We have 3 things to consider and look for today and we explore some of the links on the right hand side of this blog:

1. What parts are necessary to a student blog?
2. What catches my eye? What distracts me?
3. What will my blog need on it?

G4’s, write your findings in the comments of this post.

This blog used to be a classroom blog for 5th Grade students in Room 231.  I’m not in the classroom this year - my role has changed.  This year I’m the Elementary School Technology & Learning Coach.  Instead of working with only 5th Graders, I get to work with PreK students right through to 5th Grade, which is really cool!

The 5th Graders who are in the real classroom Rm 231 are hosting their classroom blog under their teacher’s name Mr Lam.

I’m still deciding what to do with this blog.  We had quite a number of readers last year and it would be a shame to let this blog go.  One idea is to keep it running as a sample classroom blog for the teachers who are new to ISB and blogging with a classroom blog, or to keep it as a training blog for PD Sessions that are run throughout the year.

What do you think?

It’s very clever and it’s all about saving the environment!

Check it out by clicking on the link below and have a play.  How well can you play it?

Click here to play

Only 5.5 days of Elementary school to go!

Mrs Kelsey from the Main Library has posted the Middle School Summer Reading information.  You will find it here.

Library check-out for the summer starts Monday, May 31st!

PLEASE pretty please check your bedrooms, under your beds, in your bookshelves, in your lounges, everywhere and anywhere at home to see if you have any of these missing titles again.  Bring them back to school as soon as possible please!  No questions asked!  Ms H’s own personal copy of Percy Jackson’s Sea of Monsters is still missing  - I’d really, really like it back.

LIBRARY BOOKS

Due: 1/25/2010

“Oceans” (from our Non-Fiction Study in January!)

Due: 2/23/2010

“Nothing beats a pizza”  (from our Poetry Unit in February!)

ES BOOKROOM BOOKS
(have a white sticker on the front saying ES Bookroom)

Due: 1/27/2010

“Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret / Level T”

Due: 1/29/2010

“Junie B. Jones and her big fat mouth : Level M”

Due: 3/18/2010

“Wringer / Level U”

Due: 9/23/2009

“Henry and Ribsy / Level O”

Due: 9/23/2009

“Amber Brown goes fourth : Level N”

Due: 9/23/2009

“What would Joey do? : Level T”

Due: 1/27/2010

“The Paint Brush Kid : Level M”

Due: 9/23/2009

“Edward’s eyes : Level S”

Due: 1/27/2010

“Ivy + Bean : Level M

Due: 9/23/2009

“How I survived middle school collection : Level S Volume 1″

Due: 3/18/2010

“Almost late to school : and more school poems /Level O”

Due: 3/18/2010

“A year down yonder : Level V” (2 copies)

Due: 3/2/2010

“Julie : Level U”

Due: 4/8/2010

“Amber Brown sees red : Level O”

A note from the Learning Hub:
There is no more checking out of books from the hub.  Inventory of all the books is about to begin.  We need all outstanding library books back to the hub by Friday May 27th please.

Checking out of books (for summer reading) will start again on May 31st. 

attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommy-ironic/61969725

Hey there Room 231’s!

Due to the uncertainty of the situation in Bangkok, we are closed today.  Try to stick to some sort of routine (I know it’s hard - being a day off, but it’s good for you!)

Below is a suggested routine for you to follow plus I’d like you to create an entry on YOUR blog (not a comment on this post) about what you did.  I’ve listed some suggestions for what you could do - but I’m also interested in what you can come up with as well - remember what we’re studying in class at the moment in all of the subject areas.

8.00 - 8.45am: Art or Music
If you play an instrument, practise a piece - can you record yourself playing?  Use your iPhone or iTouch - iTalk is a free app that can record using this equipment, or set your camera up if it has recording capabilities with sound! If you don’t play an instrument - create a piece of artwork - create something from an artist that you have studied this year in Art.
8.45 - 9.30am: PE
Go for a walk on Mum’s treadmill, or swim as many lengths of your pool as you can - try different strokes.  Try some yoga!  Drag out the wii fit (if you have it!) Dance to your favourite music for 20 minutes.  Any kind of exercise is acceptable - just get moving!
9.30 - 10.15am: Math
See our class wiki for sites created especially for interactive math - there’s a tonne of links on the Learning Links page under math.  See if you can find some decimal sites especially for practising decimals.  (Leave a comment on this post with the link if you find a really good one!)
10.15 - 10.45am: Recess
Yes, take a break, go outside, eat something!
10.45 - 11.30am: Writing
You have your Thesis Statement homework with you - spend the next 30-45 minutes working on your supporting evidence.  (You know, the examples from the text - you have your folder, you have your first draft - use it to help you)
11.30 - 12.00pm: Lunch
I don’t need to tell you what to do here do I?
12.00 - 12.30pm: Reading
Find a quiet place, grab some pillows or cushions, curl up and silent read for 30 minutes - you can read longer if you want to, I don’t mind!)
12.30 - 1.15pm: Science
Now here’s where you can really be creative - design an experiment - make a hypothesis - carry out the experiment (don’t forget to document what you did - all of it from start to finish, take pictures if you can) OR maybe you could find some information on other significant landforms that we haven’t looked at in class (so not the Grand Canyon or Mt. Shasta).  Make a little presentation to share on your blog.  Use powerpoint, or iMovie, or Photostory3 or photopeach - these are all easy to use and free and you should be able to access at least one of these programs regardless of what platform (mac or PC) your computer is.
1:15 - 2.00pm: Spanish / Thai / EAP
Practise speaking in your world language.  Can you record this?  Maybe you might like to create a little tutorial for someone who is just learning to speak spanish or thai.  If you are an EAP student - click on the grammar links on our classroom wiki (found on Learning Links) - practice your English!

