Sunday, February 7, 2016

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Ghandi



 "I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everyting, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." ~Edward Everett Hale


In case you didn't notice, you have a group of entrepreneurial classmates who have been collecting non-perishable food items for our local food bank. The collection goes on until Friday, February 12.  Bring in a food item, get a ticket. You may just win a prize.

 The real prize is the good feeling you'll get for helping others and participating in our community. On this Valentine's week, let's all share the love.

 Play it forward, guys; play it forward.



ASSIGNMENTS FOR 
THE WEEK OF
FEBRUARY 8-12




Social Studies

 PowerPoints are DONE (minus a bit of editing for some).  WHEW!
. . .and now, 


ON TO 
(TA-DA!)

OUR PRESENTATIONS!
Practice. . .
             practice. . .
                         practice. . .

(Be one with your pharaoh!)

The Most Mysterious Mummy in the World
Unknown Man "E"


Language Arts

When you finally finish something important,
and you do it well. . .
doesn't it feel FANTASTIC??
Monday:  PowerPoints have been critiqued by yours truly. You get to go through them now and polish them until they SHINE! When you're done, breathe a humoungous sigh of relief!

Tuesday:  Today will be a productive work time. There's so much else to do to prepare for your presentations. Let's get the animations just right. Look again (or for some of you, for the first time) at the rubricI provided for you last week--or HERE (ignore the point values) if you lost your copy. It's your TARGET (for succes, that is. . .)
YOU CAN DO THIS!


Cut & paste each slide (in order) into a clean Google Doc (words, not pictures) and label it Pharaoh Research Paper. Put this Doc into your Language Arts folder. 

This will actually give you something to use in preparing for your oral presentations. Read through multiple times to get the gist of what you're going to say. Tomorrow we'll begin; be ready!

 SCIENCE


Tuesday:  REVIEW:  Interactive Guide to the Water Cycle, click HERE. 
For a quick guide to helping you understand the water cycle, check out Water Cycle in a Nutshell HERE.

CLASSWORK: THE WATER CYCLE CYBER HUNT. Use these links to answer the questions on your handout.  

 Independent Work--Due Thursday: 
 Define the terms neatly and completely on lined paper: 
atmosphere, condensation, evaporation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, oceans, precipitation,run-off, sublimation, sun
Wednesday and Thursday:


"A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man."

THE HIDDEN WATER WE USE: 
AN INVESTIGATION

How much water does your family use each day? Click on THIS link to get an eye-opening rough idea! Record your data on Part 1 of your Investigation.



 WHAT IS YOUR WATER FOOTPRINT?
     
Your goal will be to get a more accurate idea of how much water you use on a daily basis.  Check out THIS site and answer the questions in Part 2 of your Investigation.
    
 Ready for a real shocker?? Want to know how much water is embedded in our daily lives? Look HERE, then answer the questions in Part 3 of your Investigation.


ASSIGNMENT:

LET'S  TALK CONSERVATION!

You can find 50 ways to conserve water HERE.  Even more water conservation tips can be found HERE.  Choose one and create an eye-catching poster or bumper sticker that includes:
*  WHAT you can do
*  HOW you can do it
*  ILLUSTRATE--big and  bold! 


MATH
Look HERE for a little conversion MAGIC!

                                                                                                         

"Do you believe in magic?"  Loving Spoonful



THE BASICS:  HOW TO CONVERT ANYTHING!



Tuesday:  6.1 CONVERTING UNITS OF LENGTH




READING
It's downright magical!




Let's just relax and read our independent books this week! 




What a LOVE-ly idea!  



On WEDNESDAY, you have the BOOK FAIR to look forward to!



CHAPTER 5
TEST ON FRIDAY


VACATION NEXT WEEK!!!
(Try to control your enthusiasm. . .)

XOXO








helping those in need   happy guy animated gif  clapping hands   applause  Spongebob gif  target gif  kid holding papers   dancing wizard   hearts   fairy   Egyptian border design   animated water cycle   save our water sign      

inchworm cartoon



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Monday, February 1, 2016

Now and then there comes a crash of thunder in a storm, and we look up with amazement at the heavens ablaze with lightning. ~from C.H. Spurgeon


THUNDER AND LIGHTNING,
NATURE'S WRATH AND BOLD BEAUTY,
COMMAND OUR RESPECT
~Haiku by T.M.


Stunning cloud formation appears
over Portugal. Looks like a hand.
I have been accused, in my lifetime, of having my head in the clouds--an interesting metaphor. Ever since I was a child, I've loved lying in the grass on lazy summer afternoons watching clouds morphing into spectacular displays of giants, dragons, and horses as they move fancifully across the sky. 

Watching the every-changing landscape of clouds is a peaceful, solitary pursuit. . .

 What shows up for me probably won't be what shows up for you.  Our experiences color our perceptions.


 As we near the end of  our unit on Climate and Weather, we'll learn more about clouds and examine the causes and effects of extreme weather.
OH, BY THE WAY:
  DON'T FORGET TUESDAY IS GROUNDHOG DAY!
(Now there's a strange weather -related phenomenon for you!)


