02.News from the Students

Wed - May 31, 2006

Student News: May 26, 2006

This week we went to USM because the MLTI asked us to present. We prepared for our podcast presentation by first picking our partners. Then we chose the parts and then started writing our script. After we wrote our script and [when] it was all edited, some people typed up their script to make it neater. After we did that, most people made a poster so they would remember their parts so they won't have read their script all the time and also for visual learners. We practiced and practiced and practiced, etc., etc. After we could go and show our presentation. That's how we prepared.

We got great feedback from kids and teachers about our presentation. Mr Sprankle said we did an awesome job! A lot of people laughed at the funny parts of the movie.

Before we went to U.S.M., Jim Moulton (the man who invited us) sent us an e-mail that had a quote with it that said, "The medium is the message," by Marshal McLuhin. Ashley, Christian, and Emily B. told about the famous quote. We got to meet Jim Moulton at U.S.M. If you want to hear what Ashley, Christian, and Emily B. said, listen to our May 26th podcast. Jim Moulton thinks the quote means consumers watch or listen to the producers' work. He said that Room 208 is full of producers.

Posted at 06:14 AM Read More

Sun - May 14, 2006

Student News: May 12, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week we started to do NWEAs. NWEA stands for Northwest Evaluation Assessment. We take these tests on a computer. The first test we took was Math which had 52 questions. The next test we took was reading which had 42 questions. The other tests we didn't do yet are Science and Language Arts. Our computer teacher, Mrs. Oakes, says that if we slow down 5 minutes your score will most likely go up by at least 10 points. During our tests we can go to the bathroom, get a drink, or take a break. This helps our brains recharge. We hope these NWEAs will have improved scores since last fall.

Last week, Mr. Sprankle had a kidney stone. Therefore, we had a substitute for the whole week. He is now back in school and he did not even need to have surgery. It went away by itself and we are happy about that. When he was gone we missed him and we wished that he was here.

Every week, Mr. S does something called "SPAM of the Week". He does it so we become critical readers and realize the dangers of giving out your email address and other personal information online. SPAM is sometimes when someone tries to trick you into giving out your personal information, like: your full name, credit card number, and email address. You can also get SPAM that tries to trick you into clicking on a file that will give your computer a virus. That is what SPAM is.

The last few weeks, the fourths have been doing "Stars for Broadway". The songs we have learned are: "Green Eggs and Ham", "Give My Regards to Broadway", and "They're Playing My Song". Each fourth grade class has a class-number and ours is "Wizard of Oz". In it we sing, "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". While the fourths were doing "Stars for Broadway", the 3rd graders were learning songs for the concert on their precorders. First, we play "Mississippi Hot Dog", and then we play a medley with: "Merrily We Roll Along", "Hot Cross Buns", Au Clairde La Lune" and then we play "Merrily We Roll Along" again. After we play the medley we play "Lightly Row" then we play "Ode to Joy" and after that we sing "This is My Country". The last song is "Etude". And that is what we've done in Music lately.

Lastly, we are going back to USM to present for MLTI. MLTI stands for for Maine Learning Technology Initiative. This time the third graders are coming with us. We're going to present for kids in high school and adults. Some things we are going to do to prepare are seeing what groups are going to keep and what were going to not use [from the last presentation]. That's what we are going to do at MLTI.

Posted at 05:18 PM Read More

Sun - April 30, 2006

Student News: April 28, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week in the morning we listened to music. We listen to music because it helps us work and concentrate. Mr. Sprankle puts on the music every morning before we walk in. Some of the people we’ve listened to so far were: Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Pop Staples, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, and Nina Simone. We [listen to it] by hooking Mr. S’s iPod into the speakers and turning the music up. We listen to these famous African American singers because we are studying African Americans. We really enjoy the music.

Also this week we read an article on Chernobyl. Chernobyl is a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Europe. 20 years ago the Chernobyl Power Plant exploded. Many days after the explosion, radiation reached other countries. Chernobyl didn’t tell the other countries about the explosion until many days later. The radiation killed about 35 people and [gave many others] a lot of diseases. That’s what we read about in the article.

