Lego Challenge - May 28
http://legoquestkids.blogspot.ca/2012/10/final-challenge-quest-52.html
Over the next three days, your challenge is to pick three Lego quests and complete them, documenting what you are doing on the iPad and then presenting on Thursday to a classmate what you did. We will work on this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Pick whatever three interest you the most, just be ready to present them on Thursday:) Good luck!
Over the next three days, your challenge is to pick three Lego quests and complete them, documenting what you are doing on the iPad and then presenting on Thursday to a classmate what you did. We will work on this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! Pick whatever three interest you the most, just be ready to present them on Thursday:) Good luck!
4Ws - May 13
Who: Consider who the characters are in your story.
Where: Think about what would be a suitable setting for your story.
When: Which time period will your story take place?
What: Focus on the plot description; what events make up the story and what sequence do they need to happen in?
Where: Think about what would be a suitable setting for your story.
When: Which time period will your story take place?
What: Focus on the plot description; what events make up the story and what sequence do they need to happen in?
Setting the Mood - May 13
By setting the mood in a story, it allows the reader to become more invested in the story. It makes the reader FEEL something! This week we
will learning about mood, figuring out what mood is appropriate for our story and then building a scene around it.
will learning about mood, figuring out what mood is appropriate for our story and then building a scene around it.
Tone and Mood Wind Chimes
- Choose FOUR primary mood titles
- write the titles on four separate index cards and add a hole punch to the
bottom of the card - colored cards make this especially appealing - tape the cards end to end - tape the last two ends together - forming an
open cube - cut four pieces of yarn, ribbon or string - attach one to each card - attach
by looping into the hole punch and tying a knot or taping or gluing to the
inside - on smaller index cards - write the words that correspond to the four
primary cards - attach them to the string and work your way down - Use fishing line to hang your new wind chime
Lego Compare and contrast - May 6
Working in sets of three, your job is to compare and contrast the following Lego timelines using a Venn Diagram. One partner is in charge of reading information on the blue background, one on the grey background and one on the green background. Once you have read over your timeline, you need to communicate with your peers what is on your sheet and then together figure out what is similar and what is different about the information presented.
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456452738/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258764/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258758/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456452738/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258764/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258758/
History of Lego - April 25
You may want to take notes over the video we are going to watch. There will be a quiz after it is over:) You will be able to use your notes on the quiz!
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - April 18
After reading the book and interacting with the app, you need to select 2 of the projects below and complete in the NOTES section of your Smash Journal.
1. The pictures in the book are very beautiful, whimsical and expressive. Try reading the book again just looking at the pictures. What do you notice new in the story this time? How do the pictures help tell the story?
2. Do a book advertisement. Draw or record or write about a book you like in a way that makes it sound interesting to other people. Create a list of books you like and email them to Ms. Bonnstetter ([email protected]).
3. Party planning here we come! Make an invitation and invite people to a party; this isn't just any type of party though, it is a costume party. After designing the invitation for the party, draw a sketch and explain what character you would pick and what your costume will look like.
4. "If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive." -Barry Lopez, Crow and the Weasel.
Do you think Morris Lessmore would agree with this quote? Create a list of 5 quotes from books that you like and describe why you like them.
1. The pictures in the book are very beautiful, whimsical and expressive. Try reading the book again just looking at the pictures. What do you notice new in the story this time? How do the pictures help tell the story?
2. Do a book advertisement. Draw or record or write about a book you like in a way that makes it sound interesting to other people. Create a list of books you like and email them to Ms. Bonnstetter ([email protected]).
3. Party planning here we come! Make an invitation and invite people to a party; this isn't just any type of party though, it is a costume party. After designing the invitation for the party, draw a sketch and explain what character you would pick and what your costume will look like.
4. "If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive." -Barry Lopez, Crow and the Weasel.
Do you think Morris Lessmore would agree with this quote? Create a list of 5 quotes from books that you like and describe why you like them.
