October 30 "Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight make me a child again just for to-night!" ~Elizabeth Akers Allen

IT'S HALLOWEEN

It's Halloween! It's Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can't be seen
On any other night.

Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.

In masks and gowns we haunt the street
And knock on doors for trick or treat.
Tonight we are the king and queen,
For tonight it's Halloween!

Jack Prelutsky

Be safe, everybody! And don't forget to set your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night....

Teri

October 28 - "“Not everything that counts can be measured, and not everything that can be measured, counts.” ~Albert Einstein

By now you are probably aware that Iwas not in school today. I have spent the day pumping Vitamin C in hopes of warding off a cold. I'm feeling no worse, perhaps a little better, so I'll be in tomorrow. So many of us have not been feeling well... I disinfect the tables every night when the kids leave, and pour boiling water over the water fountain in our classroom a couple of times each day to keep it as germ-free as I can. I encourage everyone to wash their hands often and use that gooey antibacterial stuff after using computers or going to the bathroom. We'll continue taking good care of each other.

Today was a continuation of yesterday's work. My class had Social Studies today and worked on their American Indian information. In Language Arts, they completed (or brought home to finish) a sensory writing assignment about the sense of touch. They also worked on DOL, Spelling, and Vocabulary.

Grade 5 finished up their illustrated poetry, "Want To Know What Scares Me Most?" and today's DOL.

I hope your child had a good day; I hate being away from those guys!

Sorry this is so late tonight. Stay well, everybody-
Teri

October 27 "They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel." -- Anonymous

You just wait; this is going to be US soon!

Another busy day! Your child should have in their possession October's book project. (How do you like that?? I just learned how to transfer a document to "Google Docs". Well, well...) Because I did not get it to them yesterday as I had planned, they can have until Monday to complete it. These guys are creative and like to incorporate art into their learning, so hopefully it'll be fun AND meaningful.

Today is Tuesday, so 6th graders had Science instead of Social Studies. Still, I hope they're plugging away on their American Indian information. I gave a completion date of Thursday, November 5th, but since we're going to be gone that day, we'll move it to the 6th.

We worked on Spelling, Vocabulary, DOL, and Grammar today, with enough time left over (hopefully) to finish the "Scares Me Most" poems. I didn't collect their Sensory Writing packet, but will do so tomorrow.

For grade 5--We're also doing "Want to Know What Scares Me Most?" poems. They're fun! These poems are couplets and have a decided rhythm to them, so those used to free verse are having to think a little about the words they choose. In Social Studies, they began their American Indian project--a bit scaled down--and will probably be asking for your guidance, too. Class time will be provided to find and write their information, although many will probably need some additional home time to complete it. Check over their packets; they outline the expectations.

That's about it for now. I hope you have a good evening. As I tell the kids, don't forget to eat your vegetables and get to bed early.

Teri

October 21- "Don't set your wit against a child." -- Jonathan Swift

It's supposed to rain on Saturday. I kind of like those "stay inside" days, warm by the fire....

Well everybody, assessments in their many forms have been completed at long last, and we can finally settle into a comfortable, predictable routine. Beginning on Monday, October 26, grades 5 and 6 will have Science and Social Studies twice a week for 70 minutes instead of daily for 30 minutes. On Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:15-11:25, Grade 6 will have Social Studies. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at that time, they will have Science. (Allowances will be made for snow days or holidays.) This will eliminate the choppiness of frequent transitions and shorter lessons, and provide the necessary time to work on projects and labs. Also, Reading groups start on Monday from 12:30 to 1:05. Math resumes in all its glory, too, from 1:45 to 2:45. Of course, Writing remains in the 9:10-10:10 time slot.

Hopefully your child brought home their American Indian information to continue working on this weekend. We went over a variety of strategies for taking notes and documenting sources. Next week, we'll put the written part of our project together ("Presentation Quality"). We'll also create live podcasts to post on the blog. These podcasts will be a brief (1-2 minute) summary of our information, complete with music and other special effects. What an excellent way to build fluency and technology savy, and make the blog more exciting to boot! Part of the project involves creating a replica/diorama of a shelter (tipi, wigwam, longhouse, etc) used by each tribe set in the appropriate habitat for that tribe. I'm hearing wonderful stories about what some families are working on together. Other ideas to make the project more fun (food, clothing???) are in the information packet. I'd like to have everything done and ready to present on November 5th.

