Edublogs

From now on, I will be updating our class blog at Edublogs.org

You can visit our class blog here and also find links to each students' individual blogs as well.

Thanks for following us on here. There may be the option to come back to Blogger, but not at the moment.

Watch this space.

Make a Prediction

In the next section, Jamie's class from school comes to the museum for a visit. Predict whether Jamie will remain with Claudia or whether he will decide to join his class and return home.

From the Mixed-up Files...

How do you know that the unveiling of the small statue was an important event?

From the Mixed-up Files...

Why did Jamie choose to visit the Italian Renaissance? How did that change the children's focus?

From the Mixed Up Files...

If you were these children, would you be ready to go home by now? Why or why not? What, if anything, is not clear to you in the story?

New Pictures from The Lightning Thief

This is news that was taken from Rick Riordan's Blog.



Disney/Hyperion Books, the publisher and distributor of the Percy Jackson series, will be releasing a deluxe limited edition the first book, The Lightning Thief, in hardcover. It comes in a fancy slipcover, you can see it above, and new artwork by John Rocco. If you want to pre-order this book from Amazon, click here. It will be available on December 22nd.

Here is one of those new artworks included in the book. Can you guess what scene of the book this is from? What story clues and schema are you using to make that judgement?

If you want a closer look, click on the image!

The 39 Clues: Agent Cards

Here is a list of agent card codes for our class. You can enter these in the "My Cards" section. The front side of the cards are custom-made by each agent and the back of each card describes their achievements in the 39 Clues.

Add these to your collection!

P244GM6WXP (Mr. A)
P23TWMWJXP (Ben)
P23PPP34XP (Bryce)
P23J32N9XP (Soraya)

P276t3GXXP (Jenna)

Dogo News

DOGO News is a new website that features news for kids - fun articles for kids on current events, science, sports, and more!

You can check it out here: http://www.dogonews.com/

The 39 Clues Web Chat Link

Here is a link to the 39 Clues live webchat for November 2, 2009.

Click Here.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Here are some movie posters that I found for "The LIghtning Thief" movie. It's coming out in February - a little over four months away!

I got most of these images from this website.

1st Quarter Wordles

Here are the Wordles our class made on Wordle.net!

For each subject, our class wrote down their favorite things associated with that class. These look great! We'll be posting them outside our classroom for parent teacher conferences.

You can click on them to make them bigger!

You can made your own Wordle by clicking here.

Math Illuminations Games

Illuminations is a website by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. They have many great online activities that address many math topics. Here are a few that I found to be pretty fun.

Factorize
With this activity, you can visually explore the concept of factors by creating rectangular arrays with an area equal to the product of the factors.

The Product Game
The Product Game is a fun, interactive game that exercises your skill with factors and multiples.

Primary Krypto Game
The rules of Krypto are simple: Combine five number cards using the four arithmetic operations (+, –, ×, ÷) to arrive at a "target" number. This online version of Primary Krypto uses the numbers 1–10 only.

Concentration
Play by yourself or against a friend to form pairs. Match numbers, shapes, fractions, or multiplication facts to equivalent representations. The game can be used to practice facts by using the clear pane mode, or for an added challenge, play the game with the windows closed.

Equivalent Fractions
Create equivalent fractions by dividing and shading squares or circles, and match each fractions to its location on the number line. This is a great activity to practice seeing equivalent fractions.

Math Game Websites

Here is a collection of links to various websites that feature math games. Most of these websites are designed for students, but remember to be responsible when using the internet.

Calculation Nation
Sign up for fun at Calculation Nation! Free registration gets you access to the beta version of this online gaming site from Illuminations. Challenge others in math strategy games, and see how you rank. Or, play as a guest and test out your math skills against the computer.

Count On
This site is sponsored by the National Grid for Learning and has a lot of activities. Click on the Explorer button to find several applets as well as a Math Dictionary.

1st Quarter Wall Wisher Links

Take some time and visit each one of these walls. Write on them a few sentences about your thoughts on that subject. Include your favorite things you did, connections you can make, or stuff you have learned.

We will turn these walls into posters and share them with our class.

Math Wall
Reading Wall
Writing Wall
Science Wall
Social Studies Wall

Wall Wisher Links - 10/8

Wall wisher links for today's "Proud to be Me" presentations.

Wall for Kayla
Wall for Rachel
Wall for Ashlynn
Wall for Soraya
Wall for Jack
Wall for Mason
Wall for Cameron
Wall for Gabby

Examples of 'The Lightning Thief' Book Reviews

I found some examples of book reviews on 'The Lightning Thief' at Scholastic.com. All of these reviews are written by other students! Check them out if you need ideas.

Vanessa's Review - 6th Grade
Lauren's Review - 4th Grade
Mason's Review - 7th Grade
Matt's Review - 6th Grade
Sydney's Review - 6th Grade
Read more student reviews...

Wall Wisher Links - 10/7

These are the links for our "All About Me" presentations today.

Wall for Preston
Wall for Makia
Wall for Jordan
Wall for Drake

Wall Wisher Links - 10/6

Here are the links we will be using today on Wall Wisher. Click on the appropriate link for each student's presentation.

Wall for Bryce
Wall for Jenna
Wall for Zach
Wall for Alondra

Daily 5: Word Work

Below are your computer choices for the Daily 5: Word Work.

1. Spelling City
This will take you to our class page at Spelling City. While you are there, you can select a list of words to work with and then either learn the words, practice using the words through several games or even take a quiz.

Daily 5: Listen To Reading

Below are your computer choices for the Daily 5: Listen to Reading.

1. Florida Treasures
This is an online reading textbook that will read the story out loud while you follow along. Choose one of the stories in the book and click on any of the text on the page and it will begin to read through that section.

Public Libraries

Here are a few links to some of our local libraries.

The Loveland Library website can be accessed here. You can search for books, read reviews and reserve copies online.

For the Poudre River Library District, click here. There are three locations in Ft. Collins, including the brand new, very cool, Council Tree branch at the new shopping center off Harmony and Ziegler.

The Greeley Libraries are part of the High Plains Library District and their website can be accessed here.

Renaissance Home Connect

Renaissance Home Connect is a website that can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection. This site provides information on individual student progress in the Accelerated Reader program used in our class.

You have the option to log in with your child's ID Number and password to see their progress. Student performance on reading, vocabulary and literary skills quizzes are available for review.

If you have more questions about this website, you can read this letter about"What is Renaissance Home Connect" which provides more information on this program.

Here is another link to "A Parent's Guide to Renaissance Home Connect".

If you have any questions regarding the Home Connect website, or how to navigate the site, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail.

Accelerated Reader Program

Check on your current progress in AR (Accelerated Reader) by visiting the Home Connect website here.

Need a refresher on Home Connect? Read this post for a quick run down.

Want to find out AR levels for books you have at home? Visit the AR Book Find website right here to search by titles, authors, genres and even themes!