What do you mean "So What?" I thought this was something important!!

Howdy do to all of you!

      Today is Friday, December 17, 2010.  What is "So what?" thinking.  Well, it's a PROCESS.  Oh no there is one of those evil twins again.  We will never escape their grasp!  Epic!  Where have you seen the words "so what" before?  It's on our extended DED's, and it does just that.  "So what" thinking extends and builds our understanding of what we read.

      The past few weeks that we have been reading text like Wolf Girls we have been practicing our "so what" thinking.  Now it's time for the end folks.  We will look at a rubric today that will bring all of our thinking and hard work together.  Use it as a checklist so that you know you completed everything.   

A TEACHING POINT is something a teacher (like me) thinks about when planning learning experiences for students (like you).  I have four today that I thought a lot about to see if they were something I believed as a teacher.  I also asked the question: "Are these teaching points something my 5th graders need to know for their future?" 

TEACHING POINT #1  Good readers use reading, writing, talk, and technology to deepen their understanding of information.
TEACHING POINT #2  Good readers use a variety of ways to think about text.  (Connections, inferences, visualizations, sift and sort, questions)
TEACHING POINT #3  Good readers don't need end-of-the-chapter questions or worksheets.  Good readers ask their own questions and take their own notes (graphic organizers).
TEACHING POINT #4  Good readers reread and return to text to build and extend their knowledge.  This enhances their enjoyment of texts they have read before.

Have fun reading, writing, talking, and using technology today.  You are all good readers. Share your good reading habits with others today.  

Paz Afuera,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.  
DO your best and forget the rest! 

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Howdy do!

      Today is Thursday, December 16, 2010.  It was great to see so many parents and families here to visit.  Today as we revisit wolf girls one of your tasks is to take a third look at your INFERENCES/THEORIES/and HYPOTHESES.  It is your time to reread, self-correct, or clarify confusion you may have.  We have already seen and read the text Wolf Girls.  We have already read other pieces of text that are connected to Wolf Girls as well.  You are always able to revise your inferences based on new information you come across.  I have a great piece of text I was reading last night and this morning that shows what its like to make an educated guess. 
      
Let's look at our learning targets again to give us purpose:
        2c Use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
        2d Monitor reading by rereading, self-correcting, and clarifying confusion
      The other task I would like you to complete is to go to the blog yourself.  I would like you to read the comments of other 5th graders in the class to see what they are thinking.  After you have found one you would like to respond to, post a comment to that 5th grader.  LEARNING IS SHARED.  Our 5th grade blog is an unbelieveable tool to share thinking, even when we aren't in school.  Have fun reading today, and remember to support your INFERENCES/THEORIES/HYPOTHESES with proof.  

Paz afuera,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest! 

Welcome Parents!

Hey Gnarly Newbies!

      Today is Wednesday, December 15, 2010.  For the past couple of weeks we have been looking at a type of text called EXPOSITORY TEXT.  It's non-fiction text that we use to learn from as we read.  You are going to get a chance to try some out on your own today. 

Our learning targets as we read today are as follows:
          2b I can preview text before reading to set a purpose for reading, generate questions, and locate specific information.
        2c I can use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
        
      That word in red should be a familiar word by now.  You watched a short video clip during your science rotation yesterday in Mrs. Lamberts rotation.  The video was about AIRPLANE DYNAMICS.  Anything you remember from that video is part of your SCHEMA now.  It is your memory.  Your background knowledge.  We will start today by watching a similar Brainpop video to access that SCHEMA you have stored in your memory. 

      After the Brainpop we will INTERACT WITH TEXT today through the use of a KWL graphic organizer.  I will be coming around with my observation checklist to see the thinking that is going on during your PRE-reading and DURING-reading.  Make sure you are asking questions and checking your understanding.  At the end of our rotation today I hope we save some time for a neat Tribes activity to check our understanding as a class.  Have fun practicing your comprehension strategies.

http://www.brainpop.com/science/motionsforcesandtime/flight/


Yours Truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest!
     

Tuesday is our day for a break.

Welcome to Tuesday Crazy Kids.