On Monday, October 26th, I'll give an independent book project for everyone's second book of the month; it'll be due on Friday. Ask your child how many books they've read so far this year--pretty amazing!

Well, it's time to go home. I hope you'll all have the opportunity to unwind and enjoy a little peace and quiet this weekend.

Talk to you later-
Teri

October 20 "Learn not only to find what you like, learn to like what you find." Anthony J. D'Angelo

Whew! What happened to Monday?? This week our 6th grade continues to be self-contained as the 5th grade finishes up NECAPS and PPPs. It's OK; we have lots of things to do.

Hopefully your child has shared with you their American Indian project, which is due on Thursday, November 5. Before NECAPS I gave each of them a detailed description of the information they'd need as well as a Check-Off Sheet (to keep them on track) and a Rubric (identical to the Check-Off Sheet). Everyone already chose an American Indian tribe to research, and I've given them lots of class time, so by now they should have much of the work done. Please ask to see their information packet; together we can keep them on track. (Part of their assignment is to create a replica of the type of house --in a realistic habitat--used by their tribe)
This week is so short, we're not doing DOL or Spelling/Vocabulary. We ARE doing Grammar, though. We finished it today, so hopefully everyone put theirs in the assignment drawer. We also illustrated a found poem and started our own thematic poem for October--kind of fun--titled "Want to know what scares me most?" We'll work on these again tomorrow.

For such a short week, things sure are humming around here!

Be well,
Teri

October 14 "What is important is to keep learning, to enjoy challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end there are no certain answers."

Day 2 of Math NECAPS... and your kids are hard at work. You can be proud of their efforts; to remain silent and unmoving for so long is an accomplishment in itself! One more day!!

Just so you know, this week we are working on Spelling and Vocabulary (weekly packet--it's all being done here). We're also doing a story map of our first book of the month (remember, we're responsible for 2 books per month). I started a great read-aloud; it's a ghost story titled Wait Till Helen Comes. We're doing some Chippewa/Ojibwa "picture writing" stories (American Indians had no written language, but they drew pictures to convey important information). We're also creating silhouette collages--VERY cool! Basically, we're keeping busy and having fun.

Your kids are wonderful, just so you know...

Teri

October 9 While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. Angela Schwindt

ENOUGH SAID! (NECAPS resume on Monday.) Have a restful weekend everybody...

Teri

October 8 -- Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.-- George Evans

Hi everybody. This is a late blog; I just got home from class. I just wanted to remind you that it's NECAP time! Just in case you need another schedule, I've included it here:

Thursday, October 8 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Reading #1)
Friday, October 9 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Reading #2)

Monday, October 12 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Reading #3)
Tuesday, October 13 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Math #1)
Wednesday, October 14 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Math #2)
Thursday, October 15 --

8:20 – 9:50 (Math #3)

Hopefully, any appointments your child may have during this time can be rescheduled. I'm sure you're already aware of the importance of getting sufficient sleep before testing, and eating a good breakfast each morning... Feel free to send in additional (healthy) snacks to be eaten during or after tests. I will also allow sugar-free gum at this time. (May I suggest peppermint? Studies show it helps keep you alert. No bubble gum, please.)

Just a reminder--there will be no major assignments given during testing.

Oh, one more thing: We just finished reading Freak the Mighty in class. It was a powerful story about friendship, acceptance, and overcoming physical and emotional hardship. The class loved the book--ask them to tell you about it. It was made into a movie that the everyone would like to see, but because it is PG13, I can't show it without written permission from you. Please let me know--or call me for more details. Thanks.

Time to close; it's getting late. Goodnight everybody.

Teri

October 6 "I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

That reminds me--we start NECAPS on Thursday. Please please make sure your child gets a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast (not that Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs don't have a certain allure...). If you misplaced the schedule, let me know and I'll send another one home. Also, if you get a chance, check out these two sites. The first one is called "Brain Food for Kids". The second is an article from Prevention that lists "11 edibles that boost brain function, enhance memory, and improve concentration".

We're trying not to get too carried away with homework this week, so if anyone noticed an "American Indian Project" packet stuffed into a backpack, you heard it from me that we're not going crazy on these yet. Choosing a topic and beginning to gather information is as much as I want anyone to do at this point. Presently, we're watching some interesting videos in class and taking notes about Indians from different regions of North America. (For some, note-taking is still challenging, but we're working on it!)

