Thursday 4-3-15

Today is music and writing day in LA/SS....what that means is
We have the OWLS for most of the day. We are listening to classical music and writing. First job is to finish our Beethoven writing piece and post on YWP. Then see what happens. Consider poetry. Consider drawing and poetry. Maybe a new letter.......

Tomorrow is our finale with a chamber orchestra concert just for us with Q and A after. At the end of the day we write reflections and maybe hear a few of the writing pieces.

Today's homework:
LA: edutyping - at least on lesson, more if you have time.  Freerice.com for 10 minutes
if no computer, you can do this tomorrow during read alone time.
Beethoven piece finished and posted (you can have the weekend if you need it.)

Math:
pages 15 and 16

Coming next week:
Gates McGinity Reading Assessment Monday during SS/Science time
Vermont Item Bank Bridges of NYS Wednesday during SS/Science time
(if you read this before 1:10, I mistakenly thought SBAC was next week, but it starts on May 12th)

We begin explorers study in social studies LA leading to our Bio Card which we complete maybe by Friday, but more likely the following Friday (I dream big and fast, but usually get real as time goes by)

Coming up mid May - argument writing starting with "Should Schools Serve Chocolate Milk?"

Wednesday 4-29-15

Here is a list of upcoming assignments from now till the end of the year. I will keep adding to this and post it daily unless I forget (which you know how that goes.)

LA Writing
Beethoven writing piece due Friday (can finish over the weekend)
Chocolate milk essay (in class, may need finishing for homework) due around May 30
Novel visual aid due around June 5 (in class, may need to finish at home)

SS
Explorer Bio Card due around May 22

Assessments (must be done at school in class)
SBAC tests May 12, 13 and 19, 20
Writing pre test  May 26 and post test for argument June 15thish
Reading Gates McGinity standardized assessment (in class before May 29)
Final spelling assessment June something
Reading Assessment (called item bank - Bridging the Gaps in New York City) probably in June - I'm running out of May
I'll add science and math when I find out

Homework may become a little slimmer - I already dropped current events so we can finish spelling, vocab and do edutyping.

More updates later.

Tonight's homework:
ISILT - fill in answers for all vocabulary for SCIENCE (faults, geology, plates, etc.) This will be collected tomorrow for a grade. Also, there is a quiz tomorrow on this.

Skill sheet is due tomorrow

Read for 30 minutes DCF book

Extra: Beethoven writing piece is due Friday (you can finish over the weekend if need be) Post on YWP site when complete.

Tuesday 4-28-15

Today in LA
we started new word study (contractions, syllables and stresses, tion, cian words and latin roots - gress, tract, rupt and mot.

We all progressed (Latin root to move forward) in our read aloud books. We also discussed "exposition" and "character."

DC moved to the computers to finish our vocabulary and 8 great sentences. AC got a RAFT to prompt us with ideas for our Beethoven writing piece and worked in writing workshop.

Homework today:
LA: Finish vocab and 8 sentences. Also finish second sort for word study with explanations
Math: Page 13 and 14 and skill sheet (due Th.)
Science: vocab for quiz tomorrow

Monday 4-27-15

Welcome back from vacation.

Over vacation I decided to change up our homework plan a little, and on the first day it immediately didn't work out. Well here's the plan for when it does work....
on Mondays we will introduce vocabulary and write definitions. Monday night will be 8 great sentences.
Tuesdays will be finish word study and do edutyping
Wednesdays still ISILT science journal
Thursdays free choice writing or ywp prompt. (I'm moving current events to classtime.)
So on the first day the bus evacuation drill and computers not working put a snag in the plan....so we are swapping Thursday's homework for tonight and finishing vocab in class tomorrow.

Upcoming this week: finish our Beethoven writing piece (report, story, poem (of length), newspaper article, letter or some other great idea). Post on YWP to share with class.

Poetry with music. We continue listening to Beethoven and learning about and writing poetry.

Friday we have a chamber concert.

In math menu we learned a new dice game for practicing multiplication.

Homework:
Math: Skill sheet (due Thursday)
LA: Free choice or YWP - you see a stranger and follow him or her undercover
Read for 30 minutes (DCF book)

optional - you may choose to work on your Beethoven piece or finish vocab definitions or do your edutyping tonight.

Friday 4-17-15

We had our first experiment in "Quiet Time" learning. It was a bit of a "quiet party" but I based it on an idea from Daniel Pink called Fed Ex Day, when you absolutely need to get it there overnight. The idea is you do a project that you want to do, you have the time and you tell what you did.  For our first time kids could choose anything quiet and alone (we are also working on our mindfulness and our self-control around not talking - very hard for some, easy for others.) Kids did origami, clay design, reading, puzzles, rubber band bracelet making and design creating with shapes. Next time we will focus on language arts only or social studies only. It was interesting to observe. We had Beethoven playing in one room and low lights in the other room so we played with our ambiance.