      Today is Tuesday, December 14, 2010.  We are going to take a little break from our feral children and wolf girls inquiries.  Today's guest teacher will be presenting you with what we call EXPOSITORY TEXT.  Say that three times to the partner to your left or right.  Expository text is non-fiction text we read to learn something from.  Good readers know how to navigate expository text and use it as another teacher. 
      You will be reading a selection from our Social Studies books and answering some comprehension questions. There is a brainpop to go with the reading to help you make connections as you read.  The 5 pages you will read start on 483 and end on 487. 
     
Our learning target for today is:
2b I can preview text before reading to set a purpose for reading

      Your purpose for reading the expository text today is to understand the answers to some important questions.  Each question is based on a different part of the reading.  If you preview the text first, you will see which subheading goes with each question.   Without further ado, here are your questions.

1. Why did people invest money in RAILROADS?
2. How was Andrew Carnegie able to make more STEEL for less money?
3. How did John D. Rockefeller get a monopoly in the OIL BUSINESS?
4. Why did inland CITIES become important in the late 1800s?

      I will return this afternoon so I hope you do your best work and choose a positive attitude.  If you finish before the end of the rotation you may read your self-selected text.  If you are interested I have also printed out an additional article on Child Labor.  You may read that for your enjoyment as well.  (Child labor isn't really an issue to enjoy.  I don't know why I said "enjoyment".)  Have fun reading.

Yours Truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand. 
Do your best and forget the rest.

9 children raised by animals | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Hey Kiddies!!

Here is a GREAT site I found that has 10 stories including our own from India. Even though we are taking a break from our feral children inquiry tomorrow, look at some of these and see if you can use the information TO SUPPORT YOUR INFERENCES/THEORIES/HYPOTHESES.

Remember, use your SCHEMA (prior knowledge) to make an inference. Also remember to support your inference with clues/evidence.

9 children raised by animals MNN - Mother Nature Network

MONDAY! MONDAY! MONDAY!

Happy Monday Kiddies,
 
What is a hypothesis? 
What is a theory? 
What is an inference? 

      Today is Monday, December 13, 2010.  I'm hoping by the end of today's rotation you have a basic understanding of what these words mean and how they are related.  All three of these words are related because they are a type of thinking we all do based on SCHEMA.  There is that tricky word we've seen in our learning targets.  Think back and remember...
      2c Use comprehension strategies to guide thinking within the text, and beyond the text (schema, connections, questioning, mental images, inferring, determining importance, synthesizing)
      We use what we know to gain an understanding of what we don't know.  THE LAW OF ASSOCIATION.  We make an educated guess based on prior knowledge or information we have gathered.  You have read Wolf Girls.  You have read The Wolf Girl.  You have watched the video on feral children.  All that information you have read and seen is now part of YOUR SCHEMA.  From the SCHEMA we make a theory, hypothesis, or inference. 

      Now here is the trick that confuses 5th graders.  We need to find evidence/clues by doing experiments, researching, talking with others, and READING INFORMATION to support our theories, hypotheses, and our inferences.  Today I am going to hand back your inquiry proposals and summaries of our first book.  Reread what you have and start by organizing your thoughts in a way that supports your theories.  Try your best and have fun reading. 

Sincerely,
C
P.S. I hear and forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest. 

TGIF!!

Happy Friday Damas y Caballeros,

      Today is Friday, December 10, 2010.  Yesterday we did some choral reading of The Wolf Girl.  I hope you enjoyed reading with me and the rest of our classes.  The information in the fictional story and the non-fiction piece we read afterward (Running Wild) should provide you with connections or ideas you can use to BUST or CONFIRM your theories. 
      To start the day off today I would like you to grab a laptop and post one of your Extended DED entries.  I will show you what I mean before you all start.  At the end of class today we will get back on the blog and RESPOND to someone elses DED entry as a ticket out the door.   Feel free to continue your work on your theories.

Homework: Complete an Extended DED based on the two texts we read together.  The Wolf Girl and Running Wild. 

Your Truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
P.P.S. Roads?  Where we're going we don't need roads!

Happy Wednesday!!

      Today is Wednesday, December 8, 2010.  The link below is a video I found that is directly connected to our Wolf Girls unsolved mystery.  The girls are something called "feral children".  Feral children stories come from all over the globe, and as you do your searching today type the words feral children into the box.  Remember, your research reading is a great time to practice comprehension strategies like connections, questions, summarizing/paraphrasing, and clarifying confusion. 

