We chose new book club books today. Looks like we'll have 4 groups this time around.
Stay tuned this week for reading assignments. They'll have a good chunk of pages to have read by next week.
And since I'm on the topic, now is a good time to remind you that Scholastic Book Club order forms are due Thursday. Remember, the more you order, the more new books we get for the classroom and for our book clubs! THANKS!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Book Club Movie Poster Project
As promised, here is the paperwork for our Book Club project:
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE PROJECT FORMS
We'll be starting it in school this week and it is due January 31. Students are able to access their Glogster account from anywhere using their unique nickname and password. They can find their nicknames and passwords in Google Docs--the document is called "Glogster Log-In."
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE PROJECT FORMS
We'll be starting it in school this week and it is due January 31. Students are able to access their Glogster account from anywhere using their unique nickname and password. They can find their nicknames and passwords in Google Docs--the document is called "Glogster Log-In."
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Reminders & A Poem
Some friendly reminders:
- "Things to Do" poems due Monday (can be posted to edmodo)
- Critique of the Week due Monday (can be posted to edmodo)
- MAP testing 11:00-12:00 Monday through Wednesday
- Milestone 1 due Wednesday (form went home Friday)
- Scholastic Book Club order form & money due Thursday (click Links on blog homepage to order online)
- NO SCHOOL Friday or Monday, January 17
And a New Year's Resolution I forgot to mention is to share more poetry that we read through this blog...we haven't read this one, but we will be soon;
The Drum
By Nikki Giovanni
daddy says the world is
a drum tight and hard
and i told him
i'm gonna beat out
my own rhythm
Book Club in a Bag Project
You had to know that our "Book Club in a Bag" activity would not be just some friends sitting around chatting about books and munching on donated snacks. There will be much more work than that. Which leads me to announce our first project...Make a Movie Poster for Your Book Club Book! (Book reports are so 2010, don't you think?)
Students will use Glogster (which we used to make our Ben Franklin posters) to create a "movie poster" that advertises their book. They will have some time to work on these at school, but if they really want them to be good, they'll work on them from home, too.
I'll be reviewing Glogster with them this week in school: reminding them of their usernames & passwords, demonstrating the steps (stay tuned for a movie of this), providing them with handouts and instruction sheets, and giving them time to get started.
The instruction sheets will have step-by-step directions AND the list of requirements. I will be giving out hard copies and posting them here to the blog.
The due date for this will be...January 31, although they'll probably finish before then. Since I don't want them relaxing on their reading at home, I'll also be having them choose new books and setting the reading assignments. I will share that info with you, too.
Here's a link to a sample poster I made (it took less than an hour) for our recent book The Maze of Bones:
http://curran302.edu.glogster.com/maze-of-bones/
Even though we've only read one book, I think the Book Club in a Bag concept is a success so far. Kids do a great job when we have our meetings--they direct most of the conversations themselves. And they've been keeping up on their reading assignments much more than when we did Book in a Bag.
Stay tuned for all the promised project info.
Students will use Glogster (which we used to make our Ben Franklin posters) to create a "movie poster" that advertises their book. They will have some time to work on these at school, but if they really want them to be good, they'll work on them from home, too.
I'll be reviewing Glogster with them this week in school: reminding them of their usernames & passwords, demonstrating the steps (stay tuned for a movie of this), providing them with handouts and instruction sheets, and giving them time to get started.
The instruction sheets will have step-by-step directions AND the list of requirements. I will be giving out hard copies and posting them here to the blog.
The due date for this will be...January 31, although they'll probably finish before then. Since I don't want them relaxing on their reading at home, I'll also be having them choose new books and setting the reading assignments. I will share that info with you, too.
Here's a link to a sample poster I made (it took less than an hour) for our recent book The Maze of Bones:
http://curran302.edu.glogster.com/maze-of-bones/
Even though we've only read one book, I think the Book Club in a Bag concept is a success so far. Kids do a great job when we have our meetings--they direct most of the conversations themselves. And they've been keeping up on their reading assignments much more than when we did Book in a Bag.
Stay tuned for all the promised project info.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Introducing the Critique of the Week
As mentioned in the note that went home yesterday, Slice of Life stories are no longer required...they have been replaced by the...wait for it...Critique of the Week. Each Monday, students must turn in a critique of something--a restaurant, a game, a CD, a movie, a TV show, a book, etc.