ASSIGNMENTS 
FOR THE WEEK OF 
FEBRUARY 1-5
Science


Tuesday & Wednesday:  LET'S START OUR DISCUSSION WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO CLOUDS.



 Here's a powerpoint that will help you review/remember:




 Want to make your own cloud key? Go HERE for the template.  

Cloud Key courtesy of NOAA-NASA can be found HERE.
COMMON CLOUD NAMES, SHAPES, AND ALTITUDES

EXIT TICKET: Clouds are defined in two ways: the way they look and how high they are in the atmosphere.  Look HERE, then write down the prefixes cirro, alto, nimbo, and strato.  Next to each one, write down its meaning.  Knowing this will help you better understand cloud types.
Go HERE for lots more fun with clouds, and HERE for some amazing pictures.


Tuesday & Wednesday Assignment:  Cloud WebQuest. Check your GoogleDocs for an online copy. A printed copy will be provided to those who request it.  TURN IN ON WEDNESDAY.


CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS

Here's a fun demonstration we'll do in class on Wednesday!     
A FUN REVIEW:  Cloud Matching Game, click HERE.    
                            ~
Thursday:

WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS DEADLY. . .
THE FORMATION OF A SUPER-CELL

           

We'll begin this discussion with  a "WEATHER PATTERNS AND EXTREME STORMS" POWERPOINT


"Sun, wind, and rain are basic to life, but sometimes the weather is more than just that. Sometimes it's stronger, violent. The wind becomes a tornado, the rain a hurricane. The Earth's atmosphere, for a moment, makes it uninhabitable. And there's nothing we can do about extreme weather but try to predict it, prepare for it and hope that it never happens here." ~ The Discovery Channel

WATER SPOUT AT LIGURIA, ITALY

 More unbelievable sky scenes HERE

Tinkerbell?
Thursday & Friday:  WEATHER PATTERNS AND SEVERE STORMS WEBQUEST.  Check your GoogleDocs for an online copy. A printed copy will be provided to those who request it. TURN IN ON FRIDAY.


LANGUAGE ARTS

Monday - Wednesday:  While I work with people on final edits for their PowerPoint Presentations, other students should work on the following:

GROUP / INDEPENDENT 
ELA / SCIENCE ACTIVITY 

 GROUP WORK:

 Step 1:  Choose a severe weather event: 

 Drought  & video 
Hurricane  & video 
Tornado & video    
Tsunamis  &  video 
     How Earthquakes relate to tsunamis  video
Avalanches & video  
Wildfires & video  
Flooding  & video  (This is a good resource for other natural disasters, too.)
Snowstorms/Blizzards & video     
Severe Thunderstorms & video  (lightning video)  
Mudslides & video

Step 2:  Fold a piece of legal-sized computer paper in half, then in half again.  Write the following headings at the top of each section. 

  • How It Is Created
  • When/Where It Happens
  • Its Impact On People And Ecosystems
  • The Impact Climate Change Has On The Amount And Severity Of That Weather
Working with a partner, take notes about each subheading. 

INDEPENDENT WORK:
Step 3:  Using your notes, CREATE A 6-PANEL COMIC STRIP in which you narrate your "life as a tornado, etc. Describe:
  • when (time of year), where (general location), and how (under what conditions) you were born 
  • what your life is like
  • how you effect people, and 
  • how climate change has impacted your life.

 On the FIRST panel, write the name of your weather event and an illustration.  
On the SIXTH panel, write your name and date.  I'll provide the paper.

 Be creaive.  Make these both fun and informative! Edit for G.U.M. before finalizing! 

Thursday & Friday:  Pharaoh PowerPoint Presentations


SOCIAL STUDIES


Monday:   We are going to step back in time and witness an extensively researched reconstruction of why and how the great pyramids of ancient Egypt were build.  It doesn't tell us how they were built, but how they were built by following the life of Nahkt, who has been conscripted from his village to work on the Great Pyramid.  

This video chronicles the building of the last surviving wonder 
of the ancient world.

Tuesday & Wednesday:  Complete "Building the Great Pyramid" and begin Egyptian poetry / mummy activity.

Directions and extensive vocabulary list including people, places, games & toys, gods & goddesses, mummification, and other terms will be provided.  This activity, your cartouche, and your sarcophagus design will be added to your books.

Thursday:  Watch this short interesting piece from the Discovery Channel.  Turn in Ancient Egypt Fact Books.


For more information on Egyptian gods, look HERE.

Friday:  Pharaoh PowerPoint Presentations.


READING
Cube Book Report -- due Friday, February 5

Also:

For the next two weeks, you will have an opportunity to get a good start on your independent reading for the month of February. 

Begin by filling out your contracts for this month. Once you finish, show me! Let's start racking up those points, shall we?



CHAPTER 4
TEST ON FRIDAY






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Sunday, January 24, 2016

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― André Gide



"Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens. . .  My grandfather would say we're part of something incredibly wonderful - more marvelous than we imagine.  My grandfather would say we ought to go out and look at it once in awhile so that we don't lose our place in it."  -Robert Fulghun


"By day, space is one with the earth and with man - it is his sun that is shining, his clouds that are floating past; at night, space is his no more. When the great earth, abandoning day, rolls up the deeps of the heavens and the universe, a new door opens for the human spirit. . ."
- Henry Beston, The Outermost House, 1933



Once again, I am in awe.  I look up at the stars, and, like a child, I wonder.

