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
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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 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...
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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
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!
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.
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.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
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!
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!
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!
She helped us celebrate BIG with ENORMOUS cupcakes!
It was a Happy Birthday indeed, Number 16! Let's continue the celebration by filling her bucket!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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!
For now, here's a sneak peek at our Maya "carvings"...
Check back later this week to see the final product!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
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
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!
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!
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!
Friday, October 2, 2009
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!
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!
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