Sasha and Isaiah

Inspired by Storycorps, pairs of students were selected at random to interview each other. We learned so much more than we ever expected.

Click the player below to listen.

Kickball!

Sharks, by Isaiah

All About Sharks

By: Isaiah

         There are many cool features on the sharks body. Sharks are marine animal that have cartilaginous skeletons with gill slits on head-side. The smallest shark in the shark family is 17 cm[6.7inches] long. The largest shark in the species is 12 meters[39 feet]. sharks have a great sense of smell. the shark’s teeth are affixed into the gums instead of connected to the jaws.

         Sharks can swim deep into the water. Sharks can dive 2,000 meters [6,600 feet] into the water. The shortfin mako shark is the fastest swimmer, up to 50 k\mh. Most  female sharks’ eggs hatch in the female’s body before the baby sharks come out.

         Sharks eat a lot of crustaceans. Sharks and eat small things like : squid,plankton,and other small fish. Tiger shark can chomp anything that comes at it. Sharks have pointed lower teeth because when the shark wants to eat small fish,squids,or plankton they crush it up and eat it.

         Sharks don’t live in freshwater that often. River sharks and Bull sharks can be found in freshwater. Sharks can dive up to 3,000 meters [10,000 feet]. Some sharks can go more than that up to 3,700 meters [12,100feet].

         People kill sharks for some reason. People cut sharks’ fins off. They leave the shark there suffering. People make their into soup.

  

Creative Arrays

From vampires and zombies, to hearts and musical instruments, one of the math groups created artistic arrays on Friday.

"Hey Mr. Brooks, I found the perfect green for rotting flesh!"

-Mack

Naturally, Isaiah chose a musical theme.

Week 6 Wrap-Up

Thanks to everyone who shared their rock collections during science last week. Next we move on to soils and fossils. 

In math we'll continue rounding and estimation.  These photos show partners practicing with addition crossword puzzles.

The students are working on strategies to develop comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary during reading workshop. The Daily CAFE, developed by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, is an individualized approach to literacy.  To view the "menu," and strategies, click here

In writing, the class is drafting their narratives.  Enjoy the weekend!

2012 Fall Harvest

One of the highlights this week was harvesting banana peppers and okra (plus a few weeds). Seonni and others discovered a handful of wiggly neighbors living in the soil, while Atticus and Lena befriended some pollinators. Later that afternoon, volunteers forked (turned over the soil) the beds, then added compost. Next week we'll enjoy the mild peppers during snack. What would you like to plant next?

Week 3 Wrap-Up

One weekly highlight is Friday morning's spelling spinner game, following the test.  A random student's name is chosen from "the sticks."  Next, they tap the board and then the virtual needle spins and falls on "describe" (the least favorite), "sculpt," "act," or "draw."  Strangely, this week it landed on "describe" most often.  

While the class determines which word is being communicated, they're encouraged to use open-ended instructional conversation stems such as, "How can you explain why the word is…?"  Click here to see more examples.

In the video above, Sasha's illustration isn't even close to completion, when Penny's hand shoots into the air.  Using the process of elimination, and her knowledge of Sasha's interests and personality, she narrows the choices down to ones that can include an illustration of a person doing something, and which ones Sasha prefers.

With almost a month behind us, the year's off to a wonderful start.  Congratulations to everyone who went to lunch bunch every Friday in August for completing all homework assignments!  They will get to choose a Cubbeecraft, or Desktop Gremlin to create on Tuesday.

Desktop Gremlins offers free paper sculptures built without glue, tape, or knives.  Each character has a unique story, and there is even one for Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet graphic novel.

Print them on 8.5 x 11 photo paper, cut out the pieces, then put it together.  Click the images above, or right here to get started.

Cubeecraft offers foldable figurines from popular movies, games, and TV shows.  The cuts are more challenging than Desktop Gremlins, and require parents' help.  Click the figures below, or right here to see more free, downloadable characters.

Thanks to everyone who brought box tops in last week.  The money buys supplies for the school gardens, so keep them coming!