New Searles 234

Partial Quotient Division

2012-01-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that you can find examples of how to do the Everyday Math algorithms online. This week we are reviewing the Partial -Quotient division algoryithm You can find many animations of the Partial Quotients Method here.

Electricity and Magnetism Vocabulary Games

2011-12-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here are three games and some extra reading to practice the vocabulary for our Houghton Mifflin Electricy and Magnetsim Unit. These are words you will need to know for the upcoming unit test. So be smart and have fun reviewing!

Crossword Puzzle
E-Word Game
Word Find
Cricket Connections for Chapter 15

How to draw a dragon

2011-12-05T12:16:00.001-08:00

This week we will be reading about Komodo dragons. Today we learned how to follow directions in order to draw a fantastic dragon. For those who want to try this at home, you can find the directions and tutorial here.

You can learn to draw a Komodo dragon at these web sites:
How to draw a Komodo dragon
How to draw a Komodo dragon step by step for kids

Digital Poetry Inspired by The Red Wheelbarrow

2011-11-16T12:38:00.001-08:00

This is our second successful attempt at creating digital poetry. Again we used a William Carlos Williams Poem as our inspiration. This time we used "The Red Wheelbarrow". After writing the poems, we read the wonderful book "Love that Dog" together. This book shows the interactions between a teacher and a student as a boy, Jack, is inspired to write poetry based on famous poems. Of course, one of the pivotal poems in the book is "The Red Wheelbarrow". We also wrote a class poem together, which came out fantastic. Lillian produced the video for the class poem.

Here is an Animoto I made last year for the poem "The Red Wheelbarrow".
This post from my Mount Pleasant School days tells about the digital poetry project based on "The Red Wheelbarrow" and shows some of my fourth grader's poems.
Here are poems that last year's fifth grade class wrote.

The first video is for a poem the class wrote together to model the steps in writing a poem. I wanted them to make the last stanza a prepositional phrase, but they also came up with some alliteration along the way. I really like the poem they wrote together. The rest of the poems the student's wrote were just as enjoyable. This was the first time the class got to use the digital camera and "Love that Dog" books funded from two different Donors Choose projects.
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FREE Everyday Math Apps for the iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad

2011-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

McGraw-Hill Education, publishers of our Everyday Math program, are offering five Everyday Math Apps for FREE on Novemebr 7-11, 2011. Go here or to the iTunes App store. If you have one of these devices, it would be great to get these apps for free and turn off Angry Birds for just a bit!

Science Vocabulary Games for our Energy Unit

2011-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here are three games to practice the vocabulary for our Houghton Mifflin Energy and Motion Unit. Some of the words we have been introduced to already. Others are from future lessons, but why not review and get ahead when you are looking for something to do. These are the words you will need to know for the unit test.

Unit F: Energy and Motion

Chapter 14: Energy Changes
eWord Game
Crossword Puzzle
Word Find

Free Music Friday: Creaking Door

2011-10-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

I played this song for the class last month and some of them really liked it and asked if they could hear it again. I am posting it on the class blog so that they can listen or even download it for free. C'mon it is better than Justin Beiber! Well, I am proud too, because Andrew Hansen is my son and this is his song. You can listen to "Creaking Door" here.

Andrew is a student at Gordon College in Massachusetts. For an internship this summer, he worked at Regenerate Music Studio in Tennessee and had a blast. There are three take aways for the class: 1) find a passion and explore it (2) college is not just about work-you can pursue your passion while you are there and (3) Andrew is pretty good at this stuff. Andrew is self taught at the guitar, singing, and writing music. "Creaking Door" is a song Andrew wrote, recorded and produced, as well as doing all the singing and the guitars. He did have some studio friends add the bass and drums.

Besides enjoying the song and being proud of Andrew, it does make you feel old when your own son sings nostagically about wishing he was younger.

Digital Tree Poetry

2011-10-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

We have begun making our first digital poems. We are exploring words and how they relate to each other through the model of William Carlos Williams poem "The Locust Tree in Flower". the words in the poem don't seem to relate to each other as in a sentence or even through the phrasing of a typical poem, but when you read the poem through a few times, one can see how they all fit together. I liken the poem to words written on puzzle pieces, mixed up and then randomly placed into the poem, with some words missing. We used the trees in front of New Searles School on a crisp and beautiful fall day to inspire the words we wrote. Then we mixed up the words like puzzle pieces to create our own poems following the "rules" that William Carlos Williams used: a title, 13 words, one word per line, 4 stanzas of 3 words, and a final word at the end.

I then introduced the class to Animoto and we learned to upload the pictures, write out the poem, and arrange it with music, so that we could share the poem online. As you can see they came out fantastic. You can find out more about this lesson on my teaching blog and this blog.

Here is the first time I developed up and used this lesson with a class (Mt. Pleasant School grade 4).
New Searles fifth grade class 2010-2011

by Ryan

by John

by Alycia

by Maya

by Rebecca

by Alex

by Mackenzie

by Kayla

by Joey

by Nathan Z.

by Nathan F.

Everyday Math: Partial Sums Algorithm

2011-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

We are learning the Everyday Math algorithm for addition called the Partial-Sums Method. Most fourth graders have mastered an algorithm of their choice for addition. If they are proficient in using that algorithm then they should use it. They are, however, expected to know the partial-sums algorithm for addition. The method helps them develop their understanding of place value and addition. In the partial-sums method, addition is performed from left to right, column by column. The sum for each column is recorded on a seperate line. The partial sums are added at either each step or at the end.

Here is a video that explains how to do this method: Addition Partial-Sums. The Everyday Math company has put the algorithims used in its program online. The animated directions take you through a problem step-by-step so students can refresh their memories or parents can learn the new algorithims. These are great refreshers, models, and argument breakers!

Here is the link to take you to the algorithms. Just click on the button for "Algorithims in Everyday Math", then click on grade 4. select an operation, an algorithim, and then an animation. There are six examples on this page for varying degrees of difficulty. The link above is one you want to bookmark for the many examples of how to do the algorithms in Everyday Math.

Please Explore

2011-09-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Everything linked in this glogster (interactive poster) will be tied together starting next week. Please explore it, so that you can become familiar with how a glogster works and what all these places and events signify. Hover the mouse over the poster and click "view full size".

Kenya Presentation

2011-09-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the Prezi presentation on Kenya that I made for school. I can skip through certain parts depending on the grade level or time allowed. If you get an advertisement on a video, click on the border of the video to make it disappear. You can also view it here.

Mr. Hansen goes on a Field Trip to Kenya on Prezi

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: a class favorite

2011-09-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love reading the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" to a class because I enjoy seeing how fascinated the students become as the story develops. This class was no exception. I had to read the book first thing in the year before the new movie directed by Martin Scorcese comes out this fall. There are a lot of tie-ins to the book to explore from early film making, special effects, train crashes, automatons, and even a connection to Thomas the Tank Engine. You can explore more here and with links to previous posts I have made. Here is a Scholastic Website to play some games and learn more about Hugo Cabret. Here is the trailer for "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" movie that is coming out this fall.

Learn about the new book by Brian Selznick called "Wonderstruck" that will soon be released.

Here are previous posts I have made about The Invention of Hugo Cabret on this blog and my Simply Teaching blog;
Simply an Amazing Book: The Invention of Hugo Cabret includes video of automatons, the movie "A Trip to the Moon", and Georges Melies and special effects in moviemaking.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret includes videos of more automatons, Thomas the Tank Engine and the Paris Train Crash at the Montparnasse train station in 1895.

Playing with Pentomines

2011-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new school year. I am excited to be back to teaching fourth grade again. We are off to a great start at New Searles The class has been hearing a small bit about my experiences in Kenya (blog here). Today I introduced them to a lesson that I taught in Kenya. We worked with pentominoes. You can read more about pentominoes and see my students in Kenya working with them here.

If you want to explore them some more at home, you can play with them online at this site. You might also want to read Blue Ballliet's excellent book "Chasing Vermeer".

