog Worthy journal entry from one of our students in Room 205. This time students were asked to pick a side in the debate "Which type of pencil is better? Mechanical or Standard?

Number 6 did a terrific job making her point in this debate:

Mechanical pencils! They are much better for the environment! Why? What are regular pencils made out of? Wood! Mechanical pencils come with extra lead. But why is it important? First, wood comes from trees so you have to cut down trees to make them. Second, mechanical pencils are made from plastic and can be recycled! And if mechanical pencils come with lead, you don't have to hear that annoying pencil sharpener sound. It'll distract people in school! And if you run out of lead in a mechanical pencil, you can just stick some more lead right in! It also doesn't make you waste money on pencil grips and stuff because mechanical pencils can already come in cool designs! So everyone, vote for mechanical pencils!



Extra Credit Questions:



1. Do you agree now that mechanical pencils are better?



2. Will you stop buying regular pencils and start using mechanical ones?



3. Do you think that if more people used mechanical pencils the environment would be better?



4. Do you think that you will still buy accessories for your pencil?

I am a Tree

A Blog Worthy Piece by Author # 14



I'm a vast tree towering in the sky.

When harsh winds blow, I sway all around.

In the intense winter I close all openings in my branches.

I am bare.

When time changes to Spring, I grow.

In the blazing summer, I shade people.

When there is a storm you hear "crack".

I have fallen.

My life is over.



Questions/Comments:

1. Who is the "I" in this poem?

2. Which descriptive words help you feel how the tree feels?

3. How do you feel at the beginning of the poem? Do you feel the same at the end?

4. What is your favorite part?

...now you know why there are so many stars in the sky

Here's another Blog Worthy journal entry...enjoy!

Author: Number 2

In the beginning there was one tiny star that was as microscopic as an ant. He was very mournful because he was the only one in existence. When he got angry, he got bigger, and one day he got so ginormous he could not fit in his house any more. He got so enraged that he exploded into one-million little stars that were as shiny as a new quarter. Now he is joyful, and now you know why there are so many stars in the sky.

Questions:

1. What do you think a good name for the star would be? Why?

2. How many stars do you think there actually are in the sky?

3. Use clues from the story to find the meaning of ginormous, mournful, and enraged.

4. What do you think the main idea of this story is?

5. Contrast the way the star feels at the beginning to how it feels at the end.

...Now you know why there are so many stars in the sky.

Author # 4 wrote a Blog Worthy response to the following prompt: Write a story that ends with the line... Now you know why there are so many stars in the sky. We hope you enjoy her take on it!

It all started when a shining amulet cristal was found in the earth by a group of hard working builders. They gave it to the scientific scholars, Dr. Lecond and Dr. Shorts. The doctors were mixing the cristals with random, flammable potions, and a beaming light was shining. They rushed outside, and it started to float. It went higher and higher and higher up to the sky.

Dr. Shorts went to go get his camera and took a picture. Two days later, it was on the front cover of the newspaper, and people talked about it for months!

Dr. Shorts and Dr. Lecond decided to make more potions because they wanted to make the nighttime sky even more beautiful. It took them about a year to make the four-billions stars that glow up in the sky, and now you know why there are so many stars in the sky.

Why did Dr. Shorts take a picture?

Why did they want to fill the sky with stars?

What descriptive words did you like in the story?

What was your favorite part of the story?

Number 18 and the Giant Peach...

After attending South Elgin High School's performance of James and the Giant Peach, students in Room 205 had an opportunity to write their own fantasy! Here's Number 18's take on it!

A young boy named Number 18 was lonely because he had no friends, and people made fun of him. They picked on him because they thought he was a nerd. A kid named Zack made fun of him too.
Number 18 was growing peaches for a peach pie. One grew into a one-hundred pound peach! Number 18 said, "I want some bigger crust to make a pie!"
One day Zack smelled something good so he tried to find the mystery smell. He found Number 18's peach pie, and he said, "Can I have a piece of pie?" Number 18 said, "No!" because of the mean things Zack said.

Questions:

What was your favorite part of the story?
What was the saddest part of the story?
How big was the peach Number 18 used to make his pie?
If you were Number 18, would you let Zack have pie? Why or why not?

Happy Veteran's Day!

Veteran's Day is a day to honor all of the veterans who have served our country throughout the years. We are grateful for your service and dedication to our country. Mrs. Bailey's class and Spring Trail School honor you on this day and everyday for your part in making our abundant freedoms possible. Happy Veteran's Day...


