Well, were you right about today?

I was guessing no school, but you just never know.  I got some more house work done!  I hope people had a chance to jump onto the World Education Games for Math today!!  If so, that is awesome!  Tomorrow we'll have you participate in more Math (if it is still going) and maybe even the Science ones!!

Wednesday will be a crazy day with World Read Aloud Day, special readers, plans to ooVoo and more World Education Games to compete in!  I also want to share your new reading groups with you!  Yeh!

If it's a 2-hour late start on Wednesday, please come in RIGHT away... (anytime between 10:00 - 10:15 if possible).  We have a published author, Janet Stevens arranged to read her book. (author of Tops and Bottoms- I'll show it to you in the morning).  She's willing to Skype with us on very short notice - this will be for anyone in the elementary, so we need get packed into the rooms so we have good spots:)

If you took home your social studies stepbooks (I think there are 4 of you), please be sure they get back to school with you, ok?

Also, PLEASE, PLEASE, PlEaSe, pLeAsE, please, PLEase, pleASE, PleasE, remind me to talk about  Friday's BIG event at the high school that elementary students get to be a part of if they choose to!!  KWWL coming to brag about how How-Winn Schools have SpIrIt!!  I'll give you a 20 point ticket if you remind me!!!!!  I forgot to mention it on Monday!  I'll know you checked the blog if you do the same thing as I asked on the last blog - check out Isaiah's video/partner activity and show it to me.  :)

Stay warm...and hopefully you played in the snow a little bit today!!  Perfect snow fort or snowman snow.  Maybe we could have a snow party someday this or next week.  That would be fun!  I'll bring my snowpants, too!

Guesses for School on Tuesday??

What an awesome, busy, crazy, fun-filled, exciting day it was in 5th Grade Land!  Whoa, baby!  I know it was a mixed up day because we weren't sure what was going to happen with the weather, but you guys did a great job going from one activity to the next without too many reminders for transitions. That's quite a compliment to you since transitions seem to be our biggest challenge.

Watch the news and school website for school plans for tomorrow.  Also, watch or email Mrs. Jones for the band concert if we have goofy schedules, too.

I don't have a flipped classroom video for tonight, but I do have a video for you!  Isaiah learned something new.  Check out his video below.  I'll know you checked the blog if you find someone to do this "partner activity" with as you come in on Tuesday (or possibly Wednesday if there's no school).  You and your partner should show it to me:)

A couple of heads-up:
**You'll be taking home your Super Hero posters Tuesday (or Wed.), so plan for that for your way home.
**Keep up the World Education Games at home and school.  If you need me to email your password, let me know.
**Remind families of the Tech and Literacy Night on Thursday, March 14 from 5 - 7 p.m.  There will be a drawing for a few free iPad minis!! Just for coming that night!  Wow!  Also, it will be fun to share your projects and STEM blade designs. Also, bring your family for a competition against others!  So far, a kindergarten student has had the best (or at least strongest) blade design!  Bring it on little buddies!

If we don't have school tomorrow, I'll put up a todaysmeet.com/dayoff

Made by Jaden, Carl and Sydney

 5B,
We had fun with the STEM projects.  I liked how happy and excited the kindergartners were when we helped them this week.  I liked helpng Devin.  (Jaden)
It was fun standing behind the fan to check the blade design.  (Carl)
I liked making the wind mill and turbines. I also liked playing the Build a Plantation game for Flipped Classroom.  (Sydney)

Get ready for World Read Aloud Day.  We have an ooVoo session with Mrs. Petroski.  We also have some guest readers and a "mystery" reader for Wednesday.  Check the World Education Games under the Global Classroom Title on the side of the blog.

There is no FLIPPED CLASSROOM homework this weekend for Monday.

We'll know you checked the blog if you do these 2 things:
Play the Build a Plantation game again and share your score with Sydney, and she'll give you a ticket.
Figure out what 2 people are swirled together in the picture below.  Check with Jaden or Carl to get a ticket.

Also, (this is from Mrs. Sorenson)... HUGE EXCITING NEWS!  Crestwood has been chosen as a KWWL School with Spirit!!!  This coming Friday Channel 7 News KWWL will be visiting our school to be doing 3 live news casts!!  Here's the catch though.... they are coming WAY early in the morning... like 6:05 - 6:55 a.m.!!  You'd probably have to be at school by 5:55 a.m. that morning in the high school gym!  WOW!!!!  If your parents are fine with you being a part of this and can get you here on time, have them send a note with you or email me saying that YES, you will be there to help us celebrate school spirit at Crestwood Elementary, Jr. High and High School.  I think we'll try to ooVoo with Lime Springs and Elma, too!    We'll chat more about this on Monday:)

Flipped Classroom  Video for Tech and Social Studies

You'll need that white piece of paper, too, remember:)

I was attacked by wild animals at one point!  Yikes!  My score was 285, I think. If you watched my video....you'll understand!