Field Trip to Kenya

2011-06-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

I can't take the class, but I will be going to Nairobi, Kenya from June 30-July 14 to help out teachers in schools in the Mathare Valley slum of Nairobi. Over one million people live in the Mathare slum in an area of less than a square mile. Rivers of sewage run through the slum towns, carrying garbage and human waste. Most families crowd as many as 10 people into one-room huts made of scrap wood, corrugated tin, or mud without electricity, running water, or toilets. It should be quite an experience and if you want to see photos, videos, and hear about my trip, you can do so here: http://kenyain2011.blogspot.com/. Besides working in the schools and with teachers, I will be going on some home visits in the slum.. At the end of the trip I will also be going on a safari to see the African animals.

5th Grade Cookout

2011-06-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Field Day 2011

2011-06-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Complex sentences with hyperbole: The students wrote.

2011-06-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

It was a very hot, humid, and miserable day when we made our second attempt at writing complex sentences with an example of hyperbole. So I decided to have a little fun to brighten the mood. We started with the base sentence “The students wrote” and then I modeled my sentence for the class: While the humid heavy air slowly circulated around the sticky classroom, the despondent fifth grade students cradled their sweaty heads in the palms of their hands and they laboriously wrote busloads of hyperbole containing sentences to please their demanding teacher. I was curious to see what they could come up with and this is what they wrote.

As the moist air invaded the classroom, the scorching kids wrote thousands of essays and the terrible teacher hogged the entire fan. By Dallas

While the afternoon heat settled outside, the blazing wildfire spread into the forest and the fifth graders wrote miles and miles of stories as the temperature rose. By Austin

Since the enthusiastic students wrote sentences as wonderful as a professional writer, the joy-filled Mr. Hansen danced as happily as a bird soaring over the sun on a chilly day and the graceful students joined the fun. By Aaron

While the extremely humid air floated around, the sweaty students sat at their desks and they ate 1,000 ice cream cones per minute to cool down there sticky wet bodies. By Andrew

When the amazing teacher gave the students bus loads of work, they wrote in the humid air that cycled around the room and a little old lady rode on a bull right through the room. By Alison

While the sticky students wrote their amazing sentences, the cool air from the fan did no help whatsoever but they still wrote their truckloads of sentences. By Nick

While the early morning sunshine danced in the month of June, the antsy 3rd grade pupils groaned at the teacher like she told then they had to babysit their little cousin and they practiced writing thousands of cursive sentences. By Heather B.

While the air-conditioned air circled around the smelly sweaty 5th grade classroom, the dehydrated kids hurtled towards the water fountain and drank most of the water and the hydrated kids all sat down in their seats and wrote truckloads of work. By Molly

While the sticky air filled up the entire humid classroom, the depressed students leaned their heads on their arms and they frustratingly wrote school-loads of sentences including a compound complex sentence just like the one you are reading now. By Cameron

While the unfortunate writing scholar began to perish in the humid 95 degree heat wave, the over-heating female Shakespeare wrote her overdue writing sentence practice so her angry teacher would let her resume writing her novel. By Kayla

The hot sweaty 5th grades drank gallons of water and they effortlessly wrote truck loads of paragraphs for their greedy teacher that had a fan blowing on him while the ice cold wind blew from the AC in the 2nd grade wing. By Adam

While the air-conditioned 3rd grade classroom cooled the sticky and sweaty students, the drowsy kids had their heads on the desks sleeping and did a lousy job on their sentences writing milk jugs of simple sentences for their hard core teacher. By Tori

While the dry humid 95 degrees air circulated around the moistened classroom, the tired students silently moaned respectfully as the students wrote mail truck loads of sentences. By Zak

As the humid heavy air stuck to the 6^th graders, the sticky sweaty 5^thgraders wrote their hyperbole sentences and their aggravated teacher demanded more as much as a kitten drinks 50,000,000,000 gallons of milk! By Campbell

While the annoyed fifth grade students wrote their ten page essays, the lucky kindergarteners hopped around outside and the even luckier third graders went swimming at a lake larger than the moon. By Amanda

OK so they came up with some great sentences on a day that was so hot it was hard to think. Only a few of their brains suffered a meltdown. Well done, class!

Learn how to make your own video games

2011-06-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

Some of the kids in my class have played around with Stagecast which allows them to make their own video game. I have the software at school from when I used to teach it, but it is not a free program (except for the demo version). If kids want to use a similar free program they can download Scratch. It was designed for kids at MIT. Scratch allows you to make animations, games, and other multi-media interactive creations. Here are some tutorials for learning how to use Scratch. Why play video games when you can make your own? This may take some work, but you will learn a lot!

Learn to play chess

2011-06-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a challenge for the summer that you can start now. Learn to play the great game of chess, or learn to play it even better. If you have never played chess before, here is a short and humorous introduction to the game and its pieces. It comes from a site called chesskid.com that is set up as a safe site for kids, You can learn about the game or play online games against other kids or the computer. Many part of this site are free. You can also find other chess games online or for you ipod touch or similar device.

Sentence Building: Complex-Compound Sentences with Hyperbole

2011-05-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our newest lesson in sentence building involved starting with "The storm approached" and writing a complex-compound sentence with hyperbole. Check out the results.

As the horrifying tornado whirled towards the poor frightened village, the wet cable lines dropped to the black ripped apart ground, and the sprinting villagers got in the storm cellar as fast as possible. by Brianna

While the spinning sign top tornado dove towards the ground at the bull tournament, the over excited bulls leaped into the air and floated higher and higher, and the frantic bird sped down the sidewalk at race car speed. by Tori

The frantic great-horned owl flew as fast as a rocket to it’s hollow, and the cold chipmunks burrowed underground for warmth when the ice cold blizzard froze the leafless forest. by Adam

As the giant hurricane rose above the ocean water, the gigantic tugboat started floating towards the shore at lightning fast speeds, and the surfers started running towards the city. by Andrew

While the destructive tornado twisted the peaceful town, the scared people drove a million miles an hour, and the freaked- out dogs ran like their life depended on it. by Ben

As the horrifying twister emerged, the frightened farmers sprinted at race-car speed towards the storm cellar, but George ran for a ditch. by Nick

As the twisty turny funnel touched the ground, the horses stomped their hooves one thousand times a minute, and the frantic boy tried to calm them down. by Codey

When the robust hail storm crashed on the ground like a toddler at the beach, the cowardly cowboys screamed as loud as a jet plane taking off, and they went to warn the town. by Amanda

As the tornado approached, a little old lady walking across the street screamed as loud as a jet pack, and she got swooped up by the tornado before landing on a horse. by Alison

The alert lifeguards waved their warning flags at rampaging bull speeds as the blinding sand storm blew at hurricane force, and the sun bathers scattered off the beach. by Austin

When the spiraling tornado zoomed to the shipshape barnyard, the scattered sheep dashed like a speeding race car out of the field, and the crazy farmer ran to his truck and drove away. by Molly

The frantic children ran around the school one hundred times looking for shelter, and the teachers ran into their cars leaving the school safely with the children as the skinny tornado dashed towards the tremendous school at like one million miles an hour. by Richie

The hollering children ran lightning fast, and the parents chased after them as the destructive hurricane glided towards the town. by Heather M.

When the antagonistic tornado blitzed toward the dilapidated pasture, the rushed farmer dashed to his car as fast as the speed of light, but the pickup truck flew away into the tornado. by Cameron

As the dusty sandstorm blasted through the desert, the super pointy cacti blew in many directions and the cacti gardener jogged at the speed of a car. by Campbell

Adam, Austin, Richie, and Heather changed from starting the sentence with a dependent clause to inserting it after a simple sentence. They get extra points for editing their sentences by changing the order of words and phrases!

Building Sentences: More complex sentences with metaphors

2011-05-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Our starter sentence was: The boats danced. We made a complex sentence and included a metaphor.

