Final Updates

I hope summer is going well for all of you! I wanted to inform you of a couple of developments that may have a huge impact on my professional life...

First of all, I made a little video about the work we did concerning the country of Syria and submitted it to a contest. The contest asked for teachers to submit videos and lesson plans about activities from their classrooms that inspired "passion" in their students. I thought our work with Steve Goldberg skyping into our class to teach us about Syria fit this perfectly. So I created a 2 minute video and...it placed in the top six! As a result, it will be featured several times at the International Society for Technology in Education conference next week in San Diego. I'm lucky enough to be going to this conference, so I'll be there to see our class become "famous!" I'll let you know how it goes. If you want to watch the video yourself, here it is:

Educators from around the world will be watching it. Pretty awesome, huh?

Also, wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving the classroom next year. I've accepted a job at our school as an instructional coach. Instead of teaching kids, I'll be teaching teachers, helping them improve their work and helping our school to become even more awesome than it already is! 

You and your children, and anyone whose child I've been lucky enough to teach, played a big part in this. I learn about teaching from the children I teach, and from the families I work with. Thank you so much for helping me. Every day I work in this new position, I'll be drawing from my experiences with your children. 

Thank you, once again, for a great year...it's a little sad for me to think about the fact that this blog won't exist anymore, but I'm excited about what lays ahead!

Summer Learning!

A couple of things to let you know about...

Coming home today will be two Everyday Math journals. We didn't get to these very often this year, so there are lots of blank pages. These would be great for summer practice. 

Also, I've added a Summer Learning page to the blog. You can access it all summer by clicking the link at the top of the blog homepage. It has math games (I especially like Calculation Nation), spelling practice, and more. 

Also coming home today is a list of books that I recommend for summer reading and a list of technology tools we've used (or that students could use by figuring them out on their own). Save this list and use it when you need ideas for projects in sixth grade.

Important Note Home

An important note came home today...lots of Exhibition info. If you didn't get it or haven't seen it yet, I'm pasting it in its entirety here...

Ummm, I’m spent. And so are the students. We spent the entire day preparing for Exhibitions. And I’m not exaggerating. The…entire…day. They worked really hard, and if they followed along, they got the help they need and their work is complete (or very close to complete).

We are putting together a wiki page that will serve as a digital portfolio of many of their awesome fifth (and some fourth) grade projects.

This note today covers some of the last minute stuff, particularly the answer to this question: What should students talk about at their exhibition?

Here’s a short response to that.

·       INTEREST PROJECT—discuss everything you learned and show your visual aids.

·       POETRY RECITATION—Student must recite the poem they chose from memory! NO NOTES! Be sure to stand tall and talk loudly.

·       10 PLACES PROJECT—Show us your ten places page. Choose 2 to tell us about (where they are and why you chose them). Don’t read it off the board, just talk!

·       POEMS TYPED—Their poetry collection will have 15 poems. All of these must be typed. They should pick 3 of their favorites to share and talk about what’s good about them.

·       COLLEGE PROJECT—Facts and Figures and notes must be done. Article about the college must be typed. Talk about the facts that you learned and why you think it’s a good school.

·       CURRENT EVENTS/SOCIAL JUSTICE—The essay final draft must be typed. Discuss your essay…what was your thesis and what are your reasons?

·       MYTHOLOGY—Newspaper must be done. (all reading classes except Ms. Dinning) Show your newspaper and discuss what you wrote about.

·       AUTHOR STUDY—My reading class only…author study must be typed. Talk about the books you read and how they were alike and different.

·       VIDEOS & PODCASTS—You must show your Langston Hughes poetry video and talk about why you chose the pictures that you did. Hopefully you will choose another video to share and discuss, too.

·       READING WORKSHOP PROJECTS—ONLY if you are in my class…choose 1-2 projects and talk about what you learned.

·       OTHER PROJECTS IN YOUR PORTFOLIO—Are there other things you’ve done that you want to share and discuss? Feel free!

PLEASE NOTE: The stock market project isn’t going to get done! I am removing it from the requirements list. We will finish it in the remaining weeks of school and add it to their portfolios.

ALSO: Check on their progress by looking at their portfolio page on this website: http://currangateway.wikispaces.com .

FINALLY…I sent home checklists that will help you make sure that they have all the required parts of the biggest pieces of the exhibition (10 Places, Current Events, College Project, Mythology Newspaper).

PLEASE email any questions bcurran@uprep.com

See you soon!

Ben

Milestones Passed!

So, we had a huge milestone due yesterday...5 huge items all due on one day: Interest Project, 10 Places, 15 poems, a Current Events essay, and an article about a college.

Here are the folks who had it all turned in on time yesterday:

Suhmer
Danielle
Selena
Shauntia
Kaylen
Jada
Tamerica
Renard
Keturah
Armani

Thanks to all of them. I can't wait until Exhibitions!

What Now?

