Fish in a Tree-Chapters 25-30

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Part 1:  
On page 158, Mr. Daniels inspires Ally with a quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein.  We have responded to this quote already and what we think it means.  Having read further in the book and learning more about Ally, how does this quotation speak to Ally and her experiences?  How does this moment in the text serve as a turning point for Ally?  "Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it's stupid."

Part 2:  NEXT: 
Go to Brainy Quotes’ Albert Einstein page.
Choose an Albert Einstein quote that you think represents you.

Choose an image, that represents your quote.  Remember to give credit to the photographer in your post.

POST: 

The quote by Albert Einstein 

The image (remember to give credit to the photographer)

A brief statement about why the quote represents you and/or is meaningful to you







**Correlates to Common Core Standards

Balloon Popping!

Atoms are the smallest building blocks of matter and molecules are two or more atoms connected together. 

Today in class we investigated a drop of water and examining it on a molecular level.

Watch the video of a water balloon popping in slow motion and write a comment answering the question:  

Why do you think the water keeps its shape the moment the balloon is popped?  

Balloon Popping Video:

Parent Conferences

Just a quick notice about Parent Conferences!
Please use the link on the Parent Conference page of my blog to schedule  your time!  Please notice the dates. 

Ms. Boyle's Class: Where in the World is this Biome? Slide Presentations

Check out Ms. Boyle's Class Science Biome Slide Show Presentations!  Click Here to view the rubric for this project!
 Essential Question: How do biome characteristics affect life and adaptation?

Ms. Burns/Economos: Where in the World is this Biome? Presentations

Check out our projects in science class!   Click here to see the rubric for this project

 Essential Question: How do biome characteristics affect life and adaptation?

A Fish in A Tree

We will be working on this post in our ELA class today!  Check back to see what we had to say!

Isn't it so great when you find a book that you just don't want to put down.  That's how we are feeling about A Fish in a Tree!

Double click on the board below to answer the question about our reading, A Fish in a Tree.

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Ms. Stewart's Homeroom: Where in the World is this Biome?

Take a peek at our slide show presentation about biomes around the world! Click here to check the rubric for this project:

 Essential Question: How do biome characteristics affect life and adaptation?

We are coming to an end in our ecology unit.  The students use their notebooks to take notes but also to synthesize their understanding on the left side of their interactive notebook.

Here are some examples:

Symbiotic Relationships

Science Standards: Describe symbiotic and predator/ prey relationships.
Describe the relationships between biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem.

Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders....Oh MY!

We began our ecology unit by going out to visit our local ecosystem....The Vernal Pool! We were so lucky to have rainfall just before our visit.

 Students observed the vernal pool using all of their senses.  We could hear the Wood Frog sending warning signals.  I found a video on Youtube that has the sounds of the wood frog.
http://nicertube.com/fikmaxgj

 This is a great opportunity for students to explore the area they live in.  Kids were surprised to learn that the vernal pool is right here on school property hidden behind the trees of the parking lot.

DAY 2

On of our next visit we collected water samples to bring back to the classroom to investigate water quality and what organisms could we see with a magnifying glass.

 We were VERY careful not to fall in! 

We tested the water to see if it contained nitrates, sulfur, or phosphates

 What is that? 

Common Core: Science and Technology/Engineering > Curriculum Frameworks > 2.13 - Give examples of ways in which organisms interact and have different functions within an ecosystem that enable the ecosystem to survive.

Science and Technology/Engineering > Curriculum Frameworks > 2.14 - Explain the roles and relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in the process of energy transfer in a food web.

Science and Technology/Engineering > Curriculum Frameworks > 2.15 - Explain how dead plants and animals are broken down by other living organisms and how this process contributes to the system as a whole.

Spread Your Wings!

Almost a month into school and we have been busy, busy, busy! The days are already flying by. We are focused on the Scientific Method for our first unit in Science. This will be our base for the rest of the year, as we enjoy many hands-on activities. We have started with some short, easy, and fun experiments to get the hang of following the steps, creating a hypothesis, and drawing a conclusions.
Don't forget to follow my blog by subscribing with your email.  It will keep you up to date of the happenings in our room.

Today we answered the question: What are the different steps of the scientific method and how do they work together?

How tall are you?  

We are also seeing what conditions will mold grow best. 

Am I really as tall as my "wing span"? 

Standard:  Demonstrates understanding about scientific inquiry.

Stewart Stars Start September

Welcome to 6th Grade!

I am hoping you had a restful and fun summer and you are ready for school to begin.  That is kind of a boring and generic opening... Hmmmm, what could I say so that you will be excited to be in our classroom this year?  Where do I begin?

I am taking a class to learn how to write Blogs for my classroom community and this is my first post! I am excited to incorporate this into our classroom throughout the year, to share all the fun and exciting things we will do.  I am not really sure what to say on here or where to begin.

This seems to be a case of writer's block.  Have you ever experienced writer's block?  You know, the feeling,  the teacher begins her lesson and explains how you will be writing a story about something you know. Ten minutes ago you had some great ideas and knew exactly how your story would go. You grab your computer to start and all of a sudden your mind is blank.  It goes black.  Nothing is going through your mind except for the wondering of how long until lunch.  You look around and you can see everyone else writing away.  Their fingers are moving as fast as a mouse on a wheel.  The panic starts and your hands sweat and your heart beats a little faster.   You look at the clock.  How much time do you have?  Will you get it done? What if you don't? Will the teacher make you stay late? Will you fail?  Your mind is racing but you still can't think of what to write about.

 That is how I feel right now.  So much information is coming in and everyone is talking around me.  I want my blog to be interesting.  I want to show my classes how excited I am but where to begin.
My fingers move along the keyboard and letters go across my screen, jweoilkdnafdhhkdjhasdkj, but they don't make sense. It's not a great beginning or a way to entice my reader into reading my blog.  I think about how I guide my students to begin their writing.  I know that I have had lots of students who have struggled and I know that once they get started an idea comes, they can do it. So I remind myself of those kids.  Then I remember, KIDS!  Kids are my audience.  The focus in my blog needs to be to the kids, my incoming students!  Ok!  I feel some ideas coming. I brainstorm some things that I think they will want to know about...   What students want to know about the upcoming year.  I make a list!
They will want to know about me, how much homework, class expectations, when will they see friends in other classes, what we will do in science, what are their switch teachers like,  they want to share their ideas, show their work, feel successful, and the list goes on and on.  I feel better. The ideas of what I will write about on my blog are coming and I can barely type fast enough to get them all down!  Phew, I really didn't think I would overcome this writer's block, but once I got my fingers moving and really focused, I knew what to write in my first blog!  This is going to be a super, fun year using this blog with our class and sharing all the great things we will do in 6th grade and prepare you for moving onto Masco!   I can't wait!

Welcome to 6th Grade!