As the old chestnut sailboat skipped along the waves of the light blue sea, the surprisingly sneaky thief became a fox sneaking through the night into the boat owner’s home. By Dallas

As the wonderful cruise ship tap-danced on the water, the sea sick passengers turned into sick green monsters on the boat to Africa. By Nick

Although the sailboats jiggled in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the partying people danced and became giraffes looking over their friends because the boat was so crowded. By Aaron

When the supersonic wild speedboat skittered across the water, the excited, frightened tubers turned into macaws as they screamed their heads off while going over a huge wave. By Adam

As the rickety, old pirate-ship jerked from side to side in the middle of Indian Ocean, the sleep deprived crew raged and became stampeding bulls because they wanted to sleep. By Amanda

While the speedy hovercraft bounced, the giant waves got closer and closer to the hovercraft and became a bowling ball crashing into the boat. By Andrew

While the pin-striped yacht bounced and became a bouncy ball, the salt infested waves crashed against the yacht in the stormy sea. By Austin
While the good smelling maple wood toy boats were being dancing ballerinas in the lake, the huge crystal-like wave pushed the boats under the water. By Ben

As the antiquated canoes flopped and the waves jiggled, the boats turned into tumbling marshmallows on the hot sand of the summer beach. By Brianna
After the lightning fast speed boat stopped bouncing, all of the wacko passengers became dolphins and started jumping in the ocean. By Richie
When the complex onyx black yacht waltzed across the ocean at dusk, the 25 foot wave lunged across the ocean top and became baseball players diving for the base. By Cameron

While the fisherman’s violet kayak swayed on the glistening lake’s water, the sleeping campers became hibernating bears tucked away in their sleeping bags. By Heather B.

Although the water-worn happy steam-boats fox-trotted in the vast blue snake of the Mississippi, the people of the flooded boggy land around it left the snaky river to get to higher ground. By Kayla

Although the huge white yacht was a dancing zebra in the wavy water, the nice boat did not make me sick. by Codey

Two new Donors Choose Projects

2011-05-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have listed two new Donors Choose Projects for my classroom. They are already half-funded by the Nashua School Department (as long as the other half is funded). Any donation large or small is appreciated.

The first project is for a student-use digital camera use for when we do the many animoto, glogster projects, and other classroom porjects. It is called Classroom Camera for Digital Storytelling and you can click on the link to find out more.

The second project is for mutliple copies of "Love that Dog" and "Hate that Cat" as well as cd versions of the books. I have used some of the poems in these books for the teaching of poetry for over 20 years (even before the books were written). When Sharon Creech wrote these books, they were a natural for sharing with my classes each year and to continue the poetry writing. These year's pet poetry projects on Glogster took the creative writing of poetry to a whole new level. You can find Classroom Poetry Writing Using Classic Poems As Models at this link.

Building Sentences: Complex sentences with metaphors

2011-05-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

We started with "The sun rose." and developed these complex sentences. Can you find at least one metaphor in each sentence?

When the blistering morning sun lifted its arms and stretched above the beautiful sky, the sound asleep children stampeded like bulls to get to the bus stop. by Molly

Though the beautiful golden sun drifted into the dull sky, the lazy sloths did not wake up. by Aaron

As the dull morning sun started sprouting over the mountain, the excited, sleepy kids turned into cheetahs and sped downstairs on Christmas morning. by Adam

As the scorching evening sun levitated its big body above the sky, the sleepy children began sleep walking and became zombies. by Andrew

As the scorching morning sun lifted into the sky, the moaning snoring children became zombies getting ready for school. by Austin

When the fiery morning sun arose its smiling face out of the towel sky, the sleepy campers started to get up out of bed. by Zak

As the awakening sun emerged through the sheet of clouds, the drowsy and tired friends started rolling around because they thought that they were balls tumbling down a hill. by Cameron

While the beating yellow sun grew to be a balloon over the blue sky, the small happy village became yawning bears in the morning. by Codey

While the glimmering sun grew to be a sun flower over the horizon, the cranky children sobbed like little babies for candy. by Heather M.

When the feisty sun rose up into a giant dandelion in the sky, the whole sleepy village woke to the big yellow flower in the ocean of atmosphere. by Kayla

Building Sentences: Complex Sentences with a Metaphor

2011-05-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

We are working on building complex sentences. A complex sentence is made up of one independent clause (simple sentence) and one or more dependent clauses. The dependent clause begins with a subordintating conjunction such as: after, because, since until, whenever, although, before, unless, when,and while.

For this assignment our initial sentence was The alarm rang.

After the mind-blowing alarm stopped screaming, the wild 5th grade kids turned into monkeys and started jumping on the desks. by Richie

As the flashing fire alarm rang in the congested theater, the startled zebras sprinted toward the exit. by Aaron

While the irritating fire alarm rang like a horror movie scream, the annoying kids became running deer. by Amanda

When the horrifying alarm rang, the crazy construction worker became a bull and rammed the clock into the wall. by Andrew

After the musical alarm rang, the sleepy snoring grandpa became a slingshot and threw the alarm clock against the wall. by Ausin

After the horrifying fire alarm rang while screeching its own heart out, the 6 year olds all became stampeding elephants sprinting to their nearest exit. by Brianna

The sleepy 10 year old became a psycho and smashed the alarm clock to smithereens when the deafening alarm rang. by Cameron

When the loud alarm rang during the test, the crazed students became charging bulls finding their way out. by Codey

When the agitating alarm screamed during a math test, the annoying kids were trembling chihuahuas. by Dallas

The enthusiastic 2nd grade students became charging rams heading to an exit after the vibrating fire alarm screamed its heart’s desire out. by Heather B.

The sleepy girl was a noisy stampede of elephants when the head aching alarm went off for school. by Heather M.

The once asleep children cried like someone breaking a bone after the screaming alarm clock rang its little bells out. by Molly

After the weird alarm beeped its head off, the frightened students became elephants as the charged for the exit. by Nick

After the annoying alarm screamed is beeper out, the terrified students became a charging stampede in the parking lot. by Adam

After the echoing alarm screamed a dreadful cry, the anxious kids became elephant raging after a lion protecting their herd. by Zak

I angrily made my foot turn my sounding alarm clock into a ball and then I made my foot kick it across the room although the blazing loud thing only wanted me to get to school on time. by Kayla

All the stampeding bulls ran outside in a wacky fashion because the horrifying alarm rang.by Alison

As the disco music alarm played its music, the laughing hyenas danced. by Cady

If the annoying alarm rang during the spelling test, the panicking students would be stampeding bulls. by Ben

Student Piclits

2011-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

New York City

2011-05-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our reading selection this week come from the book A Cricket in Times Square. In fouth grade the students read another section from this book that took place in Times Square. This weeks selection takes place in Central Park. The Class like this page with panoramss of New York City from different viewpoints. They wanted to explore some more at home, so enjoy!

The Lake, Central Park, New York City in Central Park You can find lots of different panoramic views from all over the city on these pages. They are wonderful and make you feel like you are really there. Don't forget to right click on the mouse. You can change the view: "little planet" is a favorite! Just watch out for who is driving your cab when you are in the Big Apple!
Spring in Central Park. in Central Park

There are plenty of different panoramic views you can choose from on these pages from all over New York City. Make sure you right click on the mouse to try the "little planet" and other views. Have fun and explore! When in the Big Apple do not get in a cab with a crazy cab driver!

Manhattan in New York City

Students Portfolio on Glogster

2011-05-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample student portfolio Glogster showcasing some of Cameron's work this year.

Multiplication of Fractions Games

2011-04-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some websites with online games for working with fraction. Currently we are working on multiplying fractions, but other lesson can serve as a review.

Jamit There are 11 games here, unfortunately the game for multiplying fractions doesn't seem to work.

FunBrain Soccer Shootout Lots of levels

Multiply Fraction Jeopardy Jeopardy-style game. Choose a question by clicking on the tile that shows the points you will win.

Multiply and Reduce Fractions Battleship Game When you hit the enemy's battleship, you need to solve a fraction multiplication problem.

Multiplying Fractions Millionaire Game In this online millionaire game, 5th grade students will practice multiplying fractions while earning lots of points.

Pet Poems on Glogster

2011-04-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

These are the first glogster interactive posters that the class has made. They came out fantastic. They wrote poems about their pets based on the poems highlighted in the book "Hate that Cat" by Sharon Creech. Can you find the alliteration and onomatopoeia in their poems?

To view each glog full size click on the pink glogster banner at the top of each glog.

Llive Eagle Cam

2011-04-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

The class enjoyed viewing this Live Eagle Cam

Video clips at Ustream

"Pet Poetry Project based on "Hate That Cat"

2011-04-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is a Prezi Mr. Hansen made about the wonderful dog he had when he was a boy. The poems are based on poems found in "Hate That Cat" by Sharon Creech. The class is goind to be writing their own poetry based on these poems, so you can see how it is done here. The class will be learning and using Glogster to present their poems, not Prezi, but you can enjoy this presentation anyhow. You can laugh at the old photos of Mr. Hansen, but don't dare laugh at his dog!

