Teachers know that nothing quite compares to the last month of school!  It’s a chaotic, jubilant, stressful, crazy, bittersweet roller coaster ride to that final day.  It’s funny how, just when I’ve got them perfectly trained, I have to pass them on to the next teacher who’ll be part of their lives!  Year-end activities occupy our every moment, and TCAP no longer hangs over our heads!  May flies by, kids!  You’ll be 6th graders in the blink of an eye.

What’s Up?

Science Fair!  That’s what!!!  Most of you should be conducting your experiments this week.  I’m anxious to see the results!  We’ll also begin planning our display boards.  Be sure to check the Science Fair wiki to monitor your progress.  Let me know if your progress page hasn’t been updated properly.

The tech department has let us use 5 laptops from the mobile lab.  (Oh yeah!!!) This will really speed things along!   I will post a checklist on the Science Fair wiki to keep you updated on the technology stuff you need to do as your project continues.

I am absolutely amazed at how effortlessly you’ve incorporated technology into your project with the wiki!  I’ve got more ideas for you, so stay tuned!

We are in the planning phase of our Webkinz convention.  I have added a page on the wiki to post ideas for the convention.  I’m thinking possibly the 27th?  I’ll let you know.  It’s going to be a blast!

This week we go back to our morning blogging schedule.  If there are no glitches with the  laptops, then we’ll have two groups blogging every other day. 

Group 1 (starts Monday)

Kristopher, Monica, Chance, Eric, Madison, Shanna, Lauren, Teagan, Zack,

Group 2 (starts Tuesday)

Samantha, Alex Mo, Hannah, Becca, Ashley, Eryn, Brooke, Bronson, Elizabeth, Alex Ma.

More later….

Our feature with Kingsport Times-News reporter Jeff Bobo went well today.  I was impressed with how well you all handled the interview process.  You could have knocked me over with a feather (idiom) when I realized that it was a VIDEO feature.  I thought it would just be a regular newspaper feature.  You can take a look at the video here.  Go down on the left side until you get to the Video Reports section. 

Here’s the link to the full newspaper article.

Mr. Bobo did a great job editing the video!  However, I was shocked and dismayed to hear how completely “countrified” I sound!  Wow….totally Southern!  I do love the South, but I had no idea how strong my Southern accent is!  I also found out that (on average) I use the phrase “you know” every 2.8 seconds!  I will totally do better next time!

The story was also wired to the NEA’s (National Education Association) publication, The Opening Bell.  Now, if you’re not a teacher (or politician) that may not seem very big, but they have over 3 million members!!!! 

It was very exciting to share our project!  Keep writing and learning!  I’m so proud of your work!

Okay, okay, okay…back to the real world!  You should finish up research for your Science Fair projects this week.  I’ve been going through the wiki, and a select few haven’t been gathering research as you should.  We don’t want to “hog the lab” much longer!  Make good use of your lab time this week.  Let me know if you’ve run into a brick wall!  I’ll help!

Love,

Mrs. Ewing

Finally, a Friday night at home!  I was spending a little “quality time” with my precious laptop when I came across a blog that mentions…..can you believe it……us????  Not just one, either!!!  Here are the links:

http://simplethoughts-complexmind.blogspot.com/2008/04/blogging-as-part-of-curriculum-for-5th.html

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2008/04/blogging_added_1.shtml

Okay, well maybe it’s not that big of a deal, but it is pretty cool!

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Speaking of pretty cool…..

The Science Fair!!!  I am absolutely amazed at the progress you all are making!  Quite honestly, I expected disaster to strike!  (It may still strike!) Preparing for the Science Fair is always challenging, but doing it while using such Web 2.0 tools as wikis….that’s just plain ‘ol asking for it!  I think that it may even be (gasp) easier!!!

Parents and other visitors, check out the Science Fair Wiki.  You can see your child’s progress on the project, look at other helpful links, and generally be impressed at your kid’s scientific prowess. 

