Special Events Before Break

Here are three of the special learning experiences we had shortly before our break:

                                                Author Visit

 

Steven Paulding, author of Life Lessons from Andy Wink (nominated for the 2011 Newbery Award), talks with students about the writing process in general and his book in particular. He fielded several insightful questions from students after his presentation. 

                                       Native American Culture 

The father of one of Ms. Rebecca's students is an expert on Native American dancing. He came and demonstrated authentic Native American ceremonial dancing and dress to several crews. He talked with the students about changes that occurred as whites encroached on Indian lands, about differences between tribes, about how inter-tribal dancing was developed, about reasons whites misunderstand native culture, about the symbolism of their dress, about the connection between dancing and native religion, etc. 

He has competed in the area of  "fancy dancing," a form of native dancing that developed during the era when the last tribes were being forced onto reservations.  In addition to doing two solo dances, he sang songs in the Lakota language, demonstrated drumming, and led the students in a "snake dance."    
 
This linked to our last expedition, which looks at the interaction between European/colonial cultures and those of Native Americans. 

                     Examining Original Documents During Expedition

Students are seen here thoughtfully discussing original quotes from the slavery era.  They are working to determine the point of view of the documents' authors. They then shared their thoughts with the rest of the crew, who had looked at different quotes. 

A Lesson in Free Enterprise

Mr. Bill's Crew had a blast on Tuesday as we held our Fall Market Day--an activity that gives students a chance to learn about basic economics.  They get to be producers, retailers, and consumers while operating their own business for a brief time.  Businesses sold everything from cookies to drawings to matchbox cars to chai lattes (oh, and a policeman-cookie jar that gruffly announced "BACK AWAY FROM THE COOKIE JAR" every time the lid was opened).

Some students operated by themselves and some formed partnerships. Some set their prices wisely and some didn't; some had a good sense of how much merchandise to carry, while others ran out quickly or were left with bloated inventories.  Some students budgeted well in order to pay their stall rental and income tax, while others came up short. But everyone had fun and gave the day a thumbs-up at the end! And all the practical lessons learned will be put to good use when we hold the second market day in the spring. 

A Lesson in Geography

The crew continues to enjoy getting and reading postcards from people all over the world.  We now have 17 of them posted. Landon--our honorary youngest crew member--is seen here with the map displaying the cards and their locations.

Colonies and Quotients

Expedition

We've started a whole new expedition--one focused on social studies instead of science.  It's called "A Tale of Two Colonies." As the name implies, we're looking at two well-known colonies begun by Western Europeans as they moved to North America--Jamestown and Plymouth.  What may be different from the traditional elementary school study of North American colonization is our emphasis. We are looking primarily at the issues and consequences of the interaction between the colonists, Native Americans, and imported slaves.  So far we've discussed what happened as the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians attempted to coexist.



Reading

For the last two weeks, we've been developing our ability to summarize text. We're learning this is a hard skill to master--to grab the gist of something without saying too much. We've also been working at using Edmodo as a tool in writing our summaries.

Writing

Our current genre study is short stories.  We've had fun reading and analyzing mentor texts that run the gamut on mood: everything from the bizarre and twisted ("Galactic Zap" by David Lubar) to the scary ("The Caller" by Robert D. San Souci) to the melancholy ("The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez) to the thoughtful ("Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes. 

Math

This week we reviewed our assessments from unit 3 (geometry concepts) and then made a big gear shift by starting unit 4, which focuses on division skills. So far, we've reviewed factoring and the partial-sums algorithm (a way to do long division that is explained in your unit 4 Family Letter).

Sides and Angles

Expedition

Sides...the two sides of a debate that is.  In expedition this week, we continued learning about energy. At the same time we continued learning about how to debate ideas.  On Monday we read several texts that presented differing points of view on natural gas.  On Tuesday on did the same thing with texts centered on solar power.  We learned that even with a "green" energy source like solar power, there are very different opinions on its usefulness and practicality.  On Wednesday students were divided into teams that prepared arguments either for or against using solar power as a primary energy source and teams that prepared arguments for or against natural gas.  On Thursday, we held the debates.  The students were very engaged in this activity and did a superb job.

Doing research to prepare for debating

Discussing the best way to argue a point

Using an organizer to plan strategy

Math

Angles...the intersection of two rays at a vertex.  In math this week, we explored geometry concepts again, deepening our knowledge of angles. We practiced the use of protractors, we discussed congruency, we defined different types of triangles, and we looked at the properties of various polygons.  We ended the week by playing a game called "Polygon Capture."  Ask your child what the difference between an isosceles and scalene triangle is.