Last week, we started something called Facilitated Discussions. Mr. Sprankle got the idea from Kevin Perks who gave a presentation for the school district. A facilitated discussion is when the whole class or a group reads the same article and when we’re done reading the article we put any questions we have about the article on the board. Then we answer the questions together and sometimes Mr. S answers some of the questions for us. Most of us like doing this because we get to learn different words and how things work. Sometimes when someone answers one question, it leads to another. We can’t wait to do this again.

This week we started IIM. IIM stands for “Independent Investigation Method.” We use this for research. IIM helps our research because it keeps it organized. Our class research topic is African American Heroes. Some of those people are: Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angleou, and Duke Ellington. Part of IIM is it gives us focused questions. Mr. S’s question was: “How did this person change the world?” We also have to do a Bibliography. And that is what we do in our IIM.

Posted at 12:09 PM Read More

Mon - April 17, 2006

Student News: April 14, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

For the past two weeks, we moved furniture around. People who wanted to help stayed in for recess and ate lunch with Mr. S in our classroom. In Math, we made a blueprint of our classroom. The fourths have been moving stuff around on the blueprint. This helps our learning because [the classroom] is comforting and safe. That was "Extreme Classroom Makeover"!

Also this week, we saw a play about Secret Touching. A secret touch is when somebody touches you in a way that you don't like. The play was about what you should do when you or someone else has been secret touched. You should tell a trusted adult.

A couple of weeks ago we started preparing for conferences. Mr. S gave us a pack of paper that had all the different subjects we do in school. In it, we wrote what we were most proud of and what we needed to work on. On each page there were webs. We use webs to know what we are most proud of and what we needed to work on. You write the subject in the middle and on the shapes on the outside you write what you did in that subject. The subjects are: Math, Reading, Writing, Theme, and Community. The front has the 2nd Trimester which is what you're proud of the most and what you need to work on the most. Most of our conferences are on the 13th and 14th of April. That's how we prepare for conferences.

This week, Scott Kinney came to our class with a friend named Dawn . Dawn is Scott Kinney's Regional Coordinator for New England. Scott Kinney works with teachers all around the world [at Discovery Education Network. He's has been doing this for about a year now. His favorite place is Wells, ME. A friend got him into podcasting. Another question we asked him is "If he could change one thing about his job [what would it be?] "Less meetings." He came to our class just to meet us. Scott and Dawn came to see how we podcast. He lives in Pennsylvania, close to Hershy Land. We really enjoyed Scott Kinny and Dawn [Strunk] coming to our classroom.

On the last week of March, the 4th graders went to USM (aka University of Southern Maine) to present about podcasting to the KIDS Consortium. The 3rds made a movie to tell how to make a podcast. If you would like to hear the USM Presentation, click here. If you want to see the movie, click here .

Posted at 01:45 PM Read More

Sun - March 26, 2006

Student News: March 24, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

Over the last few weeks, we have been working on Biomes. We got facts from books. Then when Mr. Sprankle said we had enough facts we started on our 1st draft poster. The biomes are: Tropical Rain Forest, Desert, Grasslands, Wetlands, Freshwater, Ocean, and Arctic. On our poster there was a drawing and our facts. We used markers, colored pencils, and Crayons. It took about a month to complete this project. On our poster we say: favorite saying, favorite plant, favorite animal, favorite color, and favorite places. We would say the answer and then write facts to go with the answer. We really enjoyed the project.

Next Friday the fourth graders are going to the University of Southern Maine (USM). That is [where the] KIDS Consortium [will be]. We are going on the 31st to teach them about podcasting. The third graders are making a movie. Their movie shows some of us podcasting. It also shows us doing Friday update and our "rundown". One thing we are going to do is explain our purpose. Another thing we are going to do is "Why we do a Podcast." The next thing we are going to do is show them the movie. And those are some things we are going to do.

The past 2 weeks we did something called MEAs. MEA means "Maine Educational Assessment". We did it for two weeks. The 4ths did it the first week and the 3rds did it the second week. We had fun doing this but now it's over.

While the third graders were doing the MEAs, the fourths pretended they were traveling back to 1963. We read articles and listened to [radio clips] about Martin Luther King's speech, "I Have a Dream". Then we wrote a letter home and pretended we went to the March on Washington. Everyone wrote the letter in their own way. One person put themself right in the middle of the story. Lots of people met people in their story. One person in our class said they know someone who went to the March on Washington. So keep your ears open for a podcast about the March on Washington.

