Our 6 Word Memoirs... :)

CLICK HERE FOR AWESOME FUN MEMOIR PRESENTATION!!!

Enjoy!

Parallel Circuits

What is the difference between the series circuits we've created and a parallel circuit? 

FRONT DOOR CHALLENGE...

As authors of memoirs... the details we choose to share are critical. Can you 'step up' to the front door challenge? 

Check out how I madeover my writing. Can you describe what it's like to walk into your house? Respond with a comment. Be sure to not reveal anything private as we are online. 

BEFORE:

I walked up to my green front door. I keyed in the code and popped it open. As usual I had my hands full, but was still happy to be greeted by Nellie when I got in. I always worry that she’ll run out, but so far this hasn’t been a problem.

AFTER!!!

I grunted as I hit the top of the stairs. As I was carrying not only my daughter, but about 15 pounds of bags, grading, purses in addition to the 22 pounds of baby. I noticed that the hook on my door was empty. I better get ready for summer I thought as I keyed in my pin code. Once inside I had to navigate myself, my 40ish pounds of cargo, and the burden of the day that was behind me. Stepping over the recycling, diaper pail, and cat litter that still needed to be taken down to the trash… I managed to get the baby put down safely while being bombarded by my lonely cat, who was happy to finally see me home after a long day. 

Link to Camp Pics!

Drop off and browse pics from Camp Colman here! 

Colonial Jobs

Here's the link! https://www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradehdr.cfm

Click through to find out more about what your family does for it's occupation here in Colonial Boston.

Life in Colonial Williamsburg

Use this link to access the google sheets that we'll be making our presentation with.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ov6z7qBumNSaogw8zISCgii_lc5Vvdc9zEHXoFHjEkQ/edit?usp=sharing 

Playing with Simple Machines!

http://www.brainpop.co.uk/games/simplemachines/

Click the link for a simple machine game!

Solve It PEMDAS Style!

PEMDAS STYLE VIDEO LINK

Just for fun. :)

THANK YOU!

Greetings P4!

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for such a fun Friendship Celebration! 

It's a blast seeing all of your funny and creative Valentines. Your Notan Heart Art turned out amazing, and I really enjoyed surprising you with the decorations. A big thank you to all our parent volunteers who came in to help out, or donated such a big variety of great snacks for us. 

I LOVE this picture! (I'll post more pics on the class album when I get them uploaded.)

Nellie sure loves the "wall walker" that came with Ian's Valentine! (She's still playing with it...)

Slide Rule

If you need a refresher... here's a video on how to use yours.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9eQOrc_PAk

Bibliography

Whenever we research it's important to cite our sources. Giving credit to the authors and researchers that came before us is not only a nice thing to do, but legally, it's the right thing to do.

Here are some of the resources we discussed in class that can help you to make your bibliography for not just your explorer project, but for your research/information writing as well. :)

How to…Make a Bibliography

Adapted from: http://library.barrie.ca/children/homework/bibliography.htm

*Alphabetize by author’s last name.

*If no author, go by the first main word of the title.

*In bold is the type of resource; beneath that is how you would organize your bibliography info. 

*For most types of resources you'll include a title, author, publisher (who printed it), and date it was released. For websites you'll include the date you found the information online. 

1. Book with one author:
    Blodgett, E.D. Alice Munro. Boston: Twayne, 1988.

2. Book with more than one author:
    Elwood, Ann, and Linda C. Wood. Windows in Space. New York:
    Walker, 1982.

3. Article in a magazine:
    Daglish, Brenda, “A Matter of Interest.” Maclean’s, February 15, 1993,
    pp.36-37.

4. Article in a newspaper:
    Smith, Beverly, “Canadians Skate to Gold Medal,” The Globe and Mail,
    March     11, 1993. p. A1.

5. Article in an encyclopedia:
    Humber, William. “Bicycling.”  The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1988.

