Almost there...

One last push until a much deserved holiday vacation. I am so proud of all the hard work you have done this first trimester. See you tomorrow--be excited for our special guest cook:-)

Don't forget to read your Jerry Spinelli books and finish your math.

Decision making homework

Here is your homework assignment to work on with a family member tonight.

1. If you were the thirstiest you have ever been and could choose from any drink in the world, what would you choose and why?

2. If you had an all expenses paid trip to anywhere in the world and could leave tomorrow where would you go and why?

3. If you were told that you were going to be living on the moon for the rest of your life and could never return to earth, what one possession would you bring with you and why (Assume that your family, friends and pets were coming with you)?

4. Would you rather be popular and liked by everyone at school? ( knowing that people like you because you are putting on an act and not showing your true self) or would you rather be yourself, and have one or two close friends? Why?

After you asked your family these questions and they answered, show them the factors that can influence the decisions we make. Next to each response your parents gave, have them indicate which factor influenced the decision they made.

Decision Making Factors:

--habit
--faith (spiritual beliefs)
--esteem(how you think of yourself)
--peers (others who are your age)
--family (close and extended)
--media (TV, print, movies)
--values (what you believe is important)
--emotion (how you feel)

This activity is worth 10 points and is due tomorrow morning.

This activity is a pre-reading activity for our new read aloud book, STAR GIRL--a book about personal choice, and influence.

An inspiring letter from Jerry...

I shared this letter with the kids last week during our first book club. It was so inspirational to everyone, I had to post it here. I hope you relish the message as much as I do.

Dear Readers,

OK, let's stop right there...

You are a reader, aren't you? Maybe you don't think of that as a big deal. (“Yo—I'm a Reader!”) Well, let me tell you, it is a big deal, at least as far as I'm concerned, because when I was a kid you couldn't use the word “Reader” to describe me.

Except for schoolwork, about the only thing things I read were sports pages and the backs of cereal boxes. I regret that now. I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't. The best I can do is have one of my characters (Maniac Magee) carry a book everywhere he goes. It's the closest I can come to going back in time and doing it right. But it's not too late for you. Be proud, Dear Reader.

Jerry Spinelli

Brrrr it's cold out!

Brrrr it's cold outside. Winter is here. Remember to bring appropriate winter clothes to school. We will be going out each day:-)

Grandparent's Day photos posted

Here is the link to Grandparent's Day photos. If your grandparent's couldn't come, or left before I could take a picture, feel free to send me a picture of you with them and I will add it to our album. :-)

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday everyone. I am sorry that I didn't get a blog post up sooner. I got sick this weekend and spent most of my time off in bed. Thanks for being patient with me. I am back to normal today. We had a wonderful end of the week with Grandparent's Day, a justice circle and book clubs. It was so much fun to meet members of everyone's extended families. Students could choose from four different stations to do with their families--snowflake magnets, snowflake ornaments, snowman ornaments (that unfortunately wouldn't stay glued!!) and an interview between students and their families. I was able to get some pictures of every student and their family member who was there. I will post these pictures once I get finished with this post. We will also be using these pictures with the interview sheets to turn them into nice gifts for our families.

We had a great justice circle on Friday morning. The time we spend together in our justice circles are my favorite times to spend with the students. For one hour, we sit on the floor in a circle as equals, as friends and as human beings. We suspend judgment, listen to each other intently and speak from our hearts. This week's topic was on personal choice. I read two poems to the students about the power of choice--as human beings we have the ability to make thousands of choices each day--and each choice we make has an impact on ourselves and those around us. Students shared stories of times when they knowingly made a choice they were not proud of. Together we compiled a great list of why we make the choices we do. Students came up with: getting revenge, giving in to peer pressure, for personal enjoyment/gain, because it is just the right thing to do, because we experienced it before, giving in to emotion, automatic response, etc. We talked about each reason and the positive and negative aspects of each. This circle time is always so poignant. Because everyone knows each other so well it has been good for the kids to see other "layers" of each other that we might not ordinarily come to know. I know we all look forward to this time each week.

Our book clubs started on Thursday. All students should have brought home their Jerry Spinelli book. In book clubs, we spent the hour "getting to know" Jerry Spinelli. We learned about where he gets his ideas, why he writes the type of stories that he does, and what messages he has for young readers and writers across America. Ideas for book projects will come home this week, as well as daily activities to complete while reading the book.

