#SaveComicSans Performing at Junior Java Coffee Shop

Bus Safety Video

Creating Art to Represent Your Learning: Pre-Columbus through Columbus

Here are the instructions for your assignment. I can't wait to see what you create. 

This is an example I created. As you can plainly hear I am not asking for great art, just a good time and some proof of learning.

Here are the lyrics:

Some Island That I Thought I Knew

I think of all the time I spent looking for you

I went to the kings of both Portugal and Spain

I even drew some maps

Read a bunch of Marco’s crap

But still I only thought I knew where I was going

I talked the Queen of Spain into giving me 3 ships

I hired some sailors to follow me to the end, all to the end

Even when things got really rough

I was sure we had the right stuff

We would stick it out until the voyage was over.

But you didn’t have to surprise me

You were really San Salvador and not the West Indies

and I never really did know

that the place I found was not what I was looking for

What about when I stooped so low

got on my knees and kissed your sand and made a fool of myself

I would never figure it out though

Now you’re just some island that I thought I knew

Hall of Fame Noel Elementary Style

Chris Hadfield, Mentoring Pre-Service Teachers, and a Lip Dub That Is Out of This World (Literally!)

So I participated in a lip dub with others who were part of mentoring or students of ECMP 355  (including our own pre-service friend, Dylan Longmoore). To be honest it was the hardest thing I had to do this year, and that includes playing ukulele in front of the school board! Dean Shareski put it together and did the video editing.



I.S.S. The Lip Dub from shareski on Vimeo.

Here is the original video in case you want to compare.

Imagine my surprise when I read the post Collaboration: We've Arrived and discovered that Chris Hadfield watched it while on the International Space Station orbiting the Earth! How cool is that?

Update

I just found this great post on Art with Mrs. Rose that details the story a little more fully. There I found that the activity had been broadcast on the CBC radio program Voyage North. 

Samorost 1: A Point and Click, Critical Thinking, Trial and Error Adventure Game!

Samorost 1 is a crazy cool game. The idea is to get the character, Samorost, to explore the space ship that he finds flying towards his planet. To play this game you simply point and click until you find out how to progress. You will have to collaborate on this one, don't be selfish we you figure out the puzzles!

Now for your assignment: I want you to write Samorost's story. Why is scared when he sees the spaceship? Why does he decide to explore it? What does he find along the way? You will need to take notes as you travel with Samorost. You will be posting Samorost's story to the class ning.

I will leave you this picture as a clue for the first puzzle. Can you see what has changed?

The Hobbit (in under 4 minutes)

 Dylan Longmoore made this Common Craft style video for my students. I am going to use it to introduce the idea as another way for them to tell their Peter Pan story.

  Spoiler Alert: If you haven't read the book, you may want to stop the video early. It encompasses the whole book, not just the first movie.

Above and Beyond

What does this mean for our lunch project?

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

Fun activity in science lab, we did spend time talking about the differences between a chemical reaction and the pressure created through convection which actually causes the volcanic eruptions.

Chris Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies: I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)

Lyrics

Still think science isn't important? Le's do work, class.

Peter's New Story, Rocks and Minerals, More Math Review,

Reading:
Sequence of events for your own retelling of Peter Pan.

Science:
Finish reading lesson 1 and move into lesson 2.

Math:
Working on surveys and more math review.

Sequencing Some More, Re-Telling Peter Pan, Partnering Up, Digging Down

Reading:
Finish sequencing Peter Pan (2003), then we will begin discussing how we can rewrite our own version of Peter Pan.

Social Studies:
We will partner up and begin to work on our posters. I can't wait to see what you compare and contrast on them!

Math:
We will continue to review, this time it will be variables and expressions. Three groups will be giving the lunch surveys tomorrow as well.

Science:
Chapter 9 Lesson 1 We will be learning about the rock cycle and rock formation. 

Sequencing Peter Pan (2003), Comparing Civilizations, Setting Up a Survey, and Reviewing Plate Tectonics

We are in for a busy week!

Reading:
We will sequence Peter Pan (2003) today. Did we notice any differences between this and Peter and Wendy?

Social Studies:
We will be creating a poster comparing and contrasting two different civilizations. Get ready to work with a partner, today you will go back and find some interesting facts about the civilization of your choice.