Darkness Fell: Compound Sentences with Personification

2011-04-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

We did more sentence building starting with "The darkness fell" and developed compound sentences that included personification and similes.

The whispering darkness fell like a firework shooting up into the stars, and the cruising police cars patrolled the city streets like a 5th grader observing a piece of candy at the candy store. by Austin

The shadowy darkness fell like a shooting star over the sleepy city, and the rude bloodhounds ran out of hiding like an alley cat looking for food. by Ben

The silent darkness descended like the sleepy sky jumping into bed, and the wandering owl scared the skunk like an elephant attacking a mouse for a piece of cheese. by Andrew

The gloomy darkness descended over the horizon like the Sky Tower at Canobie Lake Park, and the dancing starlight touched my face like a baby discovering something new for the very first time. by Heather B.

The dusky darkness fell over the snoozing city, and the creepy cats destroyed the flower garden like a toddler at the beach. by Amanda

The starless darkness fell like a eagle swooping down for a snack in the overtired village, and the hungry butterfly fluttered like a racing rabbit to the flowers. by Molly

The starless darkness fell like a magician’s hands over the whispering ocean, and the lantern-like jelly fish danced like a ballerina skipping across the stage. by Zak

The tormenting darkness fell over the crowded city like an eagle diving down for it’s prey, but the fascinated city people did not care for they were interested in the city lights. by Aaron

The abyss-like darkness fell over the drowsy city like a wave descending down onto the beach, and the reckless raccoon, knocked over trash barrels like a rouge driver in the night. by Cameron

The faded darkness fell over the city like a couple of old ladies passing out after a tea party, and the dizzy raccoon dug in the trash can like a pregnant woman screaming at her kid. by Alison

The shadowy darkness fell like someone pulling down shades over the lazy neighborhood, and the silent owl dived down to catch a chipmunk like a right fielder in baseball plunging to catch a baseball. by Adam

The jet black darkness fell as the smiling moon came out over the sleeping city, and the noisy loud cars honked their horns like it was the end of the world. by Heather M.

The powerful darkness descended around the sage and umber earth, but the glowing bright light kept the earth company in the night like a guardian angel to a child. by Kayla

The dusky darkness fainted over the sleepy city, and the disgusting skunk squirted everything it could see like a crazy painter squeezing an orange spray paint can. by Brianna

Adding and Subtracting Integers

2011-03-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some gaines to help you practice your skills at addition and subtraction with positice and negative numbers.

Fun Brain Line Jumper (you should be able to do the Super Brain game!)

XP Math: timed practice with simpler numbers (-9 to +9)

Integer Football: The football player advances either towards the positive or the negative yard lines.

Space Coupe to the Rescue: By choosing a positive or negative number, the player controls the vertical position of a spaceship. If the spaceship reaches the same vertical position as a virus pod, the pod is destroyed.

"I am from..." poems Part 2

2011-03-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

by Cady

By Heather B.

by Alison

by Tori

by Adam

by Cameron

"I am from..." poems based on "The Irish Dancer

2011-03-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

We wrote some poems based on the 14th century poem "The Irish Dancer" as seen here. Then we put them into animoto videos.

by Austin

by Brianna

by Molly

by Aaron;

by Nick

by Amanda

by Heather M.

by Ben

by Kayla

by Richie

by Zak

Compound Sentences with Personification

2011-03-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

We have spent more time practicing how to build sentences to be more effective writers. This time were learned how to join two independent clauses (sentences) together with a comma and a conjunction to create a compound sentence, We also learned how to add personification (giving human qualities to nonhuman entities) to our sentences. We started with two different simple sentences:
and things just grew from there!

The rain fell.
The lights twinkled.

The smiling sun’s rays glistened like a disco ball through an oak tree, and the exhausted children sipped their lemonade like pumps taking out water from a pool. by Cameron

The dancing disco lights glistened like a gleaming lake on a bright sunny day, and the jumpy teenaged party people danced like never before on the dance floor. by Brianna

The winking strobe lights glistened like firecrackers blowing up in the night sky, and the wannabe camp ranger sprinted back to his house like a cheetah running from a newborn grizzly bear. by Andrew

The fireworks jumped in the night sky like monkeys fighting over a banana in a forest, and the sunlight winked on a very hot day. by Alison

The jumping disco lights flickered over the dance floor, and the energetic teenagers danced like hot potatoes were under their feet. by Heather B.

The colored paper lanterns glittered in the black sky with light, but a special lantern greeted the water like a delicate flower. by Kayla

The bright Northern Lights danced across the sky like a jumping toddler, and the snow covered Eskimos gawked like a woman seeing a chicken cross the street. by Cady

The blinking stars sparkled like faraway headlamps in a dark forest, and the energetic runners jogged to the finish line like wasps flying back to their nest. by Adam

The dancing stars sparkled like tiny glow worms in the woods, and the sleepy campers slept like hibernating bears in a cave. by Ben

The distant lanterns winked like a lighthouse in a storm, and the snowshoe racers sprinted back to their campsites. by Codey

The twinkling Aurora Borealis jumped like a kangaroo springing into a bush, and the excited Eskimos smiled like gassy elephants in the zoo. by Zak

The dancing campfire sparked like fireworks on a starless night, and the weary campers prepared their dinner on the dancing campfire like grizzly bears foraging for food before hibernation. by Austin

The dancing northern lights glowed like the hot sun on a sunny day, and the delighted woman was anxious to see them like a little girl at a birthday party looking at her presents. by Heather M.

The blinking headlights beamed down like a bright and steaming stage light, but the scared hobos jumped like elephants scared of a little mouse at a spark of lightning. by Tori

The sapphire rain swan-dived onto the ground like an Olympic swimmer, and the once clear rain drops sunk like an animal in quicksand. by Nick

The never ending marching downpour swept the ground, and the oversized farm animals jumped as high as a rabbit playing with a ball. by Molly

The singing churches of rain hugged the pavement, and the young children danced around in the rain as joyfully as a monkey eating a banana. by Aaron

The wiping raindrops belly-flopped into the river like teenagers on a summer day, and the enormous river exploded onto the street like fireworks. by Amanda

The yelling raindrops exploded like grenades on the pavement, and the raindrops were so heavy and loud that it awakened all of the kids on the block. by Richie

Donors Choose: We are Smarter than a 4th Grader!

2011-02-15T11:19:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: 3/3 This project has been fully funded and DonorsChoose has ordered the game cartridges for the class. How cool is that? We are on our way to beating Watson!

I have put a class project up for funding on DonorsChoose.org. We have recieved half of the funding through the Horace Mann Insurance Company. If you know of a business or individual who would like to contribute you can see the listing here. I would like to get the grade 5 cartridges for our Classroom Jeopardy game console. We are smarter than the fourth grade cartridges that we currently use!

Valentine's Day Friends- Friendship Oaths

2011-02-14T14:17:00.001-08:00

When a 60% average is OUTSTANDING!

2011-02-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

WOW, Super congratulations to our bastketball superstar!
Way to shoot Heather!

Sentence Building: The Car Crashed

2011-02-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

The class played around with building sentences again. We started with "The car crashed" and added specific words, multiple predicates, prepositional phrases, and a simile (which could be moved to the beginning of the sentence for a bit of variety if so desired).

The smooth silver Lamborgini Diablo screeched across the gray rough pavment, drifted out-of-control, and slammed into the dented guardrail like a bizzare chimpanzee slapping a fat elephant on the cheek. by Aaron

Mr. Hansen’s rugged black Dodge truck drifted across the busy highway, fish-tailed over a small patch of dirty grass, and hydroplaned over a large lake like a bird flying over the treetops. by Adam ( I wish I had a flying truck!)