Writing

Students wrapped up our editorial unit before going on break by submitting final copies of pieces they felt were strongest. It's clear our crew has lots of opinions, and can give well-articulated arguments to back up those opinions!  Topics ranged from ecology to animal needs to video gaming.

WW II Memorial in Belarus

This card reminded us that we weren't the only country who lost loved ones in a war:

Lots to Do in Finland!

This sender of this card wanted us to see how much there is to do in Winter in Finland:

Lots to Love From England

We really enjoyed this multiview card from London:

Gonna Give Ya' The Power

Expedition

Expedition this week held two very interesting, but very different, experiences for the students.  The first was a series of experiments that helped them learn basic energy concepts, especially how energy can be transferred from one form to another.  Parent helpers did a fantastic job of demonstrating concepts while students recorded observations and data in notebooks and tried parts of the experiments themselves. (A BIG THANKS to Emily Key, Janice Warriner, Aimee Kramer, Jason Lutton, and Rachel Cucarola.)

The second experience was observing a debate between high school teams. The fifth graders used "note-catchers" to write down their understandings of what debaters do to argue their side. The purpose of this fieldwork was to help students prepare for the debates we will hold next week. They will be arguing different perspectives on our society's use of natural resources for the energy we need.

Math

We studied two different areas this week.  First, we practiced gleaning data from tables and graphic displays and then drawing conclusions about the information.  Second, we reviewed and expanded our understanding of angles--how to measure and classify them.

Literacy

We continued working on similar skills as last week. In reading, we determined questions about a nonfiction topic before reading and then read with those questions in mind, using techniques such as scanning to find the sections most relevant to our questions. In writer's workshop, we worked on our editorials, of which we will produce final drafts before leaving on break next Friday.


Service Learning

We continued with the Colorado Blue Bird Project.  The ladies from the town of Castle Rock came out and guided us through the process of cleaning out the nest boxes so they are ready for use next spring.

Hike Friday, Oct 7th, 2011

Items for Daypack

Sack Lunch

Hat/cap

Sunglasses

Sunscreen

Extra layer (like sweatshirt)

Extra pair of socks

Emergency rain gear

Water bottle (32 oz)

Bug spray or lotion

Whistle

Tissue

Plastic bag for trash

Healthy snack

Adventure Ed notebook

Pen or pencil

Camera (optional)

Appropriate Attire

Students should wear layers appropriate for the forecasted weather and temperature, as well as for unexpected changes (at least have a sweatshirt and jacket).  Preferably, the jacket should be rainproof.  Shoes should have good tread and able to tie securely.  Tennis shoes should be adequate but hiking boots are recommended. 

Expected Weather for Friday, Oct 7th

The long-range forecast for Oct 7^th is 70 and partly cloudy.  Obviously the actual weather could differ substantially. The hike will go forward, barring severe conditions.

Climbing Week Nov 7-11; Belayers Needed!

Mr. Bill's crew's fall climbing week is Nov 7th - Nov 11th (we don't climb on Wed, the 9th).

See below for definitions and dates for belay training. Contact Mr. Bill for instructions on how to sign up to volunteer. 

Belaying is a great way to help the crew and also to enjoy watching your child take on new challenges!

Belay Training Defined:

Belay Test:  For very experienced parents.  There will be no instruction or reminders of the skills.  You simply come, demonstrate the skills necessary for belaying, read the policies and procedures, and sign a new wavier.  The belay test should only take five to ten minutes to complete.

Belay Refresh:  For experienced parents.  There will be a quick review of the skills needed to belay.  You will demonstrate the skills, read the policies and procedures, and sign a new wavier.  The belay refresh should take thirty minutes to an hour. 

Belay Training:  For any parent who has not been trained at Renaissance by Mr. Doug.  Skills will be taught, and practiced before you are asked to demonstrate the skills.  You then demonstrate the skills, read the policies and procedures, and sign the waiver.  The training will take sixty to ninety minutes.   

 

October 5th 2011:	October 24th 2011:	November 2nd 2011:
Test:  8:45-10:00 am.	Training:  1:30-3:00 pm	Training: 10:30-12:00 pm.
Refresh: 10:15-11:15 am.

Reminder on Some Important Dates

--Friday, October 7th is a school day in spite of what the DCSD website calendar shows.  The correct calendar for our school is visible through the REMS website.



