Hour of Code, extra credit, winter break project

This week the class participated in the Hour of Code which a global initiative to interest students in computer science and related careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). There were some technical difficulties at first owing to the fact that we were trying to share the Hour of Code website with millions of other people at the time. We did eventually get coding, and I think it was a good experience for the students. They learned the basic concepts of computer programming, namely the need for accurate, detailed directions given in a logically thought out sequence.

In case you did not see the note, I am offering an extra credit math grade for any student that does another coding tutorial on their own. To earn the extra credit, students must complete and of the tutorials found  at code.org and write a paragraph describing the experience, and telling how the skills needed for successful computer coding apply to their other school work. This is due by Monday the 15th.

Over the coming winter break, the students will have an assignment to complete. It will be a book report of sorts, the directions for which will be posted in the links next week. Student will need to read a chapter book, write a report, and design a book cover. This directions will go home on the 17th and the project will be due January 12th. To encourage the students to complete the project over the break, there will be an ice cream reward for those who turn the assignment in on January 6th. This assignment will count as a project grade. It should be considered a warm up for GT Expo #2, coming in early February.

If you do not follow the class on Twitter, I encourage you again to do so. It is a great way to keep up with what we are doing in class day to day. Follow us on Twitter here.

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for a great first half of the year! I hope everyone enjoys some time with family.

Updates as we head into December

As I am sure you know, this is a short week. However, we will be working, so please be sure your child is at school both days.

Speaking of this week, there is no homework this week, nor is there a spelling test. The students will be expected to keep a reading log which will be due December 1st.

Going forward in reading in reading, we will be finishing up with reading procedural texts and finish the quarter with a unit on folk tales. In math, we will spend the next week and a half on comparing fractions and representing equivalent fractions. Natural resources will be our next topic in science after we complete our work on energy. The next 3 weeks in social studies will cover government and economy.

I have some room in my Monday after school tutorial if you are interested in your child staying. The tutorial time is used for extra practice and extension of skills. Tutorials occur Monday after school and last until 4:15. Let me know if you are interested.

The week of December 8th, the class will be participating in the Hour of Code as part of Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code aims to introduce students to computer programming in order to raise interest in STEM careers. No prior experience is necessary and it should be a good experience. This past week, the class practiced some "unplugged" coding. Using symbols, they wrote directions, "code", for creating an image on grid paper.

The Best GT Expo Ever!

Thank you so much to the parents and classes that came to see our GT Expo projects on Friday. I am so proud of the class and all of their hard work. Below you will find some pictures and here you will find the song "I Am a Paleontologist", originally by They Might Be Giants, that we sang.

Something to share

One of our class parents asked he to share this flyer with everyone.

I apologise for the image being sideways. The technology is fighting back.

GT Expo Number One Approaches!

Perhaps you noticed that your child was more covered with chalk dust when they got home today than usual. This is why. Today we measured the life size lengths of the dinosaurs we've been researching for GT Expo. As you can see, there was a great deal of crawling on the ground.

The Expo is next Friday, November 7th. I hope you will be able to attend. The students have worked hard and are eager to share their learning. There will also be a musical number that you won't want to miss. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Wednesday Early Dismissal

I still have a bit of time left for conferences Wednesday afternoon if you would like to meet to discuss your child's progress. Let me know if you are interested.

Upcoming

I hope everyone will be able to make it out to Open House and the PTA meeting tomorrow night, 10/23. This will be less formal than the orientation we had in September. There is not presentation, just drop in, check out your child's work, and see what we have been up to.

Next week we have early dismissal on Wednesday. School will end at 12:45. However, we will be working, so please make sure your child is at school.

The 31st of October is Sinclair's annual Book Character Day, not to be confused with Halloween. Students may dress as a character from their favorite book, but they must have a copy of the book with them. Also, this is not one of the designated party days, so, sadly, there will be no party.

Beginning next week, there will be a new homework schedule and set of spelling lists. There are some changes that I would like to make you aware of. For starters, the format of the spelling assessments will change, as will the words tested. In an effort to improve each child's word study skills, half of the tested words will not be on the spelling list that is posted. We will study the list words and the particular pattern they follow. Through the week, we will add to a class list as words that follow the pattern or rule are studied or discovered. The non-list words that are tested will come from this class word list, so they will not be totally unfamiliar. The Friday assessments will continue to have the passage with multiple choice questions. Added to this will be 10 more words selected from the list complied during the week. All of this means there will be a change in the homework as well. Next Monday, I will have the class set up a page in their homework journals where they are to collect the spelling words we work on in class. The homework schedule will also indicate that they should add 3 words of their own that follow the pattern for the week to share the next day in class.

Another addition to the homework schedule will be the addition of the "Book Talk" assignment. More information will be forthcoming, but what it means is that each student, twice per nine weeks, will be expected to give an endorsement of a book they have recently read independently and enjoyed. Essentially they will be giving a short commercial for a book. More on this next week.

If you are not already following the class on Twitter, I encourage you to do so. I update that a bit more regularly than I do this blog. It is quicker to post photos of our activities.

I hope to see everyone tomorrow night.