The antiquated blue automobile fish-tailed across the road, shattered on the slippery ice, and self-destructed like a rocket shooting into the sun. by Brianna

The gassy pearl pink automobile whooshed through the dusty dirt, collapsed onto the flaming fire, and disintegrated onto the boulder like paper crashing through fire. by Cady

Like Godzilla destroying the city, the neon purple Ferrari bent when it hit the guardrail that was stiff, collapsed on an angry little old lady, and demolished a hospital speeding through traffic. by Alison

The brand-new silver minivan skid on the deadly black ice, smashed into the bus stop, and exploded upon the very unhappy store clerk’s store like an out of control gorilla. by Amanda

Like a stage 5 hurricane, the speeding onyx black Aston-Martin hydroplaned into the rusty guardrail, somersaulted through the windless air, and shattered every shining window in the car. by Cameron

Like an out- of- control fire- cracker, the stylish lime green Chevy Cruz drifted over the baseball field, flew above the charcoal black road, and exploded between the ten story buildings. by Ben

Like a monster truck crushing a car, the mint condition cherry red Dodge Viper drifted around the tight corner, slammed into the huge wall, and destroyed the yellow Camaro. by Codey

The white flat tired SUV slammed into the old rusty guardrail, smashed through the brick wall, and rolled down the bumpy hill like an elephant stomping on the ground. by Molly

The rusted dinged-up black Camero spun out behind the schools playground, skidded across the icy road, and swerved into the chalky white ice-coated snow like a first grader grabbing ice cream. by Austin

The dirty old pickup skidded across the ice-riddled highway, tumbled into the opposite lane, and ruptured an oil truck like a speeding bullet piercing through metal. by Dallas

The insane sapphire automobile drifted across the smooth black ice, fish-tailed around the sharp slick corner and slammed into the frosty metal guardrail like a wrinkly elephant heading for his mud bath. by Heather B.

The unkempt burnt-sienna Buggy skidded across the stormy rain-drenched road, severed the murky cars windows, and pulverized most everything else like a rogue criminal. by Kayla

The brand-new rocket powered Ferrari swerved into the dusty sand, hydroplaned over the Pacific Ocean, and exploded on the dwarf like a bomb. by Nick

The out of control onyx Mustang smashed into a stained guard rail, wrecked into a secure brick wall at New Searles School, and disintegrated in Mr.Hansens class like TNT. by Richie

Like an elephant scared of a weak little mouse, the trendy fiery jeep burst around the spooky tunnel, sped across the curved corner and collapsed off of the guard rail. by Tori

The crazy maroon Cheetah race car crashed into a burning building, bounced off a rock, hit a guardrail, and disintegrated like a meteor crashing into the sun. by Andrew

The sanitary Green Lamborghini Gallardo drifted from the furious intersection, tumbled across the contaminated street, and demolished an indigo house like a furious hyena. by Zak

Sorry car lovers for destroying all those fine cars!

Snowshoeing this week

2011-02-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

Class, don't forget to come prepared to do some snowshoeing on Wednesday with Mrs. Boire. You will need your snowpants, boots, hats, and gloves to be ready for a fun experience.

Did you know that snowshoe racing is a quickly growing sport? If you really enjoy snowshoing, you can run and race in the winter months.
Here is a spectacular picture from a race at Beaver Brook last winter. This photo made it into a couple of magazines this month. If you look real close, you can see Mr. Hansen (3rd racer in line behind the guy in the white shirt on the right).

Here is another shot (black and silver hat). The Beaver Brook race is on February 19 and yes you can walk the whole thing if you want.

Building Sentences: The cat ran.

2011-02-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

We have been working on building sentences starting with a simple sentence and adding specific words, similes, and phrases. Last week we started work on combining predicates and adding prepositional phrases. Here are a few examples of what the class came up with. We all started with the simple sentence, "The cat ran."

The fresh newborn kitten darted toward the delicious cat food, scurried around the beautiful room, and jogged out of the house into the tall grass like a nervous monkey in a pool. by Aaron

The cuddly shadowy black kitten dashed across the newly bought carpet, skidded over the polished wood floor, and pounced on a mouse like a deranged maniac. by Ben

Like a ballistic Chihuahua, the spazoid double pawed, tortoise shell cat skidded from the mall, dashed down the road, and darted to its master. by Campbell

The fluffy Persian cat chased a mouse through the tall green grass, clambered onto a giant rock, and pounced onto the mouse like a cop tackling a criminal. by Zak

The rugged panther darted between two bushes, scurried through the long-grassed green field, and chased a bunny rabbit into a small cave like a soccer ball into a net during a soccer game. by Adam

The scrawny cheetah chased behind the baby buffalo, skidded into a mini rock, and pounced on a mouse like Mr. Hansen at dessert. by Amanda

The adorable cub stalked across the towering grass, tip-toed toward the tiny deer, and pounced on the surprised antelope like a cop catching a criminal. by Cady

The calico cat darted over the squirrel, scurried through the lunch room, and skidded across the floor like a fifth grader on water skis. by Austin

Like a dog chasing an insane cat, the ballistic cat sprinted through the red door, dashed onto the sidewalk, and darted upon the fence. by Brianna

Like a track and field runner, the energetic Persian cat zipped across the kitchen, dashed through the backdoor, and sprinted into the lush grass. by Cameron

Just another snow day!

2011-02-04T18:32:00.001-08:00

In case it snows (or any other day you're bored)

2011-02-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some things you can do with your parents' permission and help:

Download Google Earth and explore the world to your heart's content. Can you find your house? Can you find New Searles School? What can you find out about the country you are researching for your computer lab project?

Sign up for Glogster EDU basic with your parents' permission. Play around with the controls so you get an idea of how it works. Can you make some sample interactive posters?

Go to National Geographic's atlas puzzle page. How long does it take you to complete an interacticve jigsaw puzzle. Can you make your own puzzle at the jigsawplanet.com page?

Make a piclit and email it to Mr. Hansen and a grandparent.

Take some pictures outside of the snow and all the fun you are having outside. Turn the pictures into an animoto video. Send it to Mr. Hansen and a friend.

Use wordle or tagxedo to make a word cloud picture using all the words you can think of that are winter words. Print out your word cloud or send it to Mr. Hansen (you can't save wordles)

Help your mom or dad shovel snow.

Clean your room.

Read a book.

You better not be bored!

...please, let there be no more snow this year!!!!

Snowflake Luncheon

2010-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

We had a great day today at theSnowflake luncheon. Thank-you to all of the parents who participated in putting on such a special celebration. The fifth graders all had a wonderful afternoon. Have a great winter vacation!

Mayan Projects

2010-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

The class completed and presented their Mayan projects. Besides the walkthrough, where many classes came through to view the projects, we did two Voicethreads. The first Voicethread (seen here) presents some background information on the Mayan. The second Voicethread (seen here) present the projects. The class did a wonderful job. Here is our animoto video.

Voicethread on the Ancient Maya

2010-12-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

This is the first Voicethread made by the class. It is on the ancient Maya. I can't get it to be enmbedded just yet, but you can get a preview of it here. It is still a work in prpgress.

http://voicethread.com/share/1602833/

Word Clouds

2010-12-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

Today in class we practiced making work clouds with Wordle and Tagxedo. Here is a paragraph that Ben wrote describing something he is good at without using the word "good".

I am as amazing as the world’s 754th best artist. Once I drew a knife-headed dragon and it was striking. The next day I drew a gold winged dragon and that one was excellent. My friend drew a mustang and messed up so he gave it to me and I fixed it and made it a convertible. Then the next day I drew a no-winged rolling dragon and trust me it was remarkable. My teacher taught my class how to make a paper crane and my first one was outstanding. I am brilliant at drawing and in the art of paper folding. I have made 10 breathtaking paper cranes. One of them was about 2 or 3 inches long and the others are about 6 or 7 inches long. My paper cranes’ tails can move. That is stupendous.

Here is one example of Ben's paragraph after he pasted it into Tagxedo.

Here is a picture of one way it may look in wordle.

Weekly Reader Online

2010-12-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

The class subscribes to Weekly Reader magazine. We have found that Weekly Reader has a digital edition of the magazine with added links, slideshows, movies, read-aloud, and other interactive features. Here are the links to previous editions that we have already read. Students know the "magic word" to gain access to the digital editions. Read, explore, and have fun!

Issue 1 Oil Spill Recovery
Issue 2 Bullying
Issue 3 Holding Court
Issue 4 The Search is On
Issue 5 After the Floods
Issue 6 Out for Blood
Issue 7 Run for It
Issue 8 Who Owns the Artic
Issue 9 Walking Tall

The Weekly Reader website also has a kids only page that you might want to check out.