--Our "Count" day is FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH.  For funding purposes, it is very important that students attend school on this day!  If you know your child will miss school that day for any reason, please do your best to have them attend the rest of the time during the window of September 23rd through October 7th.  If you know already that your child will not be able to attend school this entire window, please let me know as soon as possible.

Whose Fault Is It?

Expedition

This week in expedition, we wrapped up the "Hunka' Hunka' Burnin' Earth" case study by building models that simulate the movement of the Earth's crust at six points along the San Andreas Fault in California.  We learned that while the two tectonic plates meeting at the fault are slowly sliding past each other, the movement isn't uniform along the entire fault. At some places the movement is less and other places more. At the places where the movement is less, it's because friction and collision slows it down. This builds up tension that eventually gets released as an earthquake.

After doing our simulation, we plotted earthquake locations at several points on a world map.  We saw how scientists use earthquake locations as one type of evidence in support of the theory of plate tectonics. 

Math

We've wrapped up another unit.  We completed the unit two assessment which covers the use of addition/subtraction/multiplication algorithms, as well as estimating and the use of a single variable in simple equations.  We now turn our attention to the "American Tour" which integrates the use of statistical concepts with social studies topics.  Today we looked at the US census--comparing some data from the first census in 1790 and the one in 2000.

Reading

Our skill this week is inferring--the ability to "read between the lines" to determine what the author is saying without stating it literally.  This skill is also helpful in using surrounding text to figure out the
meanings of new words.  The text Mr. Bill used in his focus lessons was a lengthy non-fiction article about the Titanic.  There was so much interest in the article that several students wanted their own copies so they could finish it.

Writing

Students continue to hone their skill in writing persuasively.  We examined several mentor texts from a collection of brief essays by famous children's authors all talking about "green" topics.  Today we read a piece from John Scieszka called "Witches' Drawers."  Ask your child what witches' drawers are and why Mr. Scieszka feels so passionately about them.

A Very Beautiful Postcard from Italy

The sender wrote, "Best regards to all the class.  I live in Torino and I'm retired.  You can see the most beautiful square of Turin with the two churches of Santa Cristina and of San Carlo.  In the center stands the equestrian statue of Emmanuel Filiberto.  I wish all the class all the best, Renato."

Bach Lived and Worked in Kothen for Six Years

We learned this bit of trivia from our latest card from Germany.  This card took seven days to travel 5090 miles.

Crucial Attendance Day

Our "Count" day is FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH.  For funding purposes, it is very important that students attend school on this day!  If you know your child will miss school that day for any reason, please do your best to have them attend the rest of the time during the window of September 23rd through October 7th. 

If you know already that for some reason your child will not be able to attend school this entire window, please let me know as soon as possible.

19 Days and 6,821 Miles Later...

...this postcard arrived from China!

Algorithms, Persuasion, and Reformed Rocks

Expedition

After finishing our experiment with sedimentary rock, we looked at another type of rock this week--metamorphic.  In a matter of minutes we used modeling clay to recreate the process that forms metamorphic rock over thousands of years. Beforehand, we defined metamorphic (meta = change; morph = shape or form). We then discussed the rock cycle-- how the earth's primary materials move through the different rock types over and over again. 

Math

We are now in unit two.  We began with an estimating exercise and then defined the term "algorithm," which is a step-by-step process used to solve a particular type of problem.  We then reviewed and practiced different algorithms for addition and subtraction.  Ask your child what these algorithms are: partial sums, trade-first, and partial differences.

Reading

Our reading skill in focus this week was questioning.  We tracked the kinds of questions we ask in our heads as we read, the answers we are able to get for our questions, and the strategies we use to get the answers--such as rereading, reading ahead, looking to outside sources, inferring from the text, etc.

Writing

Our new unit of study is on editorials--the expression of an opinion to persuade people to take an action or change their thinking.  So far we've begun listing things we feel strongly about and examined one mentor text.  In writing, we also took time to reflect on our voyage experience for our portfolios.

Morning Meeting

We begin our days with morning meeting--a twenty minute time with greetings, activities, sharing, and announcements.  On Monday each week, we drum for our meeting. 

First Post Card from Europe

Our post cards are traveling greater distances to get to us.  This next one is from Austria:

The Second Post Card Was a Hit!

Hot Rocks and Blue Birds

This week, our crew got back in the swing of regular class time after last week's voyage.