      There are only a few search queries you will be using today for your research:

1.) Feral Children
2.) Unsolved Mystery: Wolf Girls
3.) Wolf girls Mystery

Any other searches being entered on the computer must be passed by me first.  Loss of computer privilege will result if I see unapproved search queries being conducted. 

Homework:  your homework tonight is to go over your notes and write down ONE talking point you can share with your discussion group in class tomorrow.  Your talking point can be a clue you found, something you read, a website you would like to share, or any new information you can find on the Wolf Girls case.  Good luck detectives.

Sincerely,
C

P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest. 



http://dai.ly/aw5ANI

Long Time No See Kiddies!

Happy Monday Y'all!

      Today is Monday, December 6, 2010.  Guess what?  We get to dive into another Unsolved Mystery from History!!  The unsolved mystery is called The Wolf Girls.  This book will help us conduct more inquiry about text we read.  We will also interact with the text.  We will ask questions, make connections, come up with theories, reread to look for evidence, and make inferences. 
      Think back to Friday last week when we used The Five E's to explore PURPOSE.  Well, you are going to employ The Five E's again only this time your PURPOSE will be to listen to the story SO THAT you can summarize/paraphrase what you hear and see. 
      Your guest teacher will read you the story portion of The Wolf Girls.  When I am back in the room tomorrow we will THINK DEEPER.  We will reread, explore the notes, AND the 4 theories our detective friend has come up with at the end of the book.  Your only PURPOSE today is to listen to the story and summarize/paraphrase what you remember.  Pay close attention and enjoy!

YOUR HOMEWORK: Write down a theory of your own tonight in a DED (double entry diary).  Make sure you include... 1.) The "quick summary" 2.) Your theory/thoughts 3.) "So What?"/Next steps

Sincerely,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
Do your best and forget the rest!!

Your BEYOND THE BOOK PROJECTS...

Happy Monday Wonderful Workers,

      Today is Monday, November 15, 2010.  I have a few examples of Beyond the Book projects I would like to share with you.  I received a bunch of responses on which projects 5th graders are intersted in doing.  So, I found a collage I made, a painting I created, and I am also putting together a short summary and review of one book I like a lot.  I hope you enjoy. 

      Your only homework from me tonight is to read 30 minutes and start your work on your Beyond the Book project.  If you haven't decided yet that's ok.  MAKE YOUR DECISION TONIGHT AND POST IN ON THIS BLOG POST! 

      BEYOND THE BOOK PROJECTS ARE DUE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd.  We will share them in class as well. 

      Have fun reading!  Do your best and forget the rest!! 

Yours truly,
C
P.S. I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand. 

P.P.S.  You mean you have to use your hands?! That's like a baby's toy. 

"BEYOND THE BOOK"

Dear Radical Readers,

I sat up until 11:30 Tuesday night racking my brain for ways you boys and girls could SHARE your learning with each other.  I said to myself, “Would I want to be a 5^th grader in Mr. C’s class if he forced me to do a book report?”  Probably not!  If I was a 5^th grader again I would want to talk with my friends about topics and themes that interested me.  I would want to use computers and other books to find out new information.  Then I would want to talk to more people and share what it is my friends and I came up with. 

            If I read a book like Ryan Hintz’s Soldier book, or Nolan Jacob’s Percy Jackson series I would want to study more about mythology or modern warfare.  If I read a book like Jaeda Walsh’s Fablehaven I would want to talk with other kids who are interested in the FANTASY genre.  I would want to know more about the creatures in that world or maybe I would want to know where the author got his/her ideas.  If I was a 5^th grader reading a Dear Dumb Diary book that main character strikes me as a gossiper.  I know there are real life gossip columns in magazines and newspapers.  I would definitely want to write my own or at least find out how to write a column. 

            Book reports are fine and dandy, but to be honest with you all, as a reader myself, I would never  do a book report after I finished a book I loved.  I do write about my reading, but I also talk about my reading.  Then, I TAKE ACTION BASED ON HOW I FEEL AND HOW I WAS AFFECTED BY WHAT I READ.  I SHARE WHAT I LEARN.  Why wouldn’t I expect the same from all of you? 