What’s a wiki?  A type of website that allows multiple users to update content.  It’s a great tool for collaboration.  The kids act like they’ve been using them all their lives!

That was a basic definition.  Watch this video from the folks at CommonCraft.  (Love their videos – Why didn’t I think of that?) If you’re watching from school, watch the versions posted on TeacherTube.  YouTube ones will be blocked at school.

Later note:  Below is the YouTube version of the video.  For some reason, after Edublogs upgraded to the latest WordPress version, the TeacherTube embed code doesn’t work.  I’ll keep working on it so that it can be viewed at school.  JE 5/26/08

This is the link to go directly to TeacherTube and watch it, if you’re trying to view the video at school.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c04c7bfc822caf7c7459

 

 

 

 

Other info:

• Jeff Bobo is coming this week to do a feature on the blogging project.

• We have another college student coming to observe us in action this week.

• Hypothesis due date will be pushed back until April 29th because of the EMS presentation.

• Procedure due date is still this Friday

  

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Mrs. Miller left us!  I guess graduation is a good enough reason!  We wish her best of everything in the future. 

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Friday will be our Arbor Day ceremony. We’ll plant a tree (graciously donated by Martin’s Greenhouse), and we’ll announce the winners of our 5th grade Arbor Day poster contest.  State Commissioner of Agriculture, Ken Givens, will be present for the ceremony.

More later….

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Is this you?

This reminds me of my kids in the morning!  

It’s funny how Spring Break accomplishes one thing:  it makes you wish school was out!  It won’t be long!  Time is going to zoom by, and we need to focus on our goals for the remainder of the school year:

• Making sure you are prepared for 6th grade

• Producing fabulous Science Fair projects

• Enjoying our last few weeks together

  

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This week will be Mrs. Miller’s last week!  She’s graduating!

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We have new playground stuff!!!  6th grade and Mrs. Eidson have provided an area for the game Ga-Ga.  Click here for instructions for playing.  

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The presentation for our blogging project went very well!  The Kingsport-Times is supposed to come by one day this week to do a feature on it!  Exciting!  You’ll have to look “extra cute” that day.  Don’t forget that you’ll get to meet your partner “in person” on our Park Day!   Keep up the good writing!

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I need your opinion on something: on the right side of the site I’ve posted an example of me doing a fractions example using something called SketchCast.  It’s pretty cool, and you can even add sound to it.  Watch it for me, and let me know what you think.  I’m thinking of posting examples from Math homework on our site like this so kids (or parents) can watch the teacher doing it while at home.  Do you think this is something you would use when doing homework or reviewing for a test?  Leave a comment to let me know.

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Well, I’ll write more later.  I just got back from Ren’s volleyball tournament in Louisville (long drive) and I’m going to “hit the hay”. 

 

TCAP is looming overhead!  It’s crunch time, and we’ve got to really push ourselves.  I think “March Madness” should refer to the time of the school year before TCAPs, not college basketball tournament time.  It can get pretty crazy!  As we finish covering the necessary material, it’s a good idea to review the topics we learned earlier this year.  Check out our  TCAP Review page to refresh your memory!

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It’s Official: Blogging’s Good for You 

The folks at ABC Science Online report that a study conducted at Swinburne University of Technology showed that people who blog feel less isolated and were more content in both face-to-face and online friendships!  Check out the report on Discovery Channel’s Discovery News site.

Keep writing!

Miss Geiger’s class is beginning their blog project, and we should be able to comment their blogs soon.  They’re reading Among the Hidden ( you remember how much we loved that book).  We’ll have to be careful not to give anything away. 

Meanwhile, keep commenting other students’ blogs. 

Alex received a return comment from one of the Trinity students last week.  I am looking for some other good class blogs for us to comment.  Let me know if you come across one.