Hopefully, we will be open again on Friday and we can enjoy some of Zenya’s birthday cake!  Take care everyone - be safe!

Below is an extract from the article. (click this link for the full article) It is very informative, has simple but very effective tips for parents and it’s well worth taking the time to read the entire article.

Who are your kids friending on Facebook? What are they really texting to their classmates? How much online time is too much?

Too often, parents who are misinformed about the social web (willfully or otherwise) will shut their kids out of it completely, only to find they are logging in anyway. If you’re not taking an active role in your child’s online life, you may be missing important opportunities to ensure they are on the path toward “digital citizenship,” and protected from inappropriate content and people.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/4446157327

As the end of the school year draws to a close, this might be a helpful read for both you and your parents.

Middle school means lots of changes in the lives of kids, and some worry about making the move. What do they worry about?

“I’m afraid there’s much more work and much more homework.”

“There are classes in different places, and we may not have enough time in between to get there.”

“I worry about getting my locker open.”

“I hate changing clothes for gym with other kids watching.”

“How am I going to keep the assignments from different teachers straight?”

As children progress through different grades in school they face different challenges. Educators and mental health professionals agree that there are certain critical transition points which can be particularly stressful and require special support and understanding. The move to middle school comes at a time when kids have to deal with lots of other changes.

Social changes: Almost everything about the school day changes, including the social climate. Newly entering students may be separated from their friends and may not be prepared to deal with pressures coming from older students. Peer acceptance becomes critical at this age, and they have to start over in a less-structured environment with new people. In addition, the classroom climate changes from the supportive setting of a single classroom with a single teacher to a less intimate classroom atmosphere. Students rotate through classes with a number of teachers who have different teaching styles and expectations.

Academic changes: Class work is harder, homework demands may increase, and assignments are more varied. Grading standards and procedures are different. Students need to stay organized, manage time well and function more independently, perhaps maintaining a daily or weekly planner for the first time. They have to manage daily assignments while planning for long term assignments. The exposure to diverse content means they have to integrate information from one content area to another, such as reading a book for language arts that may affect a topic in social studies.

Physical changes: In addition to the social and academic adjustments necessary during the middle school years, most kids also experience the onset of puberty, which requires adjustments in their perception and understanding of the changes in their bodies. They may become more self-conscious and sensitive, and experience intense emotions and mood swings at this time.

How parents can help

The transition to middle school may be rocky for both parents and kids, and families should be sure to continue to be involved in their children’s progress. Middle school students are not yet ready for teenage independence, and they need their parents to help them with this transition.

To help familiarize your child with the new procedures, you may want visit the school together to map out his or her classrooms, practice using the combination lock, or talk to a staff member about the rules.

Keep hands off assignments; instead, act as a guide or resource for children. Discuss possible ways to do the assignment, but don’t actually do the work.

Since there is usually less teacher-initiated contact with parents in middle school, make it a point to meet your child’s homeroom teacher or academic advisor at the beginning of the year.

Network with other parents and consider being a classroom volunteer or PTA member. Hearing that other children are having the same problems, or how someone in the past resolved a similar issue, can help put problems in perspective.

If homework keeps the child up well past the usual bedtime, despite the fact that the child is putting forth his or her best effort, discuss the issue with the teachers involved. The aim of both parents and teachers should be to prevent parent/child homework conflict and to help the child avoid feeling incompetent.

If your child experiences social, academic or homework difficulties, include the child and teacher in open discussions about the specifics of the problem and in developing solutions.

attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommy-ironic/61969725

I know it’s very disappointing that our school is closed again and that some of you will be missing out on taking part in the Songkran Ceremony.  I was looking forward to watching you perform it too.  We must keep everyone safe though - so I hope those of you that live downtown are keeping safe and well.

Some of you have been keeping up-to-date with the class blog.  Those of you who haven’t, there’s still a chance to earn “Hellyer Bucks”.  Read this post on how. Don’t forget to leave a comment in this post or yesterday’s post.

Here are some things that you can do today:

#  Read a book (at least 90 minutes - ‘cos that’s 45 minutes of normal class reading + usual homework)

#  Log onto Math Investigations (click here if you’ve forgotten how to log in or check the wiki (learning links) for the link.  Logopath is in the Student Resources

• Use LogoPaths Free Explore to build different types of hexagons.  Record the steps in a blog post on YOUR own blog - not in the comments below please.
• Draw polygons without using degrees that end in 0 or 5.  Don’t forget to record the steps and write a blog post on your own blog about how you did this - What did you have to think about?  How did you work it out?
• Use Polygon Pairs (not Free Explore) Draw 3 pairs of polygons.  Are the polygons in each pair similar or not similar?  Explain how you know.  Be sure to include the tools you used (Label Turns, Label Lengths, Overlay commands) to help you decide.
  Take a screen shot (apple, shift 4 - on a mac / how to take screenshot on a PC) upload the screenshot to our flickr account and then use it in a blog post on your own blog please. Don’t forget to include the answers to the questions about whether they are similar or not similar.

#  Your Realistic Fiction story does need to be finished completely.  You”ll have a whole week to publish your story on your blog.  Please remember that this is a published copy - you need to double check your spelling and your grammar.
If your story is at school - then you will need to finish it for homework during the first week back at school.  If you have your flash drive with you, you can work on your story, and get it up on your blog - it can remain in draft form if you are not happy with your story and want to work on it some more.
(Do not copy and paste straight from Word - remember the blog does not like the code inside Word - copy and paste into text edit and then copy and paste from text edit to your blog)

#  If you’re looking for other things to do ….. check out our learning links on the classwiki - there’s a tonne of math, spelling, grammar and reading links for you to enjoy!

Happy Songkran everyone - enjoy your week off - be safe and take care.

Ms H