ISATS are Over!

Last Friday ISATS were officially over, and Room 205 couldn't be more thrilled!

We even did a Victory Dance:

I'm so proud of you ALL! Thank you for giving your very BEST!

Love,

Mrs. Bailey

Colony Posters

We're working hard on our colony posters!

What do you know about the Thirteen Colonies? Come back later to see what we're learning!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day!

Here we are making our Hearts to hold our Valentines!!! We're getting excited for our party this afternoon!!

Happy Belated Birthday Bucket!

Unfortunately Mrs. Bailey is behind on posting Birthday Celebrations...Let's go back to November. I apologize for the delay, but any day is a good day to fill a bucket!

Thanks for the yummy doughnuts!!

Happy Belated Birthday Number 17! We're so glad we could celebrate with you!

Personal Narratives

Today Room 205 shared their Published Personal Narratives with each other. Make sure to ask your student about how to write a stellar personal narrative! Check back soon for some of our favorites!

Reaction Time

This week in Science Room 205 tested reaction times. One partner dropped the ruler and we measured our reaction time by seeing where we caught the ruler. Each student had ten chances to test their reaction time. What did you observe or learn through this experiment Room 205?

Team One:

"Your nervous system helps control your body. Your brain sends messages to
your body parts. Your eyes send a message to your brain. Your first couple of
catches will be slow, but then it gets quicker."

Team Four:

"You need to have your eyes open to catch the ruler. Each person reacts in a
different amount of time. Your brain has to tell your nerves to move your hand.
Our actions were voluntary."

Team 5:

"To catch a ruler is a voluntary response because you are focused. Your brain
sends a message to your hands. The nervous system is very fast because gravity
pulls the ruler to the ground within 1 second, and your body responds to it
within 0.5 seconds. Some people don't respond as quickly as others. "

Team 6:

"Everything happens in a split second. Reaction times are different for
different people. If one part of your body is not working, it keeps the other
parts from doing their job. You need to focus in order to catch the ruler"

Extra Credit Questions:

1. What body system controls your reaction time?

2. What communication path did your body have to take in order for you to catch the ruler?

3. Describe the difference between a voluntary response and an involuntary response.

4. What factors cause your reaction time to be different each time. In other words, what causes your reaction time to change each time?

I glanced out my window and a polar bear was in my yard...

Here is another blog worthy post from author #7. The students were supposed to finish the story about a polar bear in their yard. #7's story goes like this:

I was in my room upstairs, and I glanced out my window and saw a polar bear. At first I was scared to go out again, but once I realized it was friendly I wasn't scared anymore. I got to ride on his back and played fun, cool games.

If I started to get cold he would warm me up by giving me a warm hug. I would also take him on walks when he had a lot of energy. When my mom said, "Time to take him to the zoo", I was sad. I told him I would always come and visit him whenever I could.



Extra Credit Questions:



1. What level of the house was I in?



2. When I got cold what would the polar bear do?



3. How do you think I could tell it was a friendly bear?



4. When I took him to the zoo what do you think I would do to see him again?

I am a tree! This is my life:

Blog worthy! Author #18 wrote about his life as a tree.



My life as a tree is good because I can take people with a swing on me. The rope moves on my arm. In the summer, people climb me and it tickles me when people touch my branches. The most horrible part is the thunder, lightening, and rain. It makes me feel like I have fallen down.

In the fall, October and November, my hair comes out. The worst part is in the winter. It starts snowing and sometimes my branches fall down like lightening. My wood parts start to get cold. Spring is my favorite season because the sun rises, there are birds on my branches, and I start growing again. The worst about spring are the april showers because it rains like crazy. So my life as a tree is good.

Extra Credit Questions:
1. Why are april showers my least favorite part of the spring season?

2. Why don't I like October and November?

3. Why do I like the spring?

4. Why do I like the summer?

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?

...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.

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!