Partial-Quotient Division

2010-12-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Ancient Maya Quiz

2010-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

We are starting a unit on the ancient Maya. Here is a fun quiz from National Geographic for Kids that tests your background knowlege. Have fun.

Animal Poems based on William Blake's "The Tyger"

2010-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Using William Blake's classic poem. "The Tyger" as inspiration, the class has been writing their own animal poems. Again, we use animoto to turn our poems into animated musical videos. Teachers, If you are looking for a book that teaches how to teach poetry using great poems, then check out this post I made a couple of years ago on the book, "Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?"

Note: Kayla thinks that if William Blake can spell tiger as "tyger", then she can spell shark as "sharc". After all she was inspired by William Blake!

Mayan Projects

2010-11-19T12:11:00.001-08:00

A packet was sent home today so that students can choose a Mayan project. Please turn in your 3 top choices as soon as possible. Here is a video of last year's class and their Mayan projects.

Exploring Tessellations

2010-11-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Today's math lesson involved the fascination world of tessellations.

Here is a site that will let you quickly create a tessellation.

Here is another Tessellation Creator.

Find "enter this site" on Totally Tessellated to explore the history and essentials of tessellations. You will learn how to modify and create tessellations. You will learn about the Dutch artist M. C. Escher and his famous tessellated designs and you can also explore advanced design, art, and other mathematical topics related to tesselations.

Have fun!

The Tyger

2010-11-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

I created this animoto video to introduce my class to one of the great poems of the English language: William Blake's "The Tyger". We're going to be talking to the animals by writing our own poems based on "The Tyger".

Inca Projects and Presentations

2010-10-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

This week the class presented their Inca projects, reports. and posters. You can see their work in the Animoto videos they created.

Piclits: Having Fun Using Vocabulary

2010-10-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

Piclits is a creative and fun website that is all about Inspired Picture Writing. I used the site a couple of years ago with my one computer classroom and then forgot about it until I checked a blog post I wrote back then. Now I am in a classroom where each student can use a netbook and it was much easier to use this program.

Students can choose a picture. Then like refrigerator magnets they can choose precise vocabulary words from lists in located below the puzzle to arrange words into poems, sentences, messages, or labels. We just spent about 15 minutes playing around with the words and came up with many interesting piclits. I was happy to see that many students chose a poetry form based on William Carlos Williams "A Locust Tree in Flower". You can view each piclit by clicking or you can go to the website an create your own piclits. While having fun, we were introduced to wonderful and useful vocabulary words. Here are a few examples of our piclits.

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Heather

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Cameron

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Molly

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Adam

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Cady

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Campbell

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Kayla

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Amanda

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Zak

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Cody

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com
by Ben

Everyday Math Multiplication Algorithms

2010-10-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that you can find examples of how to do the Everyday Math algorithms online. Today we are reviewing the Partial Products Method. This method gives student a good understanding of place=value and multiplication concepts. It also has the added benefit of facilitating student use of mental arithmatic as they solve problems. You can find many animations of the Partial Products Method here. Tomorrow we will be reviewing the Lattice Method of Multiplication. This is a very easy metod to use because it relies almost entirely on the recall of the basic multiplication facts. You can find many animations of the Lattice Method of Multiplication here.

The Locust Tree in Flower: Digital Poetry

2010-10-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

This week we looked at another unusual William Carlos Williams poem called "The Locust Tree in Flower"

You can read about the poem and my lesson here on my Simply Teaching blog. Be sure to check out the "art" version version of the poem. That is strangely weird; not only is the poem fractured into pieces but so is the reader's voice.

Here are our versions of tree poems inspired by William Carlos Williams' poem. We used the animoto program again and learned to add videos to our poems.

Mixtures and Solutions

2010-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

This is what I like...

2010-10-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

Campbell came to school and showed me an ocarina. I had never heard of an ocarina. Campbell bought it during the summer and he knew what it was and how to play it. He told me it goes along with our study of the Incas, Mayans, and Azteks. I looked it up and he was right. Then he played it for me. I like when a student makes connections with things that we are studying. Interesting find and great job, Campbell!

Mysterious Inca Brainteasers

2010-10-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Click here to retake the Mysterious Inca Brainteaser Quiz that we used to introduce the Incas. Can you get a 100%? How much do your parents know? You can let them try the quiz too! Grades aren't recorded! This is a good way to review and learn important information.It is found on the National Geographic for Kids website.

Words are Music

2010-10-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

"Writing is hard work, but sometimes words come by magic."

This week our reading selection is part of an autobiography by children's author Eloise Greenfield. Here is Eloise Greenfield giving a talk last month on writing.

We also listened to Eloise Greenfield reading a couple of her poems in the book, "Hip Hop Speaks to Children".

Science: Mixtures and Solutions

2010-10-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today we started a science unit on Mixtures and Solutions. We learned that a "mixture" is two or more materials stirred together. A "solution" is a special mixture that happens when a material dissolves in water. We made mixtures out of water and gravel, water and powder, and water and salt. We also learned that the materials in a mixture can be seperated. We used filters to try to seperate our mixtures.

Hmm. The screen seperated the gravel from the water. The filter seperated the powder from the water. How can we seperate the salt from the water?

Everyday Math: Partial Sums Algorithm

2010-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Today we reviewed the Everyday Math algorithm for addition called the Partial-Sums Method. Most fifth graders have mastered an algorithm of their choice for addition. If the are proficient in using that algorithm then they should use it. They are, however, expected to know the partial-sums algorithm for addition. The method helps them develop their understanding of place value and addition. In the partial-sums method, addition is performed from left to right, column by column. The sum for each column is recorded on a seperate line. The partial sums are added at either each step or at the end.

Here is a video that explains how to do this method: Addition Partial-Sums. The Everyday Math company has put the algorithims used in its program online. The animated directions take you through a problem step-by-step so students can refresh their memories or parents can learn the new algorithims. These are great refreshers, models, and argument breakers!

Here is the link to take you to the algorithms. Just click on the button for "Algorithims in Everyday Math", then click on grade 5, select an operation, an algorithim, and then an animation.

"So Much Depends...": Digital Poems

2010-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

The first of our poems are completed on Animoto. These are based on "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams.

Who were the Olmecs?

2010-10-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

We are doing a short study on the Olmec people who built one of the earliest civilizations in the Americas. They lived along Mexico's east coast as early as 1500 B.C. They are often referred to as the "mother civilization" of the Americas, because so many other groups learned from their culture. They built temples on the tops of thier flat-topped pyramids. The people lived in villages and built huge stone carved faces, some as large as 20 tons, looked out over these villages.

Here is an article on the National Geographic for kids website that shows the discovery of 3000 year old Olmec writing. Can you figure out what it says?

"An ancient culture is getting new attention. Featured in the new National Treasure 2 movie, who were the so-called Olmec Indians of ancient Mexico? A very mysterious and advanced civilization, many believe that the Mayan calendar is really Olmec in origin. From pyramids to written language to sophisticated social structure and even ball games, the Olmecs were the mother culture of the Americas."

Post NECAP Interviews

2010-10-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

This week the class has been working hard on the NECAP tests. I am very proud of how much effort each student gave on these tests. The students I watched were using strategies, working slowly and carefully, and doing their best jobs at all times. Let's just say that the marathon testing sessions are over and it was good to see how seriously the fifth graders took this test. The class was very happy to be done with the NECAPs and just as thrilled that they get to do it again next year!

Some students were feeling a little bit dizzy when done.

No really, it was fun!!!

Read for the Record Day 2010

2010-10-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today is Read for the Record Day and in classrooms across the country teachers are reading Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day. You can view the book online. It's an old classic.

You can have it read in you in sign language

I think the best way you reaquaint fifth graders with the story is to view the story in a live-claymation video.
Maybe this will inspire some imaginations.

What a good looking class!

2010-10-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Here are our pictures from the first day of school. I wonder how much we will grow and change throughout the year? This video was made from a program called animoto. You can make 30 second videos like this for free on their website. Teachers can get a free educator's license here that lets you make an unlimited amount of animoto videos and the length is not restricted to 30 seconds. I will update this video with a few more photos once those students return their permission slips.