They are required to turn in a final draft, just like with the Slice of Life stories. If they don't want to turn in a written copy, they can post their final draft to Edmodo.
I taught them how to write one today using an outline form. Here is a copy of it:
Critique Planner
They are required to turn in a final draft, just like with the Slice of Life stories. If they don't want to turn in a written copy, they can post their final draft to Edmodo.
I taught them how to write one today using an outline form. Here is a copy of it:
Critique Planner
I also wrote one of my own and posted it to Edmodo. I think reading it and using it as a guide will help them (and you) a lot.
I'm looking forward to reading their first critiques on Monday!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Online Book Club Resumes Monday!
Our last read-aloud novel, The Maze of Bozes, was not only a great book, but it was even more fun discussing it with other classes from around the country. Along the way, we also created some cool art and learned how to make Glogs.
Because it was so successful, we're continuing it again this month. Mrs. Temske and her class in Roswell, Georgia have chosen the book Regarding by Fountain by Kate Klise. It's new to me, but it looks terrific. Also, we've got some new classrooms joining in from Texas and Alabama.
Because it was so successful, we're continuing it again this month. Mrs. Temske and her class in Roswell, Georgia have chosen the book Regarding by Fountain by Kate Klise. It's new to me, but it looks terrific. Also, we've got some new classrooms joining in from Texas and Alabama.
We'll do some projects of various sizes along the way and will again be using Edmodo for most of the discussions. Hopefully, we'll also find a way to use Skype again...and maybe even some new technology tools, too!
Speaking of Skype, here are some pictures from our videoconference session with Mrs. Temske's class last month:
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
January Academic Update
So we kick off 2011 on the right foot, here's an academic update to keep you informed of our work...
MATH
We are starting unit five. It deals with multiplication, estimation, and large numbers. Students will be exploring ways of multiplying multi-digit numbers. We'll have a math assessment on February 3. Problems of the Week will continue to be due on Fridays (except next week, when they'll be due on Thursday).
WRITING WORKSHOP
We'll continue to work with the reading and writing of poetry. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things and read at least 3 poems and write at least 1 per week with students. Our next writing project will be Biographies. This month and next, students will be learning the elements of Biography and then writing one of their own about a historical figure to commemorate African American History Month. As for writing homework, Slice of Life will be replaced by "Critique of the Week." Students will have to write a critique of a restaurant, movie, television show, CD, etc. each week. The first one will be due Monday. I'll be teaching them how to write one during writing class this week. I'll be giving them a form to make it easier. I'll post this to the blog before the weekend.
SCIENCE
Students will be studying Energy for the next 6 weeks. There are many hands-on laboratory activities that go along with this. It should be lots of fun.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We wrapped up our Geography unit prior to break. Students created an interactive Google Map of the NorthEast United States. They turned out really well. I'll figure out a way of sharing these with you soon.
More general info will be coming home tomorrow with students in a printed memo. Thanks for reading and have a happy new year!
MATH
We are starting unit five. It deals with multiplication, estimation, and large numbers. Students will be exploring ways of multiplying multi-digit numbers. We'll have a math assessment on February 3. Problems of the Week will continue to be due on Fridays (except next week, when they'll be due on Thursday).
WRITING WORKSHOP
We'll continue to work with the reading and writing of poetry. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things and read at least 3 poems and write at least 1 per week with students. Our next writing project will be Biographies. This month and next, students will be learning the elements of Biography and then writing one of their own about a historical figure to commemorate African American History Month. As for writing homework, Slice of Life will be replaced by "Critique of the Week." Students will have to write a critique of a restaurant, movie, television show, CD, etc. each week. The first one will be due Monday. I'll be teaching them how to write one during writing class this week. I'll be giving them a form to make it easier. I'll post this to the blog before the weekend.
SCIENCE
Students will be studying Energy for the next 6 weeks. There are many hands-on laboratory activities that go along with this. It should be lots of fun.
SOCIAL STUDIES
We wrapped up our Geography unit prior to break. Students created an interactive Google Map of the NorthEast United States. They turned out really well. I'll figure out a way of sharing these with you soon.
More general info will be coming home tomorrow with students in a printed memo. Thanks for reading and have a happy new year!
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