Here's a rundown of today's lessons for Grade 6:

DOL, Grammar, Spelling, and Vocabulary--Day 2

Reading: Literary Elements, 2-page handout to complete on Setting, Plot, or Character (to go with short booklet of stories and poems.

For both groups:

Social Studies: We finished watching a short video on the Woodland Indians. Students were required to take notes, which will either be typed or handwritten in complete sentences. When we have finished watching the video series, we will use our notes to create a visual display.

Writing: We have finished (or need to finish for tomorrow) a short sensory paragraph. Our task is to describe something focusing on the sense of SIGHT. Really LOOKING at something takes some effort! We're sharing our writing, and I must say, their work is pretty darn good. You'll see.

Well, time to go home and figure out what we're having for dinner. I hope you all have a good evening. I'll check in tomorrow.

Teri

10-2-09 People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results. ~Albert Einstein

Guess what I'm doing this weekend?? The wood guy left three cords of wood in my driveway and I'm thinking it looks like a hundred. We've started stacking some of it already, but the pile still looms large. (I think it might have something to do with approaching the task at the end of a long day.) Still, I keep thinking about the prospect of curling up by the fire with a good book one day soon... Colder days are coming!

Today the fifth grade was gone on a field trip to Walden; that left time for us to enjoy our latest "read-aloud" and finish up a lot of projects. It was a good day. Fifth graders need to turn in their sensory piece on Monday-by virtue of their field trip today, they have a little extra time to tweak it and make it amazing!

I hope you find a little time for yourselves this weekend. If you get bored, I live in Charlotte and I have this huge pile of wood to get in... Just kidding...

Take care everyone-
Teri

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. Angela Schwindt

This will be a quick one since I have class on Thursdays...

Reading: Always always always read at least 20 minutes a night. Two books per month are required.

Language Arts: DOL and Grammar packets for this week are due tomorrow. We've begun working on sensory writing this week. The assessment paragraph for "SOUND" is due tomorrow also. (What I've read so far is pretty darn good! Check out what your child is writing!)

Spelling: Test tomorrow. Also, spelling/vocabulary packets are due.

Social Studies: Those wampum belts are taking a long time to complete. Really and truly, they're due tomorrow (or it's homework for the weekend...). I'm anxious to share our stories.

Science: I'm told they did rock packets--check Mrs. DaBica's web page for her assignments.

Math: NECAP prep

Sure is chilly; I hope you all stay warm tonight! I'll be in touch tomorrow.

Till then--
Teri

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes

Hi everyone-
Mr. Dick came in for me today since I'm home getting a woodstove installed and wood delivered. Back in the day I heated with wood exclusively and have really missed it; it'll be good to not rely so heavily on fossil fuels to stay warm this winter. This model sits right on the fireplace hearth. Anyway... I digress.

In Language Arts, we're continuing with our Sensory Writing: Hearing activities from yesterday. Today they needed to choose a location from a list provided or come up with one of their own, write it on their paper, then list all the sounds they might hear at that location. The assignment for today was to write several sentences/a paragraph that described the above event. This is not as easy as it “sounds” (no pun intended)—students need to carefully select descriptive sound words in their writing.

In Social Studies yesterday I introduced an activity that both classes worked on independently today. They are making “Wampum Belt” designs on a 3" to 6" strip of graph paper (landscape position). The directions were to create a pattern of symbols and designs that depicted their (family) history or somehow told their story (the idea being that pictures help us to remember better). They should have come with the designs all planned out and ready to transfer onto a final draft paper in today's class. Although the native people used shells that were purple and white, students were allowed to pick any two colors of their choice. (FYI: the Iroquois people used wampum belts to help them memorize important events or information, including the 117 sections of their constitution. They referred to these wampum belts often and used them in teaching their children. Remember, they had no written language.) If they completed their drawing, they were directed to begin the "caption” explaining their pictures. We’ll conclude tomorrow; there's no assignment for tonight. (We'll take some time to share our "stories" with our classes this week, then make them into a bulletin board--come in and see!)

My class needs to be sure that Tuesday's DOL, Grammar, Spelling, and Vocabulary (short!!) assignments are finished and ready to go over tomorrow.

That's about it for today. I hope you enjoy your evening with your families. I hope to relax in front of the fire. Ahh...

Take care-

Teri

The essence of intelligence is skill in extracting meaning from everyday experience. Unknown

Happy Monday! This is going to be a quick one since I seem to be running late...
Some days are just like that.