Thank you for taking the time to honor us with your presence. Our school is grateful for the opportunity to hear your stories...

Some special thank yous from our class...

The Mayor of Carol Stream even came to honor you...

Thank you for visiting our classroom too...

With our red, white and blue, we thank YOU...

...from now on, I'll keep the door locked!

Students were recently given the journal prompt "write a story that ends with...from now on I'll keep the door locked". Here's Number 16's frightening rendition...

My basement door was never open, and I always wondered why. My sister told me there's a story that says our basement is cursed. I never believed her until I looked inside.
It was a regular Saturday afternoon. I was playing with my best friend Ashley. I came in earlier than I normally did because I wanted to know what was behind that door.
Ashely was with me when I heard a little noise coming from the basement. It was heavy breathing. At first, I thought that it was my dog. That was when I remembered no one has gone there since we moved in here.
We timidly walked to the door. When we opened it...nothing. So we went deeper.
Then we saw a giant purple monster. Ashley and I screamed and ran up the stairs. It chased us, but luckily I got the lock for the door so the monster could not get upstairs. From now on, I will keep the door locked.

Introducing Blog Worthy...

Everyday students in Room 205 write in their Fifth Grade Journal. Reading their work is such a pleasure for me that I want to share it with you. The students are filled with creativity, thoughtfulness, and hilarity, and it needs to be shared! Therefore, I have coined the phrase "Blog Worthy". Any time a student writes a piece that needs to be shared with the world, we will post it on our blog. Check back often to hear thoughts from your favorite authors in Room 205!

Lists

Today during Being a Writer, we did Nonbook Writing. One example of nonbook writing is making lists. After sharing their lists of ten items with one another, some students thought their partner had a blog worthy list...

Author: Number 22

Ten Big Things

1. Sears Tower
2. The Hulk
3. The chalk board
4. a room
5. a semi-truck
6. a window
7. bathroom
8. the world
9. the universe
10.a wall

Author: Number 24

Ten Things That Make Me Nervous

1. Standing on stage
2. singing
3. dancing
4. showing my art work
5. talking in a microphone
6. giving a present
7. saying hello to strangers
8. people staring at me
9. people knocking on the door
10. getting my driver's license

Author: Number 27

Ten Things I'm Scared Of...

1. being in front of a lot of people
2. heights
3. spiders
4. driving in the car with my 16 year old brother
5. bugs
6. ghosts
7. war
8. car crash
9. wolves
10. bears

Autumn is Here!

Recently the students in Room 205 journaled about Autumn. Here is a lovely entry about the season!

Author: Number 10

Autumn is a season of wind and orange, red, and yellow leaves. It is a season of warm foods and friends. It's like a winter in summer. In almost every house there is laughter and cheer. Autumn is a sign that Thanksgiving is near. In Autumn, the kindness you can hear!

More "I am.." Pieces by Room 205 Authors

Author: Number 27

I erupt! When I do, people run in fear. Many people think I am a mountain until they feel heat. I am a volcano.

I start out small. I get bigger. Alarms go off when I come. People make plans to get out of their house when I appear. I am fire.

I only get two inches of rain a year. I am hot. Animals can't even survive in me. I am Death Valley.

Author: Number 16

I see people tall, short, skinny, fat. I see all of the buildings. Sometimes they are so tall they hit me in the guts. I am the one who makes the sky radiant. I am the sky.

I keep the planet radiant. I will never go away. I love to be out and shining. The sad part is no one likes me. Everyone yells at me to go behind a cloud. I am the sun.

I fall from above to make sure the grass flourishes. I keep the plants growing. Without me, all of the grass and flowers would die. I do not come everyday. I am rain.

I am on the ground. We always get stepped on. My friend is so scared he never sprouts. Even when it rains, he hides. He only comes out when a worm is in him. We are the grass.

Author: Number 21

I am the sun. I am orange and yellow. I am a helpful resource. I give light and joy. And when I'm gone, we all see twinkling stars and a big peaceful moon. I am the sun.

Do you have any feedback for these Authors? We'd love to hear your thoughts! What did you like best about our writing. What were your favorite parts? Is there anything you think we could add?

I am...

During writing last week we read Water Dance by Thomas Locker.



Locker takes the reader through the water cycle by having water tell its story. The 'I' in the story is water. Here is an example from the text...

"In the shadows of the mountain,
I am still and deep.
I fill
and overflow.