            Your homework tonight is to choose  a "Beyond the Book" project idea that you would like to develop either on your own or with a friend.  You may post your ideas on THIS blog post, or write it down and bring it to school on Monday.  Don't forget to read as well. 

Your truly,

C

P.S. 1.21 Gigawatts!!!

Connections are everywhere...

Hey Fantastic Fifth Graders,

      Today is Wednesday, November 10, 2010.  Last night for homework we were suppose to think deeper about the way we interact with text.  Now I know you guys and gals are like, "What Mr. C?".  What is INTERACTING WITH TEXT? 

      INTERACTING WITH TEXT is like having a conversation with the author.  One way we can interact with text is to make connections.  Ms. Bestul and I will be helping you review what you already know about his comprehension strategy.  Oh wait, if it's a comprehension strategy where could we find that on our CAFE wall?

      Your homework tonight is to read 30 minutes and make a comment on this blog post.  You need to post three things...

1. What book are you reading?
2. What book have you finished?
3. What connections have you thought about today either in school or at home? 

      Remember, do your best and forget the REST!!!

Sincerely,
C
P.S. I hear and forget.
I see and remember.
I do and I understand.

Happy Tuesday to all!!

 

Hello Little Learners,

      Today is Tuesday, November 2, 2010.  I hope your extended weekend was as great as mine was.   Horses are amazing animals, and they are good for the heart.  What are some fun things you all did this weekend? 

      As we begin our reading workshop today I would like to know what books you are reading so take a minute to post it here on the Blog.  I took some time over the weekend to put you all in to separate reading groups.  At the end of our independent reading time today I would like you all to get into your reading groups and share one thing from your reading today.  It can be something your learned.  It can be something you didn't like about the book.  It can be something you LOVED about the book.  It can be a question you have after reading your book.  ANYTHING!!  I want the rest of the people in your group to demonstrate agreement 1 by writing what they heard on a post it note.  As you leave today you will need to put your post-it note in the parking lot and take a reading response journal for the week. 

      Your homework tonight is to come into reading tomorrow with a response to share with your new group first thing!!  

Let's review shall we...
1.  Post the book you are reading on your blog.
2.  Read independently
3.  Share in your new reading groups with POST-ITS
4.  Put post-its in parking lot and TAKE YOUR HOMEWORK.

Yours truly,
C
P.S. Do your best and forget the rest!!
P.P.S. "Mighty strong words runt!  You man enough to back 'em up with more than just a pie plate?!"

Galileo would be pround of 5th grade STEM!!

Dear STEMers,

      We hope this works.  Your STEM teachers have tried to attach the video of our Galileo vs. Aristotle experiment.  If you make observations of the video you will see what our experiment looked like.  The observations we made during the video will now be used for the last parts of the PROCESS we call THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.  

      Our next step in the PROCESS is to use our experiment and observations to DRAW A CONCLUSION.  That means look back at our HYPOTHESIS to see if it is CONFIRMED, BUSTED, or still PLAUSIBLE yet unproven due to a lack of information. 

      Take a look at the footage.  Let your teachers know what you think by posting a comment or two.  Have fun and enjoy. 

Always remember...  DO YOUR BEST AND FORGET THE REST!! 

Yours Truly

C, Mr. Murray, and Mrs. Lambert

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Hello 5th Graders,

      Remember today during class I used a big word called METACOGNITION.  This means that you think about your thinking.  When you dive into your reading homework tonight this is what I am asking you to try.  Think about your own thinking. 

1. Reflect on the past work you have done in your double entry diary.  
2. Choose the best entry you did and highlight it. (You may hightlight more than one if you are proud of another)
3. Give yourself a grade and tell me why you think you deserve that grade. 

      Do your best and forget the rest! 

Yours truly,
C

P.S.  It is optional to post, but I love reading your comments. 

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Good Morning Guys And Gals,

Today is Monday, October 25, 2010.  We will have our spelling test this morning to start off our day.  Before we do that I would like to play an energizer I call sparkle.  It will help us see our spelling words and get out mental juices flowing for the test. 

After the spelling test I thought I'd give you all more time to work on your writing so we can share some more before recess.  What doyou think?

During our rotations today We will be looking at AUTHOR'S PURPOSE.  Think about what we know about those two words.  Author's  Purpose

For STEaM time this afternoon we are carving pumpkins!  Make sure you are responsible, and showing me you can handle it. 