I can't believe we only have three days of school this week. I hope that you will all enjoy a happy, peaceful and healthy holiday with your families and friends. This time of year always brings about a little touch of magic and joy. I hope you are able to feel warmth and peace. Enjoy your Sunday night. See you bright and early tomorrow morning.

Life has been hectic this weekend. Look for a "Friday post" coming soon.

New Reading Contracts Posted

Here you go. I finally got around to posting the contracts that all reading groups came up with. There is a contract sheet posted on the news board, and every student also received a typed copy of their individual contract.

EGGS:
By November 25: Read to Chapter 24
By December 2: Read to Chapter 37
By December 4: Finish the book

LOSER:
By November 25: Read to Chapter 16
By December 2: Finish the book
(Everyone agreed to read 20 pages a night)

MANAIC MAGEE:
By November 25: Read to page 50
By November 27: Read to page 90
By December 2: Read to page 124
By December 4: Finish the book

All projects are due December 19.

Natalya's Poem

Natalya shared this poem with me that she wrote. It took my breath away, and I had to share it with you. Thanks Natalya:-)

Tornado in 1888

Rain is falling on the roof,
I hear the thunder boom.
Lightning gives off a flash,
While I catch a glimpse of the solid hail.
The warning sirens blaring,
All the people staring.
Everyone is in shock.

This is a TORNADO.


After the devastation, the townspeople weep,
They shiver and they shake,
While the high winds take a break.
The clouds return to plain black,
From their greenish black hue.
Everyone is still afraid of the tornado,
That one summer night,
In 1888.

A bunch of reminders

Congratulations to Haven! Haven was nominated by her tae kwando instructors to be a part of their leadership team. Normally, students write letters to their instructors nominating themselves. Haven is such a natural leader, she didn't even have to write a letter. Her instructors nominated her! Haven, you will have to keep us posted. We are all so proud of you. Hip Hip Hooray!

Tomorrow is Grandparent's Day. Students should have written down in their planners what time their lunch session is. All grandparents are invited to school from 11-1. I will have a variety of wintery crafts for the students to make with their grandparents, as well as several games to play. I can't wait to meet members of your extended family.

Book Clubs start tomorrow. We will be doing an author study on Jerry Spinelli, and will be doing a writing activity that asks us to write using Jerry Spinelli's writing style. It should be interesting to see what everyone comes up with. Keep your fingers crossed that all of our book club books will be in tomorrow. If not, don't worry...we will adjust the final project due date.

Please remember to return Reindeer Run permission slips ASAP. Even if you are not in running club, you are welcome to run in the three mile race with us on December 6th. All students should have brought home registration forms yesterday. We will have running club tomorrow--unless the temperature is unbearably cold, we will go out for some fresh air, so dress warmly.

Mix It Up! will be happening again on Friday from 2:30-3:15. I know the kids are looking forward to it.

We heard back from Color Me Mine! today. The studio manager is willing to donate 16 bowls, paints and all other supplies necessary to paint bowls for our Empty Bowls fundraiser. We are so excited. Hopefully next week, Color Me Mine will be able to come to our classroom and help us get our bowls ready. Next week, we will be working hard to put final details together. We will keep you posted.

Homework tonight: Please read chapter 18 in WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. This may count as your 20 minutes of reading. Have a great night. See you tomorrow!

Short and Sweet

Hello All,

Late post tonight. I just got back from class. Look for a more detailed post tomorrow. Remember to complete your Spanish homework tonight. It is due to Senorita Kim tomorrow. Good night.

A Post from Marselienna

Newspaper has been a blast! We all wrote articles and some of us took pictures or sold adds. Are newspaper term is coming to an end, so tell Mrs. E if you want to be in the December Newspaper, and she will tell my mom, and my mom will decide.
I wrote an article about our Empty Bowls Project. It has some good info. on it! Look forward to getting the newspaper!
~Marselienna

My awesome class!

Dear Students,

Thank you so much for my surprise today. It was one of the best surprises in my entire life! You are so thoughtful. I am so lucky to have you as my students. For those of you who don't know what happened today, let me fill you in.

One of my all time favorite shows is ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER? I watch this show every week, and play along. I ask the kids several of the trivia questions from the show each week. I always joke with the kids that if I were to ever win the million dollars on the show I would take them all out for dinner.