That is what we did in the last couple of weeks.

Posted at 10:13 AM Read More

Mon - February 20, 2006

Student News: February 17, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

On February 17, 2006, we went to an event called the "Jumpathon". The Jumpathon is when we raise money for people with heart disease. We raise money by asking people we know for money. We jump rope for 40 minutes. Some of the jumps we did were: regular jumps, ski jumps, double jumps, snake jumps, and front door and back door jumps. While we were jumping, people came around with oranges and gave us some to eat. And that's what the Jumpathon is like.

Also this week, we visited a man named Wes Fryer. How we visited him was we used an iSight. He was in a conference so we saw their principal [at that school]. It was a lot of fun. First, he asked us questions and then we got to ask him some too. The main question that he wanted us to answer was "Why do you do blogging?" If you want to listen to [the conversation], it will be on as a bonus show. So if you can listen to it, that will be great. It is an awesome show. Well, we hope that you learn something about Wes Fryer.

This week we learned about the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad is a path to lead slaves to freedom. The Underground Railroad had houses and trails with people whose goals were to help the slaves. In 1850, a law was passed called the Fugitive Slave Act. Anybody caught bringing slaves North could be sent back South. So slaves had to go to Canada. The Underground Railroad helped many slaves get to freedom.

Lastly, on February 16, 2006, we chatted with Carol Anne McGuire on an iSight camera. If you listen to the Room 208 podcast, you will hear our conversation with Carol Anne McGuire. We also learned a few things about her. We learned that she brought a stuffed alligator [to school]---not the kind you have on your bed or in a backpack, but a real alligator that is dead and stuffed with cotton. Another thing we learned is that she brought 40 ficus trees into her classroom to teach her class about the rainforest because her students are blind. They were bumping into the trees. Ms. Carol Anne McGuire said to her students, "This is what a real rainforest is like." Don't forget to listen to the podcast and finish the conversation. [Just] to let you know: it is kind of "staticey" because of the [internet] connection.

Posted at 11:53 AM Read More

Fri - February 3, 2006

Student News: February 3, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

From now on an old classmate and friend is going to be coming to our classroom to edit our podcasting work. His name is James. He is in 5th grade, and Mr. S trained him to edit our podcast. The way he does [it] is he goes on the computer and takes out our mistakes. For example, if we said a word twice, he would take one out. And it helps Mr. Sprankle so he doesn't have to do as much work at home and he can spend more time with his family. It also helps because James also can record people so Mr. Sprankle can help people with their work. If you want to hear [James'] work, you can go to last year's podcasts. Thanks, James!

Also this week we went to a planetarium in the gym. It was a small bubble area with a special machine inside that made stars appear. Mr. Negley is the man who controlled the planetarium. He told us where the sun rises in the [sky]. It depends on what season it is. He also used a machine that made stars appear. Along with that, he showed us pictures in the stars like: the big and little dipper.

Also last week we have started to practice for a very special event in our school: Jump Rope for Heart. Jump Rope for Heart is a special event on the 16 and 17th of February every year. We will jump rope for an hour. Before we jump rope, people can get a permission slip to earn money for the Jump Rope for Heart. All the money we collect will go to the American Heart Association according to our gym teacher, Mrs. Calo. This is what Jump Rope for Heart is for.

Another thing we learned this week is a new role for Literature Circles. The new role is called Literary Luminary. Literary Luminary is a job that people get to do. The job is to find a part of a book that catches your attention. On the [role] page, there are four boxes. The first box is for writing the page number. The second one is for the paragraph number. The third box is for why you picked it. For example: it's surprising, confusing, or well-written. And the fourth [box] is your plan for reading [it] (to yourself, or if you're going to read it out loud to your group). That is how you do Literary Luminary.

Lastly, we have a new attachment to our Blog. It's called "The Room 208 Journal Blog". You can check it out if your want. The address is: bobtaughtme.com/journal. There are two different kinds of questions. "Required [Questions] are in red, which means we have to answer it. And there is "Casual [Conversations]" too. That means you can do it if you want to. You are also allowed to do the questions at your house.