The Red Wheelbarrow

2010-10-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today I introduced the class to one of my favorite poems, "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. I made this animoto video to help make the poem come alive.

The class will be writing their own poems based on "The Red Wheelbarrow" and use Animoto to showcase their work. We will be doing it a little bit different than in previous years, but you can find some of my student's work and more information about "The Red Wheelbarrow" here and here.

NECAP Test Week: The 4-Square Method

2010-10-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

This week is the NECAP test week for fifth grade students at New Searles Elementary School. Maybe this year (or even last year) you heard of a writing strategy that we call 4-square. We use it to organize and plan answers in our Scott-Foresman reading series as well as in other subjects. It is a simple strategy to use. I think it is a key strategy for writing better answers on the NECAP tests as well as a simple and proven way to improve test scores. You can read my post to parents last year "Think in Fours for Higher Test Scores" explaining the method here.

Inca Projects

2010-10-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

A handout is going home today about choosing an Inca project to complete for a Social Studies unit. There are descriptions of the projects as well as items needed to complete the project in the handout. Please make your top three choices. For inspiration, here is a video showing the projects that my class made last year.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2010-09-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

The class is thoroughly enjoying the book I am reading to them called, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. Here is how the book begins with a short introduction:

and then there are pages of pictures drawn by the author in a silent movie style format! Just like this:

Besides the wonderful myserious characters, we are introduced to magic, train crashes, the early days of film making, clock repair, and robotic figures called automatons. While the book is fictional, these events and historical pieces are real. We also learn that one character was a real historical figure.

We are nearing the conclusion of the story. On Friday we watched a copy of Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon" with almost as much awe as Hugo's father would have had when he mentioned viewing the movie to his son. Here is another version with a narrator reading from the actual script that Georges Meilias wrote to be read along with the film.

Here is a Scholastic quick video book talk.

Here is a post with links that I wrote last year about the book and another post with a few interesting videos that I made in 2009. I enjoy and learn more about the book each time that I read it.

Other resources:
Brian Selznick gives the inside story of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret."
Brian Selznick Answers Readers Questions Now someone has to look for those hidden initials!

Here is a photo of the Paris Train Crash at the Montparnasse train station in Paris, France in 1895.

The train crash is mentioned in "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" along with an illustration. Gare Montparnasse is the train station that comprises much of the setting for the story.

When my son, Andrew was a little guy, he loved "Thomas the Tank Engine". I haven't had to watch this show or read the books, again and again, for many years, but I recall that this famous accident was the inspiration for one Thomas video, "A Better View for Gordon." If you don't want to watch the whole episode, you can scroll ahead to the 3:00 mark. Enjoy!

There are also a couple of real life replicas of the train wreck in Brazil.

Here is a wonderfully creepy video of many different automata. Most of these automata were made in France in the middle years of the 1800's. As the video says, "They were a miracle of home entertainment. 3-dimentional movement before even 2-dimensional film had been invented."

It occurs to me as I watch this video and listen to the narrator say this, of automata, ""There hearts are not hearts, but clockwork springs. Their lungs not lungs, but leather bellows." that the automaton in the book is not the only character like this in the story. Hugo "fixes" the broken automaton, but he wanders through the station like an automaton himself fixing the clocks as this is his task in life. Hugo is a character who has suffered loss and has lost his heart and is in need of repair. The author often refers to the cogs and wheels in Hugo's head. Another character who has lost his "heart" and is going through the motions in the toy store is Papa Georges. As Hugo fixes the mysterious automata, he also unlocks clues to other mysteries that help him find his own heart as well as the heart of Papa Georges bringing both of these characters back to life. That is a fitting end to a story that brings many "lost" events back to our recollections.

Do dogs dream?

2010-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

This week we are reading a story called "Faith and Eddie." Eddie is a dog as well as the narrator of the story. Faith is a girl, who is lonely in a new school. She plays with Eddie a lot and throws sticks for him to retrieve. Eddie loves the game. He was obsessed. He was dogged. Retrieving the stick was all he could think about. He loved playing fetch and was manic about playing. He would wait for hours by the door with a stick in his mouth waiting for Faith to come home so he could play fetch.

Eddie even went to sleep with a stick in his mouth just in case Faith woke up and wanted to play catch. Then he began having nightmares about playing fetch. The stick would avoid him when he tried to catch it or would never come down when Faith threw it up in the air. Poor Eddies dreams were ruining the fun of a simple doggy game.

So I asked the question to the class, "Do dogs dream?" Some of them had stories about what their dogs did in their sleep, but I think this video showing a dog named Biskit answers the question quite clearly.

21st Century Classrooms at New Searles Elementary School

2010-09-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

The students and teachers at New Searles Elementary School are fortunate and privileged to be awarded this technology grant. (Nashua Telegraph article here)

Magic Squares

2010-09-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

Today the class did a little work with Magic Squares in math class and the students became really interested in these puzzles that were a favorite of Benjamin Franklin.

Here is a famous piece of art by the 16th century German artist and mathametician Albrecht Dürer. It is called Melancholia I and also shows an 8-faced solid and a jumble of scientific instruments surrounding two angels deep in sadness or thought. Can you find the magic square? It was created by Durer in 1514. Do you see how he included the date on the magic square?

You will find a bunch of magic square puzzles to solve on these printable pages.
Here is a bit on the history of Magic Squares.

Fifth Grade Picnic

2010-06-21T13:36:00.001-07:00

Have a fantastic summer!

Field Day was a Blast!

2010-06-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here are three Animoto videos showing the fun that was had during field day.

This video shows the water relay, which was wet! It uses the Animoto new style called "water".

This video uses the Animoto "air" style and shows a variety of field day activities.

Here is the obstacle course, which was everyone's favorite.

American Independence Museum

2010-05-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here is an Animoto video of our field trip to the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire. Unfortunately, you cannot take photos inside the museum.

Field Trip to the Lowell Mills

2010-05-09T18:12:00.001-07:00

Here is an animoto video of our field trip to the Lowell Mills.

Million Dollar Projects

2010-05-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

If you had a million dollars, how would you spend the money. Our class spent $28,000,000!

Making a Circle Graph

2010-04-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a simple way to make a graph (such as the circle graph for the Milion Dollar Project) then you may want to check out theses graph makers. Create a Graph Classic will make a simple circle (pie) graph. A more advanced version that gives you more control is called Create a Graph. Both of these graph makers are found at Kid Zone on a U.S. Depeartment of Education website

More "Places You'll Go" Animoto Poems

2010-03-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

Nick sings all about Italy. (Well, that is not really Nick singing!)

Danielle likes to chill out.

Matt likes the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Josh like the varieties of creatures to be found in Australia.

Samantha is thinking about wonderful things to do in Germany.

Harir is feeling hungry in Malaysia.

Julia writes about Florida.

Darcy is a California girl!

Andrew the great would like to go swimming.
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"Oh the Places You'll Go!" Animoto poems based on "The Irish Dancer"

2010-03-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

For "Read Across America Day" in celebration of Dr. Suess' March birthday the students at New Searles School chose a place they would like to visit and wrote about it. Some of the students in my class used that place as the inspiration for their animoto video poem . Here are some of thier completed poems. See the introduction to the project here.

Here is James' grand video poem.

Here is Samantha's bouncy video poem.

Here is Ashley's celebrity filled video poem.

Here is Katie's festive video poem.

Here is Kaleigh's sunshiny video poem.

Here is Julia's video poem (just don't swim with the allitgators!).

Here is Parker's peaceful video poem.

Here is Jishni's extreme video poem.

The Irish Dancer

2010-03-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

We recognized St. Patricks Day one day early when I showed the class a short animoto I made of an old 14th century poem called "Ich am of Irlonde". I call the translated poem "The Irish Dancer.' One old version of the poem goes like this:

Ich am of Irlonde

Ich am of Irlonde,
And of the holy londe
Of Irlonde.

Goode sire, praye ich thee,
For of sainte charitee,

Com and dance with me
In Irlonde.

The class figured out what most of the Old English words meant before I showed them a translation. Next, I used the poem as a model and inspiration to make up a few "invitational" poems of my own. The class then was challenged to write their own poem They could use the examples given and write a poem about a place they knew well or would like to visit, invite someone special to that place, and ask them to do something fun there together. The poems came quickly as I find this type of modeling is an easy way to write thier own poetry.

