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Spelling: Students continued working on making Words to Learn lists from words missed on their last spelling test. This is your student’s list of spelling words to study.

Cursive: Cursive pp. 42-44 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles. Some groups worked on questioning as a reading strategy.

Writing: Students worked on their Google Site gamebook again today, trying to write a new scene.

Our current writing project is a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students are writing 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. Homework is to work on writing for 15 minutes, trying to complete one or two pages/scenes a day.

This project is due Tuesday, January 23. Some ideas and resources are below:

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!
• 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.

Math: We practiced breaking apart large numbers by place value. We also practiced multiplying using area models. Homework is to practice math for 15 minutes using MobyMax or Khan Academy.

Science: We worked on an experiment about different states of matter in balloons. Homework is to finish the 3 Balloons experiment if not done in class.

Social Studies: Today was our Dia de los Reyes! We left out shoes for the Three Kings to leave goodies in. This is a tradition Mexican children participate in on January 6 each year.

Character Strength: We are learning about perseverance again this week.

Notes:

• Have you helped your student plan a Daily Homework Time?
• 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 Jupiter Ed.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: Students continued working on making Words to Learn lists from words missed on their last spelling test.

Cursive: Cursive pp. 42-44 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: We started reading about a new topic today about fantasy stories and about welcoming new people.

Writing: Students worked on their Google Site gamebook again today. We talked about writing one or two website pages a day in order to finish the story in time. Each webpage should be a complete scene with some talking, some action, and some visual details. That would need at least one paragraph of at least six sentences.

Our current writing project is a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students are writing 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. Homework is to work on writing for 15 minutes, trying to complete one or two pages/scenes a day.

This project is due Tuesday, January 23. Some ideas and resources are below:

Choose Your Own Adventure Resources

• See examples of Choose Your Own Adventure fiction websites hereand 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.

Math: We continued to work on multiplying by using place value and by breaking large numbers apart for a final day. Homework is to practice math for 15 minutes using MobyMax or Khan Academy.

Science: We worked on an experiment about different states of matter. Homework is to finish the Matter in a Baggie experiment if not done in class.

Social Studies: We reviewed the Bill of Rights Scenarios review page from class.

Character Strength: We are learning about perseverance again this week.

Notes:

• Have you helped your student plan a Daily Homework Time?
• 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 Jupiter Ed.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: Students started making Words to Learn lists from words missed on their last spelling test.

Cursive: No cursive assignment this week.

Reading: Today was a reading skills day using MobyMax Reading Stories.

Writing: Students created a Google Site for their gamebook and started working on the first page. We also tried to finish prewriting using Bubbl.us.

Our current writing project is a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students are writing 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. Homework is to work on writing for 15 minutes.

This project is due Tuesday, January 23. Some ideas and resources are below:

Choose Your Own Adventure Resources

• See examples of Choose Your Own Adventure fiction websites hereand 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.

Math: We continued to work on multiplying by using place value and by breaking large numbers apart. Several students still have this skill unfinished. Homework is to practice math for 15 minutes using MobyMax or Khan Academy and to work on multiplying by using place value at Khan Academy if not finished in class.

Science: We wrote notes about what we learned about matter, air, water, and how matter takes up space.

Social Studies: We finished writing notes about the Bill of Rights. Homework is to finish the Bill of Rights scenarios started in class.

Character Strength: We are learning about perseverance this week.

Notes:

• Have you helped your student plan a Daily Homework Time?
• 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 Jupiter Ed.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Spelling: Today was our class spelling bee. Congratulations to Donald and Reziah, our class contestants!

Cursive: No cursive assignment this week.

Reading: Today was a reading skills day using MobyMax Foundational Reading.

Writing: We talked about different types of endings in gamebook stories. Most endings are bad, resulting in the reader dying. Some are neutral–the reader doesn’t die, but doesn’t win. One ending is a good ending that wins the game. We looked at sample endings in a California Gold Rush book. Students also started planning their endings and choices using a website called Bubbl.us.

Our current writing project is a Choose Your Own Adventure fiction gamebook. Students are writing 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. Homework is to continue prewriting at Bubbl.us for 15 minutes.

This project is due Tuesday, January 23. Some ideas and resources are below:

Choose Your Own Adventure Resources

• See examples of Choose Your Own Adventure fiction websites hereand 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.

Math: We worked on multiplying by using place value and by breaking large number apart. We’ll be working on this again next time. Homework is to practice math for 15 minutes using MobyMax or Khan Academy.

Science: We use plastic syringes to learn that air takes up space, water takes up space, air and water are matter, and that air can be compressed smaller, but water is hard to compress.

Social Studies: We started writing notes in our minibooks about the Bill of Rights.

Character Strength: We are learning about perseverance this week.

Notes:

• Have you helped your student plan a Daily Homework Time?
• 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 Jupiter Ed.

Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.

Fiesta Mexicana 2017

31 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 The Night of Las Posadas.  

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 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);
• Cinnamon churros, 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!