Posted at 09:04 AM Read More

Sat - January 28, 2006

Student News: January 27, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week we are practicing for the MEAs. MEAs are a test that 3rd and 4th graders take. We've been mostly working on Math MEAs. We've also been working on Reading fictions stories for the MEAs . One of the stories we read was Rabbit's Big Race. We learned to read the questions first before reading the story. We now know when [the] MEAs come we will be ready.

This week in Reading we started Literature Circles. Literature Circles are when a group gets together and reads the same book then they talk about the book and things it made them think about. We are doing a class Literature Circle on the book, Charlotte's Web. When we do Literature Circles, we have roles. We have four roles: Luminary, Discussion Director, Connector, and Illustrator. We have only learned two of them. Earlier, we watched two Literature Circle movies. One Harvey Daniels did and the other one, Mr. S's class did in 2002. The main reason we do Literature Circles is to become life-long readers. That is what we did with Literature Circles this week.

Also this week in Math, the fourths learned a way to divide large numbers. The way we learned to divide large numbers is called "Partial Quotient" [method]. Partial Quotient is not long division. This is an easier way to do division. While the fourths were doing that the Thirds were learning about decimals. Decimals are a way to show pieces of numbers. They learned tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. That is what we learned in Math.

Finally, this week we had some guests come into our classroom. One of the guests was Sara Nics. She was from the MPBN radio station and she is going to put us on the radio. We will tell you when the date is soon! Another guest was Janet Hill. She was in Iowa in her kitchen when she visited us. To get here, she walked to her computer and looked at a little camera called an "iSight". That was fun! The third visit was Leah Tondreau, a second grade teacher, and David, a technology coordinator. They came from up north in Maine (around Bangor). They came to learn how we work [on] podcasts because [Ms.] Tondreau wants to do a podcast with her second grade class. She thought our podcast was a good example! They drove three hours to come and see our class and how we do our podcast. We thought that that was nice of them to do that. Those were our visitors that came to our classroom.

Posted at 05:32 PM Read More

Sat - January 14, 2006

Student News: January 13, 2006

written by the Scholars of Room 208

We don't have a Podcast this week because we started working on a project and it didn't get done in time so we couldn't make a podcast. The project we are working on is: "What should a classroom look like in the Year 2015?" We are working on "2015" because David Warlick interviewed teachers and we wanted to do it too. David Warlick is an Education Podcaster. He used to be a teacher. He is a writer for books. He's an awesome podcaster.

This Monday, January 16, 2006 most schools will be empty or let go early for a special event: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a very special day because he was the person who led the Civil Rights Movement which happened in the mid-1960s. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead the March on Washington. The March on Washington was in Washington, D.C. The date that the March happened was on August 28, 1963. It was for jobs and freedom. 250,000 people march[ed]. It was the largest march ever seen in the nation's capital. Later, in 1964, [Martin Luther King] was awarded a prize called the Nobel Peace Prize which was very important to him. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray who spent the rest of his life behind bars.

Also, this week in music the Thirds started recorders. They got their recorders and they got their music books. The notes they learned are B, A, and G. They're really enjoying the recorders. While the Thirds were doing that, the Fourths were learning songs for Starz for Broadway. Some of the songs they learned were: They're Playing My Song, Green Eggs and Ham, There's No Business Like Show Business and Be Our Guest. We have many more songs but our music teacher hasn't taught us the rest yet. We really hope you come to the show in June so we can perform for you. We really enjoy doing this.

This week in Science we were learning about Biomes . Biomes are big areas. The are unique for their different weather and plants. They have many habitats inside of them. For example some of the biomes are: Chaparral, Deserts, Rain Forests, and Grasslands. Elizabeth asked if water could be a biome. From reading a book, we found out it actually is a biome. There are two different water biomes. The two different water biomes are Freshwater and Marine. Mr. Sprankle gave us a piece of paper to write our top favorite biomes. He gave us this paper so we can go with a partner that got a similar biome. With our partner we are going to study those biomes. That is what we're doing in Science.

Also, on Saturday, [January] 7th, 2006, David Warlick recorded a conference for his podcast. During the conference he played our "Wicked Wikipedia" podcast. After the podcast, a man said that he did not think we wrote the piece. He said that it sounded like Mr. S wrote it and we read it. Some of us took it as a compliment, others thought it was a "dis". Some thought it was a compliment because he said it sounded like an adult wrote it. Other think it was a "dis" because he might think we can't do that good of a job. You can listen to the conversation we had on Mr. S's Bit by Bit Podcast. We also though of making a movie showing us working on the podcast to prove that we do our [own] work and that is what happened.