 How often have you gazed up at the night sky wondering if there are other planets like ours in other universes?  Wondering if anyone else is out there is not just the whimsy of children.





 Mankind has been asking these questions from the time of the great  philosophers of ancient Greece.

 They remained questions without answers until now.





 Thanks to Nasa's Kepler spacecraft, more than 100 alien planets have been discovered.  (FYI: When you think Alien, do you think little green men? Au contraire, my friends! It simply means not from around here, or existing outside the earth and its atmosphere. So, alien planets are just planets far away.)



We are beginning to be able to answer questions people have pondered for thousands of years!  For example, On July 23, NASA's Kepler mission confirmed that it discovered another planet 500 light years away. (Want to know what a light year is? Look HERE.) It's about our size and in the "habitable zone" of another star, much like our own sun. So cool!  If you want to see pictures or read more, go HERE. . .or HERE for an amazing variety of videos and pictures that must be viewed to be appreciated.
ASSIGNMENTS FOR 
THE WEEK OF
JANUARY 25-29


SCIENCE  

 Tuesday:  Use these great sites to learn all you can about our atmosphere!

Then take THIS quiz and check your answers. Play games and create new quizzes as often as necessary to learn this information for the REAL quiz coming up SOOOOON! (Know your layers!)

 THIS interactive notebook activity will help you learn them, and. . . 
. . .this video will show you how to create it!


And now for a melodious method of memorizing!



Wedesday:  Use THIS fun site to learn even more. We'll do a thought-provoking "How thick is our atmosphere?" demonstration, too.
 
BHT PREP
Atmosphere Jeopardy.  Get ready!  Teams TBA

How far does Earth's atmosphere extend above its surface? Not far!
Over 90% of Earth's atmosphere is within 7 miles of its surface!

Thursday: BHT on Layers of the Atmosphere

Friday:  Discussion/Video about the Water Cycle.  Check out the. . .


SOCIAL STUDIES

Monday: Finally! Let's discuss frontalism.  This will be the last new learning before you work independently to personalize your Ancient Egypt Book. It will be turned in
no later than Friday.
Tuesday - Friday:  Use any free time to complete your Ancient Egypt Book Independent Project. Use the Ancient Egypt link to the left of this blog for more information on any topic!  Clipart pages,  Hieroglyphics,  Coloring Pages, Make Your Own Cartouche   Anything else you need?



LANGUAGE ARTS


Pharaoh PowerPoint should be completed.  Use this week to finalize, peer share, edit, and revise. We'll discuss peer editing by reviewing THIS.  Use the checklist I provide. We'll present on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Go HERE for a little more information about Egyptians' portrayal of Pharaohs as divine.

presentation rubric HERE







 MATH 

Look HERE for a little drill (get it?) to support your learning.  It's a site worth exploring!

Monday:  5.2  Write Percents as Fractions and Decimals. Share & Show, pgs. 276-278. Practice & Homework, pgs. 279-280. 

 Essential Question:  How can you write percents as fractions and decimals?
Here's a great explanation.  Watch & Learn!


Tuesday:  5.3  Write Fractions as Decimals and Percents.  Share & Show, pgs. 283-284.  Practice & Homework, pgs. 285-286.

 Essential Question:  How can you write fractions and decimals as percents?
Well. . . Here's how to turn a fraction into a decimal. . .


A little more practice. . .
Wednesday:  Jump for Joy; it's Mid-Chapter Checkpoint time!  Do it, check it, grade it, discuss it, fix it.
Be one with the frog. . .
And then:  5.4 Percent of a Quantity.  
Share & Show, pgs. 290-292.  Practice & Homework, pgs. 295-296.

 Essential Question: How do you find a percent of a quantity?
Well, let's see--


More support needed?  

Friday:  5.5  Problem-Solving - Percents.  Share & Show, pgs. 297-298.  Practice & Homework. pgs. 200-300.

 Essential Question:  How can you use the strategy "use a model" to help you solve a percent problem?
Problems in the real world. . .



Percents Missing Total.  Say what? 




Practice Test and Final Test for Chapter 5 (PERCENTS) on Monday & Tuesday.  After that, we'll be. . .





READING  
DON"T FORGET:  By Friday, you will need to turn in your Reading Contract for the month and complete the independent book project for your January book.  ARE YOU READY?  (Say yes. . .)


Because of Winn Dixie

Finish up.  Book should be completed
by THURSDAY.


Audio can be found HERE.



CHAPTER 3
TEST ON FRIDAY



picture of Sirius iobservatory image   layers of the atmosphere image imagae of sun, earth, ozone   How far does our atmosphere go?    focusing on words  red ribbon   scarab divider   nekhbet image  jumping frog  100% done image   guy drilling   Greek philosopher   little green man   Kepler Spacecraft   owl
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