4W's - April 1
Who: Consider who the characters are in your story.
Where: Think about what would be a suitable setting for your story.
When: Which time period will your story take place?
What: Focus on the plot description; what events make up the story and what sequence do they need to happen in?
Where: Think about what would be a suitable setting for your story.
When: Which time period will your story take place?
What: Focus on the plot description; what events make up the story and what sequence do they need to happen in?
Setting the mood - April 1
By setting the mood in a story, it allows the reader to become more invested in the story. It makes the reader FEEL something! This week we will learning about mood, figuring out what mood is appropriate for our story and then building a scene around it.
Tone and Mood Wind Chimes
- Choose FOUR primary mood titles
- write the titles on four separate index cards and add a hole punch to the
bottom of the card - colored cards make this especially appealing - tape the cards end to end - tape the last two ends together - forming an
open cube - cut four pieces of yarn, ribbon or string - attach one to each card - attach
by looping into the hole punch and tying a knot or taping or gluing to the
inside - on smaller index cards - write the words that correspond to the four
primary cards - attach them to the string and work your way down - Use fishing line to hang your new wind chime
Lego Compare and Contrast - March 26
Working in sets of three, your job is to compare and contrast the following Lego timelines using a Venn Diagram. One partner is in charge of reading information on the blue background, one on the grey background and one on the green background. Once you have read over your timeline, you need to communicate with your peers what is on your sheet and then together figure out what is similar and what is different about the information presented.
If you are struggling reading the images below, you will want to use the following links.
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456452738/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258764/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258758/
If you are struggling reading the images below, you will want to use the following links.
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456452738/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258764/
http://pinterest.com/pin/87820261456258758/
Essay questions - February 28
Pick 5 questions and complete the answers. Make sure you turn the question around in your response. I should be able to read your response without knowing which number of question you picked because the question is in your response.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
4. Why does Rafe allow Leo
to set the rules to the game as they play Operation R.A.F.E.? Why is Leo always
up- ping the difficulty? How does Leo determine when Rafe should lose one of his
three lives?
5. Leo says on page 54, “Not telling the whole truth isn’t
the same thing as lying.” Is this an ethical interpretation of truth and lying?
Why or why not?
6. Why does Rafe risk telling Jeanne Galletta about
Operation R.A.F.E.? What does he hope to gain by confiding in her?
7. How does Rafe break his no-hurt rule by his antics on Halloween Day? Who does he
hurt? What decision does he make as a result of the pain he inflicts?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- One of Rafe’s biggest challenges is his confrontations with Miller
the Killer. What could Rafe do to get on the good side of a kid who only has bad
sides? What are some of the strategies Rafe employs? Why don’t they work to help
keep Miller off Rafe’s back? - What do Leo’s illustrations show the reader that Rafe’s words do
not? How do the illustrations bring life to Rafe’s story?
- Rafe sees the Student Code of Conduct as a long list of all the ways
he will probably get in trouble before the end of the school year (page 21).
What other ways could he view the handbook? Instead of the principal reading
each page to the students, what other ways could the Student Code of Conduct be
presented to students at Rafe’s school?
4. Why does Rafe allow Leo
to set the rules to the game as they play Operation R.A.F.E.? Why is Leo always
up- ping the difficulty? How does Leo determine when Rafe should lose one of his
three lives?
5. Leo says on page 54, “Not telling the whole truth isn’t
the same thing as lying.” Is this an ethical interpretation of truth and lying?
Why or why not?
6. Why does Rafe risk telling Jeanne Galletta about
Operation R.A.F.E.? What does he hope to gain by confiding in her?
7. How does Rafe break his no-hurt rule by his antics on Halloween Day? Who does he
hurt? What decision does he make as a result of the pain he inflicts?