Today I found out that my students wrote a song and hope to prepare an audition tape to help me get on the show. I was presented with an application for FIFTH GRADER, along with a handful of confetti wishing me good luck. So far, I feel like I have already won!! The creativity and support that my kids have means far more to me than one million dollars--but just for them I will write the most awesome application the producers of FIFTH GRADER have ever seen (And by the way, I am STILL picking confetti out of my clothes and hair.)! I even called my mom and my sister in Indiana and even a couple of my best friends to tell them what my amazing students planned for me.

I cannot express to you all in words how much this class means to me. You are all rare gifts. I cannot wait to see what new things we will learn together each day. I hope you have a great night.

Book Clubs start Thursday. Finish math if you worked in my small group today. Tell your families about the experiment we did in class today with levers (what happens to the effort it takes to lift a load, when the effort is moved farther from the fulcrum?). MARK YOUR CALENDARS: CONTEMPORARY FICTION BOOK PROJECTS DUE DECEMBER 19th.

See you all tomorrow.

Love, Mrs. E.

I am only one...

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”~ Helen Keller

We had an incredible justice circle today. We remembered and shared different experiences or people that have made an impact or a difference in our lives. We learned that most often, you don't realize that someone or something has made a difference in your life until several years later. I wanted these kids to understand that whether or not they realize it, everything they do impacts those around them. I heard several stories from the kids today about how people's words make an impact, and how with the support or a friend you can do things you never thought possible. I wanted to share with you the same story I shared with the kids about being impacted. I stayed up late last night trying to come up with the "perfect" story. I called my mom and my sister and for hours we were remembering special times, people and family moments. Around 11:30 last night, I realized that the people right now who are making the most impact on my life are my students. What follows are my letters to each of them, explaining just what a difference they have made in MY life. I also gave each student a copy of his/her own letter. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful, amazing people with me each and every day. I am so blessed.

Dear Craig,

You have caused me to stop and think about the many pleasures in life. You notice and take delight in the little things. There is always something that brings a smile to your face. Thanks to you, I have learned how important it is to laugh.

Dear Laura,

You have caused me to stop and reflect about the deeper meaning behind things. You have taught me that things in life aren’t always as they may appear. You have taught me that we don’t truly see unless we take time to really stop and look.

Dear Natalya,

You have caused me to stop and realize that with a lot of determination and effort, I can make something truly great. You have taught me how important it is to slow down, not rush and really work on perfecting a task—that if I work too quickly I miss what is really important—the process and the journey, not the final product.

Dear Alexandra,

You have reminded me of the feeling you get when you accomplish a goal. I have watched you work toward overcoming challenges that can sometimes get in the way of our dreams. You have taught me the importance of never giving up. When you reach your dreams and goals, you feel so proud—and what an incredible feeling pride is.

Dear Marselienna,

You have caused me to realize how important it is to “wonder” about things in life. You have shown me how important it is to not just accept what you learn, but to ask about the “whys” and the “hows” behind it. You have reminded me to stay inquisitive and curious.

Dear Sam,

You have reminded me how important it is to play. No matter how busy we get in our lives, we need to remember that sometimes we just need to have fun. You have shown me that a tree branch can be a mighty sword and a snow fort can be my castle.

Dear Haven,

You have reminded me how important it is to imagine. You have taught me how to bring a little bit of magic and mystery into the ordinary. You have shown me that I can travel to outer space, the farthest depths of the ocean and the other end of the earth just by dreaming and creating.


Dear Cole,

You have taught me how important it is to pour your heart into everything. Everything you do is special to you. You treat everyone and everything with the utmost kindness and respect. There is always room inside of you to welcome another friend, and let them get to know you.

Dear Rachel,

You have reminded me that the things that I think are impossible can be possible. You have taught me that when the challenges in front of you seem insurmountable, it’s always possible to overcome anything. With your steadfast and determined attitude, you can literally hold the world in your hands, and anything can happen.

Dear Carly,

You have reminded me how important it is to remain young at heart. You have an incredible maturity, but you also know how important it is to laugh with your friends, make snow angels in the snow, and do flips on the monkey bars. You have reminded me how special it is to grow up, but at the same time to remember that we will always have the free spiritedness of our youth inside of us.

Dear Haley,

You have reminded me how important it is to be loyal to someone. Through thick and thin, you always remain true to your friends and others around you. Even more importantly, you have shown me how important it is to be loyal to yourself—to never compromise your beliefs and values just to fit in. You constantly remind me how special it is to just be “you.”

Dear Jo (my special name for Olivia J., because it is my nickname too),

You have reminded me of how important it is to be kind—not just to the friends and adults you see everyday, but to those people who pass you by on the street—who you may never see again. No matter who you encounter, you make that person feel welcome, appreciated and special. You have reminded me that everybody is important.

