Snow Day

We have a snow day today (obviously).  I hope everyone is staying warm and I've attached a few links for students to browse when/if they're tired of playing in the snow. 

Compass 
(math and language arts)

BrainPop Videos
(user name:  decaturga // password:  decatur)

Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Columbian Exchange, League of Nations, Latitude and Longitude, Continents (they should all know this already...but many don't), World War II Causes, Interest (banking), Taxes, Critical Reasoning (this will help with their opinion papers), Online Research, and Plagiarism

Work on the project

Uh... WHY are y'all still home?!?

Tybee Update (updated 1/29)

Due to impending weather, we are returning from Tybee.  We are currently on the road (I'm writing this at 10:15am) and our estimated arrival is back at FAVE at 2:00pm.  

Please make arrangements to pick up your child and contact me via email or text if your child is being picked up by another parent.  

****************

Thank you parents for being quick and responsive.  My students (both homerooms) were all picked up by 3:00pm.  Also, our bus drivers were beyond exceptional.  They anticipated highway problems, safely drove the last half of the trip in snow, and used the side streets to get us back to the school by 2:10pm.  Administration made the right call to have us come back earlier; a delayed departure of just another hour would have probably been disastrous. Stay warm and check my 1/29 update for some work students can do from home. 

Tybee -- Monday, January 27th (updated 1/29)

We made it!

We arrived at the Burton 4H Center on Tybee Island around 10:30am and the kids have already eaten lunch.  Classes will begin shortly and I'll update the blog tonight with pictures from today.  

Thursday, January 23rd

Today we continued reading Gathering Blue and I gave a lesson about 1920's economics. Students who had difficulty following directions and paying attention were given an alternate textbook assignment in the hall.  

Curriculum Night

I'll be showing the following PowerPoints tonight at Curriculum Night:  

Georgia Writing Test

Tybee Presentation

Also, as mentioned in the previous blog entry, the students would like to share their work after the winter break so they'll have time to finish their current projects and prepare presentations.

Tybee Information

(all of this has gone home already -- it is NOT new information)

o Please limit luggage to one suitcase, backpack or duffel bag, plus one sleeping bag or bed roll.  Pack only old clothes suitable for outdoor use.  Bring WARM clothing!

o Label all belongings. 

o Only old clothes are needed.  New clothes may be ruined by heavy outdoor use! 

o Multiple layers will keep one warmer than a single heavy one. 

Do not send valuables!

Burton 4-H Center is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

They hold classes in rain or shine (only lightning brings the classes in) so pack accordingly and be prepared.

Arrival & Departure Information

Depart on  Monday, January 27^th at 6:00am sharp

o ARRIVE at the school by 5:40am and check in with your child’s teacher upon arrival

o The bus trip is about 4 hours

o Students should go to the bathroom before they arrive.  There is a bathroom on the bus, but it is preferred that this be used only in emergencies.

o Students should eat breakfast BEFORE they arrive

o A snack will be provided during the trip.

Return on Wednesday, January 29^th at approximately 3:00pm

o Make sure you provide your child’s teacher with a current phone number where you can be reached.

o If the bus is running late we will try to notify you en route.

Tuesday and Wednesday

On Tuesday students took their vocabulary quiz and worked on their projects.  Today we read more in Gathering Blue (we need to finish the book by the end of term 4).  Students are identifying and discussing how Lois Lowry's use of creative language and details create a unique story.  We also focused on the opinion paper by writing clear opinion statements and identifying how to include supporting evidence and clarifying statements.  

Curriculum Night -- UPDATE

The upcoming Curriculum Night on Thursday, January 23rd is intended to be a student led event.  When I discussed this with both groups of students, they felt conflicted between wanting to share their work but needing more time to prepare something meaningful.  Many students also expressed that they would like to share something from the project they are currently working on.  That being said, I would like to propose that we have our own night (both homerooms) on the week of March 3rd.  That way, students will have time to adequately prepare and you won't have to fight for parking in the cold.  Please contact me if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions. Thank you.

Math & Science Update

In math students are working on understanding and creating line plots.   Additionally, they are working on division with whole and mixed numbers.  In science students are learning about chemical and physical changes.  Yesterday they made OOBLACK, a substance that has properties of both a solid and liquid.  

Thursday, January 16th

We read a little of Gathering Blue today and discussed some of the plot developments and new characters.  Students then had time to work on their projects.  Lastly, students took their WWI assessment.

Wednesday, January 15th

Today we looked through the IB concept lens "Form" by examining poetry, book, and play structure.  First we discussed the need for the formatting of plays, movies, and tv shows.  Additionally, students took notes on some basic stanza structures and listened to "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks.  They identified the couplet structure of her poem and made inferences about its meaning.  We concluded the lesson with a scavenger hunt.  Some students were also able to work on their projects. 

Tomorrow we have our open note WWI assessment and on Friday students will have their vocabulary quiz. 

Tuesday, January 14th

The morning class had their weekly library time and we concluded class by discussing American involvement in WWI.  In the afternoon class we had the same discussion about WWI and students had time to finish their WWI worksheets.  Students who finished started working on their term 4 projects.

I also want to remind parents that students should work on Compass at home for an hour each week (30 minutes in Language Arts and 30 minutes in Math).  The work on Compass doesn't always match up with the material we are covering in class; however, the learning paths are based on the deficiencies identified during MAP testing.  

Monday, January 13th

Today students wrote down this week's vocabulary words; the quiz is on Friday.  Then we continued with our WWI inquiry.  Students finished their "Great War" worksheet, began working on the map/organizational web, and wrote a reflection based on three short Discovery Education videos.  The WWI assessment is on Thursday; it's open note and students should complete the above activities by Wednesday night so they can use the materials for the test.  If they need to log onto Discovery Ed, they can click on the slide below.

We concluded our day by talking about this term's projects.  Students have the  next several weeks to work and all of the projects are due on Friday, February 7th.  Students will have class time to work; however, they are more than welcome to work at home.

This week's vocabulary 
(click on the slide to access the Quizlet slides)

Lastly, report cards were sent home today.  Please contact me via email or text if you have a quick question or schedule a conference on the volunteer spot link.

Wednesday & Thursday

Today we read a little from Gathering Blue and continued our discussion about imperialism and how it shaped the pre-WWI world.  We concluded class today by working on a WWI fill-in-the-blank and short answer worksheet.  

We are in need of some mid-year supplies.  If you can get anything from the list below, it would be greatly appreciated:

pencils

index note cards

color pencils

Also, many students don't have headphones.  Please buy your child a replacement set if they no longer have them.  

Monday, January 6th

There's no school today….  yay for kids and teachers!!!  Boo for parents…lol.

Students can get a head start on term 4, and stay out of their parent's way, by working on Compass (put "decatur" in the the school section and go to the folder titled "Term 4 SS").

Students can also view the following BrainPop Videos: 

Louis Armstrong

Harlem Renaissance

War

Industrial Revolution

 Causes of the Great Depression

Stock Market

World War I

League of Nations

Any of the videos on the Grammar Page

(username: decaturcity // password:  decatur)

I'll see everyone on TUESDAY!

My kids and I spent the break in Hawaii