After the silent party we totally rearranged the cubbies (no cleaning like a rearraging in my opinion.) So now, we are clean, organized and the Ms. Lamb's CPR is all in her room, and Mr. Meadow's CPR is all around the corner where kids chose one or two cubbies for themselves depending on their storage needs. All the cubbies got new labels.

I am so looking forward to no boot season which I expect right after vacation.

After our afternoon specials (Iblock, PE/World Language, COG) we enjoyed a faculty 8th grade basketball game. It was a hoot.

Have a lovely and restful break everyone.

Thursday 4-16-15

Today in LA both groups did buddy sort to finish word study for this week. AC had another chapter of The Night Gardener and DC finished the Biography video of Beethoven. Both groups heard about Fed Ex day tomorrow (more to follow) and the new DCF books we have for reading. Then we went to the OWLS to finish our Beethoven Webquest and begin our final draft of our chosen writing piece on Beethoven (possibly started on Tuesday???)

In math menu we corrected our skill sheets.

Over in math, they were doing something interesting on the computer and watching a video in science.

Homework today:
LA: finish webquest and work on final draft of Beethoven writing piece (at least 10 minutes.)
do edutyping lesson if you didn't do it last night
Read for 30 minutes
No math tonight

FEDEX day tomorrow. Bring anything you might need. (Fedex because it absolutely has to get done today,)

Here's what it is. This is an idea borrowed and modified from Daniel Pink.
We will work for 75 minutes in silence on something we want to do that is not connected to technology. The only technology involved is the playing of Beethoven music in Ms. Lamb's room on the CD player.

We are working silently as we are working on this ability (ha ha) and to be mindful (another thing we are working on) Ms. Lamb has several books and activities. Kids are allowed to bring in their own silent independent activities (like that birthday present craft I never got to) and possible a pillow if they want to work on the floor in comfort (please don't go overboard with several pillows, a comforter and twenty stuffed animals.)

I'll let you know how it goes. After 75 minutes we will write in our journals to "report out" on our work.

Tuesday (I forgot) and Wednesday

Somehow I completely forgot about yesterday and now it's all a blur.
I also may have updated on my ipad and not published. Oh well, herer's the blurry memory.

In LA we progressed in our two class novels, The Secret Gardener and The One Safe Place.
We also started a new word study (the new version of fast sorting as  we did vocabulary for our sentences this week.)

AC started a Beethoven scavenger hunt (part of our team project with Ms. Frank and a grant she recieved.)
Homework:
LA: Write about Beethoven
READ for 30 minutes
Math: Skill sheet and one class had some pages to finish  - AC I think

Now for today - Wednesday
In LA - second sort and explain check. Then we chose to watch more of the Beethoven biography video. What an interesting guy. Look him up. Tomorrow and Friady we start listening. We will be creating a chosen piece of writing and some poetry.
Math Menu had us working on a cool coding program to reinforce angles.
Band Chorus and study hall happened (I had a meeting)
Ms. Lamb had to leave early for a meeting at Central Office. DC worked on the Beethoven scavenger hunt with Mr. Mindell.

Homework for Wednesday
LA (There may have been an ISILT - I'm not sure)
Read for 30 minutes
Math - Skill sheet is due tomorrow - there may be somthing else - check your assignment books.

Monday 4-13-15

Ms. Fisher was in for Mr. Meadows today.

We started our first vocabulary today on LA.

We read a chapter and watched some more of Beethoven's biography.

Homework

Math skill sheet

La Free choice or write about a scar

Read 30

8 great sentences using vocabulary 

Friday 4-12-15

I'm home sick today, but I hear from Mr. Warren that the Science Fest was fabulous (although he things most things are fabulous....) and he was thrilled and excited with our participation.

Congratulations to Avery for his second place score with his water turbine AND
to Abigail and Jayme for their third place score with Do dogs understand English?

Everyone did a great job and I expect to see three more years of great projects.

I'm not sure how the rest of the day went, but I'm getting better....so tell you more on Monday.
Have a great weekend.

Thursday 4-9-15

I hope you can all get to the science fair tonight. We have lots of kids showing from Team Energy.

Today we started the new and improved word study groups. After an assessment on Monday, Ms. Lamb rearranged the groups. We now have four groups.

We have shortened word study by reducing the sentences. The hope is we get through more lessons and apply our sentence writing to vocabulary, which we will start on Monday.

We listened to chapter two of One Safe Place (it's pretty ominous so far) and The Secret Gardener chapter three (just curious so far and maybe a little fairy tale like).

