Reminder:  Thanks to yesterday’s ice we do have school this Saturday, the 20th.  school will start at the normal time, and run until 12:00.  

 

Today was SO BUSY.  We were rushing rushing rushing all day.

 

We started our day talking about the weather, and clouds.  We ended up talking about how molecules are constantly moving between states (solid, liquid, gas, etc).

We also talked about Fahrenheit, and Celsius.  It is sometimes hard for students to understand that 32 degrees Fahrenheit is EQUAL to 0 degrees Celsius.  These both measure the same amount of heat.  0 degrees Celsius is NOT colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  They are just different scales of measure!

Tonight students have a short passage about clouds to re-read.  Then there are some questions to answer.  Before you ask, yes I expect reasoning!

 

In Language Arts students got a new vocabulary list.  I would like to try something new this time around – I am asking students to FIND a sentence using the first word on the list tonight.   They should NOT write this sentence themselves.  We are going to try to make a collection of found sentences so we can use them to help us write our own sentences later on.  Places they might find a sentence using the word (abrupt):

By asking their parents

Looking in the dictionary

Looking in another book

On the internet

Again, this is not cheating.  Students should find a sentence using the word, and NOT come up with one on their own.

 

In Math today we talked about division, and played a game I like to call ‘banker and boss’.  Students are split into pairs, and one player is the banker, and the other is the boss.  The banker keeps track of the money, and the boss is responsible for paying his/her employees.   The boss has to pay his employees equally with the money he/she makes.

We will use this exercise to help us understand the standard algorithm for long division later, so it is very important that students internalize the process for dividing numbers in this way.

 

Tonight students should do this problem WITH A PARENT OR OLDER SIBLING:

divide $17 among 4 people

 

The parent or older sibling should be the banker, and the student is the boss.  The banker gives them $17, and then makes change as they need it to divide the money equally.  The student takes the money and divides it equally into 4 groups.

 

so, tl;dr

Short packet on Clouds (WITH REASONING)

 

Find one sentence using the word abrupt (do NOT come up with this on your own – get it from a reputable source)

 

divide $17 into 4 equal groups using your play money and with your parent/older sibling.

 

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

 

Tomorrow is a half day! Please be aware that school ends at 12:30 tomorrow.

 

SOOOO MUCH MATH!!!

 

This week has been a lot of fun.  Being able to really focus on something like our math has allowed us to get a lot done!

I apologize for no update yesterday.  Unfortunately my hosting provider had some problems and a number of sites were down for a good part of the day.

 

Today we did our last burst of math review bootcamp.

We talked about mental strategies for adding and subtracting simple numbers:

8 + 7 = 8 + (2+5) = 10 + 5 = 15

12 – 5 = 12 – (2+3) = 10 – 3 = 7

We talked about multiplying powers of ten

10 * 1/100 = 10/100 = 1/10 = .1

We talked about breaking numbers down into parts in order to multiply them

40 x 0.03 = 4 x 10 x 3 x 1/100 = 4 x 3 x 10 x 1/100 = 12 x 10 x 1/10 = 120 x 1/10  = 120/10 = 12.0

We talked about how there are many different ways to name a number, and how these can help us:

300 can be…..

300 ones

30 tens

3 hundreds

3000 tenths

and so on!

 

We then talked about how we put all of this together to do something like multiplying decimals.  Tonight part of their math packet involves this.

 

Tonight students have another packet of ….MATH! to do. YAY!

They should finish this entire packet EXCEPT for the last page.  I made it very clear that they should not touch this last page.

MathPacketFeb11

 

 

no real need for one, but here is the tl;dr anyway:

read!

12:00 dismissal tomorrow!

Math packet (don’t do last page!)

MathPacketFeb11

 

Also it is not allowed to snow tomorrow or Monday or Tuesday.  I have decided this.

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

Another intensive day of math!

So today we spent time in pairs and individually practicing our multiplication facts.  We also worked on mental math problems, and breaking numbers apart in our head to help us add and subtract.

 

We talked today about how we would break apart numbers in order to aid us when subtracting.  For example something like

13 – 7

We could think of as:

13 – (3+4)

Because 13 – 3 is obviously 10.  Then we can subtract 4, and we get 6.

Tonight students have another packet of math problems to work on.  Again some of this might seem overly simplistic, but we are practicing these things so that we have a strong foundation.

MathPacketFeb9

 

In Science we talked a good deal about clouds, and how they are clumps of water droplets or ice.  We also looked at the weather forecast for the week and discussed how meteorologists predict the weather using things like radar and measurements of wind speed, direction, and knowledge of pressure systems.

 

At the end of the day we got so into The Night Gardener (well, I guess *I* got so into it…) that we read for 30 minutes.  Things are going totally crazy in that book.

 

so, tl;dr

New math packet!

MathPacketFeb9

Practice your math facts!!

 

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

 

 

This week is Math fill-in-the-gaps Week!

 

We are spending this week doing some intensive math training.  We have a few gaps that we honestly *must* fill in before we can move on and be successful.

 

We will be working quite a bit on mental math and strategies for adding and subtracting numbers quickly and without the use of our fingers.