Expedition


As we continue to look at the building blocks of earth, we're exploring how different kinds of rocks are formed.  This week we're looking at igneous rocks (formed by heat) and sedimentary (formed with sediments).  For igneous rocks, we performed an experiment to see how the rate at which rock cools affects the size of the mineral crystals in it. For sedimentary rocks, we performed an experiment to see how the weight and size of various sediments causes layering.

Math


On Monday, we took the unit one assessment on factoring and related skills.  On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to discuss the assessment and learn from our mistakes as we retried missed items. The next day we started our second unit, which focuses on computation skills such as estimating and applying addition/subtraction algorithms.  Be sure to ask your child for the family letter for unit two.

Reading


We are practicing non-fiction reading skills.  In particular, we are paying attention to the signals that go off in our heads when we've just come across new information that we can connect to knowledge we already have on a topic.  We also reviewed the various text features non-fiction uses to provide
information to the reader.

Writing


Students worked diligently to complete the final copies of their memoirs.  Each person chose one of the memories they wrote about in the last four weeks and used it as the basis for their final writing project in this genre study.  We used various revising strategies, such reading it out loud to yourself.  We also talked about ICE PUCCS (ask your child what this means).

Service Learning

We kicked off our service learning project for the year--our cooperation with the city of Castle Rock on the Colorado Bluebird Project.  This is a year-long project in which we'll construct boxes for bluebirds to nest in and then collect data on their nesting behaviors.  As we participate, we'll be increasing our knowledge in several areas, including weather, biology, and data organization.

Fall Voyage

Mr. Bill's crew has just finished three adventuresome days!  We learned new leadership and teamwork skills, deepened friendships, evicted ourselves from our comfort zones, found new strengths, helped each other through weaknesses, blazed a trail  (literally!), nursed wounds, and swapped battle stories around the campfire. Oh yeah, and we were ever vigilant for a sudden call of "TWIZZLE." (Ask your child.)  

Below are a few glimpses into our voyage.  We'll have a complete slide show on Friday, September 2nd at 11:30.  You're welcome to join us.  Information will follow on how you can obtain photos of your own child.

Our First Post Card Has Arrived

Our first post card has arrived!  The students won't find out until after we get back from our voyage, and then we'll draw to see who gets to read it and add it to our display.  The sender wrote a very nice message.

State capitol, city hall, and Elk St.

Squaring, Unsquaring, and Crystalizing

We're well into our second full week now: the foundation's been laid (or if you prefer the other metaphor, the rocket's trajectory has stabilized). Our crew is functioning well and learning a lot.

Expedition

We continued "Hunka' Hunka' Burnin' Earth" by beginning to explore the building blocks of the earth's crust, minerals and rocks.  We examined a variety of rock and mineral samples and looked for properties by which we can classify them. We then defined the difference between the terms "rock" and "mineral." As we did this, we talked about how minerals are formed with specific shapes called crystals.  After that, we grew crystals from a sodium chloride solution (salt water).  We'll discover in upcoming learning experiences why the particular shapes of crystals can be important in the way Earth's materials such as magma/lava behave.

Math

We continued our look at number theory concepts, deepening our understanding of prime and composite numbers, and learning what square numbers are (we defined these two ways: numbers based on arrays with an equal number of rows and columns--i.e., squares; numbers that are the product of a number multiplied by itself) We also looked at how we "unsquare" numbers (find their square roots).

Reader's Workshop

In our reader's workshop time we reviewed and  practiced two different comprehension skills: 1) making notes of our thinking (e.g., questions, connections, disagreements, etc.) as we read so we can discuss the text with others 2) using the text features of non-fiction text to aid our understanding of the text.

Writer's Workshop

We explored more mentor texts this week to learn about the characteristics of memoir writing.  We've now identified seventeen techniques that can be used in this genre.  Our mentor texts were from the book Boy by Roald Dahl--a great autobiography filled with richly entertaining vignettes from the writer's years growing up in the 1920's.

The Crew Goes Global!

I'm excited to tell you about a fun project the students and I will be doing this year.

I have signed us up to participate in an international postcard exchange.  We will send and receive postcards from all over the world and United States.

It is so fun to get glimpses into the lives and culture of people all over the world.  As we display our postcards and connect them to the world map, students develop geographical and cultural awareness.  As we take turns writing and reading the cards, students get practice writing for an authentic audience for an interesting reason.

Postcards are sent to my home address only, and all outgoing cards will be previewed to make sure that no personal information is given out.

May I ask for your support in this exciting endeavor?  International postage is 98 cents per card, and domestic is 29 cents.  Will you consider sending in stamps of any denomination to help cover the cost of postage? 