6. Video or Film:
    Shooting Stars.  Videotape.  National Film Board of Canada (Toronto),
    1987. 49 min., 30 sec.

7. Radio or television program:
     “Haida Gwaii – Islands of the People.”  Nature.  PBS, December 19, 1992.

8. Interview:
    Delaney, Daphne (musician). Personal interview, Toronto, April 10, 2006.

9. Information from the Internet: Include the web site address and the date the information was researched.
    http://library.barrie.ca/children/ (January 1, 2001)

Here's another example of how to keep track of your resources: 

Adapted from: http://www.alburnett.k12.ia.us/Elementary/Library/Documents/Bibliography.pdf 

Explorer Resources

Hi Fifth Graders!

I'll be posting various resources for our explorer project as I find them. Today I have two great resources to start with.

For information about tools: http://ageofex.marinersmuseum.org/index.php?type=navigationtool&id=14

For an interactive navigation routes map: http://ageofex.marinersmuseum.org/index.php?page=voyages

Another resource that has information about specific explorers is: http://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-explorers

More Sites:

Effects Paragraph
http://lvhistorykids.wordpress.com/section-6-conclusion-the-effects-of-the-age-of-exploration/

http://www.slideshare.net/changk/effects-of-exploration

http://www.sparknotes.com/testprep/books/sat2/history/chapter5section2.rhtml


General info on Explorers:
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-north-america

http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/History/Explorers/

http://www.42explore2.com/explorers2.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/ 

WESTWARD EXPANSION RESOURCES

Today you'll do a bit of research to help you prepare for writing.

Step 1: Pick one of the following topics: The Louisiana Purchase, The Pony Express, Lewis and Clark, The Oregon Trail, The Transcontinental Railroad, Native Americans, or the Erie Canal.

Step 2: Check out some websites for that topic. As you read look for what you think are the most important or most interesting facts.

Step 3: On a piece of notebook paper, write down the 3 most interesting facts. Be sure to also write down which website you got them from.

Step 4: Bring this information to school Friday. This will help you with your flash draft.


General Websites for Westward Expansion
http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/THE-AMERICAN-WILDERNESS-Go-West-U.S.-Westward-Expansion
http://www.history.com/
http://www.pbs.org/topics/history/
www.worldbookonline.com

Websites for Westward Expansion Subtopics:
Westward Expansion
 http://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion
 http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/
 http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/W/WE021.html
 http://www.historynet.com/westward-expansion
 http://www.teachushistory.org/Westward/forteachers.htm
 http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-westwardexpansion.html

The Louisiana Purchase
 http://www.ushistory.org/us/20c.asp
 http://www.history.com/topics/louisiana-purchase
 http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/louisiana-purchase
 http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=18
 http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/louisianapurcha.htm

The Pony Express
 http://www.stjomo.com/see-do/experience-history/the-pony-express/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Pony-Express&gclid=CLqbkZ29vsICFUGUfgodIWoAaw
 http://ponyexpress.org/history/
 http://www.nps.gov/poex/historyculture/index.htm

Lewis and Clark
 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/
 http://lewisclark.net/
 http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
 http://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/

The Oregon Trail
 http://www.america101.us/trail/Oregontrail.html
 http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/history-basics.php
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail
 http://www.nps.gov/oreg/index.htm
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail
 http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/
 http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/TheTrekWest.htm
 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-the-oregon-trail
 http://www.historynet.com/oregon-trail

The California Gold Rush
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush
 http://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/
 http://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/
 http://americanhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa090901a.htm

The Transcontinental Railroad
 http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad
 http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/goldenspike.htm
 http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3147
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/tcrr/
 http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/rail.html
 http://www.cprr.org/

Native Americans
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/interview/tcrr-interview/
 http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/ContentPages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1171626
 http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h46-am3.htm
 http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/models/indianremoval/Index.html

Pioneers
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pioneer
 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/a-thousand-pioneers-head-west-on-the-oregon-trail
 http://gizmodo.com/15-tools-that-helped-pioneers-survive-on-the-american-f-577187190
The Trail of Tears
 http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567.html
http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/TrailofTears/ABriefHistoryoftheTrailofTears.aspx
 http://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm

Erie Canal
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal
 http://www.eriecanal.org/
 http://www.eriecanal.org/general-1.html
 http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDUQtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Ftopics%2Fus-states%2Fnew-york%2Fvideos%2Fbuilding-the-erie-canal&ei=u-THVPn5I9i3oQSZ3IGIDQ&usg=AFQjCNH6LR-0wsYiFONf6clUjD3QiXBBVQ
 http://www.eriecanalway.org/
 http://www.eriecanalway.org/learn_history-culture.htm
 http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/eriecanal.htm

Primary sources
 http://www.teachushistory.org/Westward/ps-contents.htm

Native American Cultural Regions

We've learned about the 7 major cultural regions and how these environments affected Native Americans living there. Your task is to learn a little bit more about a specific tribe.

Click this Native American Cultures Link and scroll down to the list of Native American Cultures. From there, pick one tribe and read about them. In your blog response, in addition to stating your first name,  you need to: 1. Share information about how their climate/environment impacted their lives, 2. Share an artifact they made from one of their natural resources, and 3. Compare their daily lives with your own. What's similar, what's different? - Be sure to include the name of the tribe you've chosen in your blog post.

After you've written your blog post, you will need to make helpful comments on 1 of your classmate's responses. This might be where you ask them a question, or share a connection about your two tribes.

Happy Blogging!

Vascular vs. Nonvascular Plants

I found a really neat Prezi about the differences and similarities of vascular and non-vascular plants.

Check it out! Click the pic to go to the link!

Classroom Homework Thread (October)

Greetings Fifth Graders, 

One of your classmates made a great suggestion, and that was to have an "open" blog where you could post any questions or information related to homework and projects. Remember, sometimes you can get additional information from the Everyday Mathematics Family Letters that can help. The link for those is on our class website. 

Otherwise, if you have a question, it'd be OK to post it here. Remember, your classmates may not check our blog frequently, so if you're really stuck, do what you can and we'll have time to discuss it when we go over homework the next day. :)

As with any of our blogs, your comments and responses must follow our blog guidelines. 

Happy Blogging!!!

Analyzing Song Lyrics - "Ordinary Day"

Take a moment to read the lyrics to this song. Analyze what you've read. What do you think the message/main idea of the song is? What evidence from the lyrics help you to infer the message/main idea? Post your idea as a reply. Include your first name and remember to follow our blogging guidelines.

"Ordinary Day"

by Great Big Sea

I've got a smile on my face, I've got four walls around me
The sun in the sky, the water surrounds me
I'll win now but sometimes I'll lose
I've been battered, but I'll never bruise, it's not so bad

[Chorus:]
And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
and it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day, you've just got to say,
it's all right.

Janie sings on the corner, what keeps her from dying?
Let them say what they want, she won't stop trying
She might stumble, if they push her 'round
She might fall, but she'll never lie down

[Chorus]

In this beautiful life, but there's always some sorrow
It's a double-edged knife, but there's always tomorrow
It's up to you now if you sink or swim,
Keep the faith and your ship will come in.
It's not so bad

And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
And it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day, you've just got to say
I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
And it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day, you've just got to say
it's alright

'Cause it's alright, it's alright
'Cause I've got a smile on my face and I've got four walls around me

Brassica Plants Time Lapse

Here's the link for the cool time lapse we watched in class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JumEfAbjBjk

1 is the loneliest number...

Poor number 1. As we discussed in class... 1 isn't prime... and we also know that 2 likes to break all the rules. So, your questions got me wondering WHY 1 isn't prime... here's what I found.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQofiPqhJ_s

Our First Week

Hey fifth graders,

I just wanted to say a quick Thank You for such an amazing first week. It can be so hard to get back into the groove of a new school year, but you guys and gals rocked it. Going forward we'll start to get into more of our regular routines and we will keep practicing things. I know that soon you won't need many reminders and will take care of a lot of your day independently. We're going to have an amazing year. Remember, please ask questions, take risks, don't be afraid to make mistakes. We're all learning new things every day. Even I am!

Have a great weekend... please rest... relax... get outside if you can... I'll see you all Tuesday.

Mrs. W