Audubon Final Survey

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please fill in the final survey from Audubon.

Thanks,
Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde and Ms. Chavez

Garden Bid Double Check: Please submit your answers today! (Friday)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thought I had a winner for the Garden Problem. But then some students let me know that they had shared their work in different ways. So - just to make sure I've got all of your submissions, please fill in this form.

Thanks,
Mr. Moore

The Compliment Post

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the compliment post! For this assignment, you'll need to get serious and really push your thinking regarding your classmates.

Your job is to write some kind words about each of your classmates. You have only one shot at completing this assignment, so pay attention to the clock. Your teacher will let you know exactly how much time you have. Once you start, you have to finish, and every question is required.

The easy part is this: even though you'll answer it about 45 times, there's only one question.

"What is great about my classmates?"

You'll use ONLY POSITIVE character traits to describe your classmates. You can use any word(s) you choose, but the list above is provided to help you. Do NOT use a word unless you know what it means. If you need help defining a word, consider ninjawords.com. If you need more ideas, check here, but remember to be very careful with the words you choose because words can have multiple meanings.

Make sure that you are considerate and respectful. Please feel free to get creative and use words others might not think of. The more unique, the better!

American Colonies

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

In the last couple of days, you've spent some time beginning to learn about the American Colonies. Today, you'll continue that work. Please use the resources below to increase your knowledge, and then write a post on your blog. 

You may title the post as you like, but make sure to add the following labels: Social Studies, Colonies

In your post, make sure to consider the following questions:

1. Why were Europeans interested in coming to the "New World?"
2. How would you compare and/or contrast the different colonial regions (New England, Middle, and Southern)? Think about each region's goods and services, their religious beliefs, and how they each interacted with the native people.  

Here are some resources for you to use:

1. Google Maps
2. Mr. Nussbaum
3. Simple English Wikipedia
4. LiveBinder
5. BrainPop

Thanks in advance for pushing your thinking. Once your writing is finished, consider adding some images, a slideshow, or some other interactive piece to your blog post! We can't wait to see your work!

~ Mr. Moore and Ms. Chavez

Defining and Comparing Quadrilaterals

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The last couple of days, we've been working on geometry. We've been trying to define and classify quadrilaterals. Today in class, we will go over even more specific and detailed information about these incredible quadrilaterals. By the end of the day, the following assignment will definitely let the world know how much you know about quadrilaterals.

Here's the job...

1. Consider what we learned in class today. That's right. Step one is just to think - do a sort of mental review. 
2. Study the diagrams below. They are the same diagrams that we spoke about in class today. 
3. Write a comment to this post in which you compare the two diagrams. 
4. In your comment, use each of the seven words that you see on the diagram at least once. 
5. In your comment, make sure to include the following additional terms...

• parallel
• pair
• opposite
• right angle
• congruent
• adjacent
• congruent
• kite

   6. Consider the following questions about the second part of the diagram when you write your comment:

• Why is the trapezoid inside the quadrilateral but outside the parallelogram?
• Why are there a rhombus and a rectangle inside the parallelogram?
• Why are there two squares, one inside the rhombus and one inside the rectangle?

The Scientific Method

Image Credit

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For this unit, you'll need to get yourself ready to be a gardener and a scientist. In the previous assignment, you started your gardening training. Now it's time to become a scientist.

In order to become a scientist, you'll need to prove that you are an expert in the Scientific Method. You'll need to make sure you understand each step in the scientific method. You'll also want to be able to explain why the scientific method is so important.

Here's how you prove your learning...

1. Learn all about the Scientific Method. Below are some resources to help. You might also consider doing a search using our "Custom Search Engine" tab for Scientific Method here on the blog or inside the Techbook.

Science Buddies | Google Image Search | BrainPop | NeoK12

2. Create a Google Document, Drawing, or Presentation (Slides) to teach the class about the scientific method. Make sure that it is shared correctly so your audience can comment on it!

3. Share a link to your creation in a comment on this post.

4. View the work of your classmates by copying and pasting their link into the URL address box. Provide the student with a comment. In your comment, make sure to include:

• Something positive and specific about the work. 
• Something new you learned from the work. 
• A question you have about the work. 

Push Your Thinking, Dragons!

~Mr. Moore and Ms. Chavez

Fun with Flowering Plants...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, please spend some time introducing yourself to the world of flowering plants.

We will provide some resources for you, and when the teacher lets you know it is time to write, please do the following.

1. Make a new blog post on your blog.
2. Label it: "Flowering Plants" and "Science." Title it as you please.
3. Write: using information you learned from the following resources, please write a post in which you introduce your audience to the most important ideas about flowering plants.

Here are the essential questions you should be answering in your post:

1. How do flowering plants reproduce?
2. What is the purpose of a seed's covering?
3. Where are flowering plants found?
4. How do animals interact with flowering plants to help them reproduce?

Here are some resources to use in your explorations...

TED Talks: The Beauty of Pollination
BrainPop: Pollination | Seed Plants | Seedless Plants
Discovery Education: Fun-Da-mental | Exploration One and Two
BBC Bite-Size: Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant

PARCC Practice Test

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I've created a Google Document that will help you show your families how much you know about the PARCC Practice Assessment.

Please use this link to find out more about accessing the practice assessments.

Enjoy!

~Mr. Moore

The Great Chocolate Milk Debate

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The following form is designed for the adult panelists to share their thinking about chocolate milk in schools based on the student presentations.

~ Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, Ms. Chavez, and Mrs. Jones

1/13/14: An Amazing Opportunity to Push Your Thinking... And then have a bit of fun!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, you have an opportunity to really get some great work done. Here is the list of possible tasks and a sample plan to follow...

1:00 - 1:20: SumDog Math
1:20 - 1:40: Persuasive Book Talk Blog Post (Directions)
1:40 - 2:00: Audubon Feedback Moore/VanderVelde and Chavez
2:00 - 2:20: Catch up: Science, Writing, Silent Reading, etc...
2:20 - 2:40: Games - This activity will be earned and then lead by the teacher. Make sure you are focused and using your work time wisely.