5V's Party Committees

To promote independence, students will plan their own parties this year.  I will give them time in class to meet several times prior to the party.  Committees will make all decisions regarding food, drinks, activities and decorations.  Thank you in advance to parents for supporting your child in purchasing the things they offer to bring in.

Halloween
Upasana
Artyom
Liann
Karam
Sasha

Winter
Leah
Maddie
Dillan
Allison
Morad

Valentine's Day
Serene
Aisha
Ali
Hassan
Elizabeth

End Of Year
Amir
JeeYoo
ChaeWon
Adnan
Rosalie

Happy Eid!

Conceptual Math in Action

You may recall the graphic below from the Back to School Night presentation.  Above is an example of a 5V math student demonstrating she and her partner's understanding in all four areas.  They first constructed a three dimentional model of a rectangular prism (concrete), students then drew a two dimentional model of their product (pictoral).  After that, students wrote an expression showing the relationship between the models and the formula for finding the volume (symbolic).  Finally, they talked about and wrote word problems to go along with the product they decided to represent. 

Have a Wonderful Eid Break and...

Just in case any of you get bored over the break, I wanted to provide you with some suggestions:  

• Read one of those amazing IPICK books you have at home or borrowed from our classroom library (I know, I know...you're all doing this anyway)
• Keep up on CNN Student News by clicking this link (also available under the Student Resources Tab on our blog): http://edition.cnn.com/studentnews/
• IXL Math (This is a great opportunity to log some hours, get some great practice and keep your brain sharp): Place Value and Number Sense - A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, A.6 Algebra - Q.1    Multiplication -  F.1 - F.18   Addition and Subtraction -  D.1 - D.11 
• Practice basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) either by getting a deck of cards and playing war, making flash cards, downloading free apps to your ipad, phone or computer, or by visiting the following sites:  http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/             http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/cathymath.html   http://jmathpage.com/JIMSMultiplicationfactspractice.html
• E-mail me an "Eid Break Moment" - Just like a weekend moment - Remember to make it a "seed story" and include lots of sensory details and great adjectives so I feel like I've experienced it with you.  Don't forget to use your best descriptive writing, organization and of course punctuation and spelling.
• Take a photo or short video and e-mail it to me with a nicely written paragraph to introduce it.  
• Watch the video I posted on the blog about Malala and comment with your thoughts about her message and or what level her behavior is and how you know (include evidence).
• Check out the links to all of your teacher's blogs - I posted them under the "Student Resources" tab.
• Check out the "Just For The Learn Of It" tab on our blog and click on some of the links.
• Re-watch any of the videos I've posted and comment or e-mail me (a well written paragraph) stating what you noticed or learned the second time you viewed it.
• Find a nice spot, perhaps outdoors, in an airport or really where ever you are in the world and write down as many sensory details as you can possibly notice in 10 minutes.  Then write a descriptive "seed story" explaining what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, felt (and how you felt).  You could email it to me if you like and/or even share it with a family member.  You could even do this throughout your break and at the end you'll have a nice little collection of the beautiful, interesting, peaceful, chaotic moments you spent just observing.
• Read a newspaper or magazine article on the plane, in a hotel, or at your house and summarize the article in a well written paragraph.  Share it with a family member or e-mail it to me.  Don't forget to include the title, author and publication it was from along with the main idea and only the most important supporting details.  
• Get creative and paint, draw, write poetry or a story, take interesting photos or make something (perhaps a sculpture, art project, or even something usable) out of only found materials; out of garbage, recycling, or things found in nature.  Really let your imagination and problem solving skills run wild!  
• Watch a great film and write a review or summary of it, then share it with someone you think might be interested or e-mail it to me.
• E-mail or write a letter to a family member, friend or loved one you may not have seen in awhile.  Tell them some of the interesting things you've been up to, how you feel about them and then ask them some questions about their lives.  
• Strive for "level D" by doing something just because it's the right thing to do.  Help out in some way and don't mention it to anyone; just notice how proud you feel because you did the right thing without seeking any praise.
• Look at the "16 Habits" post - find a way to practice one or more of them, then write a one paragraph reflection describing how it helped you get in the habit of____________ (whichever habit you decided on).  Again, you're welcome to share it with someone and/or e-mail it to me.
• Perhaps the most important thing - Have fun and really appreciate the time you have with your family!     

Pep Talk to Teachers and Students

How to Change the World

YOU Can Learn Anything...

...and remember that important, simple word if you haven't learned something: yet.  As in, "This is frustrating and I can't do it...yet."