In social studies we began our short (two week) study of Beethoven and music related to a grant Ms. Frank received. I'm meeting with Ms. Frank tomorrow to get the details. We watched the beginning of a biography. He was an interesting and complex man. Next week we will do some listening and writing. We will write a composed response and POETRY! YAY!

Tonight's  homework:
If you are presenting (yourself, not just your partner) at the science fair, you have the night off from journal writing and reading. If you are not presenting
Current events
Read

Everyone complete second sort for word study and explain categories. Tomorrow we will complete blind sort with a partner in class before library time.

Remember we are trying to read as many DCF books, past present and next year, as we possibly can before May 30th. This is a challenge folks.

Wednesday 4-8-15

Today we started our read aloud for DCF 2015.
AC read/listened to  Chapter one of The Night Gardener
DC to Chapter one of One Safe Place

AC had a edutyping login check. We practice once more at school, then edutyping becomes part of homework. I will find a time for the one or two students without compters.

DC had worktime for classic book report which is now homework. I will grade these on Sunday and hopefully get all the schoology grades in for this trimester.

We begin a mini classical music unit connected to a grant that Ms. Frank got. More on this tomorrow.
We will begin with a mini study of Beethoven.

Homework:
Finishing touches for science fair
Classic Book Report

Read of course

Math skill sheet and pages 3 and 4

Tuesday 4-7-15

We had a marvelous time bowling. I'll post some pictures tomorrow (ran out of battery.)

This afternoon we set up and shared our science fair projects. Kids got some feedback and can be even more ready for Thursday night. 22 project signed up from our class. We got this thing covered.

Tonight's homework:
Any final touches to science fair project
READ
math skill sheet due Thursday

Monday 4-6-15

Good morning.
Today we took a spelling assessment to make sure we are in the right spelling development groups. Ms. Lamb is moving the sentence part of work study into vocabulary. We continue sorting words, but now we will have 8 great new vocabulary words each week to make sentences out of.

Also, next week edutyping will move to homework. The few kids without computers at home will have accommodations here.

Tomorrow is our second trimester bowling day celebration. We leave school at 8:30 and return around noon. I still need a few more permissio slips and $9.

Please remember, if paying for field trips (or supplies) is a hardship, we have scholarship funds. All you have to do is ask.

Tonight's homework:
LA - get and be ready for science fair tomorrow. Our team energy science fair will be at 1:50 tomorrow.

Math: skill sheet (not sure if there is anything else)

Read for 30 minutes.

Friday 4-3-15

We have a very impressive 20 projects signed up for Thursdsay night's science fair. I hope everyone can make it. It's quite a site to see and experience. I hear there are lots of prizes too.

We had a science fair extravaganza of work time this morning. After lunch we got some valued feedback from peers and worked some more.

This weekend might be a good time to put on finishing touches (or do the whole thing if you need to.)

Remember, triflolds need to be here on Tuesday for our Energy science fair.
That's bowling and science fair on the same day.

A few people still need to bring in permssion slips and $9 to go bowling on Tuesday. Remember to bring a lunch or order a bag lunch from the cafeteria on Monday.

Thursday 4-2-15

Today we heard all about the new DCF books and decided on our class read aloud.
AC chose
DC chose

okay, I totally forgot, I'll tell you tomorrow.
Here is the DCF list.
http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/DCFMasterlist15-16.pdf

In the afternoon, we looked at our classic book reports printed out with a pen in hand and did some editing, fixes and adding our conclusions which give an evaluation of the book.

Tomorrow we will do a fake science fair - where you bring in your trifold and meet with two other groups to present and get feedback. We also have a bit of work time for science fair project perfections.

Homework:
Current Events - here is the recommended article
http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2015/03/Shanice-is-a-Native-American
Math: Page 98-99
Read for 30
Bring science fair trifold to school tomorrow
Bring your permission for bowling on Tuesday and your $9
(here is the permission slip - https://docs.google.com/a/cesuvt.org/document/d/103wim3ivw_rOg2fVD3kkxPudG5Ym6B_uuFGX9dsSpb4/edit

Wednesday April Fool's Day 4-1-15

Not too many pranks yet, but it's not even noon.
This morning we all started our new word study (sort one) and went to computers to continue working on our Classic Book Reports. We are almost done. Tomorrow we have conferences and decide how to do conlusions. Friday we finish and submit (or work over the weekend if we need to.)

Homework today:

LA: finish second sort for word study and explain
ISILT: Write about plate tectonics
Read for 30 minutes
Math: Page 96-97 and Skill sheet is due tomorrow
Permission Slip and $9 for bowling next Tuesday 4-7-15