Posted at 05:19 PM Read More

Sun - December 18, 2005

Student News: December 16, 2005

written by the Scholars of Room 208

Next week, we are having our traditional concert at the High School because a fire safety sprinkler went off in our school and 480 gallons later, our gym floor was damaged. We got most of the water out but some is still under the gym floor. Workers will have to tear up the gym floor and put in a new one. At the Holiday Concert we will sing: "This is my Country," "Ode to Joy," "Children Go Where I Send Thee," "United We Sing," "Jingle Bell Dash," and the last song is "Mr. Grinch." Soon we will have our Holiday Concert as a bonus show on the podcast.

Also, this week, the 4ths learned Multiplication Wrestling in Math. We also had it for homework and taught our parents how to play. Hailey and Bailey will be teaching you how to play Multiplication Wrestling on "Math Corner" once the holidays are over. This week the 3rd graders were learning about place value and they also played a game called, "Number Top-It" with 7 digit-numbers. That is what we did in Math.

Another thing we did this week was Personification. Personification is when you give an inanimate object "human abilities". Here's an example: "The flower dances in the breeze." And that is personification. We are working on "Personification Poems."

Lastly, this week in Reading we read a speech called, "I'm Not Afraid to tell the World How I Feel" by a 12-year old named Severn Cullis-Suzuki. It was about pollution and how people should pick it up. The person who gave the speech gave it to a grown was because she believes that grownups are messing up the world and she wants to fix it. She is only a child and she doesn't have all the solutions but the adults don't either. Also, she said she's afraid to go outside and breathe the air because of all the chemicals because of the pollution. Then after all of us read the speech, Mr. Sprankle told us to write a letter to him about the speech we read. He like them.

Posted at 02:37 PM Read More

Fri - November 4, 2005

Student News: November 4, 2005

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week, Mr. S got to pick what he wanted to buy with $1000 dollars for the school because he got $1000 dollars for "Technology Teacher of the Year". What Mr. Sprankle picked was a new recording studio for the school. He got a recorder, a mixer, and 3 microphones. He also got two stands for the microphones. One of the three microphones he got was one that the students could interview people with. You have to keep your hand still or it will sound staticy. Mr. S even bought a "popscreen" for the school. A popscreen is something that blocks out sounds when you say a word with a "p" in it.

Mr. Sprankle decided that he wanted three or four people at a time that are called a "set up crew". Therefore, when we're setting up, they are the ones who set up the stuff. We really enjoy the new podcast equipment.

Also this week, Mr. S showed us this really cool web site that had a neat creature called, The Tree Octopus! It mostly lives in a pond or a creek and in the rain forest but it comes out sometimes and climbs on the trees. It prefers to be in water. After we got really interested, Mr. S asked us, "Would you like to put this fictional tree octopus on the podcast?" We were really surprised because the picture looked realistic and it looked like a real article, but it wasn't. We were very confused. Mr. S did this to teach us that not everything on the Internet is correct and even books can make mistakes. You have to be a good reader by checking where it came from, are there other websites about it, and is it real? We were very surprised.

Also this week, we have been working on building a paper Oak Tree. On this tree, we have to put paper animals on it but it is not as easy as you think. First you have to make the animal and then you must talk to a teacher about the animal and then the "Oak Woman" (aka Mr. I's intern). She will ask you the 5 basic survival needs for the animal and if you get them right you will get your animal on the paper Oak Tree. Also, in science, we went outside to look for signs of animals. We drew sketches of acorns, pine cones, berries, etc., or anything else that had evidence that a living organism was there. When we were leaving Mr. S found a pile of coyote scat.

Finally, Channel 6 News came on Thursday, October 27, 2005. Everyone was excited. Channel 6 news came to interview us because of our podcast. They stayed until lunch time. Three people that were here last year got interview. Caroline is the adult that is on TV and interviews people and Josh is the cameraman. Josh does not get to be on TV. Caroline emailed us a letter and it said on it the day that our class will be on TV. This is what Caroline emailed us:

"Dear Bob,
I just wanted to let you know that the piece is definitely airing on November 10th. However, once I started writing it, I realized that I'd barely be able to scratch the surface of what I found so interesting about class -- all the learning going on! :) So, we're actually going to do another piece that focuses on how you guys are using podcasting in education. I'll let you know when I have that date.

