Archive for March, 2010

Class activities for Wednesday, March 24

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Spelling: None today due to the half-day schedule.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today, students worked on their Literature Circles project to share their book with the class.

Writing: Students continued to work on their novel today. Each student has a daily word goal of 130-350 words. Ask your student how many words they’ve written so far! The novel is due Monday, March 29.

Here is more about this project:

Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right! Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,500 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500).
The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

  • We will start this project in class on March 8 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
  • This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
  • We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
  • Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
  • If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
  • A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: None today due to the half-day schedule.

Science: We reviewed what we have learned about the sun today. We also learned about how the moon and earth move in space. Homework is to complete an earth and moon crossword.

Social Studies: None today due to the half-day schedule.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 3
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 4

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with SnapGrades?

Notes:

Our Mission:
Every student in Room 130 leaves improved and prepared for 5th grade.

Class activities for Tuesday, March 23

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Spelling: Students completed their Words to Learn list of spelling words to practice for the next test.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today, students worked on their Literature Circles project to share their book with the class.

Writing: Students continued to work on their novel today. Each student has a daily word goal of 130-350 words. Ask your student how many words they’ve written so far! The novel is due Monday, March 29.

Here is more about this project:

Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right! Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,500 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500).
The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

  • We will start this project in class on March 8 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
  • This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
  • We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
  • Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
  • If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
  • A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: None today due to extra time with science and visiting the Book Fair.

Science: We continued to learn about the sun today. We also watched a video segment that showed that, while the sun is large compared to the earth, there are some stars (Betelgeuse) that are 600 times larger that our sun! View the segment below:

Social Studies: We learned that farmers and cities in the Southwest built dams and reservoirs, and created agreements to share and supply water in the dry climate.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 1
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 1

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with SnapGrades?

Notes:

Our Mission:
Every student in Room 130 leaves improved and prepared for 5th grade.

Class activities for Monday, March 22

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Spelling: None today due to taking a reading test.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today, students worked on their Literature Circles project to share their book with the class.

Writing: Students continued to work on their novel today. Each student has a daily word goal of 130-350 words. Ask your student how many words they’ve written so far! The novel is due Monday, March 29.

Here is more about this project:

Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right! Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,500 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500).
The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

  • We will start this project in class on March 8 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
  • This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
  • We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
  • Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
  • If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
  • A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: Students practiced estimating products. Homework is to complete Journal pp. 123-124.

Science: We learned about the sun today, including how large it is, how far away it is, its temperature and its surface features.

Social Studies: We learned that people moving to the Southwest have to be careful with their water usage in such a dry climate.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 0
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 0

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with SnapGrades?

Notes:

Our Mission:
Every student in Room 130 leaves improved and prepared for 5th grade.

Class activities for Friday, March 19

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Spelling: Students completed a spelling and skill test today.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today was the Read-a-thon!

Writing: Students continued to work on their novel today. Each student has a daily word goal of 130-350 words. Ask your student how many words they’ve written so far! The novel is due Monday, March 29.

Here is more about this project:

Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right! Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,500 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500).
The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

  • We will start this project in class on March 8 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
  • This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
  • We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
  • Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
  • If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
  • A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: Students completed a MiniQuiz today about multiplication using the distributive property.

Science: None today due to the Read-a-thon.

Social Studies: None on Fridays.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 1
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 12

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with SnapGrades?

Notes:

Our Mission:
Every student in Room 130 leaves improved and prepared for 5th grade.

Class activities for Thursday, March 18

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Spelling: Students reviewed compound words today. This will be the skill tested on tomorrow’s spelling test.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.

Reading: Students planned a project to share their Literature Circles books with the class.

Writing: Students continued to work on their novel today. Each student has a daily word goal of 130-350 words. Ask your student how many words they’ve written so far! The novel is due Monday, March 29.

Here is more about this project:

Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write a novel. You read that right! Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,500 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500).
The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:

  • We will start this project in class on March 8 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
  • This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
  • We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
  • Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afterschool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
  • If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
  • A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.

Math: We practiced estimating sums today. Homework is to finish Journal pp. 118-121. We will be having a MiniQuiz tomorrow about multiplication using the distributive property.

Science: We did an experiment to learn that the sun is much larger than the earth, and very far away.

Social Studies: We started learning about the scarcity of water in the Southwest, and how that affects the people that live there.

Behavior Update:

  • Yellow magnets: 2
  • Orange magnets: 0
  • Red magnets: 0
  • STAR Awards: 0
  • Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 11

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with SnapGrades?

Notes:

  • Read-a-Thon Mackinac Fundraiser tomorrow, Friday, March 19. All donations go toward the $100 per student cost of the trip.
  • Spring Parent Teacher Conferences are March 23-26. Sign up, view or edit your time by visiting shortlinks.mrhowd.com/conferences
  • Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
  • View grades, assignments, and attendance at SnapGrades.

Our Mission:
Every student in Room 130 leaves improved and prepared for 5th grade.