Winter Break!

Whew! Can you believe it's nearly time to ring in 2008?? Here's a chance to post just for fun over break. Blog about any special family you visit, places you go, the holidays, gift giving, New Year resolutions, funny stories that happen to you, anything!! Just be sure that you don't include too much personal information like people's last names or street addresses. You guys are all pros at blogging by now. Check in on the blog every couple days over break (if you are able) and I'll keep you posted about my holiday as well! Happy Blogging!

Here are some holiday sites I found that you might enjoy!

Visit the North Pole and play lots of games!

Billy Bear's Hanukkah's site has tons of games and activities to help you celebrate the Festival of Lights!

Make your very own virtual Christmas card and send it to someone you care about!

Check out All Things Christmas for Kids for tons of games, activities, even printable decorations!

Are you interested in Christmas music? Check out this site!

Enjoy! Happy Holidays from Mrs. Perry!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Turkey time! I hope everyone has an absolutely fabulous Thanksgiving break. Want to see what your classmates (or your teacher) is up to over break? Check in and post what you're doing right here! This is just a fun way to keep in touch and share interesting tidbits over the Thanksgiving break. You can write about the places/family you visit, what you're thankful for this year, any good books you read, what you had for Thanksgiving dinner, or anything else that's school appropriate! Remember, you can post that you "visited Aunt Sylvia's house in Virginia" but please don't include personal information that can compromise your safety (street addresses, etc...). See you back at school on Monday!

Here are some great Thanksgiving websites for you to visit.

My top pick: Plimoth Plantation's You Be the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving.

Interested in knowing what REALLY was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving? Check out the history channel's First Thanksgiving page.

Did you know that the turkey was in competition with the eagle to be our national symbol of America? Read some more interesting Turkey Trivia here!

Take a Thanksgiving Quiz to test your knowledge of this holiday!

Calendar Math: November!

We have a new calendar, and a new chart for tracking the counting tape observations! Post all your thoughts, observations, and musings about November Calendar Math here! All math students are required to post at least once per month. Be detailed and specific! Use that math vocabulary.

Where Do You Find Math?

Math is all around us everyday. While you do go to a separate math class at HES to learn mathematical skills, math is NOT a separate entity. It is embedded in our lives.

Every time I stand on a scale to weigh myself, that's math! I use a scale to figure out how many pounds and ounces I weigh.

Every time I bake, I measure, calculate the serving sizes, heat up the oven temperature so that things don't burn and cut items (like brownies) into individual squares. That's math!

Where do you find math in the world around you? Tell how, when, and why math is important to this particular area of our lives. Get creative! Think about traveling, things around the house, your pets, your family members, hobbies, and school. Where do YOU find math?

All math students should post at least once during the month of October to this post.

Math Assignment: October Calendar Math

Here is where you can post all your comments about the different components of Calendar Math for October. You can make predictions about the daily depositor, the patterns / observations you notice about the daily calendar, observations regarding the counting tape or, once a prediction is proven, post that too! Have fun blogging!

All math students should post at least once during the month.

Reading Assignment: Natural Disasters

"Humans like to think that planet Earth belongs to us. But natural disasters remind us that we're really just along for the ride. In every place humans live, the possibility of a natural disaster exists. There are wildfires in hot, dry regions and avalanches in cold, moist ones. On land, earthquakes rattle buildings and topple trees; underwater, they can trigger monster waves capable of erasing entire coastlines. Volcanoes burble up from Earth's molten core, and hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning come from the sky. Explore these powerful forces of nature." (From National Geographic's Website)

Explore hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanoes at National Geographic's Forces of Nature website and National Geographic's Awesome Website on Natural Disasters ! Your job is to:

1. Pick a natural catastrophe to learn about.
2. Explore this catastrophe by exploring the catastrophe at your own pace. Do NOT just skip to the simulation at the end!! (If I see this happening, you will lose computer privileges.)
3. Once you have read & explored the information of the catastrophe of your choice, write a well developed paragraph describing your catastrophe in detail (focus on sensory details). Then write a second paragraph about the new facts that you learned. This should be done on loose leaf paper.
4. Proofread your paragraph for spelling & grammar errors (Sentences should have a subject, a predicate, a capital letter and proper end punctuation. Use a dictionary to proofread your writing for spelling errors.)
5. Edit your paragraph for WORD CHOICE.
6. Post your paragraphs to this blog.

Due date: October 9 .

Word Pictures!

Here is a place for you to post your very own Word Picture. Turn some overused boring language into some spectacular descriptions and vivid visualizations through your use of sensory details and detailed adjectives. Have fun and follow the class example!