STRUCTURES!!!

Gravity = Tension + Compresion

Sick again...

Dear 5th Graders,

      Your teacher here again.  No I am not in Madison.  I assure you I am sick and recovering.  Your guest teacher has been given the plan for the day.  Your rotations today are going to be a reread.  You are going to read pages 85-88 in your Social Studies books.  There is a Brainpop that accompanies the reading.  Please fill out the T-CHART first as you are reading.  I would like all of you to practice stopping, thinking, and reacting to the text as you read. 

      To wrap up the rotation please complete the other cause and effect graphic organizer on the back.  There is a question that should help you get started.  You have all seen these graphic organizers before so this is nothing new or surprising.  Do your best. 

Here are the learning targets for todays assignments pertaining to Social Studies:
I CAN...  summarize major issues associated with the history and culture of the American Indian tribes and bands. 
I CAN... employ cause and effect to demonstrate how significant events have influenced the past and present in the U.S. 

Sincerely,
C

Our guest teacher today...

Hello Rotation 3,

      This is your teacher speaking.  Please stay on task today during your book clubs.  I will be receiving a note from our guest teacher on how class went.  I will also be asking you all when I return tomorrow.  The fate of your book clubs rests on today's actions.  If you show me you 5th graders are not able to handle working in groups alone, than we will combine into one big group tomorrow.  I know you all, and I also know you can accomplish this task.

      Your work plans are there to help guide you through the day.  If you have a reading/work day what are you doing if you are on task?  If you have a meeting day today what are you doing to stay on task?  Remember, blog entries are only to be done if your YELLOW or WHITE response sheets are complete. 

      Over to the right is an example of a discussion director response I filled out for the book The Hobbit.   If your work looks like the one on the right side, you have earned your 3 or 4 and have met the expectations.  (Note: click on the picture to enlarge the photo.)  If your work does not look like the picture on the right, you may want to look at it again and revise your work. 

Sincerely yours,
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. 

Writing is...

"Writing is telling a story.  Writing is releasing feeling on paper.  Writing is bringing ideas to real life.  WRITING IS MAKING THINKING VISIBLE!!  Writing is all around you.  Good writing is rarely forced.  Good writing comes from meditation, time, thought, and action." -Lola Meyer

"Writing is like ARCHITECTURE.  There is a form, a structure to writing and although the structure a writing piece takes on is flexible; flexible structure gives it shape.  There is an art to writing, and there is also a science to it."  -C 

Text Codes Revisited

Hey Readers,

      Let's dive back into text coding.  Good readers INTERACT WITH TEXT.  We all know that by now.  A few weeks ago I showed you 3 text codes that we use to leave tracks in our thinking.  We call this ANNOTATING text.  We do it, not the author.  Here are the three text codes i showed you:

L
? or Q
!

Can you remember what they mean? 

Here are some new ones:

R or C
??

What do you think they mean?  Let's turn and talk with someone near us...  Next write what was discussed on a post-it.  To wrap things up, use a computer and make a blog comment about what you have on your post-it or what you discussed with your partner. 

Sincerely,
C