Thanksgiving Book of the Month

This month, our book of the month was called "A Plump and Perky Turkey" by Teresa Bateman.

It is set in a town called Squawk Valley where Thanksgiving turkeys have become way to smart! (They don't just jump into pots anymore.) The townspeople hatch a clever plan and host a turkey-themed arts and crafts fair to lure a turkey into town by advertising a need for a turkey model. This model needed to be the perfect specimen, plump and perky. Peter the Turkey, a proud and conceited turkey takes the bait, but turns out to be smarter than the townspeople bargained for.

This was a fun read for this time of year. After being challenged by Principal Phillips to use technology when responding to this book of the month, the 4 corners team E.L.A. classes worked very hard to be creative and tech-savvy. The students created posters inviting Pete the Turkey to Chets Creek. They had to find a way to lure the turkey to Chet's Creek Elementary without him being wise about his purpose...becoming our Thanksgiving Feast. We then created flickr slideshows to display our very creative posters. Check out our posters below:

Also:

Two risk taking students went above and beyond when they wrote and performed a "Perky Turkey" Rap. Check out their rap below:

We hope you enjoyed our technology inspired responses to the book of the month!

Ms.Launey and Mrs. Lopez-Sinclair

Series and Parallel Circuits

In Science we have been learning about electrical circuits. We built series and parallel circuits in a recent lab and explored removing a bulb from each to observe what would happen. We learned that in a series circuit, if one bulb burns out or is missing, then the circuit will open and none of the lights will remain lit. This is because there is only one path for electric current to flow with this kind of circuit. We also learned that any bulb in the path of a series circuit receives the same amount of electrical current. With parallel circuits, on the other hand, there is more than one path for electrical current to flow. Therefore, if one bulb burns out, the other bulbs will still remain lit. Check out our slideshow to see more pictures of this lab (in the right-hand column of our blog).

Building Fluency with the Basic Multiplication Facts

Ok, boys and girls.
If you have the extra time to be visiting your classroom blog, then you have a few spare minutes to visit this site to practice your multiplication facts. Start at Level 1 and if you find that it is "too easy" (meaning you have more than enough time to answer each problem), then move to Level 2, and so on, until you find the level that is right for you!

Think about it. Through Every Day Counts, we have spent the last several months focusing on multiples of 2, 3, and 4. You should be gaining fluency with these because of all of the work we have done with them, but if you need the extra practice, here it is!

Enjoy the challenge. Post a comment to share how far you were able to get while completing this challenge. This might actually spur a friendly challenge between you and another classmate. It's all in good fun. Behavior Bucks to the first ten students to take this challenge AND make a post on it.

Let the games begin!

Love,

Mrs. Phillips

Here is your link to begin the challenge:

http://www.multiplication.com/interactive/quickflash/flash/index.html

Comparing and Contrasting

Today in E.L.A. classes we started our comparing and contrasting study. We were introduced to the topic through a fun, interactive game on a website called Comprehension Upgrade. In the game, we used a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast:

• volleyball and basketball


• wolves and dogs
  
• The U.S. Flag and The United Kingdom Flag


• coniferous trees and deciduous trees

We hope you liked your introduction to studying how things are alike and different. Later this week, we will be incorporating European Literature into our study as we compare and contrast the American version of Cinderella to the British version of the story, Cap O' Rushes.

Want to play some more comparing and contrasting games? Try out the interactive web activity: Help Lee Decide.

You can use the skills you have learned to help Lee. He is a high school student trying to make a decision about a summer job. Come back and leave a comment and tell us what you learned.

Ms.Launey and Mrs.Lopez

P.S. Have no fear, The Weekly News Broadcasts will start back up again when Ms.Launey is fully recovered. We will make sure you are still updated with classroom happenings through our blog posts.

Fractions are Fun!

Our current math unit, Different Shapes, Equal Pieces, concentrates on the use of an area model for fractions less than one whole. In this unit, we are also studying fractions in terms of "families". For example, one-half, one-fourth, and one-eighth are all in the same family. This is due to the doubling and halving relationship between these fractions. When the denominator doubles, the area of the fraction (in the area model) cuts in half. Look at the visual.

One-half of 16 is 8 square units.
One-fourth of 16 is 4 square units.
One-eighth of 16 is 2 square units.

Through the use of this area model, we are also recognizing equivalent fractions as well as combinations of fractions and their sums.

One-half is equal to two-fourths and is equal to four-eighths.
One-fourth + one-fourth has the sum of one-half.
One-eighth + one-eighth has the sum of one-fourth.


The next "family" we will work with is one-third, one-sixth, and one-twelfth.
Can you determine, using doubling and halving, what the NEXT fraction in this family is?

REMEMBER THIS?

Watch the video segment below of one of our experiences while visiting the Museum of Science and History back in September.

How does this "hands-on" experience relate to what we are beginning to explore more deeply in science this week? Post a comment to share your thoughts. Be specific as to which science concept is showcased in the video segment and share what you learned from the MOSH experience!

Meet Matt!

Matt is another college student studying our blog from the University of Regina in Canada. Watch his video below and then leave a comment for him. Ask him a question or tell him something about you or our class. 

Election Day!

This Tuesday is a very important day in history. Your parents will be voting in the 2008 Presidential Election. Our vocabulary words this week (inspired by our Book of the Month- Grace for President) will teach you about some of the words you will be hearing on the news and maybe at the dinner table during the election. 

We have found a video from Nickelodeon to inspire some discussions (and comments). The video introduces the presidential candidates with a fun song and gives a lot of information about the upcoming election. Nickelodeon actually had an election on their TV station and website just for kids. Kids around America voted on the candidate they thought would be the best candidate for President of the United States. The candidate the kids chose was Barack Obama.

Watch the video below and leave a comment about your thoughts on the Presidential Election of 2008. 

(There are pauses between each clip...keep watching until the end!)

Ms.Launey and Mrs.Lopez