Later I showed the class how to work with the animoto website. I purposely made my animoto above a 30 second animoto as parents can sign their kids up at home for animoto and they can make short 30 second animotos together for free. That is plenty of time to get a quick video made for sharing, including videos with poems.

Later we went to the computer lab to start our animoto poems. Only one student has finished so far, but we should get the rest done this week. Cameron came up with a poem about Australia that may have you thinking twice about eating at The Outback. Other student videos will be put up here when they are finished.

This web page has a video that shows how to use animoto. It does not show how to add text, but my class knows how to do that already. Animoto is a great website. Have fun with it!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2010-02-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

I am reading to the class a fantastic book by Brian Selznick called, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". I wrote about this book last year on my teacher's blog Simply Teaching.You can find the post here. The post describes the book and also has videos of an automaton, the Georges Melies movie, "A Trip to the Moon", a video of the author descibing the story, and a video on special effects in the movies (related to Georges Melies).

Here is the official website for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. You can find lots of additional information about Georges Milies, automatons, Paris, the train crash (one student already checked on his own online to see if it was real), the author and other background information. There are also more links to interviews and videos. Have fun exploring!

Shang Ya! Friendship Oath Poetry

2010-02-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

Oath of Friendship

Author Unknown

Shang ya!

I want to be your friend

For ever and ever without break or decay.

When the hills are all flat

And the rivers are all dry,

When it lightens and thunders in winter,

When it rains and snows in summer,

When Heaven and Earth mingle---

Not till then will I part from you.

On Friday the class read an old Chinese poem called "Shang Ya". It is an Oath of Friendship written 2000 years ago. We used the poem as an inspiration to write our own oaths of friendship. We also used charcoal, water color paints, and markers to create our own style of Chinese art on which to write our poems. Here is an animoto video of the process and finished results.

Guatamala

2010-01-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

My son Andrew is a freshman at Gordon College. Over Christmas break he spent two weeks in Guatamala with some other students to get to know the people of that country and to help with various projects. Before Christmas (and the trip) he visited our class to see the Mayan projects that we had made. He was impressed by the projects and enjoyed learning a bit more about the country he was about to visit. I have taken some of the photos from his trip and made an Animoto video so that the class can see a bit of the people and beauty of this country that they recently studied.

Andrew likes to help people. This was the sixth relief trip of one to two weeks in duration that he has made in four years. He has previously been on three trips to the New Orleans area to clean up after Hurricane Katrina as well as a trip to Houston after another hurricane. He has also spent two weeks in Haiti, a country he had plans to revisit even before the recent earthquake. He works hard to earn money before each trip so that he can go. What more could you ask of a kid who is not yet 20 years old? Enjoy the video.

Why Should We Have Class, When We Can Party...

2010-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Instead!!!! Wow my class knows how to throw a party!
Thanks class.

Junkyard Analysis

2010-01-14T12:43:00.000-08:00

In science we have been working on a unit called "Mixtures and Solutions" by Foss. Fossweb is their website where students and parents can find additional resources and activities. You can click on the "Mixtures and Solutions" module to do an activity on the computer. The activity is called Junkyard Analysis to find out what materials are in the elements we discard. It is an interesting review and does not take long. Plus you get to play with trash!

Manchester Monarchs Visit

2010-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

Trevor Lewis of the Manchester Monarchs came to visit the fifth grade at New Searles to talk about "Winning with Wellness." We learned these numbers "5210". We should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. We should cut "screen time" to less than 2 hours per day. We should participate in at least one hour of physical exercise each day. We should restrict drinking soda, sports drinks, and sugar drinks and instead drink water and milk.

Class Snowball Fight

2009-12-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

Today we had a snowball fight. It was actually part of our morning meeting and we practiced self-control while having a blast. No children were hurt during the filming of this video.

Class Maya Projects

2009-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Here is an animoto video of the wonderful Maya projects that the class completed and presented today.

Holiday Luncheon

2009-12-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the parents who helped put on a wonderful Holiday dress-up luncheon for the fifth grade students at New Searles. Here is an animoto video of the food, fun, and festivities.

Using a Multiplication Chart to Find Equivalent Fractions

2009-12-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

This is a post I made on my teaching blog last year. I am putting it here, because I am beginning to show the class this simple and easy way to find equivalent fractions. It is a good way to check and work with fractions as student learn to understand this tricky topic. Not many people know or use this easy way to work with fractions. This is how I wrote it for teachers.

This is one of my favorite math tricks that can really help your students as they try to understand how to work with equivalent fractions. I learned it at a workshop a couple years ago and have yet to meet a teacher who previously used or was aware of how simple this chart is to help students.

Many simple equivalent fractions (most of the ones used in upper elementary years) are easy to find on a regular multiplication chart. I feel it is very helpful to point this out to your students. Many students struggle as they try to learn the many steps that it takes to find equivalent fractions. When you look left to right on the chart you are viewing the multiples of a number. When you view two different rows of multiplies you are viewing equivalent fractions.

For example using the 1's and 2's. Look at the two rows as if they were fractions.

1/2 = 2/4 = 3/6 = 4/8 and so on. You can split rows apart. Look at the rows for 1's and 3's. 1/3 = 2/6 = 3/9 = 4/12 and so on. To show how the chart works with my class I use an overhead projector and circle the numbers to make them easy to locate. To find 1/5 = ? / 30 I circle the 1 and the 5 underneath it on the ones column on the chart. Then I move my finger from the 5 until I get to the number 30 and circle that. I can block out or just cross out other numbers to make it clearer. Then I follow the 1 across and the 30 up until they meet at the number 6. and circle that. If you do it correctly the circles will form a square or rectangle.

Of course, as the students understand how to work the chart, teach them the other ways of finding equivalent fractions. It makes it much easier for them, however, to "see" the equivalent fractions for a number and the students even start memorizing the most common equivalent fractions.

Now for the most important part. When students take a test they usually cannot use a printed multiplication chart. So what! Train them on how to make a multiplication chart from their facts and have them practice often. Then at test time, they can reproduce the chart onto their test before starting the work. It should take less than 5 minutes. Not only can they use the chart for checking fraction, but they can use it as they do multiplication and division problems too! No it is not cheating. It is about being smart, observant, and prepared!

Do play around with the chart on your own. I didn't believe it would work that simply until I practiced with it and used it with my class. There are some other tips and techniques that you can quickly figure out on your own that even make using the chart easier.

Class Inca Projects

2009-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

How about these simply stunning Inca projects that the students made? What a fantastic job they did.

Grade 5 at New Searles in the News

2009-11-20T07:45:00.000-08:00

From yesterday's Nashua Telegraph here.

Students collect canned goods for food pantry

Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009

Courtesy photo The fifth grade class from New Searles Elementary School incorporated its "Harvest Party" theme into a successful canned food drive to help out the Nashua Lutheran Church food pantry. In the front row, from left, are Julia Primeau, Alysssa Gillin, Carson Dowling and Marissa Daley. In the back row, from left, are Tenley Mazerolle, Vincent Annicchiarico, Evan Guay, Joshua Varney, James Monis and Kyliea Dacosta.

NASHUA – The fifth-grade class from New Searles Elementary School incorporated its “Harvest Party” theme into a successful canned food drive to help out the Nashua Lutheran Church food pantry.

The students were given the challenge to see which class could collect the most food items in one week. They collected more than 200 food items, with Mrs. Cornwall’s class winning bragging rights as being the class that collected the most. Mr. Hansen’s and Mr. Souter’s class were not far behind.

The Nashua Lutheran Church was very happy to receive the items to support their food pantry that is open to the public once a month.

Partial-Quotients Division Algorithm

2009-11-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

We are learning (or relearning) the Partial-Quotients Division Algorithm in math. This may be as new to parents as it was to some students. If you want to see how it is used you can view online examples at the Everyday Math website. If you go to this webpage you can find examples and animations of how to use this algorithm. If you want to see animations and explanations first click on the button for the Handbook Animations. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page under division and you can click on a few examples that you can view.

A Special Guest Reader

2009-11-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau visited our class today and read "Jack and the Beanstalk" to the class.