Math:
Double duty day! We will be creating a survey for students to respond to. Finally we get to find out what the most popular meal is at school! We will also be reviewing some past learning this week. Today we will be looking at rounding and estimating.

Science:
We will be reviewing chapter 8 on Plate Tectonics. 

Survey Writing, Continental Shifting, Event Sequencing and Lab Visiting

Reading:
We will sequence the events that took place in the movie Peter Pan (2003). I think we had a great discussion yesterday about the difference between the Peter Pan from the book Peter and Wendy and the Peter from this movie. I would love to have a discussion with the writer and director to see why they chose that path.

Math:
Today we will write our survey and instructions for administering the survey. It would be great if you remind me to ask teachers if we can come into their rooms to give the survey too ;)

Science:
I realize you need a bit more time to finish yesterday's assignment, but you better get with it. We will be reading lesson three today, then you will have the rest of the time to finish your work.

Science Lab:
I have no idea what you will be doing in the lab, but I did leave a reminder up above of what we did a month ago :)

Finishing Peter Pan (2003), More Continental Drift and Lunch Surveys

Reading:
We will finish watching Peter Pan (2003). Have we discovered anything different about this Peter Pan? We will start making a sequence of events for this version.

Science:
We will be reading today about continental drift. We saw a lot of great simulations yesterday about plate tectonics.

Math:
We will discuss the measurements of central tendency you worked on yesterday. Where do we need to go next? I am thinking we need to create some surveys to give to students. Which students should we survey? How many should we survey? 

Peter Pan (2003), The Lunch Project Day 4, Social Studies Review Day 2 and more Plate Tectonics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plates_tect2_en.svg

Reading:
We will continue to watch Peter Pan (2003) There have been a lot of interesting changes in this movie when compared to the book.

Social Studies:
Continue our review of Asia.

Science:
We will be looking at continental drift and doing a quick map project.

Math:
Today we will discuss any patterns or trends. We will also do some measurements of central tendency on the datum we collected. 

Peter Pan, Number Crunching for the Lunch Project, Reviewing Asia, and Layers of the Earth

Reading: 
We will continue watching Peter Pan (2003). We noticed a lot of changes in the storyline at the beginning of the movie. Will we continue to see changes being made or will the story more closely follow the book?

Social Studies:
We will review Asia. This is your opportunity to show what you have learned.

Math:
Today we will look at the percentages of the lunch choices for each day. Will we find anything significant in the datum? Will we be able to start drawing some tentative conclusions about the lunch program as it stands now?

Science:
We are beginning as study on the Plate Tectonic Theory. 

Peter Pan, Writing Reflections, Reviewing China, and the Lunch Project

Reading:
We will be starting the movie Peter Pan (2003). How closely will this movie follow the storyline from Peter and Wendy? Will Peter Pan's character change through the storie?

Writing:
I think we need to discuss reflective writing again. There is a difference between reporting what you did and reflecting on what you learned.

Math:
Today we will start looking at the numbers. What lunches get the most love from students, what lunches get the least?

Social Studies:
Review of China

Asian History, Long John Silver, and Cafeteria Food

Terrific Tiger Assembly

Social Studies:
Continue learning about Asia. We will continue to draw comparisons between Asian empires and other empires we have studied.

Math:
We will begin analyzing and deconstructing the data we have collected on school lunches. We will be looking to see if there are patterns we can identify with what students choose for lunch, if there are lunch choices that are not viable for our school, and how we can address any issues we have with the lunches.

Reading:
Finish Treasure Island in the afternoon class.

Read a Book, Take a Test, Make a Decision

Reading:
After we review the poems we will read our library books today.

Math:
Go over the review and take the Chapter 8 assessment.

Social Studies:
Read lesson 2. Do we want to answer questions today or write another summary? We will decide in class.
Maps of Asia are due tomorrow.

Computer Lab:

One of the most enjoyed activities from the last school year was constructing bridges through games like Bridge Building Game. The purpose of this game is to construct a bridge that will allow the lemming like pink dinosaurs to cross safely across a chasm.

 Here are links to similar games:

Cargo Bridge
Bridgecraft

What do you need to know to be successful at these simulation games? Do you think they are good simulations?