Dear Emma,

You have caused me to reflect on how important it is to try new things. You have reminded me how important it is to take a chance and experience something outside of your comfort zone. Everyday you have shown me how much I can learn about myself when I take a risk and do something I never imagined ever doing.



Dear Mady,

You have reminded me of how important it is to be versatile. That means you have an interest in a variety of things. You have an open mind and are willing to be a part of new experiences. You have reminded me that I can have an interest in lots of different things—and that all of my different interests fit together like a puzzle and make me who I am.

Dear Olivia (Hummel),

You have reminded me of how important it is to be happy. You have taught me that a positive attitude can make an ordinary experience seem extraordinary. You have reminded me how good it feels to smile, and laugh. When you are happy, the whole world becomes alive and beautiful.

A surprise

Short post for tonight friends. I am working on something really special for tomorrow's justice circles. I have something really really neat to share with you all in our circle. I can't wait. Have a great night. You are all the coolest, neatest people I have ever met. I just wanted you to know that.

Finish your math homework tonight, if you didn't finish in class:-)

Veteran's Day Essays Posted!

As promised here is a copy of everyone's poignant essays on America's heroes and veterans. I hope you treasure these as much as I do.

A Veteran's Day Anthology

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day. We had an incredibly special day. Our morning began with a poignant assembly honoring and remembering Veterans. One of the most memorable and touching parts of the ceremony today was listening to the children sing, "The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America." It brought tears to my eyes to hear the innocence and the hope-filled voices of 100 young people. There was just something humbling about being in the presence of so many children who are optimistic, hopeful and trying so hard to make our world a better place. Several of our students shared their powerful essays about heroes and their appreciation for all of our Veterans. We also took part in a small, solemn flag-raising ceremony outside. What a powerful message to send to the community--100 children and teachers joined in a circle around the flagpole. The delicate snowflakes falling added just the right touch. When I look at the pictures from today, I feel so incredibly blessed. This is why I am so proud to be an American.

Colony Project

Hello! The Colony project was so much fun! We made a poster about a colony, and it had a bunch of stuff on our colony. We had a map, a section on climate/geography, a section on history, a section on daily life, a section on important people and landmarks, and I think that's it. It was fun doing it, and I liked the final product, too! I can't wait to see my grade!

~Marselienna

Another week:-)

Happy Monday. Welcome back after a three day weekend. Congratulations to everyone for successful conferences. Mrs. Chang and I really enjoyed speaking with each family about the incredible things that are going on in our room. I hope that you are all proud of yourselves, because you should be! I know that I am! Today we had a wonderful discussion about the history of Veteran's Day and what makes a person a veteran. The kids wrote incredibly touching pieces about veterans as heroes. I will post each story tomorrow (I forgot them at school this afternoon--sorry!). Tomorrow we will also be having our Veteran's Day assembly at 9:15 in the cafeteria. We will be listening to the stories of two local veterans. Each grade has created special artwork or writing to share during the assembly. I will be selecting three-five students to share their veteran's essays. I typed them all up, and put them into a short book. Each adult who attends our assembly will get a copy of YOUR work to read and cherish.

I introduced our new book club books for the next four weeks. Our genre is contemporary fiction. Each book was written by one of my favorite authors, Jerry Spinelli. The books were chosen because they all center around the theme of friendship, and differences. The three book club options are: STARGIRL, LOSER and EGGS. We will be starting our official book club meetings next week on Tuesday.

We will beginning a short unit on Greek and Latin roots. After today's review assessment on roots, we learned that we need to review Greek and Latin roots. I am excited to do some fun, hands on activities that will help reinforce these skills.

Tonight, enjoy a night off from homework (unless you have math from today to finish). You have worked so hard on book projects, packets and social studies reports. Tonight is your night to enjoy!

Come check out our colonies projects that are hanging on the railing outside of our room. I am so impressed with the quality effort that went into each poster. WOW.

Have a great night. Remember, if you ever have anything to blog about send it to my home email: joanna.etshokin@gmail.com and I will post it for you.

Two Stories From Haven

I am excited to share two stories that Haven gave me to post on the blog. One story she wrote last year for school and the other one is a work in progress. Enjoy:-)

I am Lhok

Enter If You Dare!

Student Postings

Hello Friends,

If anyone would like a turn to blog on our website, please email me your thoughts, stories and ideas. I will gladly post them on here for you.