I am the lake."

After discussing Thomas' work, students wrote their own "I am..." stories.

Students shared their writing with partners in the class.







Several partners thought their partner's writing was blog worthy. Here are some of the "I am..." selections by authors in Room 205...

Author: Number 22

I am a tree. My branches stretch to the sky. My leaves are bright green. I am the mighty maple tree. I am the tree of Spring.

Author: Number 26

The sun rises, and I'm tall. I see everyone. People come to remodel me on the outside, and I look down. I see everyone looking up and saying, "Wow! That's a tall building!" I am the Sears Tower.

Author: Number 14

I am a small jewel of the eye. I'm small and hard. I am a seedling.

When water drops splash me, I awake. The bright sun shines in my eyes. I am a small sprouting stem.

I am asleep. I don't awake because I am closed. The sun does not reach me. I am not ready. I am the flower bulb.

I feel ready to burst. But I don't feel ready. But I must open to see the world before me. Suddenly I see sun. I feel the carbon dioxide flowing within me. I see the evergreen land right before me. I suddenly hear strange things. I am frightened. I feel something poking my roots. It's a small metal thing. I am being lifted high in the sky. And I see I am leaving. When I awake the evergreen land is nowhere to be found. The dirt is strange, not feeling so fertile. It feels like hard clay. I feel a bee carrying part of me somewhere else. These things do not feed me. There is only sun.

Author: Number 7

I am a little brown jewel, and sometimes I am bigger. I am a seed.

I am a little green sprout, and when water hits me, I grow taller. I am a stem.

I am a tall stem with a bulb on the top. When I open up I will flourish nicely. I am in the middle of a flower.

I am starting to open up, and my colors are very nice and bright. I am a flower.

I am a little bee that brings some juice to other flowers that help them grow. I am pollen.

Thank you Room 205 Authors for doing such a lovely job! If you would like to comment about our writing, please feel free to do so! We appreciate any positive comments or constructive criticism!

Important!

Dear Parents,

Field trip money and permission forms for our October 30th field trip to Naper Settlement were due today. If your child has not yet returned either of these items, please turn them in by tomorrow. The cost of the trip is $14 per student.

If you would like to attend as a chaperone, the cost is $7.50. Please send your money in tomorrow as a confirmation of your desire to attend with us.

Thank you,

Katie Bailey

Classifying by Kingdoms, an Essay by Mrs. Bailey's Class

This week we finished our second whole class essay. We decided to connect our Science curriculum with our writing. What do you notice about the essay format?
What did you find interesting about classifying living things? Do you know any additional information about this topic? We'd love to learn more!



Classifying living things into kingdoms

Do you want to learn about classifying living things into kingdoms? You do not have to be a scientist to classify. You have to observe the different characteristics. After we observe the characteristics, you place them into one of the three following kingdoms: animal kingdom, fungi kingdom, or plant kingdom.
Animal kingdom is one way we can classify living things into a kingdom. One way to to classify animals is if they have a backbone or not. Foe example, a wolf has a backbone, and a slug does not have a backbone. Some animals are warm blooded and some animals are cold blooded. For example a dog is warm blooded, and snakes are cold blooded. Those are examples of ways to classify the animal kingdom.
The next kingdom we can classify using characteristics is the fungi kingdom. Fungus is a decomposer. A decomposer feeds on rotting things. Fungus grows best in the dark. We learned this from growing our own mold in the classroom. We can also eat certain kinds of fungus. For example, we can eat mushrooms, which are fungus. Fungi can travel as spores and can attach to the rotting material.
Our last kingdom to classify is the plant kingdom. We can classify plants by their roots. For example a carrot has a taproot and a flower has a fibrous root. We can also classify plants by their leaves. Leaves can be classified by size, color, shape, and texture.
As you can see there are many ways to classify living things into kingdoms. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to classify them. Classifying living things helps scientists organize the kingdoms!

Chapter 3 Math Quiz (3.1-3.4)

Here are the questions from today's math quiz. A few of them are impossible to show as drawn on the quiz, but I will describe what each student saw on the overhead.

1. How many degrees are in a circle?

2. What is the measure of an angle on a straight line?

3. What is the measure of the following angle:

Students were shown an angle with a square in the corner

4. Draw a line segment:

5. Draw a line:

6. Draw a ray:

7. & 8. Name the following angles:

Students were shown an angle labeled with three letters for number 7 and one letter at the vertex for number 8.

