Thursday December 3rd, 2015

Welcome back students! Today's class and next week are the last classes of the year! Classes resume on Thursday January 7th, 2016!

Vocabulary

1. earthquake
2. skeleton
3. immortality
4. vulnerable
5. odyssey
6. migration
7. arctic
8. hollow
9. character
10. researcher

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge

Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Descriptive Writing Tumblr - Comet". 

Class Reading 

Found our book! We started reading, again,"Everything You Need to Know About the World", Page 30 - .

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "Photo Writing Prompt"

Students took 5 minutes in class to write as much as they could on the prompt using their creative minds! 

Class Writing

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay. 
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words. 
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Explain why birds can fly.
2. What happens if you swim in the river Styx?
3. Explain the migration patterns of terns, monarchs, and hummingbirds. 
4. Who is Homer and what is an odyssey? 

Thursday November 19th, 2015

Last class of November! We are on holiday next week and class to resume on Thursday December 3rd at 4:30pm. No homework assigned for this week. Students should bring any assignments not yet turned in from previous weeks. Have a great week off! 

Vocabulary

1. fables
2. reformed
3. perfection
4. revolution
5. animated
6. alternate
7. satirical
8. nobleman
9. deformed
10. betrayed

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge

Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Descriptive Writing Tumblr - Driving to the Mountains". 

Class Reading 

Found our book! We started reading, again,"Everything You Need to Know About the World", Page 20 - 29.

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "Photo Writing Prompt"

Students took 5 minutes in class to write as much as they could on the prompt using their creative minds! 

Class Writing - Vocabulary Comic Activity

• Use 8 out of the 10 vocabulary words and create a short comic strip.
• Use any of the excerpts that come from our class reading as your comic subject(s).
• Include correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization. Make sure to include setting, characters, and a plot.
• Answer the following questions in your comic sequences:

1. Where did Antaeus live and what did he do?
2. Describe the meaning of "all animal are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".
3. Who or what is Leviathan?

Thursday November 12th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. capsaicin
2. phytochemicals
3. receptors
4. soluble
5. volatile
6. nutritionally
7. edible
8. invaluable
9. nasal
10. sensation

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge

Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Descriptive Writing Tumblr". 

Class Reading 

Continued reading "Why Can't Elephants Jump?" by New Scientist - Chapter "Food and Drink", sections "Hot to Trot" and "Fungal Goodness". 

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "Photo Writing Prompt"

Students took 5 minutes in class to write as much as they could on the prompt using their creative minds! 

Class Writing Assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. What are the heat-causing chemicals found in chilies and mustards?
2. Describe the solubility and volatility of chemical.
3. What nutritional value do edible fungus contain?
4. What health benefits to edible fungus offer?
5. Do you eat a lot of chilies, mustard, or edible fungus? Why or why not?

Thursday November 5th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. monodiet
2. adequate
3. logical
4. combination
5. sustained
6. cardiac
7. indigestible 
8. unpalatable
9. balanced
10. supplement

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Unnatural Creatures". 

Class Reading Assignment

"Why Can't Elephants Jump?" by New Scientist

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "The Library"

Students took 5 minutes in class to creatively write. They used an  image they selected off of https://storybird.com for their creative inspiration. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization skills are not the focus of this challenge! Students have five minutes to dig deep into their creative minds and write about what they see! 

Class Writing Assignment

• Write a 8 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 3 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Is there a single food source that can provide all essential nutrients? Explain the 3 scientist perspective. 
2. Describe monodiet. Would you be satisfied on a monodiet, why?
3. Describe the Inuit diet. What are their successes and downfalls? 
4. Explain what a balanced human diet contains. 

Thursday October 29th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. disobeying
2. hygienic 
3. contain
4. carbonated
5. invented
6. nitrogen
7. ancient
8. mosaic
9. machine
10. improved

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "The Darke Toad". 

Class Reading Assignment

"Everything You Need to Know About the World"; Chapter 1, pages 11- 20.

