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Fiesta Mexicana 2016

26 new photos · Album by Christian Howd

Today was our Mexican Fiesta! We started by making farolitos (little lanterns) out of paper and reading a book called El Regalo de Navidad (The Gift of Christmas). 

We then started our own Las Posadas. We went to the cafeteria and the office, and they wouldn’t let us in for shelter, but the family members in our class finally gave us shelter and we started our fiesta! We sang Cascabel and El Burrito de Belen (the Little Donkey of Bethlehem).

Then we all took a whack at the piñata. It lasted long enough for almost everyone to take a swing! Then we headed back to the room to eat. The menu included:

• Mexican-style tacos on corn tostada shells;
• Spicy shredded chicken eaten with torn flour tortillas;
• Nopalitos (prickly pear cactus!);
• Pepinos (cucumbers with lemon juice and salt);
• Mexican hot chocolate (hot chocolate with cinnamon); and,
• Buñelos (fried flour tortillas with cinnamon and sugar).

Later, we played Toma Todo, a Mexican top game much like the Jewish dreidel. In this game, students start with ten beans, then take or put in beans as the top says. The person with the winning amount of beans could select a Mexican pop.

A grande-sized thanks to the family members who helped prepare and serve food today at the fiesta, and for all the generous donations–we had more than enough food and everyone had their fill!

Feliz Navidad!

Spelling: We continued to review use of the there/their/they’re/theirs/there’s homophones.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays. No new cursive assignment this week.

Reading: None today.

Writing: We continue to look for ideas about our next writing project, a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students will write a fiction adventure story with choices that the reader can make. Each choice can change how the story turns out. Students will publish their adventure as a website at Google Sites. See below for more details.

This project is due Tuesday, January 24. Students should be thinking of an adventure topic and possible story ideas at this point. Get some ideas below or right here. Any prewriting students can do over break will help them start this project faster when we return.

Choose Your Own Adventure Resources

• See examples of Choose Your Own Adventure fiction websites here and here.
• Here are some good student examples:
  • William’s Roanoke Adventure
  • Abel’s Aztec Terror
  • Katie’s Lost Statue hunt
  • Nancy’s Under Water Adventure!
• Look at an Underground Railroad Choose Your Own Adventure website.
• Look through the Underground Railroad Interactive History Adventure book (hint: search for “the end” to see some of the endings of the book).
• Look at some examples of different kinds of endings in a Choose Your Own Adventure Story.
• View the titles of all the Choose Your Own Adventure books to get adventure topic ideas.
• Play Zork, a text-based computer game. Here is a list of commands and directions. Here is a map of the dungeon if you get stuck or lost.
• Play Oregon Trail, another text-based computer game.

Find a complete list of resources here.

Homework is to work on writing for at least 15 minutes. Your student should be prewriting and gathering ideas at this point.

Math: We practiced using number sense to identify where to place the decimal in decimal multiplication. Homework is to practice math for at least 15 minutes using MobyMax Math or Khan Academy.

Here are some Khan Academy topics your students might have missing:

• Divide by 1-digit numbers (no remainders)
• Zeros in the dividend (no remainders)
• Zeros in the quotient (no remainders)
• Divide with remainders
• Basic multi-digit division

Science: None today.

Social Studies: Students completed a district social studies test today.

Notes:

• Our Fiesta Mexicana is Wednesday, December 21 from 9-noon. Family members are welcome to help out and join us. Here is our volunteer list.
• Have you set a Daily Homework Time for your student? Consider 15 minutes of math, 15 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of something else to make a brain smarter!
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View links to all the websites we use in class.
• View grades, assignments, and attendance at JupiterGrades.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.

Spelling: We reviewed common patterns for the /or/ sound: or, ore. We also reviewed use of the there/their/they’re/theirs/there’s homophones.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays. No new cursive assignment this week.

Reading: Today was reading skills practice day.

Writing: We began our next writing project, a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students will write a fiction adventure story with choices that the reader can make. Each choice can change how the story turns out. Students will publish their adventure as a website at Google Sites. See below for more details.

This project is due Tuesday, January 24. Students should be thinking of an adventure topic and possible story ideas at this point. Get some ideas below or right here. Any prewriting students can do over break will help them start this project faster when we return.

Choose Your Own Adventure Resources

• See examples of Choose Your Own Adventure fiction websites here and here.
• Here are some good student examples:
  • William’s Roanoke Adventure
  • Abel’s Aztec Terror
  • Katie’s Lost Statue hunt
  • Nancy’s Under Water Adventure!
• Look at an Underground Railroad Choose Your Own Adventure website.
• Look through the Underground Railroad Interactive History Adventure book (hint: search for “the end” to see some of the endings of the book).
• Look at some examples of different kinds of endings in a Choose Your Own Adventure Story.
• View the titles of all the Choose Your Own Adventure books to get adventure topic ideas.
• Play Zork, a text-based computer game. Here is a list of commands and directions. Here is a map of the dungeon if you get stuck or lost.
• Play Oregon Trail, another text-based computer game.

Find a complete list of resources here.

Homework is to work on writing for at least 15 minutes. Your student should be prewriting and gathering ideas at this point.

Math: None today due to art. Homework is to practice math for at least 15 minutes using MobyMax Math or Khan Academy.

Here are some Khan Academy topics your students might have missing:

• Divide by 1-digit numbers (no remainders)
• Zeros in the dividend (no remainders)
• Zeros in the quotient (no remainders)
• Divide with remainders
• Basic multi-digit division

Science: Students assembled a paper model of a human skeleton today. We also wrote notes about the skeletal system in our science notebooks.

Social Studies: None today due to extra time with science.

Notes:

• Our Fiesta Mexicana is Wednesday, December 21 from 9-noon. Family members are welcome to help out and join us. Here is our volunteer list.
• Have you set a Daily Homework Time for your student? Consider 15 minutes of math, 15 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of something else to make a brain smarter!
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View links to all the websites we use in class.
• View grades, assignments, and attendance at JupiterGrades.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.

Spelling: None today.

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

Reading: Today was reading skills practice day.

Writing: We practiced editing and revising sentence beginnings so that the same word isn’t used too frequently to begin a sentence. Students also worked on editing and publishing today. Our current piece of writing, a fiction narrative, is due Friday, December 16; students can also work on the writing this weekend. Homework is to work on writing for at least 15 minutes. Your student should be making final changes to the story at this point.

Math: We practiced estimating decimal multiplication using rounding using Khan Academy. Homework is to practice math for at least 15 minutes using MobyMax Math or Khan Academy.

Here are some Khan Academy topics your students might have missing:

• Divide by 1-digit numbers (no remainders)
• Zeros in the dividend (no remainders)
• Zeros in the quotient (no remainders)
• Divide with remainders
• Basic multi-digit division

Science: We learned that the skeletal system provides protection and support to the body, and also makes red and white blood cells. Homework is to finish the Saved by a Skeleton review page if not done in class.

Social Studies: None today.

Notes:

• Our Fiesta Mexicana is Wednesday, December 21 from 9-noon. Family members are welcome to help out and join us. Here is our volunteer list.
• Have you set a Daily Homework Time for your student? Consider 15 minutes of math, 15 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of something else to make a brain smarter!
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• View links to all the websites we use in class.
• View grades, assignments, and attendance at JupiterGrades.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.