9. What is the measure of angle Q?

Students were shown three triangles next to one another forming a straight line. Angle Q was one of the triangle angles.

10. What is the measure of amgle S?

Students were show three trapezoid angles going around one point. Angle S was one of the angles of one of the three trapezoids.

Extra Credit and Rice!

Room 205 recently read a book entitled Everybody Cooks Rice by Norah Dooley.

In the story, a brother and sister go around from house to house in their neighborhood and sample all kinds of rice. As they go to each house, they realize that Everybody Cooks Rice.

As we made connections to this story, we realized that our classmates also have a number of ways their families cook rice. How does your family cook rice?

If you would like to share your family tradition with our class, please feel free to bring in just enough rice for each student to have one taste. We would love to expand our horizons and learn more about the diverse cultural traditions within our classroom community!

Wear Blue Tomorrow!

Tomorrow Spring Trail will hold our annual Veteran's Day Celebration. Fifth and Sixth Graders have been asked to wear blue to support the Veterans that will be in the building tomorrow.




So...Don't forget to wear blue tomorrow to help our class honor the veterans and show our gratitude for all they have done to make our lives what they are today!

Let's Fill Number 16's Birthday Bucket!

On Monday, we celebrated Number 16's birthday!

She helped us celebrate BIG with ENORMOUS cupcakes!

Number 21 did a fabulous job as our maestro!
It was a Happy Birthday indeed, Number 16! Let's continue the celebration by filling her bucket!

Mayan Writing

This week in Social Studies, we started learning about Native Americans. The Mayans were an early group of Native Americans in the Western Hemisphere. They developed their own system of writing which involved carving symbols onto stone. What else did we learn about the Maya? You can add information in the comments section if you know or check back later for an updated Maya post.

For now, here's a sneak peek at our Maya "carvings"...

Check back later this week to see the final product!

Conference Sign-Up Sheets Coming Home Today!

Dear Parents,

Tonight your student will bring home a note with conference sign-up times. Please pick your top three choices, and I will do my best to accommodate your needs. Please return these slips as soon as possible so I can confirm your time. I look forward to meeting with you soon!

Regards,

Katie Bailey

Fill Up Number 24's Birthday Bucket!

Happy Birthday Number 24! Yesterday we celebrated Number 24's birthday in class, but his official birthday was last Friday...our day off...what a birthday present!

Thank you number 18 for being our Maestro! You lead us in some amazing singing as Number 24 swayed from side to side!

Let's continue to celebrate with number 24 by filling his bucket. We can help make the start of his next year fabulous! Happy birthday Number 24!

Fill Number 11's Birthday Bucket!

Last Friday Number Eleven celbrated her birthday! She even had a day off :)


We celebrated in class yesterday. Number 3 did a fabulous job leading us in some singing!
Don't forget to continue making this birthday one number 11 will never forget...fill her bucket, and make her day! Happy Birthday Number 11!

Go Panthers!

A week from this last Saturday, I had the privilege of cheering on another Panthers football player in our room! Go Number 17! You did a fabulous job blocking throughout the whole game!
Since it was Homecoming, Number 17 even had his own sign!

And what a pleasant surprise...Number 7 was cheering for this Panthers team as well! Great job!

I also ran into Number 28. He was so kind to take water out to all of the Panthers on the field! Thanks again for inviting me to cheer you on Number 17! You all were amazing!

Before School Math Study Group Tomorrow

Tomorrow is our Chapter 2 Math Test. If any student would like to receive more help on the skills, they may come to Room 205 at 8 a.m. I will do a 20 minute review at that time. Study hard tonight, and don't forget to bring your completed Chapter 2 Math Packet to turn in tomorrow.

Mrs. Bailey

Fill Number 15's Birthday Bucket!

Today we celebrated Number 15's birthday! Happy Birthday #15!!

Number 11 helped Number 15 pass out delicious cupcakes!

Number 7 lead us in our singing! Nice work Maestro!

Let's continue the celebration by filling number 15's bucket this week. Leave your bucket filling comments here so she will know how glad we are to celebrate her!

Mold!

