Language+Arts

We are now learning about Native Americans in Language Arts as well! Now that the multicultural book project is finished, we have started a new book called, __I Am Regina__ by Sally Keehn. It is wonderfully written and is RICH in historical content. Most students have enjoyed reading the first few chapters. They have also been meeting in their Book Club groups to discuss what they are reading. Although many are eager to forge ahead and read to their heart's content, we are on a more structured schedule this time around. As Kaycie M. says, "So we are all on the same page...literally."
 * October 30, 2010**

Students have also started on a new writing piece chosen from several quick writes they have written since the beginning of the school year. Many are interested in writing fantasy stories; some with talking food, others with characters that can read minds. I continue to be impressed by everyone's creativity and willingness to share their ideas with others.

Students have also made their own account on Shelfari, where everyone has their own interactive bookshelf. One student has almost 100 books on her shelf! Can you guess who it is? We also have discussion questions on our Shelfari group account, which are now student-led and the critical thinking is wonderful! Discussion questions have been centered on The Breadwinner, but will soon turn to I Am Regina. It is great to see how excited kids are about reading!

Lastly, 5-15 had their first visit with their buddy class, P4. Each student had a buddy, many having two! We played a quick icebreaker with the preschoolers and then the 5th graders read to their buddy. Many buddies brought in a favorite book from home to share with our class. Although many were nervous to be the "teacher" to their buddy, everyone did a great job. We will meet with our buddy class again in two weeks!


 * OCTOBER 8, 2010**

Another week gone by. I have no idea where all the time goes, but we are only one week away from the Living Museum due date. Students worked hard this week on their backdrop and they are really coming together. All monologues, costumes, and settings need to be finished by Monday, October 18th, but students will not be performing until a later date, possibly the end of the week. I will post the presentation date this weekend and also tell both classes on Monday. If any parents want to watch the presentations, feel free to join us!

The students are also putting their finishing touches on their pen pal letters and I will get them on their way to Massachusetts next week. Hopefully we can schedule Skype conversations with them as well!

We have also received a few more postcards from our Postcard Exchange. We heard from Alaska, Alabama, and Massachusetts. Ask your child what interesting facts they learned!

Lastly, the students viewed and made comments on pictures that other participating Coast to Coast Chronicle classes posted on our Voice Thread. It was so interesting to see the different pictures each class chose to present and many students found it interesting to hear the different accents that people have in our own country. Both classes made comments on different national parks around the U.S, Tuskegee airmen, the birthplace of NASA, beaches on the East Coast, Hoover Dam, and many many more. As mentioned before, this will all be shown on our Coast to Coast Chronicle Wiki next week!

September Scholastic book orders also came in today, which created a lot of excitement around the classroom. Thank you students for being so patient in receiving them! THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the families who donated books to add to our class library. I really appreciate all the support and both classes were so happy to receive them! We already have a few recommendations on what to read (Elephant Run, The Egypt Game).


 * OCTOBER 2, 2010 **

This week was another busy week! Everyone has been putting the finishing touches on their Our Heritage pieces and monologues for the Living Museum. They participated in peer editing this week. The comments and suggestions going around the classroom were great. The monologues have also sparked interest in the books that everyone read. I must say that I am __dumbfounded__ by the writing abilities of both 5th grade classes. I am very anxious to get these stories out and hear what everyone else thinks!

The students have also added comments on their Voice Thread photos and have already received comments from some participating schools across America. I received a personal email from a teacher in Alabama saying how much she loved our photos and voice comments. We should be hearing more from others soon! This voice thread will be featured on the Coast to Coast Chronicles wiki later in the month, including their Our Heritage Digital Storybook for everyone to view.

The students were also thrilled to learn that they will be having pen pals in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and they were even more excited to hear that they will be meeting them on our East Coast trip! There are 42 students (2 classes), which means some were happy to volunteer to have 2 or even 3 pen pals. We will start to write letters this week!

Scholastic Book Orders this month are due October 4. Many of the students are anxious to receive the newest book by Rick Riordan and if all orders are in on October 4, we can receive this book on the release date, October 13!


 * SEPTEMBER 24, 2010 **

Both classes have been working hard on their Our Heritage writing piece that will be published in the Coast to Coast Chronicles on October 15. All students are writing about the life of their grandparents or great grandparents or creating a historical fiction based on the life their ancestors lived after moving to Hawaii. These stories will be featured on a digital storybook using a program called Story Jumper. Each student will have his/her own page dedicated to their story.

The Coast to Coast Chronicle homepage will also feature a collaborative Voice Thread made by ALL participating schools. Each school has to provide 5 pictures of famous places in their state and make comments on each picture. Thank you to all parents who took their children to take pictures or helped to provide pictures for the students to share. Since I received so many pictures of Diamond Head, I will make a collage of all the pictures and make it into one. Both classes took a vote on the other 4 pictures they wanted to include in the Voice Thread. I have included them below.





We are also busy with our Living Museum project. This week each student had to create a first draft of their monologue and create a draft of their backdrop. I am so excited to see the final product!

During Read Aloud, we have just finished Chapter 4 (5-15) and part of Chapter 3 (5-14) of Breadwinner. Ask your child what has happened so far!

