Tall Tale Songs

Stay tuned!  The fifth grade students will be creating their own song about John Henry's life after we read the story.  They will get to work in groups and they can sing it to any tune they like.  I will be posting their songs on the blog the week of Thanksgiving.  This is a fun way for them to summarize what happens!  

The Gold Coin

We read "The Gold Coin" in Reading which is about a woman who has a gold coin that a thief would like to steal.  The thief's life is changed by the woman's warmth and compassion.  Before we read the story we discussed material riches and nonmaterial riches.  The students had to draw a picture of something they considered valuable.  Then, we sorted them into material and nonmaterial.  Here were some of their responses!

Material: ring, necklace, chicken leg, American girl doll, computer, X Box, hamburger, guitar, house                                                                                          


Nonmaterial: friends, dog, peace, mom, dad, family, best friend, aunt, cousin

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Last week our school received some great news!  Mrs. Rice and Mr. Stevens worked very hard writing a grant for each of our children to receive their own Apple laptop to enhance their educational experience at North Greene Middle School.  On Thursday, Mr. Stevens received a letter stating our school had been awarded the grant.  The fine details are not yet known, but each child in 4th-8th grade will be given a laptop starting in the fall.  The laptops will give students so many more opportunities!

The Great Depression

In Reading we will be discussing the Great Depression and reading a classroom play that was written as if we were watching a newscast on television.  The students will be responding to a question on the Student Work Blog.

Posting to the Student Blog

Parents and Students:

In order to access the student blog and post responses, please follow the steps below.

1. Click on Student Blog (to the right)
2. Click Sign In (top right)
3. Enter username and password
4. Click New Post (top right)
5. Enter Name and Topic in Title Bar
6. Click Publish Post
7. Click View Blog (should see it on blog)

To comment on what someone else wrote, please follow the steps below.  Make sure you are logged in!

1. Under each post that someone wrote, you will see Comments.  Click on comments.
2. Type comment in the box.
3. Click Post Comment 

Mrs. Pruitt's Class

Extra credit sailboats for Reading...great job!

Extra Credit

Here are some of the sailboats that were created to go along with The Wreck of the Zephyr.  The students were very creative and each of them received extra credit for Reading. 

Spelling Words Week of October 13, 2009

1. which
2. witch
3. knew 
4. new
5. because
6. does
7. Wednesday
8. February
9. thing
10. always
11. forty
12. animal
13. where
14. wear
15. here
16. hear
17. write
18. right
19. finally
20. would

Chris Van Allsburg

We recently read The Wreck of the Zephyr by Chris Van Allsburg in Reading.  All the students loved the story, so we are going to go deeper with Chris Van Allsburg.  We will be looking at different books he has written and watching a couple movies that are based on his books.  Then, we will compare and contrast the books and movies.  Here are some interesting places to find information about Chris Van Allsburg. 

Chris Van Allsburg's Home Site

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

Interactive Games

Video Clips

Scavenger Hunt

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

We will be reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.  The following is a preview from the movie The Voyage of The Dawn Treader that will come out in 2010. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI_M_-9M7vw-hxZ2jHskn0