For example, it is much easier to think of something like 9 + 7 as 9 + (1 + 6).  This is because 9 + 1 = 10, and then 10 + 6 = 16.  We will be doing mental math exercises like this all week.

 

We will also be doing a *lot*  of work on multiplication facts.  We have work to do with division, and it will make very little sense if students don’t have a very solid grasp of their multiplication facts.

 

Tonight students have a small math packet to complete.  Most of these may seem deceptively simple, but we are trying to build a solid foundation of skills so that things become more manageable and understandable for students.

Math_Packet_Feb8

 

We also read a lot of “The Night Gardener” and things are getting pretty crazy there as well.  Ask your student what they think is in the tree……..

 

so, tl;dr

LOTS of math this week!  Finish this short packet:

Math_Packet_Feb8

 

and read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

It’s Thursday!!  Which means tomorrow is Friday, which means….

QUIZZES TOMORROW!!

 

This morning we discussed another type of ‘compacted’ metaphor: a kenning.  A kenning is a much-compressed form of metaphor, originally used in Anglo-Saxon and Norse poetry. In a kenning, an object is described in a two-word phrase, such as ‘whale-road’ for ‘sea’.  We made a little kenning poem about teachers by listing things that teachers do/how they act/what they look like/what they sound like.  This was VERY telling by the way – yikes!  Ask your student how they decided to describe teachers.

This was our example kenning poem.  Can you tell what it is?

Egg layer
Insect betrayer
People scarer
Trap preparer
Silent creeper
Death reaper
Meal storer
Fly adorer
Duster hater
Web creator
Corner hider

 

Tonight students are to write their own kennings.  We will be putting these together to make a short little riddle poem tomorrow.

Kennings

Students also have left over work from their LA centers.  There are a total of two sheets.  In one, they identify the figurative language used in lines from poems.  In the second they read a poem and find figurative language inside of it as well as answer some questions about the poems tone and mood.

figurative-language-worksheet-07

The Black Land

 

We also read a good bit more of “Love That Dog” and a LOT of “The Night Gardener”.

 

In math we spent a good amount of time reviewing.  Students picked a set of math problems to do based on what they have to practice with.  Tonight students should study either addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division with decimals.  They should do the set of problems they were given and even make up their own problems if need be.

 

 

so, tl;dr

Write some kennings:

Kennings

Find some figurative language:

The Black Land

identify some figurative language:

figurative-language-worksheet-07

Practice whatever you need to practice concerning operations with decimals.

 

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

 

Today we were a liiiiitle loud….but still pretty good.

 

 

This morning we did a bunch more rotations.

Students analyzed another poem.

They worked on identifying figurative language in poetry.

They worked independently on the figurative language they still need work on

And they read more of “Love that Dog” with Mr. Potter!

 

Tonight students need to find an example of figurative language in the book they are currently reading.  Some students expressed concern that their book may not have any figurative language, and we talked about how simple it should be to find examples of simile and hyperbole.

In science we are going to continue talking about weather for the entire quarter.  Tonight students should find a weather forecast for Friday, and copy it down.  We will be looking at these tomorrow.  I have purposefully been vague about what copying down Friday’s forecast means.  I am interested in what they believe to be a complete forecast for Friday.

 

In Math today we talked AT LENGTH about division, and how we divide things.  We are either dividing something up into groups, OR we are dividing something up into groups of a given size.

Tonight again students have division problems to analyze.  They should determine whether we are splitting something up into a given number of groups, OR if we are dividing something up into groups of a given size.

Essentially they should be asking themselves what information we have in the problem.  Do we know how many groups?  Or do we know how big the groups are?  Whichever we don’t know is what we are trying to determine.

NOTES_Feb3

Division_Feb3

 

 

so, tl;dr

Find an example of figurative language in your book to show me tomorrow.  If you write this down, make sure to include the page number.

Write down Friday’s weather forecast

Analyze some division problems

NOTES_Feb3

Division_Feb3

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

Happy Tuesday!

 

I was quite impressed with the amount of students who brought their quiz sheet back signed today.  I believe we had 20 out of 23.  That’s fantastic!

 

This morning we talked about a poem I really enjoy, called “I Sing the Battle” by Harry Kemp.  This is an interesting poem that is written as a sort of ‘call and response’.  We talked about the meaning and the structure together, and some of the items that students might not be quite familiar with.

Tonight students have some questions to answer about this poem.  On the back, they should expand upon number six especially, as I want to know why the poem makes them feel a certain way.

figurative-language-poem-2-i-sing-the-battle-by-harry-kemp

 

We also read some more of “Love that Dog” by Sharon Creech.  Definitely ask your student what they think of this book.  It’s one of my favorites.  So if they don’t like it, I will be extremely sad!

 

In Math today we talked at length about division, and what division really means and represents.  The entire purpose of these discussions is NOT so students can simply do division.  The purpose of these discussions and of our homework today is to get students thinking about division and what is going on with the process.