Go to:
5A:  todaysmeet.com/5ascore
5B:  todaysmeet.com/5bscore
5C:  todaysmeet.com/5cscore






Then for my 5B Babies...
Another amazing day working with our K buddies.  Now you know why I'M TIRED at the end of a day!!  RIGHT??!!!  Working with kids takes a lot of energy - Maybe I need a wind turbine set up and plugging me energy???  I'd better think on that one.

Your inquiry projects are looking great.  We have some time to finish and record them on Friday.  You worked hard getting your assessments done in reading, and that means we are able to see how we are reading and using strategies!  Also, we'll be moving onto a new theme in literacy as well!  I'm excited to move back into "Coffee Talks" again, too.

We have an exciting week planned for next week, too with Dr. Seuss's birthday and World Read Aloud Day to celebrate!  We'll be connecting (bump, bump) with people ALL OVER next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday!  Yippee!!! I'll know you checked the blog if you ask me, "What are the big events happening next week?"  I'll be sure to share with you tomorrow, ok?

See you on the flip-side, my little wind turbine experts!

SOOOO LATE!!!!

Sorry it's ssoooooooo llaattteeee!  I haven't had any Internet connection (bump, bump) at my house until now!!  Grrr...   Good thing there was no flipped classroom homework, huh?

Since it's so late, I'll just say, "Great Job Today with Kindergarten Buddies!!"  Get rest because you'll have more bonding time on Thursday afternoon with them:)

I'll know you checked the blog if you tell me Yes or No to this question:  Would you like to have us read from Swear to Howdy sometime on Thursday?

Simply tell me the answer as you come in!  The majority will determine if we read it or not!  I am hoping for a certain answer....but who knows?

Again, sorry it's late!  Technology is GREAT.... when it WORKS!!!

Flipped Classroom Homework Video (you'll need your social studies book - like we told you!)

Go to:

5A:  todaysmeet.com/5adailylife

5B: todaysmeet.com/5bdailylife

5C: todaysmeet.com/5cdailylife

5B, WOW!!!  

I am thrilled with the amount of learning, work, effort and attitude you put into today!  I know it was exhausting because I am BEAT!!  I feel like I need a nap.  So impressed with you all.  Thanks for the "working lunch" that you participated in so we could be ready for blade designing on our wind turbines!  Loved what your brains were doing!  I talked to the Kindergarten teachers, and they said our little buddies are SOO excited to see you guys.  

Remember that tomorrow is an early out and these will be the focus areas that we spend our time on:

*Helping little buddies with blade designs

*Doing our own Inquiry Projects - make sure you have your materials needed

*Publishing our Persuasive Essays

*Library???

*Choosing what we'll be reading to our CT friends next week for World Read Aloud Day:)

Wowser!  I'm seriously going to get to bed early tonight!  Please prove you checked the blog by making a "Thank You Card" for 1 of 2 people that have helped us with our STEM projects:  Greta's mom, Kim.  Or, it would be wonderful to send Kurt Christensen, wind energy expert who shared all of his slides and information with us.  

See you for a 1/2 day tomorrow:)  

Welcome back!  Considering all of the goofiness we've had with short weeks of school, wind mill/turbine projects, Kindergarten buddies, inquiry projects, and so on, today wasn't TOO BAD!  I know we have chattiness during transition times, so that's something to fix for tomorrow, but it was great to see such on-task work time!  Keep it up!

This week has quite a few "extras" like I mentioned in last night's blog.  So, be ready for all sorts of learning and sharing.  Remember that Wednesday is a 3-hour early out and Cadet Pride Club applications should be in that day.  Also, we are working with our little buddies that day, too!  

Flipped Classroom Video for 5th Grade Tech and Social Studies

The video tells you what you should write on Todaysmeet.  Happy folding!

5A:  todaysmeet.com/5afortuneteller

5B:  todaysmeet.com/5bfortuneteller

5C:  todaysmeet.com/5cfortuneteller

5B, I'll know you checked the blog if you come in the room and do your best attempt at the "worm" dance move on the blue carpet.  Whether you do it well or not does not matter.  You may be pleased with your reward for trying:)  See you soon! 