For those of you who are blogging in Tier II, I’m looking forward to reading your research entries this week.  We’ll also be learning about tagging our entries, making hyperlinks, and proofreading what we’ve written.

Here’s a video that shows how blogging benefits your learning!

<a href=”http://www.teachertube.com/flvideo/838.flv” title=”Anarchy Media Player – Right click to download file”><em>Download Video:  </em></a><b> Posted by  <A href=”http://www.teachertube.com/uprofile.php?UID=669″><font color=#3399FF SIZE=2>rachelboyd</FONT></A></b> at <b><a href=”http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=be6ec9b852b0a542e2f3″>TeacherTube.com</a>.</b>

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The best student quote I’ve heard this week:

Teacher: Why is it important to know how to use irregular verbs?

Eric: So we won’t talk irregular.

I love it! 

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Our new student teacher, Mrs. Miller, started teaching Language this week.  Hopefully, she’s recovered from the culture shock of moving from 2nd grade to 5th grade.  You all have done a great job of training our pre-service teachers!

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Look forward to: The Science Fair!!!!  It’s coming soon to a classroom near you!  Okay, it’s coming to YOUR classroom!  Fun!!!Keep working hard!Love,Mrs. Ewing

Ahh…..do you hear that sound?  It’s the sound of 19 kids and 1 teacher sighing in relief!  The Writing Assessment has passed!  While the assessment may be over, writing is not.  We are getting ready to take our blogs to the next level and spend some quality time expressing ideas and thoughts.

One exciting development with our blogs is the addition of some of Mrs. Hartness’s homeroom.  They’ve been writing up a storm!!!  Thanks, Mrs. Ewing’s homeroom, for being such willing mentors to the new bloggers. 

As if that weren’t enough, Miss Geiger’s 5th grade across town has taken up blogging!  We’re going to be doing some writing together.  That’s just cool!!!!  More on that later…

How did the Writing Assessment go?  Pretty well…afterwards we shared our ideas for developing the prompt.  This year, 5th graders had to write a story about something a friend had found.  Some of the ideas we had for what the friend found were:

• a snow machine

• Confederate money

• a slave tag

• $100,000

• a time machine

They all sound like the beginnings to some great stories!

Today was our DARE graduation!  Congratulations to all our graduates. 

The next two months will be the most challenging of this year.  TCAP is coming, and I’ll be pushing you hard so that you’ll be prepared.  Because of this, you need to:

• be disciplined

• keep focused

• stay relaxed

• take care of yourself

You’ll be great!!!!   See you in class!

Love,

Mrs. Ewing

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome back!

As you know, we are in “heavy-duty writing mode” right now, and your blog is a big part of that. Last week, I showed you a few examples of class blogs. I want you to spend some time exploring those sites and reading what those kids have written. There a few entries that I definitely want you to read so I’ve put links to them below:

Read carri0708’s entry on Friendship. (You’ll have to scroll down to the bottom).

Allwyn.  Something tells me we’ll all be reading novels by her one day.

Both of those students are 6th graders at Trinity School.  The student blogs on that site are awesome.  Pick a few and scroll down to the entry on their “Creed”.  Amazing! 

“Uh…..Mrs. Ewing, what’s a creed?”

“I’m glad you asked, Sugarplum.”  Click here for the definition.

More “Must-Read” Blogs:

Wow, I had to include this one.  A boy named Grant writes about his sister being a bad boyfriend picker!  It’s hilarious!

Mr. Seufert’s Fifth Grade – Read AC’s post  “What Is Happiness?”  (scroll down a bit).

Mr. Brune’s 5th grade class in NY regularly writes about current events.  Check out JoJo’s and BalletGirl’s.  Notice how they respond to the news article and then place a link to it in the post.

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In other news….I re-posted the survey, so make sure you take it this week!!!  The link is to the right.

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And finally…..if you don’t mind……pray for S-N-O-W!!!!!  LOL!!!I’ll let you in on a little secret:  Teachers want snow as much as the kids do!