You can email me at joanna.etshokin@gmail.com

Have a great rest of the weekend. I will be looking forward to reading your posts. :-)

Justice Circles

Justice Circle

The Justice Circle is a time where you gather in a circle and you talk about what's been going on. If there is any problems, we try to figure out how fix them. BUT, what ever is said in the circle stays in the circle!! When you have a Justice Circle, you listen to what other people have to say and make sure you respect them and what they are saying. Don't laugh at people when they say something they did wrong.

I think the Justice Circle we had on Thursday was fun and interesting. I liked having people know that whatever they say will be respected and it will stay in the circle. I think having us write down a word that is a value to you and sharing them was great because now people know what is important to keep and do in your life.

--written by Rachel

I'll Be Back Tomorrow

Good Evening Friends,

Tonight's blog post will be short. I did leave school early because of illness. I will be back at school tomorrow. I really missed you all but I needed the time to relax and recover. I hope you will email me, or leave me many comments on the blog about how your day went. All day I was thinking about what you might be doing. I hope you had fun with Mrs. Chang. I know I definitely left you in her good hands.

See you tomorrow. Thanks for your well wishes. :-)

Election Day 2008!

Happy Birthday Cole!
Happy Election Day!

Today is an historic day. We are all a part of a time that will be remembered for a long while. The best part is that we all get to watch history happen. When we wake up tomorrow we will more than likely have either our first African American president, or our first woman vice president since Geraldine Ferraro.

We had a wonderful discussion today about the process of voting, what the ballots look like, how long it takes to vote, etc. The kids were full of questions for me. I even had to look up information on the Internet to find the answers. We talked quite a bit about the Electoral College, and what electoral votes mean. We learned that there are 538 electoral votes (the total comes from the number of US Senators and Representatives, plus three votes from the District of Columbia) and the magic number to win the presidency is 270 votes. Minnesota has a total of 10 electoral votes. We also learned about swing states, and why presidential candidates choose certain states to heavily campaign in. It was also interesting to hear the kids' thoughts on the political advertising that occurs on the radio and television. All on their own, they talked about the commercials being negative and hurtful, and that they hoped people would understand that many things we see candidates doing are taken out of context. In the next 8 years I know that our country is going to be in great hands--the hands of the intelligent, thoughtful students I see everyday in my room.

We had a mock election in our room using sample ballots. It will be interesting to compare these results with the rest of Minnesota. Here are our classroom results:

President:
Obama/Biden: 7 votes
McCain/Palin: 7 votes
no other candidates listed received any votes

US Senate:
Coleman: 10
Franken: 4
no other candidates listed received any votes

US House of Representatives:
Bachman: 9
Tinklenberg: 4
Anderson (Independent Party): 1

On a humorous note, Mr. Scott and I both received "write ins" for the District Judge Seat 43 position from a few students. We both "accept" your write in:-)

Constitutional Amendment: Clean Water, Wildlife, Cultural Heritage and Natural Areas

Yes: 8
No: 6

Before students voted on this issue, they listened to a newspaper article that clearly explained both "yea" and "nay" viewpoints on the issue.


Decision Dollars will be offered tomorrow for those who can tell me who won the presidential, Senate and House race, and whether or not the wildlife amendment passed.

Enjoy this historic night:-)

Social Studies Colonies Project

Today's blog is a reminder for everyone about our social studies project. Your colony research project is due November 10th. We have had four days of class time to work on this project. Today in our planners we listed out each part of the project and when we would work on each one. Our goal is to work on one part each day. Here are the parts:

Colony map (this map should be of your colony after the Revolutionary War. Make sure to only list cities and settlements that were a part of this time period. I have included a link to a helpful website in a previous post)

History of the colony: who founded it, why, what kind of people live there, when was it founded. In this section you may also include any important war battles, leaders, or famous people who lived in your colony.

Climate and geography: include major landforms, rivers, mountain ranges, lakes, ocean, etc.

Economics: Jobs, major crops, trading

Daily Life: What goes on each day in your colony--food, religion, recreation

Our social studies textbook will be your best bet for finding the most information (as we discovered together today). Pages 164-(approx)224 have the information you need. Challenge yourself to find the information in the textbook using the table of contents, index, etc. before going to the computer.

I will give you your tag board for your poster display tomorrow.

Thank you for your hard work today! AND--the book projects that you shared today were absolutely incredible. They all knocked my socks off. I am so proud of you.