Coupla Things v31 (4/23/2011)

Post date: Apr 24, 2011 1:40:37 AM

Hello Everyone.

My traditional Friday night email was delayed by an inevitable unconscious state. Twelve hours of sleep washed over me starting at about 9 on Friday, and I came out on the other end late this morning feeling revitalized and eager to start planning another great week with the best kids ever. My count says that we have 35 days left together and I'm hoping to have us all make the best of it.

English:

Our third and final set of Daily Edit sheets started on Monday and I'm trying to make sure that the topics of the exercises are relevant and informative. I have handed the process over to the kids and they've taken it on very well. There were three vocabulary activities this week. First, I gave the an exercise based on "rain" words to honor the end of Spring. Second, we used the family game "Tatoo" to play in-class games, make up our own taboo cards (in their comp books), and enter them into the database of the online game. Lastly, towards the end of the week I gave the kids an assignment on some higher-level homonyms.

The next genre of exploration for the book clubs wil be "mystery and suspense" and based on their engagement in the pre-writing phase of authoring their own mysteries in small groups, they will be very "into" this one. Some students have been bringing in mystery books that they recommend others read, but we won't be making choices until the middle of next week. Since STAR tests are on Tuesday during book-club time and the following week we are having a guest speaker for all of the 8th grade during book-club time, some of the dialog between group members and the book-moms will happen online.

Science:

We had a good start to the unit on electricity by taking quick notes from a website on the well-publicized inventors and inventions along the historical timeline of electricity and magnetism. It is amazing to realize how young the field is and how our current knowledge is constantly growing. On Wednesday I sent the kids to the ExploreLearning gizmos on electricity to work through some simulations and, as always, most of the kids were able to get the most out of the experience by manipulating variables, testing various configurations, and pursuing their inquiry. On Thursday we didn't have science class due to the (educational and informative) all-morning Gettysburg battle simulation, but on Friday we used Earth Day as a great excuse to design and build solar devices. Even with the cloud cover in the afternoon, the students were able to understand the potential of solar power.

Other:

• • Woodshop students assembled and/or sanded their shelves and most are ready to move on to the next project.

  • Comedy kids analyzed cartoon humor and enjoyed some examples.

  • Video Journalists brainstormed a list of topics for our school-wide video magazine, and ....

  • I cashed in on an old favor by asking a water-feature specialist to donate some of his time and resources as we take the next steps on the waterfall. Once I purchase the liner (at his discount) and the pump, we can build the stream-bed itself and get the water running.

  • The parent DC meetings gave me a chance to hear much more about the trip and share in the excitement and education that this trip will offer. It will be such an important and exciting time for all of us.

Thank you all for reading and reply if you have time and desire. I always benefit from your feedback.

Chris