Assignments for Monday, September 29

English/Language Arts: Complete Day One (or Monday, depending on what it's called on the page) of DOL, Vocabulary, and Spelling. Also, complete page 2a of Verbs (part of the DOL packet). Most people should have completed this at school.

Your child should also have a Sensory Writing: Hearing worksheet. The assignment is to finish #2 & 3, which is to make a list of 10 sounds they LIKE to hear--using sensory detail (example: the sound of water gently lapping against the side of the boat when my dad and I are fishing) and 10 sounds they DON'T like to hear. (example: the cat gagging on a fur ball in the middle of the night)

Social Studies: We're designing Wampum Belt patterns--that tell the history of our family or life. Hopefully everyone (grades 5 & 6) has planned what symbols or patterns they want to include on theirs for tomorrow!

Reading, Grade 6. We're doing book projects for our second independent book for the month of September. A few folks have not done (or completed) a second book... oh-oh! (That's why they should read at least a half hour a night, and use extra class time when available.) We're doing it here, so there's no assignment--that is, unless they're still finishing that book!

I hope everyone has a pleasant evening--Take care.
Teri

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. B.B. King

Well, FINALLY! Google has been down for two days (How can that be?) so my blog has been non-functioning. Sorry, everybody. Let's see if I can get you back on track.

Today, as all Fridays tend to be, was a day to tie up loose ends, go over the week's work, take our Spelling test, etc. My class should have turned in their Mission Statements. If they didn't, they're late and need to be completed asap. We'll be "antiquing" them as soon as we have them all. Those that are in will be retyped in calligraphy (one of my weekend jobs--I've got the font on my computer) and readied for the next step.

We watched an interesting short clip about the Iroquois Confederacy yesterday as a follow up to the assignment from Monday. Did you get a chance to read the article I gave the kids? Anyway, this five-minute clip is really worth a watch! I love learning something new...

Cover those plants tonight; it's going to be nippy... Have a great weekend!

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire. -- W. B. Yeats

Above is The Hiawatha Wampum Belt symbolizing the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy.

What a day! The sixth grade had an (slightly) extended morning since the fifth graders were busy working on PPPs. We began work on our Personal Mission Statements today--wait until you see them! I am always impressed with the thought that goes into these very personal documents!

There was no Social Studies today other than (Grade 6) discussing the reading and going over the assignment from yesterday. The reading was about the Iroquois Confederacy. It's amazing to note that it was the model for our country's democratic representative government. Additionally, the Iroquois had no written language so their Constitution, which consisted of 117 sections, was recorded by stringing white and purple shell beads, called wampum, into belts and then MEMORIZED! For fun, I told the kids to look on the links or click here to create their own (virtual) wampum belt.

We continued independent reading and concluded a Reading Survey for the DRAs today. Remember, the second book needs to be read in order to complete a book project next week. Keep reading!

In Grade 5 Language Arts, we corrected and discussed yesterday's assignment about nouns after their DOL and 7-minute writes. We concluded with a fun activity of trying to come up with at least 3 nouns that began with each letter of the alphabet. It will ultimately provide review for parts of speech AND be a segue into figurative language... You'll see.

Time to go home. I hope you all have a pleasant evening; I'll check in again tomorrow.

Teri

Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself. John Dewey

Information about Monday, September 21 (I was out yesterday and the kids had a sub.)

F.Y.I.-- Each L.A. class begins with a Seven-Minute Write and about five minutes of Daily Oral Language review, which we then correct and discuss. The sub distributed the weekly Spelling/Vocabulary packets and the DOL/Grammar packets to the sixth graders and got everyone started on the weekly "stuff". Then they began work on what will become their Personal Mission Statements by doing a "Character Traits Inventory". The fifth grade worked on a grammar assignment (nouns), which they did not complete. We'll go over that today.

In Social Studies I assigned a short interesting reading selection about the Iroquois Confederacy. Both groups had a cloze activity (basically filling in blanks) to complete after (or while) reading the selection aloud and discussing it. Sixth graders were able to complete the assignment in class; the fifth grade struggled and only completed ten of the eighteen sentences. We will work together to finish the material tomorrow since the fifth grade didn't have Social Studies today. This will provide a a real "teachable moment" -- for those who found it challenging, there are strategies for finding information in text. I'm pleased that the present sixth graders remembered those strategies from last year!