A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking. 

~Earl Wilson

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Well, we probably could have “taken it” a little longer, but we needed a break!  So enjoy your break, guys…you deserve it. I wonder, am I really taking a break from school if I’m sitting here writing a post for our webpage only one day after Christmas vacation began?  Technically….no…..but I can’t help it! 

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We still have lots going on in Mrs. Ewing’s room even though school isn’t in session:

Miss Shaw just finished her student teaching.  She did a great job, and we miss her already!  You can leave her a message here.

We have 2 new Webkinz!!!!  Miss Shaw gave us one, and Eryn gave us one for Christmas!  We already decided that Miss Shaw’s is a girl, but we need to vote on a name.  As for our Christmas one, you’ll have to decide whether it’s a boy or girl and choose a name!  We’ll be having our “Webkinz Convention” sometime after TCAP testing.  It’ll be hilarious!

If you get bored over the break, here are some things you can do:

• Uhh….duh, your math extra credit!  Remember the pages we marked?

• Write in your blog.  We’ll be using them like crazy as we prepare for the writing assessment.  For loads of info about blogging, go here.  Click on Blog Set-up Instructions for help setting up your blog.  If you have forgotten your username and password, Gaggle me.

• Go to the TCAP review page.  Remember this stuff is 99% game or online activity stuff.

• Read your Reading Counts book.

• Learn some cool science stuff and show off for Mrs. Ewing when we come back.

• Take Mrs. Ewing’s Grammar Challenge.

• Go to the store and stock up on paper, pencils, grading pens, markers, etc.

I’ll think of more stuff to do.  You can add your own ideas below!

It’s pretty risky: turning 5th graders loose with graduated cylinders, 7 lab stations, and a few directions.   One of two things can happen – our classroom may be demolished, or we might learn a little.  True confession: sometimes both happen!

This week we’re concluding our study of chemical and physical changes.  Get in on the action below, and ask your child to tell you one of the signs of a chemical change.

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Other stuff going on:

• Miss Shaw is now teaching Math, Language, and one section of Science.  Next week she’ll be teaching everything!  Poor Miss Shaw!!  She’s doing a great job!

• We are finishing our DARE program and are getting ready to start writing our essays.  Do your best!  Officer Maddox has lined up some fabulous prizes for our winners.

• The 5th grade Geography Bee is tentatively scheduled for next week.  Mrs. Hartness will get homeroom winners over the next couple of days.

• Our school will be visited by author Pam Flowers next week.  See Mrs. Ewing to get an order form for one of her books.

• Don’t forget to order yearbooks!!!

Well, after a lot of voting and debating…we’ve named and officially adopted our class Webkin:  Tad Paul Ewing.  I know, I know….I can’t help but snicker as I type this.  Anyway…the slide show documents his first day at school.  You all can log in to our Webkinz account and hang out with Tad.  See me to get the login and password.  Remember: only students in our class are allowed access to the account.   P.S.  Thanks, Madison, for donating our little friend.  Serenity and I were cracking up watching the slide show!

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[rockyou 87501286]

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What else is going on in Mrs. Ewing’s room?

We are getting a student teacher!!!  Miss Shaw will be in our classroom starting October 18th!  She’ll be with us for 7 and a half weeks.  Trust me, no teacher ever forgets the class he/she had while student teaching!  You have a great opportunity to help her complete her training!  Plus….I heard through the “grapevine” that she’s into computer stuff!  Can’t wait!!!! 

The 1st 9 Weeks ends on October 19th.

No school October 26th (Yeahhh!) and October 29th (Parent/Teacher conferences).

Be watching for our 1st Podcast, produced by my Tier II class.  The podcast, “World Wide Warriors” (say that 3 times fast) is being recorded this week!  So much fun!!!

The rest of the Cool Science Pics should be posted by the end of the week.  Make sure you give them a look!