Another LONG Weekend!

There's no Flipped Classroom homework tonight.  I'll save that for Monday after school. 

Yes, it's fun to have these crazy days once in a while... but I have to say, we had a great long weekend LAST weekend... I don't think we really needed it this time!  Thanks to you who checked the blog on Thursday for both Tech/Social Studies and for our 5B class.  I got many emails from my 5B Angels telling me whether they wanted school or not.  I know some of you are REALLY excited when we have school off, but remember, these are "free days off of school".  We DO have to make them up....when the weather is NICER!!  So, let's hope for some better luck with winter weather for the next few weeks.

Also, I feel like when we have these crazy interruptions with our schedule, we have a tough time getting back on track.  This week will be focused on these main activities:
Publishing Persuasive Essays - Finally!!
Inquiry Projects - experiments and news casts - remember supplies
Benchmark Assessments (to review skills from units 1 - 4 in literacy)
Book Club/Coffee Talks - get started up by choosing new selection of books
STEM Projects - Making Wind Turbines to Create Electricity
Kindergarten Buddies - Wednesday, Feb. 27 and Thursday, Feb. 28, Friday if needed

Since we had 2 goofy weeks of school, it's time to see what kind of Cadet Pride is hiding in your Team Containers!  Monday will be our Cash-In and Count Up Day!  We've had 3 super wins from different teams!  Will there be a repeat win, OR will the NIKE'S show the rest of the class what they are made of??!!!

For 5B's blog checking proof:  I'm a little tired of our wintery weather causing school issues.  So, I know it's not right, but I'm taking my frustrations out on the groundhogs for suggesting that we have 6 more weeks of winter!!  Grrrr...  Play the game called "Hedgehog Launcher" on this link.  (I'm just pretending it's a groundhog to feel better).  Let me know how much money you earn by playing the game.  I only played for about 5 minutes or so and earned about $74.00.  Let's see what you can do!  Happy Launching!

MORE WIND MILL LEARNING!

5th graders were sooooooooooooo lucky to have Kurt Christenson from EDG (Wind Farm Expert) come in and share his knowledge about wind energy and wind farms.  I know all 5th grade sections used his techniques and tips to help tweak their wind mills after his presentation.

Congrats to everyone who created a working wind mill!  I can't wait to see how you take the knowledge from your wind mills and use it with the next project - Wind Turbines and create electricity!  Yippee Ki-Ya!

Of course, with the crazy weather, who knows what the schedule will be like for Friday, but I have a flipped classroom video below anyway:)  I'll know you checked the blog if you email me or send me a Google Doc saying what you hope happens with Friday's weather!  I know I don't want to miss a full day of school because I don't want to make it up in JUNE!!!  But, whatever happens, happens, I guess.

Flipped Classroom Video Below
Share your response at:
5A:  todaysmeet.com/5apartyrock
5B:  todaysmeet.com/5bpartyrock
5C: todaysmeet.com/5cpartyrock

Windmill Wednesday!!! Wowser!!

A LOT of learning and sharing took place today, 5B!  That is for sure!  I was so impressed by your group's creativity and problem solving!  It took 4 teachers working together almost 1 1/2 hours to do this same activity, and I think 5th graders had MUCH better ideas!  I told you this was YOUR TIME!  Be ready for more deep thinking and problem solving for Thursday and Friday!  We will be moving onto tougher concepts with Wind Turbines (NOT the same as Windmills, right?!!)

Be sure to share with families what you thought of, your designs, how you problem-solved or changed your idea after trying it out!

Don't forget Cadet Pride Club Applications are due before next Wednesday, Feb. 27.  Also, I'll be happy to reward the students who can encourage parents to join us at the PTO meeting tonight at 5:30 in the Discovery Center:)

I'll know you checked the blog if you make a drawing of another way you could have put your windmill together.  There are so many ideas, I'm curious what you'd do if you had a 2nd time to try!  Make sure your name is on it, and hand it to me in the morning!  See you soon!

2 Videos for Flipped Classroom Tonight!  Don't skip the 2nd one.

Flipped Classroom Video #1 (Part 1 of Homework)

Flipped Classroom Video #2 (Part 2 of Homework)

To share which region you chose, go to:

5A:  http://todaysmeet.com/5aposter

5B:  http://todaysmeet.com/5bposter

5C:  http://todaysmeet.com/5cposter