I am checking in milestones at 11:00 this morning. I'm giving students the first couple hours of the day to put the finishing touches on these projects:

• 10 Places typing
• Poetry collection typing
• Current events essay (rough draft)
• College Project article (rough draft)
• Mythology Newspaper (all reading classes EXCEPT Ms. Dinning)
• Author Study (rough draft) (ONLY my reading class)

So what's next? With just under a week to go before Exhibitions start, there's still plenty of things to do! Here's what should be worked on at home, starting as soon as possible:

• Finishing and rehearsing Interest Project
• Memorizing and rehearsing the poem they chose to recite
• Finishing any and all typing (not everyone got done!)
• Creating an agenda so they know the order they will present things (they do NOT need to have an agenda to pass out, though. Just one for themselves.)

As for us here at school, starting tomorrow, we'll be doing several things to get ready. Including:

• Finishing the 10 Places project (adding links, images, and video)
• Building the wiki page that will hold all of our projects
• Finishing the stock market project (we will get to this, I promise!)
• Checking over all of our work using scoring rubrics to make sure we've met all requirements
• Tying up all other loose ends (I'm sure there will be a few)

Wow. Deep breath. We can do it!

Important Note Coming Home Today

Today coming home you will find a list of ALL Milestone 3 requirements explained in detail. Milestone 3 is next Thursday, the 17th. There is a lot of work to be done. Things should get worked on every night at home. The note explains exactly what to do for each part.

Also coming home is an update of how your child is doing on the 10 places and poetry projects. Both are a big part of the Exhibition.

Also, here's a tip for the 10 Places project, have your child show you the SAMPLE paragraph I wrote. It includes all the parts we taught in class. Your child's 10 paragraphs should look & sound similar to that one!

Don't want to wait for them to show you? Here it is: http://mrcurran.pbworks.com/w/page/52943859/SAMPLE10places

Want to check your child's progress yourself? Head to this page:
http://mrcurran.pbworks.com/w/page/50343190/10%20Places%20Project

Free Dress for $1 or More Tomorrow

Please read the note coming home today about Sean, a kindergarten student at UPA Mark Murray Elementary. Sean suffers from a rare disorder called ALD that leads to progressive brain damage and failure of the adrenal glands. All free dress money will go to Sean’s family to help with medical expenses. $1 is the required amount, but feel free to give more, if you are able.

I don't think I've ever gotten choked up in front of students...before today when I was talking to the class about Sean. The money we're raising will eventually help his family pay for a funeral, which is tough to think about. Sean has siblings in second and fifth grade, and as a father of 3 myself this really hits home.

So if you're able, please send in a donation for Sean's family. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers, and hug your kids extra tight tonight. 

Mythology Unit Almost Done!

We've been working on Mythology in all reading classes (except Ms. Dinning's) and it's been a lot of fun. Students are learning a lot about Greek Myths by reading stories and watching videos like this one:



Now we're starting the final project for this unit. Students will be creating a Greek "newspaper" that tells 5 myths as if they were current events. These newspapers are due at their Exhibitions. Most work will be done in class BUT some may need to get done at home!

So ask your child what myths they've read. There have been about 12 we've covered so far.

Is Your Child In My Reading Class?

If so, please check out today's post on the reading class blog: http://20kindsofawesome.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Forms, Dates, and Such

If you haven't turned in your Exhibition sign up sheet, please do so ASAP! Exhibitions begin May 23.

Also, here are some important end-of-the-year dates:

June 11--Bowling Party @ the Garden Bowl. 12:00 PM-2:00 PM (Bowling, pizza, and pop)

June 13--Field Day at WSU (including cook-out lunch)

June 14--No School for Fifth Grade ONLY

June 15--Promotion Breakfast 8 AM (for parents & student only), Promotion Ceremony 9 PM (students dismissed following ceremony!)

To cover costs for all this, we are seeking $25 per family.

Please mark your calendars! And stay tuned for more info.

Some things I'm noticing

We are working very, very hard to get the 10 Places Project typed up this week. I've been giving time each day, but some students are still moving slowly. I'm trying to "get on their case" in a nice way, to keep moving. This whole exhibition is a test of their ability to use time wisely...so ultimately it's up to them to work hard. I think it will be okay, but I'm worried it could get "ugly" if they don't use their time a little more intelligently. In other words, they'll be trying to type 10 paragraphs the night before their Exhibition if they don't start working a little harder.

One thing you can do to help is to have them work on it at home. They know what to do. Also, please make sure they're bringing their 10 Places worksheets to school every day. It's impossible to get any typing done without them.

If possible, you can also make sure they come up to my room at 8:00 each morning to get their typing done.

Finally, please take some time to look over their work. I know these are their first drafts, but we're really looking for this to be an example of their best writing. I'm seeing a lot of paragraphs that are NOT written in students' own words, so please be on the look out for that. NOTHING should be copied and pasted for this assignment (or any other). I'm also seeing some errors that are easily fixed such as starting every sentence in the paragraph the same way. If you take some time to look at their work, you may be able to provide some extra help.