Good luck with the rest of the school year!

Caroline Cornish
WCSH 6"

Thank you for coming Caroline and Josh and putting us on another piece.

Posted at 12:45 PM Read More

Fri - October 28, 2005

Student News: October 28, 2005

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week in Computer, we learned computer safety rules in a game. We took a quiz on how to be on the Internet in a safe way. We learned there are different kinds of viruses. And we played a game called "The Wiggy Wigs." There are different names for the Wiggy Wigs. For example: Spamozoid, Hothead, Follow-You-Fiona, Oogle, and the Numbut. Wiggy Wigs are certain kinds of viruses. Follow-You-Fiona follows you on the Internet and tries to find out personal information about you, like your phone number, address, or email, or even your name. The Oogle almost does the same thing. A Numbut is a person who stares at the computer 24/7. We played this game so we can use the Internet in a safe way. You can go on this fun game at www.netsmartzkids.org.

Also, in Science, we built a habitat called a "terrarium". First, we put in little rocks, then we put in charcoal for the carbon. After that, we put in patches of dirt with moss on it, then we put in more patches of dirt with moss on it with tiny plants that had red circles on the top.It has little bugs living in it. We have to cover it with plastic because it will keep all the moisture in it. One person every day has to go and get the sprayer from Mr. I's room and then squirt it at least ten times because it will give the terrarium water that feels like a sprinkle of rain that is coming from outside. We built the terrarium because Mr. S was teaching us about habitats. We really enjoyed building the terrarium and learning about habitat science.

Another thing that happened this week is a sad event happened. On Monday night, October 24, 2005, a hero named Rosa Parks died. Rosa Parks was one of the people who made us one, and fought for freedom. This is what happened with Rosa Parks: She got on a bus one night after work. She sat down and a white man came on the full bus and Rosa would not move for the white man which was against the law back then. So the bus driver had her arrested and that is the story of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was 92 years old and died in her home in Detroit. To find out more about Rosa Parks, go to your local library or your school Library.

Finally, Mr. Sprankle and Mrs. Oakes won "Technology Teacher of the Year" recently. They are the "Technology Teachers of the Year" in Maine. ACTEM (Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine) gave them the award. [Mr. S and Ms. Oakes] also went to a workshop there.

Mr. S and Mrs. Oakes (our computer teacher) won $1000 each for the school. They're going to spend it on a recorder for recording things like our podcasts, concerts, and Starz for Broadway. We are going to put it on a cart so we can move it all around the school easily.

Posted at 10:07 AM Read More

Fri - October 21, 2005

Student News: October 21, 2005

written by the Scholars of Room 208

This week in Math, 3rds did the "Trade First Then Subtract" method. The "Trade First" method is when you trade [the] tens to [the] ones and hundreds to the tens, etc. While the 3rds were doing that , the 4ths were doing work with globes. They pretended they flew to different countries and then found out the distance they flew. And that is what we did in Math.

The next thing that happened [was] Marc did a Book Talk. During a Book Talk, you share a book that you enjoyed reading. You also share unfamiliar books and their good authors. When doing a book talk make sue you're at leas halfway through the book. And don't forget when you're talking, look at everyone. Also try to find a book that the class would be interested in. And have fun! That is a Book Talk!

Also, this week Mr. I's class and our class got together to learn about comments for our Poetry Blog. There is a piece of paper that says "I Like... I Wonder if You Could... and Questions..." Before you go on the Poetry Blog to do comments, you write on this paper and answer [the questions]. Only the kids in Room 208 and Room 209 (Mr. I's class) can comment on each others' work on our Poetry Blog. We can comment on anyone's poems. The types of poems we have been working on are "Haiku" poems and "I Am" poems. We will be working on poems throughout the school year. We have been working really hard on the poems that we did. We really enjoyed this activity.