Writing

Finish the Story Activity

"Dark, Dark Room" Worksheet

Students took 5 minutes in class to creatively write. They read the beginning of a story and completed the story in their own words. This activity helped students strengthen their writing skills as well as their reading comprehension skills. 

Class Writing Assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Name a few different gases that are in the air we breathe. How does our body process those gases? 
2. Describe the history of toilets: describe the oldest toilet, the largest toilet, and the advances made by inventors between the years 1400 and 1800. 
3. Describe the early history of both baked beans and soft drinks. Provide historical dates and advancements made. 
4. What are your thoughts on the items we covered in our reading today? Did you know any of this information already? Did some of it surprise you? Would you have written a book about these topics?  

Thursday October 22nd, 2015

Switched books from "A Brief History of Time" , to "Everything You Need to Know About the World".

Vocabulary

1. intestinal
2. complete
3. folly
4. fossilized
5. technicolor
6. maize
7. petroleum
8. resistance
9. manufacturer
10. antique

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Almost Home". 

Class Reading Assignment

"Everything You Need to Know About the World"; Chapter 1, pages 1- 10.

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: Photo Writing Prompt

Students took 5 minutes in class to write as much as they could on the prompt using their creative minds! 

Class Writing Assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. What do you think Socrates meant when he said "Others live to eat, I eat to live"? 
2. What is the purpose of vomiting and what exactly is it?
3. Explain the "first come, first serve" saying origin.
4. So why are veggies good for you?
5. Describe the history of chocolate and toilet paper. 

Thursday October 15th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. theology
2. metaphysics
3. essentially
4. unchanging
5. static
6. expanding
7. observation
8. infinitesimally
9. dense
10. preclude 

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Froggie Apocalypse". 

Class Reading Assignment

"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking; continued reading chapter 1, pages 8 - 11.

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "Cat and Dragon Share the Food" 

Students took 5 minutes in class to creatively write. They used an  image they selected off of https://storybird.com for their creative inspiration. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization skills are the focus of this challenge! Students have five minutes to dig deep into their creative minds and write about what they see! 

"A Brief History of Time" writing assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.

Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Why was the question, of the universe having a beginning, looked at as metaphysics and theology back in the day?
2. Who made a landmark observation that changed they way those thought about an unchanging universe? What was that observation and what did it suggest?
3. What what the difference between Hubble's observation of a big bang beginning our universe and what people currently believed was the beginning of our universe? 
4. What two requirements make a good theory?
5. Why are theories always provisional, and how are theories disproved? 

Thursday October 8th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. finite
2. infinite
3. contracting
4. expanding
5. archeologist
6. civilization
7. philosopher
8. examined
9. collapse
10. static

Reading

Five Minute Reading Challenge
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "The Mystery of Dogwood Cross". 

Class Reading Assignment
"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking; continued reading chapter 1, pages 6 -8.

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "The Underworld" 

Students took 5 minutes in class to creatively write. They used an  image they selected off of https://storybird.com for their creative inspiration. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization skills are the focus of this challenge! Students have five minutes to dig deep into their creative minds and write about what they see! 

"A Brief History of Time" writing assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Describe one of the pitfalls of discussing infinity. What is the correct approach? 
2. Before the 20th century, was it common to think of the universe as contracting or expanding?
3. What was common thought about the universe before the 20th century?
4. When do archeologist believe civilization began? 
5. Which philosopher examined whether the universe had a beginning in time, and what did he suggest?

Thursday October 1st, 2015

Vocabulary

1. complicated
2. sphere
3. observable
4. universally
5. model
6. predicting
7. outermost
8. heretic
9. anonymous
10. ellipses

Reading

Creative Reading Exercise
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "Summer Extravaganza Emu Mystery". 

Class Reading Assignment
"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking; continued reading chapter 1.