Thanks!

Exhibition Announcements

First, starting tomorrow, students who arrive early can come up to my room to work on Exhibition projects. I'll be available at 8:00 most mornings (except April 23 and 30) so that students can come in and get some typing done.

Also, coming home today is a memo that details every project that's required for the Exhibition and what students need to be doing at home. Please note, some projects have been removed/combined, so this new list becomes THE official list of Exhibition requirements.

Finally, attached to the list will be a sign up form for Exhibitions. Please pick 3 times that work for you (number them in order of preference) and send the sheet back to school ASAP.

Of course, if you have any questions, let me know.

Menu for Thursday

For our field trip to the University of Michigan on Thursday (if you haven't sent your $5 and permission slip yet, please do so by tomorrow!), we'll be eating lunch in the West Quad dormitory cafeteria.

Here's a link to the Dining Services page, if you want to check out a menu: http://www.housing.umich.edu/dining/menus#

Also during our trip, we'll be taking a walking tour to see classrooms, libraries, the recreation center, and the football stadium. It should be pretty awesome. Stay tuned for photos and more after the break.

Next Phase of 10 Places

Our 10 Places project continues...students are now working on typing their paragraphs onto a page in the class wiki. This could take some time, and is something that can be worked on at home.

We will be working on it all week in school, but if more time is needed, please encourage your child to work on it in the evenings and during Spring Break.

After everything is typed, I will guide them through adding images, videos, maps, and hyperlinks.

Here is a link to the wiki, if you need it: http://mrcurran.pbworks.com

This is another example of me trying to help students develop independent work skills. Given the time, many of the students are doing a much better job of making every minute count. Their study habits are improving! Of course, there's still work to be done. Want to check up on your child and see what they got done today? Go to THIS PAGE and click on their name. You'll see how much they got typed up in about an hour of work time. :)

What We're Up To This Week

We have started our Digital Poetry project today (National Poetry Month started yesterday...yay!). Students are "translating" poems by Langston Hughes into digital movies. It should be pretty cool. This is one of the Gateway Exhibition requirements. Hopefully, videos will be done by the end of this week.

We've also done some exploration of the Trayvon Martin case. We talked about it with our returning Skype guest, Mr. Steve Goldberg, last week, and we're continuing to explore it as part of our ongoing Current Events Project (also a Gateway assignment).

Coming up, students in the reading classes of me, Mr. Robinson, and Mrs. Martin will be starting a Mythology project. Students in Ms. Dinning's class won't be held responsible for this. It's going to be totally awesome, and I can't wait to start it after Easter break.

Also, starting after break, we'll be starting a Geometry unit for math. We've been lagging on math homework for awhile here because we've been working on our Stock Market project. Don't worry, expect much more homework after the break.

Finally, please don't forget to send in permission slips and $5 for the field trip THURSDAY!!!

Current Events Project

For our Current Events project, we've started by studying Syria, as you probably know. We've created a blog to share some of our learning.

Please check out some of the amazing stuff students are learning. Many of them just posted vodcasts and podcasts that they've made.

Click HERE to go the the Current Events blog.

Coming home today...

Today was a milestone check in day. We expanded the milestone because of the Gateway Exhibition to include FIVE things.

Coming home today is a note that shows what your child had done today. Please sign it and return it tomorrow. Thanks.

Detroit Institute of Arts FREE in March

You know I love the DIA, right? Well, this month is "DIA Fan Appreciation Month." The DIA is giving free admission all month to people who "Like" them on facebook.

Go to this page: http://www.facebook.com/DetroitInstituteofArts to "like" them. And enjoy a free trip or two this month. Maybe I'll see you there!

Milestone 2 is coming soon: March 22!

Milestone 2 is due March 22! Because we have the Gateway Exhibitions this time, the requirements will be more!

On the 22nd, students must have:

*All 10 "10 Places" paragraphs written on the forms I have provided.

*A list of resources for their Interest Project

*College letters written and mailed

*2 different types of poems written and typed: their odes and their "If I was in charge of the world" poem

*2 weeks of stock market project worksheets complete

These things are basically the homework for the next week and a half. Some students are done with their college letters, but there are a few who are not. Most of them can be accessed and printed from Google Docs, but I need to see them before they are sealed and mailed.

The poems are being written in class. If they run out of time, they may have to type them at hom.

The stock market work WILL get done in class. The only way they might not get done would be if a student wasn't using time wisely.

If you have questions, of course, shoot me an email.

10 Places Project

Please make sure all 10 Places materials (notes, drafts, etc.) come to school every day from now on. We'll be writing paragraphs every day in our writing workshop and all 10 paragraphs MUST be done by March 22.

Furthermore, all paragraphs must be written out as rough drafts on the forms that I have provided the students with. These forms will help them write quality paragraphs.

So, please continue working on writing these at home using the forms that the kids have. And please send them to school every day. Thanks!