Finally, this week we Science. We started learning about "Wants" and "Needs" and Habitat. We went next door to Mr. I's classroom to do fun science projects, like making a list of what we would Want and what we Need [on a pretend trip we were taking]. At first we didn't know where we were going. Then we found out that we were pretending to go to Mars and had to change our list BIG TIME! This time Mr. S, Mr. I, and Mrs. M had to put the posters on the wall for a "Quiet Gallery" in the room. We also got blue dots that meant Needs and orange dots that meant Wants and everyone went around the room and put dots on each thing that was needed and wanted. Now we are starting to make a terrarium. A terrarium is an aquarium with no water. It will be very fun! We hope this will be successful.

Posted at 07:47 PM Read More

Sat - October 15, 2005

Student News: October 14, 2005

written by the Students of Room 208

We got an exciting thing this week. We got a "Shout Out" from a 6th grade class in Connecticut. Mr. Hetherington is their teacher and we "Shout Out" back to them. A "Shout Out" is when someone or some class gives "Kudos" to someone's Podcast. Kudos is like someone saying you did a good job and giving you a "put-up" about your podcast or anything.

We also "Shout Out" To a 2nd Grade class in Texas, [Mills Murfee]. We really liked your podcast. Your class is a really lucky class.

Also, this week we started "Haiku" poems. A haiku is a poem that has three lines. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 7 syllables. Mr. S read us three haiku poems by Basho. Basho is a Japanese haiku writer.

Another thing this week [that] we did in Math [was that] the 4ths had a very fun time because we played a game called "Baseball Multiplication." This is how you play: You get a blank piece of paper and make four bases. You need four objects for example: pennies, counter blocks, and anything else that is about that size. You need two dice because you roll them and you times the two numbers on the dice that are facing up. This is how many bases to run: 1 to 9 is an "Out"; 10 to 18 is a "Single" (1st base); 20 to 28 is a "Double" (2nd base); 30 to 35 is a "Triple" (3rd base); and 36 is a "Homerun" (4 bases). That is how you play "Baseball Multiplication".

While the 4ths were playing Baseball Multiplication, Mr. I (our 3rd grade Math Teacher), taught the 3rd graders how to figure out number stories with "Part/Part/Total" and "Start to Change to End", and mental math. Number stories are when there [are] number problems mixed in with a story and you have to figure out what the answer is.

Here is something exciting we are going to do. On Thursday, October 27th, we will be going to the revealing of 2 Statues presented at our school. One of the statues is made of granite. Ms. Brennan, our art teacher, said it will be a surprise to hear the artists' names. The statue is sitting in the front of the school with a tarp over it. The statue is about 5 ft. tall and will help our school look better.

Another exciting thing is [that] Channel 6 News is coming in to interview us about our Podcast.

Posted at 10:22 AM Read More

Sat - October 8, 2005

Student News: October 7, 2005

Note: There will be no Podcast this week.

written by the Students of Room 208

This week, we started a Poetry Blog in Computer. Mr. I's class is also doing the blog with us. You can get to it by going to our Blog and clicking on an icon that says "Poetry Blog". Mr. I's class and our class are the only ones in the school doing the blog. We are doing the blog so we can comment on each others' work. We were excited because we got to type the poem all by ourselves. There were some hard things to do but we were still able to do it. It's a lot of fun!

Also, this week Mr. Sprankle taught us how to do "Book Talks". Mr. S gave a paper that tells us about Book Talks. Book Talks are when you tell about a book that you read and get someone else interested in the book. On the paper he gave us it said "how to prepare for Book Talk, what the content should be, and what the purpose is." Under those words were bullets and how to do these things. When Mr. S showed us how to do a Book Talk, he did one and tried to get us interested in the book, Ramona the Pest. He read a section of the book and then he asked us real loud so everyone could hear him, "Are you interested in the is Book?" And then he asked us, "So, are you going to go and read this book?" Most everybody said "yes". We really enjoyed this activity he taught us.

The last cool thing we did was we started looking at animal and plant cells in Science. The plant cells are more packed together. When we looked at the animal cells, they looked more like blobs. The onion skin looked like brick walls. There are some small dots called the nucleus in the cells. Plant cells are packed together because they do not have any bones to keep them up so if they're packed tightly, they will stay up. We did this because it's the Science project. One thing we started to write was [a] Compare and Contrast [sheet].

Posted at 11:39 AM Read More

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