The Cloud Connection
April 20, 2015
A huge thank you for your support during our testing! The snacks were incredible, students felt very supported and were certainly well fed! Everyone was here on time and we all completed the tests despite a few glitches. You should receive results next fall concerning the testing. Now we can continue to focus on learning and experiencing as much as we can for the remainder of the year!
Reading: We're reading, Fever, 1793 about the Yellow Fever epidemic in America. This is historical fiction, and a very compelling story. We visited a coffeehouse on Fri. and learned bit more about this time in history. We'll discuss this book as we read it together. Students will be writing about their thinking in relationship to the story.
Language: We are going to focus on establishing a publishing co. and write our own books. This will take us about three weeks to complete and students will be at various stages throughout our project, but the lessons learned will be valuable and students will love their finished project. We'll have vocab. this week. Our words are: aero, naut, hydr,hydro, and cosmo. Analogies are due Fri.
Math: This week we'll go back to fractions and review the steps in adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, multiplying fractions, changing improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa. Wed. we'll have a test covering all of these skills.
Social Studies: Students are working in small groups to cover the topics of U.S. history from the 1700's to the Great Depression. Students will create a final project with their group that will include documents/visuals/and a presentation to explain the period in history that appeals to them. These will be due May 5. Students should be able to complete them in class unless they aren't using their time effectively.
Reading logs are due on Monday, April 27.
Students are working hard toward our Healthy Futures "get active" initiative. It runs through April. Please help your child by recording their active minutes on their sheet. Students need to turn in their Healthy Futures sheet the last day of April.
Our final book report is due May 7th and we'll share them with the rest of the class May 8th. Students will be choosing a book at their level to read and report on. Their report will be done on a cereal box so please save one for them. If they need one let me know asap so I can collect some extras. I sent the detailed directions and templates home several weeks ago so students know what the expectations are.
Many thanks to our drivers on Friday. The trip to Islands and Ocean was one of their best yet. Students were able to work with an interactive topographic map and learned about salmon migration and healthy streams.
T shirts and sweatshirts with our new design are available Tuesdays before school for $15-$30/$35.
Students wanting to dress like a "twin" on Friday who don't have a partner are welcome to don our "class" twin outfit. We'll discuss what that will be on Mon. so as many students who want to participate can.
Please send your child to school with proper winter/spring attire so they are warm and dry when they go outside for recess! The weather has been a bit suspect lately.
Spring Pictures
Thursday, Apr 23, 2015, 01:00 PM
West Homer Elementary School, Soundview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
Twin Day
Friday, Apr 24, 2015, 08:30 AM
West Homer Elementary School, Soundview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
Safe and Healthy Kids Fair
Saturday, Apr 25, 2015, 10:00 AM
Homer High School, East Fairview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
First Friday Writer's Fair
Friday, May 1, 2015, 09:00 AM
West Homer Elementary School, Soundview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
Drums Alive
Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 06:30 PM
Homer High School, East Fairview Avenue, Homer, AK, United States
Cereal Box Book Report Information
Cereal Box Report
This week students will select a teacher-approved realistic fiction chapter book from the library. Over the next few weeks, students will read their self-selected book and create a cereal book report at home. Students will decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information related to the book they read using the directions below.
Front of Box: Use apiece of white or light colored paper to cover the front of your cereal box. (You will probably want to create the cover before gluing it on our box.) Include the name of the cereal and a picture. Invent a name for the cereal that is related to the title of the book and sounds like a cereal. Do not use the exact title of the book. You may want to look at the attached page of real cereal boxes to get some ideas. Choose a shape for the cereal as well as colors and ingredients that all relate to the book. For example, for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, you might invent a cereal called Wizard Wands, a toasted oat cereal I the shape of miniature lightning bolts.
Right Side of Box: Make a list of ingredients that includes the story elements Character and Setting. Under the heading “Ingredients,” list the main characters and write a sentence about each one. Then describe the setting. You can use the template on the attached sheet or cover the side with white or light colored paper and do it in our own way. Just make sure you include the main characters and the setting.
Left Side of Box: Write a summary that describes the main problem and the solution of the book. Try to use words that will “grab” readers’ attention and make them want to buy your cereal. You can use the attached template or do this your own way.
Back of Box: Design a game that is based on the story. It can be a puzzle, a word search, a word scramble, a maze, a crossword puzzle, a hidden pictures illustration, or any other fun activity that might be found on the back of a cereal box. Make sure it includes information from the book.
Top of Box: Include the title, author, number of pages, and number of stars you would give this book if you were a book critic. The maximum number of stars would be 5. You can use the template or create the top of the box yourself as long as you include all of the things listed above.
Prize: Cereal boxes often include a prize. Your prize must be something the main character could have used in the book or something that reminds you of the main character. You can even include a picture of the prize on the front of your box to let the reader know what is inside the box.
YOUR CEREALBOX BOOK REPORT IS DUE AT SCHOOL ON THURSDAY MAY 7TH.