News 11/30 - 12/4

Dates to Remember:

• Charity Fair/Student Exhibition Night - Wednesday December 16 @ 5-6 p.m. 

Classroom News

Blogs and Birdbrain readings resume for all

Cumulative XP:

5^th Science

Weather: This week we will begin our explorations on the weather. We will start off by understanding the layers of the atmosphere and move on the the water cycle. Once we know how water moves, we turn our attention to how weather is created and how it is different from climate.

6^th Science

Dirt on Soil. After you present your Safest Place in America campaigns, we will move directly to the differences between weathering an erosion. Building on that background information we begin to examine the importance and value of soil as a renewable resource.

^7th Science

Genetics. You will present your Human Body redesigns on Monday. We will then begin our Genetics unit by "Touring the basics" and developing the beginning of our concept map for the unit. As we move through the week, we will conduct a trait inventory, and begin to discover Mendel's work.


^8th Engineering

We will work to submit your entries for the different competitions on Monday. We will make sure that everything is in the correct format. Once we are done, we will begin our next challenge by exploring how sound travels. You will have an opportunity to use your phones!

Safest Place in America

"What is the Safest Place in America?", you ask. Take a look at what our 6th graders have to say about that.

 

Rainforest Food Web

The relationships between animals and plants in the tropical rain forest are very complex. To read what these organisms have to say about who they are, and their role in their environment click on them.  

Fifth graders, thank you for making this possible!

News 11/16-11/20

Dates to Remember:

• 7/8 Field trip to SJSU - November 17
• AdV Parent Information Meeting - November 18 @ 4:00 p.m.
• Turkey Trot will be held in PE on Thursday, November 19th - Invite your parents to sign up to help during this event using this link http://goo.gl/qxDSx0

Classroom News

No Birdbrain Readings this week!

5, 6 and 7 Science: Project blogs are due Sunday Nov 29. This gives you this whole week as well as the break week to complete them.

Cumulative XP:

Cumulative Gold:

3644 5th grade

1000 6th grade

2204 7th grade

5^th Science

Interdependence of organisms: We are drafting our Letters to Mr. Cuttatree. These have to be mailed before Thanksgiving so make sure you complete yours by Nov. 20. Make sure you bring all your information on Thursday, as you will create Organism cards to mount in our giant food web.
Project due: Nov 20

6^th Science

Severe Weather. We will put final touches on your Ad campaign for the Safest Place in America. Be creative with your Ads; remember you must convince us that your decision is based on hard evidence. Project due Nov. 18

^7th Science

Human Body Redesign - Your redesigns are board games should be well under way to completion. You will have this week to finish. Project due Nov 18.


^8th Engineering

This week you will continue to work on your entries for  Exploravision,  Lexus Eco Challenge, or DuPont challenge. This is the last classroom week before entries are due. We will be submitting the day you come back from break. Make sure you are complying with each of your competitions (down to format, spacing and font size). Entries Due: Nov 30

News 11/9-11/13

Dates to Remember:

END OF TERM: 11/13. Last day to turn things in 11/12.

• AdV Parent Information Meeting - November 18 @ 4:00 p.m.
• Turkey Trot will be held in PE on Thursday, November 19th - Invite your parents to sign up to help during this event using this link http://goo.gl/qxDSx0

Classroom News

Cumulative XP:

Cumulative Gold:

3644 5th grade

1000 6th grade

2204 7th grade

BirdBrain Readings have started. Remember you can re-take a reading as many times as needed until the due date (Fridays at 2:30).

5^th Science

Interdependence of organisms: We will start the week with a rainforest scavenger hunt in order to get a sense of the different relationships present. We will then read a fun story during which you will receive your assignments. Each of you will become a different link in the rainforest food web so we can begin drafting our final work for Avery. Beware Mr. Cuttatree, we are prepared to give you a run for your money.
Project due: Nov 20

6^th Science

Severe Weather. We have gathered our evidence and are ready to decide. Which city is the "Safest Place in America"?  Once you have made your choice, you will begin to create your advertising campaigns. Read the directions so that you can successfully prove your choice. Project due Nov. 18

^7th Science

Human Body Redesign - You have been working really hard and our research phase is getting done. Start thinking about what specifically you want to address. You could take on a known flaw, or develop a new way of addressing it. X-Men has nothing on us as we develop a better version of the human body. Project due Nov 18.


^8th Engineering

This week you will continue to work on your entries for  Exploravision,  Lexus Eco Challenge, or DuPont challenge. Use your planning sheets to develop winning entries. Check your competition website often. You do not want to be disqualified on a technicality.

News 11/2-11/6

Dates to Remember:

END OF TERM: 11/13. Last day to turn things in 11/12.

• AdV Parent Information Meeting - November 18 @ 4:00 p.m.
• Turkey Trot will be held in PE on Thursday, November 19th - Invite your parents to sign up to help during this event using this link http://goo.gl/qxDSx0

All students are invited to participate in homework center. If you need my help specifically for to schedule a quiz re-take, you must make an appointment with me via e-mail.

Classroom News

Cumulative XP:

Cumulative Gold:

3644 5th grade

1000 6th grade

2204 7th grade

BirdBrain Readings have started. Remember you can re-take a reading as many times as needed until the due date (Fridays at 2:30).

5^th Science

Interdependence of organisms: This week is all about different relationships in an ecosystem. We will analyze the flow of energy , and continue to symbiosis. You will be asked to analyze a case study and present it to your peers. What happens when Mother Nature intervenes in a food web?
Due: Nov 20

6^th Science

Severe Weather. We continue our journey to uncover "The Safest Place in America". Prepare to analyze tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and winter storms. What makes each severe weather type so dangerous? What makes winter storms in Alaska so different from the ones in the East Coast? Be ready with your evidence! Due Nov. 18

^7th Science

Human Body Redesign - We begin the Human Body 2.0 project, by talking about how cells become tissues, then organs, then organ systems and finally organisms. You will then get ready to redesign the human body by first studying each system and explaining how its structure affects its function (or is it the other way around?). Bring your thinking caps, you will need them!


^8th Engineering

This week you will continue to work on your entries for  Exploravision,  Lexus Eco Challenge, or DuPont challenge. Use your planning sheets to develop winning entries. Check your competition website often. You do not want to be disqualified on a technicality.