Writing

"A Brief History of Time" writing assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Explain Ptolemy's assumption of the moon.
2. What was Copernicus' theory and what was he afraid the church would think?
3. What new invention did Copernicus use in his research?
4. What was Kepler's modification of Copernicus' theory?
5. How did Newton contribute to the theory?

Thursday September 24th, 2015

Vocabulary

1. unguarded
2. wondering
3. elected
4. lecture
5. astronomy
6. universe
7. infinite
8. elongated
9. estimate
10. accepted

Reading

Creative Reading Exercise
Students listened to a passage Miss Adrienne read out loud in class for specific details, so they could illustrate what they heard. Students encouraged to use creativity while strengthening their listening and comprehension skills. 

Read passage from "The Acorn King". 

Class Reading Assignment
"A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. Students were not interested in finishing "May Bird and the Ever After", so we switched gears and decided to start "A Brief History of Time" to see if the students found more interest in our place in the universe! We read the first few paragraphs of the long first chapter. We'll continue reading the book together in class, but students were also encouraged to bring books they were interested to class next week.

Writing

"A Brief History of Time" writing assignment

• Write a 8 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 4 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. What did the old lady at the lecture say about the earth/ universe?
2. Describe how Aristotle concluded the world was round and not flat?
3. Did Aristotle think the earth moved?
4. Tell me your thoughts about our place in the universe and how we motion through the cosmos.

Thursday September 17th, 2015

No class today! Students, please read the book at home (chapters 6 and 7), and complete the writing assignment below. Bring the writing assignment to class next Thursday. Class will discuss our reading and writing assignments out loud in class, then begin reading chapters 8 and 9.  

Vocabulary

1. haunting
2. occupied
3. lopsided
4. sinking
5. murmured
6. looming
7. impression
8. navigating
9. disbelieving
10. mesmerized

Reading

Continue reading "May Bird and the Ever After", Chapters 6 and 7

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge "Ovation" 

Take five minutes to creatively write. Use the image named "Ovation" on  https://storybird.com (clink "Ovation" link above). Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization skills are the focus of this challenge! Students have five minutes to dig deep into their creative minds and write about what they see! 

Set a timer for five minutes. Take a moment to look at the image and go over all the details. Start the timer and write for a full five minutes about anything that comes to mind when you look at the image. 

"May Bird and the Ever After" writing assignment

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers (in complete sentences) in your essay:

1. Why would life at White Moss Manor never be "normal" again?
2. Explain May's interactions with the ghost and what May saw the ghost doing?
3. Which ghost showed more than once? 
4. What did May do to feel safe from the ghost at home?

 

Thursday September 10th, 2015

First week flew by fast! I hope all the students are acclimating to their new school schedules with little to no stress. 

In class, we worked on strengthening our vocabulary, reading, and writing skills. 

Vocabulary

1. pumpkin
2. obsidian
3. endure
4. suspicious
5. creature
6. disbelieving
7. agonizing
8. somer
9. guard
10. staggering

Reading

Continued reading "May Bird and the Ever After", Chapters 4 - 5.

Writing

Five Minute Creative Writing Challenge: "Curious Ice Cream Shop" 

Students took 5 minutes in class to creatively write. They used an  image they selected off of https://storybird.com for their creative inspiration. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization skills are the focus of this challenge! Students have five minutes to dig deep into their creative minds and write about what they see! 

May Bird and the Ever After writing assignment:

• Write a 10 sentence essay with beginning, middle, and end format, that includes correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalization. Please make sure I can read your essay.
• Use 5 of the daily vocabulary words in your essay; please underline your vocabulary words.
• Tell me what happened in the story with your own words. Be sure to include the following answers(in complete sentences)in your essay:

1. Describe the creature on May’s bed. How terrifying was the creature to May?
2. How did the creature react when May screamed? What was May's mother's reaction?
3. What did May Bird realize while getting ready for bed?
4. According to the Guide to the Paranormal and Other Notes on Ghost say that creatures are scared of?