When your family goes somewhere that sells postcards (museums, national parks, downtown Denver etc.) will you consider buying a few to add to the class collection?  (Or maybe you already have a few at home from past travels.)  Any kind of postcard is welcome, as long as it is appropriate for kids. 

In the meantime, we eagerly await our first postcards.  I'll post pictures on the blog when they come, so all of you will get to enjoy this snail mail endeavor, as well.

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Earth

Expedition

We kicked off expedition this week with "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Earth" (the name of our first case study).  We started with a gallery walk.  This is where students take time to examine a wide variety of photos and other documents displayed around the room, recording their thoughts and questions as they do. This case study is part of our earth science expedition titled "Let's Get Down to Earth."

The Big Ideas of "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Earth" are:

1) The Earth's surface constantly changes through a variety of processes and forces

2) The constant changes to the Earth's surface have both dangers and benefits for humans.

Math

We are working in unit 1, which reviews basic whole number concepts and operations.  So far, we've looked at factors, products, prime and composite numbers, and divisibility.  Ask your child what the word "divisibility" means.

Just a reminder that your child should have given you the "Family Letter" for unit 1.

Reading

In reader's workshop, we've been reviewing basic comprehension skills.  The last three days, we've been discussing and practicing our ability to monitor what goes on inside our heads as we try to get meaning from the text we're reading.

One of our acronyms is WITM--a question we should be asking ourselves continually as we read:
What Is The Message of the text?

Writing

In writer's workshop, we've begun our look at memoirs. We're examining examples of this kind of writing to identify characteristics we want to put into our own memoirs.  These examples are called "mentor texts."  In independent writing time, students have been listing several memories they think would be good material for interesting and engaging memoirs.

Word Study

Students have been placed into groups based on their spelling developmental level.  One group will focus on patterns within words (like vowel blends), one group will work with words based on patterns of syllables and affixes, and one group will work with longer words that don't easily fit into patterns. In addition to the groups' specialized words, each week the class will have five words in common.  These words are part of a list of words that, when mastered, give students a handle on the majority of all English prefixes and suffixes.  

Edmodo

www.edmodo.com is an educational website that provides forums for classes to communicate electronically.  I opened a "group" for the class as a whole and one for each student.

The whole-class group is for classwork such as posting thoughts on articles, taking polls, etc. The individual accounts are intended for students to do reading responses and similar work in.

I thought we had adequate discussion on the expectations for using the site, but there were two problems that surfaced quickly:

1) Yesterday as I was busy working with individual students to set up their personal accounts, a few crewmembers posted mildly inappropriate comments to the whole-class board. They apparently forgot that whatever they post is visible to everyone, including me.  I addressed this problem with individuals and the class.

2) A few students have used the whole-class group after school hours for communicating socially with crewmates.  This is not the intent of Edmodo. It’s not meant to be a social network site or open chat room. 

If you see your child using Edmodo at home, please remind them it is only for tasks I have directed them to do.  Obviously, I will eventually find out if improper postings are made, but it will make things easier if there is parental intervention stopping misuse up front. 

Also, students should not be giving the group code out to anyone outside the crew except you.  Your child can show you how to log on to the whole-class board and their personal board.  I do ask that you do not post comments to the site—let the site belong to the students.  Rather, email me if you have any comments or questions related to the content of the board.

...5...4...We Have Ignition...3...2...1...Blast Off...

The rocket ship "Mr. Bill's Crew 2011-12"  has been launched.  We're on a lightning-fast trajectory toward academic and character growth!


Okay, a bit of a hokey metaphor, but it does capture the excitement of a new school year.  As a crew we are eagerly anticipating what we'll learn and become while the calendar hurdles on to June 2012.

To switch metaphors, the focus of our first two days together has been building a foundation.  We have done some work in each content area (math, reading, writing, etc), but our primary goal has been to learn the procedures and expectations that will allow the crew to be successful this year.  As a part of this, students have been learning that Mr. Bill likes acronyms to help remember important ideas. (for example, ask your child if he or she remembers what TIOSAAT means (Take It One Step At A Time)).  One of the main things we reviewed is the "Big 3" guidelines for student behavior at Renaissance:


1) You may engage in any behavior that does not create a problem for yourself or anyone else in the world.


2) If you find yourself with a problem, you solve it by any means that does not cause a problem for anyone else in the world.


3) You may engage in any behavior that does not jeopardize the safety or learning of yourself or others. Unkind words and actions will not be tolerated.