Mold Observations from our teams:

Team 2~

- Mold takes a long time to form

-Mold can be any color

-Mold has spores

Team 3~

- The mold looks like powder spread

- It's black and dark green

-We can each mold (mushrooms)

Team 4~

-Mold feeds off of dead plants to get nutrients

-Mold spores need to grow in the dark

Team 5~

-Mold on the bread is hard

-The mold fed off of the bread and water

Team 6~

-Mold grows in the dark unlike flowers

-Mold is a decomposer

-Mold can be different colors

-Spores fly in the air

-Mold eats rotten things

Math Quiz 2.7

Show how you would estimate:

1.) 2.8 * 37 =

2) 0.7 * 508 =

3) 48.2 * 375 =

Solve the following using the Partial Products Method:

4) 521

* 28
______


5) 129

* 7
______

Correction in Accessing My Grade Book

A very kind parent informed me that the log in must be capitalized the following way: 5Bailey205



The link to the website is here: mygradebook.com



I apologize for any confusion! I hope the online grade book will prove a helpful tool throughout the year. Thank you for your patience and help along the way!



Regards,



Katie Bailey

Progress Report Time!

Mid-Quarter grades are coming home today! Please sign and return your child's progress report by Friday. Next week I will send home a sign-up for conferences.

You will also be receiving the log in and password for checking your child's grades online. I have already added grades that will raise or lower the grade your child received on the progress report. If your child has late work or work from an absence, I generally do not record it until the end of the week. Check back on Friday for a more accurate grade. Here is the link to the grade book site: http://www.mygradebook.com/

I look forward to working with you to help your child reach his or her full potential this year.



Thank you,



Katie Bailey

Math Quiz 2.7

Today students took a quiz on estimation. For each problem, they were to show how they rounded the numbers as well as their estimated answer. Students should also be able to tell whether their estimate is in the 0.1s, 1s, 10s, 100s, 1,000s, 10,000s, etc. Here are the questions if you would like to review them before the test!

1.) 28 * 33 =_______


2.) 14 * 98 = _______


3.) 37 * 104 = ______


4.) 2.8 * 1.3 = ______


5.) 0.8 * 0.1 = ______

Tomorrow students will have a quiz on Partial Products! Happy Studying!

We Love Extracurriculars!

Thank you to those of you who have invited me to see a bit of your life outside of school. I had so much fun watching you bowl, cheer, and play football this weekend! You're the BEST!

Number 26 bowled a better game than I will ever achieve in my lifetime!

Number 25 was also there to cheer her along!

You did a terrific job number 26! Thanks for the invitation :)


Next stop...football with Number 28! Great Game...Panthers win!

Number 7 and 3 did a DYNAMITE job cheering for the team! What, what, what, what...Go Panthers!

Social Studies Extra Credit Opportunities

Opportunity #1: Students may submit up to five items for our class' Regions Scrapbook. Students should bring in a picture (one that we can keep) or draw a picture of a place they have been. The picture should include a caption that describes the region/location and characteristics of that place. They should tell how the land or climate of that region effects life there. We will compile each scrapbook item into a class book to help us learn more about our country's regions.



Opportunity #2: Students may read about two letters in the book D is for Democracy and write a summary of the content. This one must be done at school because I have checked the book out from the library.

Please encourage your student to take advantage of this opportunity to raise his or her S/S grade! The last day to turn in this Chapter 2 Extra Credit is this Thursday, October 1st.

Fill Number Five's Birthday Bucket!

This Saturday Number 5 is turning eleven! We celebrated a day early with cupcakes...thanks number 5!

Let's continue to celebrate with him by filling his bucket...remember to use his number...NOT his name!

Leaf Characteristics Sort

Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! Last week we did a science experiment with leaves. Do you know why? We wanted to sort them by their characteristics. Characteristics are the texture, color, shape, size, and smell...or anything else you observe. Some leaves smell good, some didn't. Smell is one of the characteristics of leaves. My favorite characteristic was texture because I love how the leaves felt. Some were rough, some were smooth, and some felt sticky.

Keep scrolling down to see how the rest of the class sorted their leaves!

Article By: Number 8

Number 17 and 11 sorted their leaves by size, color and texture. "One leaf was fuzzy. It felt kind of weird," said #17.


Number 15 and number 25 sorted their leaves by the size, shape and color. "One smelled like pizza," said number 15. "It did," number 25 agreed!

Number 23, 18, and 20 measured their leaves in order to sort them by size.

Number 23 said, "One of the leaves was a mint leaf. It smelled so good. I just wanted to eat it!"

"The texture was really bumpy on the older one, and the new ones were really smooth," said number 18.

" When I saw one of the leaves, it looked like a four-leaf clover. I made a wish, but it wasn't a four-leaf clover," said Number 20.