Sincerely,
C

Saturday at school...

Hello all you silly students,

      On a wonderful Saturday afternoon your teacher is here in the classroom looking over all your great Blog comments.  It is a great feeling to see all you guys and gals having fun posting comments to each other. 

      Does it even feel like homework?  My hopes and dreams for THINK SPOT is to have great disscussions and responses to each others ideas.  LEARNING IS SHARED!!  Remember that and continue to share your learning with me and others. 

Have fun!

Yours Truly,
C

High Five Friday!!

Hello readers and writers,

      Today is Friday, October 22, 2010.  I hope you are looking forward to the weekend as much as I am.  This blogging thing is kind of fun.  I found out from another teacher last night how to post comments.  If you check out the blog post that precedes this one you will see a little exercise in writing.  As a teacher i believe writing should be FUN, shared, interesting, a choice, a gift, and oh yeah did I mention FUN! 

      Our learning target for today is as follows...
Text can be analyzed: Students will analyze fiction and nonfiction text.
I CAN... EVALUATE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE, POINT OF VIEW, AND EFFECTIVENESS.

      As you dive into your books and read today, think about what the author's voice is.  What is the author trying to say?  What does the author want to tell you?  What does the author want you to think about?  The two "P's" of reading and writing are PROCESS and PURPOSE.  Authors have a purpose just like readers do. 

Can you find your AUTHOR'S PURPOSE?

Yours truly,
C
P.S. McFly, those boards don't work on water.  You need POWER!

Popcorn thinking...

 Hey reader's and writer's,

Someone once said, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  Here are some photos I've taken during my adventures.  Look at the three photos and write THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND!! 

      Sometimes people experience something called writer's block.  A great way to get over that is to just start writing.  As the Nike slogan says, "JUST DO IT".  By starting somewhere our mental juices start flowing and our thoughts begin to do something I call POPCORN.  They just start popping. 

      So, peruse(skim) the photos and choose one.  Choose all if you like, but once you have a thought just write it down.  What do you think the people in the photos are thinking?  What would they say at the time of the picture?  Do the pictures remind you of a memory of yours?  Write it down...

 

CAFE Menu!!

CAFE Menu!!

Hey readers and writers!

Today we will be perusing a menu, a CAFE Menu to be exact.  Check out out learning target from yesterday:

 

      Learning Target: TEXT IS MEANINGFUL...

      I can... preview text before reading to set a purpose for reading     

      Our Learning Target today is this...
      Text can be evaluated and extended.
      I CAN... read for a purpose, decide what is important and unimportant information, identify a need for additional information, and pinpoint likely sources.

      I found this crazy video I wanted to share with you.  It's about an interactive computer menu that restaurants in Israel have started to use.  How would this connect to what we are doing here in reading today?

http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/154/2002.html

Have fun choosing your purpose from our CAFE Menu.

Yours truly,
C


     

Faces of Innovation

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/innovation

Here is the definition from the websearch we did yesterday on INNOVATION.  Let's make another 5th grade definition before we get started. 

OUTLINES!!!!

Good Afternoon

Hey kiddies!!

This is my first Blog.  I have no idea what I'm doing with it yet, but I wanted to share my learning with you as you begin an afternoon of your learning.  My vision and dream of this blog is to eventually use it in class.  It would be nice to let you all post things on it during STEaM time.  It would be awesome to have each one of you follow it and use it to remember homework, show parents, and look up important reminders. 

I hope it will be fun and you all will learn along with your teacher on how to blog. 

Yours truly,
Mr. C

Blogging PD

Help! 

What would be best practice to get this set up for student's and parents to access?

What kind of protection would I need?

Video?  Photos?  KID POSTINGS???

Don't know what I'm doing...

This will be my first post on my first Blog!!  Super stoked, excited, reved up, and inspired.  I hope to share many thoughts, ideas, dreams, muses, feelings, inspirations, and inquiries with many different people.  It would be ideal to hear what others are thinking, feeling, musing, inquiring, inspiring, and dreaming.  I hope this starts conversations.  I hope it inspires questions and uncovers answers.  Let's start sharing. 

Yours Truly,
Mr. C