Back to Grade 6: Only a couple partially completed DRA tests need to be completed today, otherwise everyone is encouraged to get their second independent reading book done for this month. Remember students are required to read two books per month, which is why they should ALWAYS read at least 20 minutes per night.

I'll write more later about today's assignments.

Take care,
Teri

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. -- Chinese Proverb

Well, everyone, it's Friday, and that's ALWAYS something to celebrate! Your child (see above) is now home in your capable hands for two whole days. ENJOY!

You perhaps noticed there wasn't a blog last night. That's because on Thursdays I beat feet to Middlebury for classes (I'm part of a C.A.G.S. program in Curriculum and Assessment). After class, which is a hop skip and a jump from Hannafords (and T.J. Maxx) I do my errands and food shopping, so I get home long after blogging would be of benefit to anyone. The school day is always crazy, so despite my good intentions, that's usually not feasible... Suffice it to say, all "Weekly Assignments" --D.O.L., Spelling, Vocabulary, etc. are due. There is always a Spelling test. And...your child should have the day's work written in his/her binder. Make him/her accountable.

Today both Social Studies classes worked on coloring maps of North America to show the various regions where certain populations of early Native Americans settled. I took the opportunity to explain how to "read" a map; there's a lot more to it than anyone realized! Hopefully everyone got it done. If not, it should be nearly so.

My class finished lots of projects we've been working on simultaneously, and we took our first Spelling test. We also finished a Writing Pretest--denoting a "baseline" of knowledge and skill in Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics. It included a writing prompt that will be assessed and added to the overall score.

Grade 5 took the Writing Pretest today also. Then they completed their work on a fall poetry assignment that you should see displayed with the 6th grade's in the hallway outside my door. They're beautiful.

If you haven't completed the Multiple Intelligences Checklist for your child, please send it in as soon as possible. I'll be compiling information for parents (and teachers) to use when working with "our" children.

Have a restful and relaxing weekend! Weather will be a bit cooler, I hear...

Teri

Open House, 2009

Thanks for coming, everybody; it was good to see you!

They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.

I hope your children had a fun, productive day today. It's a teacher's greatest challenge to plan lessons that are meaningful when s/he has to be out for the day. For Social Studies, Grades 5 and 6 played with a right brain art activity that can (and will) be used in future classes. They may have brought the paper home to work on... Ask them to show you what they learned about drawing cartoon characters. Also check out the video for a great little tutorial. The artist is a bit dry, but he has some great ideas for drawing cartoon faces!

Language Arts for both classes involved Daily Oral Language (from now on I'll just call it DOL, OK?) and work on the first real poetry piece, "What is Autumn? It's a definition poem that I like to do each fall; children tend to use a lot of sensory detail! I'm scurrying to get something to show you for Open House... We'll see how much the students accomplish today and tomorrow.

Spelling and Vocabulary were completed for Tuesday; they should have had plenty of time to get it done in class. Remember, what doesn't get done is homework. The idea is to use class time productively.

We continued with Reading assessments today as well. We should be able to finish up this week. Writing and Spelling (and I believe Math) assessments are already done. Whew.

I'm looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow night! Until then-

Be well,
Teri

Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way. -- George Evans

The first day of the first full week... We organized our binders and received our first weekly "packets" in Spelling/Vocabulary (I staple them together), and DOL (Daily Oral Language)/Grammar. These are all short daily assignments that are usually completed here. Today was a hectic one, however, so look for two packets of stuff to come home.
Packet 1:
* Spelling: do page one
* Vocabulary: do Monday's half page
Packet 2:
* DOL: do Monday (another half page)
Tomorrow we'll be on track to continue with our fall poetry assignment.

In Social Studies I talked about one of my resources that relies on both right and left brain activities to make learning more fun, so tomorrow (I'll have a sub) the kids will learn how to draw cartoons, which will become yet another way to "show what they know". On Wednesday we'll launch into the earliest inhabitants of North America... There's no assignment tonight for either class. (Want to try a fun right brain/left brain challenge? Click here!)

Grade 5: we'll start our fall poetry piece tomorrow. Today we organized our notebooks, too, and reviewed daily procedures for Language Arts. It'll become second nature soon.

Thanks for those of you who completed the Multiple Intelligences Checklist already! You can certainly bring them in at Wednesday's Open House if you'd prefer. It'll be interesting to see if you see your child the way they view themselves. I'll let you know!

Another beautiful week is on the way! Have a relaxing evening, everyone-
Teri