Category Archives: Classroom Community

Weather Site AND Potential Field Trip!!!

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Hey there!

I’ve been continuing to plan our first science unit, and I’m uncovering some neat stuff!

Take a look at this website! In addition to great information on weather, it actually tells you how you can improve your skills at predicting the weather!

I’ve also discovered there’s an atmospheric research department at the University of Washington, and I’ve contacted them for information on perhaps visiting them this October! Ahhh, so exciting! The trip should be about $5 to cover the cost of the bus. Start saving!

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Field Trip Photos!

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Ladies and gentlemen, thank you SO MUCH for making Friday’s trip to the Point Defiance Zoo such an amazing experience. It seemed like you had fun and learned a lot, based on the facts you rattled off when we returned to Wildwood. 🙂 Here are some photos I took of the creatures we encountered. As you know, no student faces are to be included in these pictures.

The weather held for us all day! We were so fortunate!

Sea cucumber! Larger and a different color than I thought it'd be. Just like the one featured in Dragonbreath!

It was Bali's 13th birthday, so we sang "Happy Birthday" to him!

Porcupines! Ereth would be so proud. We were all astonished at how HUGE they were. I pictured them as guinea pig-sized...

Puffins! Their wings look like bat wings when they dive into the water.

Along with cats and owls, otters are my favorite animals!

These prawns made me think of the crawdads Tom and Reg ate in Leepike Ridge.

The peacock bids us farewell.

 

What a fantastic experience. I can’t wait to debrief with you more next week. Enjoy the sun this weekend, and remember that there IS SCHOOL on TUESDAY (we originally had it off, but we need to use it as a snow makeup day). Be well, do good things, and keep in touch!

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Pencils, Not Pens

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We made this neat video just for you, ladies and gentlemen!

Here are the lyrics to our amazing MSP song, inspired by Tin Cartwright.

Never went to bed as early as I did last night
Well-rested so I shine so bright
I’ve never seen so many people tell me to show what I know
Since I’ve let stamina grow, I have as long as I need
You can not see the response I’m writing
Cannot highlight, but I certainly can circle or cross out.

Pencils, not pens
Are testing with me
MSP
There’s nobody here, it’s just you and me,
It’s where I need to be
I’m ready to show
You what I really know
I’ll never forget, a gallon is 4 quarts

Not surprised to see elapsed time on the test today
Knew an open number line would be OK
I’m amazing
Never saw paragraph numbers in my books before
Testing’s a genre on its own
Synthesizing what I learned
I have never had such a feeling
Such a feeling of complete control, as I do today

Pencils, not pens
Are testing with me
MSP
There’s nobody here, it’s just you and me, It’s where I need to be
I’m ready to show
You what I really know
I’ll never forget, a gallon is 4 quarts

I never will forget, a gallon is 4 quarts
Pencils not pens.
Pencils not pens.
Pencils not pens.
My pencils and pens. (I love you.)

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Banana Bread and Hot Cheetos

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This is really a no duh point, but I think the childhood obesity problem would be under better control if more kids had an opportunity to try really good, tasty food. Consider:

I had a bunch of near-rotten bananas that I wanted to make into banana bread before they went to waste. I found a recipe from my former employer and made the bread this evening.

Is banana bread the healthiest option for a Sunday night snack? Certainly not. But is it better than bright red processed Cheeto cheez? Yes. A few bites of my banana bread and I my burning desire to tear through a package of Oreos came to an end.

That said, did I mention that my students earned a marble reward for Monday? They wanted a tamale party, but because we’re not allowed to eat homemade food at school, we went with our second place choice: a Hot Cheeto party. I normally don’t allow the snacks into the room because, as my students can tell you:

~They make your classwork greasy.
~The red powder stains everything.
~They get crushed into greasy blobs on the floor.
~They cause drama.

I don’t like any of those things, so I’ll be putting butcher paper on all the carpets in the classroom. I’m also bringing fizzy water, because to add pop to a spicy hot cheeto party would be to induce 25 simultaneous stomachaches.

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