Tonight students have a few word problems to look at.  Each problem can be answered with division problem.  Students need to identify how that division problem is realized.  Are we dividing 10 into 5 equal groups?  OR are we dividing 10 into groups of 5?   This may seem like a nitpicky thing to ask students, but again we want them really thinking about what is going on instead of just grabbing numbers and smashing them together, and hoping everything works out.

Notes

Division_Feb2

 

 

so, tl;dr

Answer some questions about “I Sing the Battle”

figurative-language-poem-2-i-sing-the-battle-by-harry-kemp

Think about how some division problems should be done

Division_Feb2

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

 

 

Welcome back after such a LONG weekend!

 

Today was another very productive day.  I could get used to these!

We did a ton of rotations this morning.

Students worked on IXL (A new program we are using focusing in math and science)

Students found examples of figurative language in Shel Silverstein books.

Students read in small groups with Mr. Potter

Students worked on division in small groups with Mr. Potter

And students worked on Alliteration in small groups

That’s a lot of stuff!

 

Tonight students should shock me by showing their amazing abilities with alliteration.

The first worksheet is self explanatory.  On the second worksheet, students brainstorm words that begin with the letter A, B, and C on the front in the boxes.  They then use those words to create a sentence using alliteration, a la Dr. Seuss’ A B C.  On the back they should do the same with D, E, and F.

Alliteration

Alliteration Seuss

 

Next we looked at all of the quizzes we took on Friday.  Students received a sheet that they used to record all of their quiz scores.

They then used their performance to think about what they still need to work on to become proficient, and then specifically what they will do in order to achieve that.

They also recorded homework and reading logs turned in last week.  We will start doing these weekly and students will be responsible for getting these signed and returned.

 

Tonight students have different math homework depending upon what they need to do.  Below are four sets of decimals.  If they need to work on adding, they should add these.  If they need to work on subtraction they should subtract them.  If they need to work on multiplication they should multiply them, and if they need to work on division, they should divide them!

1.4                .7

2.4                .6

.27                .09

.30                .06

 

 

So tl;dr

alliteration!!

Alliteration

Alliteration Seuss

Add, subtract, multiply, or divide these numbers based on what you need to work on:

1.4                .7

2.4                .6

.27                .09

.30                .06

Bring back your quiz sheet signed!

 

And read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter

Quick reminder: Today is the deadline for the magnet application.  Please take a look at the sidebar to the left and read the track out and magnet info post if you haven’t already.

 

That’s right, homework on a Friday!

 

Well, kinda….

 

We do have school tomorrow, Saturday the 30th of January.  It will be a half-day makeup for Monday’s snow day.

The buses will pick up students at the normal time, and school will start as normal with arrival from 8:00 – 8:30 and class beginning at 8:30.

There is no breakfast, lunch, or recess.

Class will dismiss at 12:00.

Students should feel free to bring a big snack if they would like.

 

 

 

Today we took our regular battery of Friday quizzes.  Again I was just so impressed with how hard the students are working.  Everyone seems to still be rested from our long track out, and I hope that things continue in this manner.

 

We also started a final copy of our metaphor poem.  We are writing these on nice white paper and including an illustration.  Tonight students should finish that final copy to have ready to turn in tomorrow.  If students are not in school tomorrow, then I would like it turned in first thing Monday morning.

 

Besides that, students should also read and get tonight filled out in their reading logs.

 

so not much, simply finish metaphor poem, and read!

 

Hopefully see you tomorrow,

 

-Mr. Potter

Another full day!

I must say I am SUPER impressed with how well the students are working in class.  Our first few days back have been quite productive.

 

This morning we talked about hyperbole and personification and came up with some of our own statements using them.  Tonight students have some straightforward worksheets to complete identifying these two types of figurative language.

Hyperbole_Personification

We also talked about metaphors and similes again.  Tonight students should write a simile/metaphor poem.  They should pick something from their life (an object, something they own, friend, or family member) and then compare it to something else to start the poem.  The rest of the poem then explains why they made this comparison.

Here are some examples:

 

My mother is like an alarm clock.

She wakes me up every morning.

But she doesn’t go, Beep! Beep! Beep!・

Instead, she yanks open my bedroom door and yells,

Sleepyhead, get out of bed!

 

My dog is a cheetah.

When someone leaves the door open,

she springs out the door and runs down the street so fast

no one can catch her without a helicopter and a tranquilizer gun.

 

We also started reading “Love that Dog” in small groups , which is an absolutely fantastic story written like a poem.  Ask your student about it!

 

In Math we reviewed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with simple decimals.  Tonight students have another two sets of decimals that they should add, subtract, multiply, and divide:

.45        .15 (add, subtract, multiply, and divide these!)

2.4        .6 (add, subtract, multiply, and divide these too!)

 

We also have a bunch of quizzes tomorrow, as it is Friday!

They will cover:

What causes weather?

Metaphors, Similes, Hyperbole, Personification

adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing simple decimals

 

so, tl;dr

Identify the personification and hyperbole

Hyperbole_Personification

Write a metaphor poem

Add, subtract, multiply, and divide these two sets:

.45       .15

2.4         .6

 

And as always, read!

 

Have a good one,

 

-Mr. Potter