Board Game Creation
http://todaysmeet.com/graphiclearningboardgame
You are being tasked with creating your own board game that goes along with "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life". It is up to you what type of game you design. You could create a Monopoly board with all the different places Rafe goes or it could be a Scatergories game with questions that relate to the book. This is your chance to let your inner Rafe shine! You will be given time to work in class this week and next, however many of you might want to work on this at home as well. Projects will be due by Wednesday, February 27. Use your time wisely!!!
The following must be included in your completed project:
1. Rules of the Game, including how to win.
2. A board or a drawing of the game.
3. Title of game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_board_games
You are being tasked with creating your own board game that goes along with "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life". It is up to you what type of game you design. You could create a Monopoly board with all the different places Rafe goes or it could be a Scatergories game with questions that relate to the book. This is your chance to let your inner Rafe shine! You will be given time to work in class this week and next, however many of you might want to work on this at home as well. Projects will be due by Wednesday, February 27. Use your time wisely!!!
The following must be included in your completed project:
1. Rules of the Game, including how to win.
2. A board or a drawing of the game.
3. Title of game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_board_games
Superhero writng - February 11
In the book, Rafe creates his own game and then dreams big about what it could turn into. Part of that dream includes action figures! Many of you have your superhero created already, if not you will have time to finish it today. After you have created your superhero, you will paste it into your smash journal and write two descriptive paragraphs about your superhero. Use the FCA's below to guide your writing.
http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
FCA #1: 2 paragraphs 2 pts
FCA #2: 6 adjectives, (circled) 3 pts.
FCA #3: Five sentences with at least 10 words 5 pts.
http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
FCA #1: 2 paragraphs 2 pts
FCA #2: 6 adjectives, (circled) 3 pts.
FCA #3: Five sentences with at least 10 words 5 pts.
SuperHero Quiz - February 5
Your first task in your superhero creation, if you choose to accept it, is to take a quiz to see which superhero you are. I will give you one second to quess who Ms. Bonnstetter came back as............that is right, Batman! Take the quiz at www.thesuperheroquiz.com. Once you are done record your result on the top of your Design Your Own Superhero worksheet. You don't have to agree with the results, just record it. Once you record it, then work on designing your own creation on the worksheet. Remember on Thursday you will get the chance to do a mock design on the computer!
Book Review - January 17
Follow the link below to see what the New York Times had to say about "Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life." The articles reviews a few different books. We will focus on just the part about the book we will be reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/childrens-books-about-troublemakers-by-a-j-jacobs.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/childrens-books-about-troublemakers-by-a-j-jacobs.html?_r=0
Discussion Questions - January 14
Pick 5 questions and complete the answers. Make sure you turn the question around in your response. I should be able to read your response without knowing which number of question you picked because the question is in your response.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
4. Why does Rafe allow Leo to set the rules to the game as they play Operation R.A.F.E.? Why is Leo always up- ping the difficulty? How does Leo determine when Rafe should lose one of his three lives?
5. Leo says on page 54, “Not telling the whole truth isn’t the same thing as lying.” Is this an ethical interpretation of truth and lying? Why or why not?
6. Why does Rafe risk telling Jeanne Galletta about Operation R.A.F.E.? What does he hope to gain by confiding in her?
7. How does Rafe break his no-hurt rule by his antics on Halloween Day? Who does he hurt? What decision does he make as a result of the pain he inflicts?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- One of Rafe’s biggest challenges is his confrontations with Miller the Killer. What could Rafe do to get on the good side of a kid who only has bad sides? What are some of the strategies Rafe employs? Why don’t they work to help keep Miller off Rafe’s back?
- What do Leo’s illustrations show the reader that Rafe’s words do not? How do the illustrations bring life to Rafe’s story?
- Rafe sees the Student Code of Conduct as a long list of all the ways he will probably get in trouble before the end of the school year (page 21). What other ways could he view the handbook? Instead of the principal reading each page to the students, what other ways could the Student Code of Conduct be presented to students at Rafe’s school?
4. Why does Rafe allow Leo to set the rules to the game as they play Operation R.A.F.E.? Why is Leo always up- ping the difficulty? How does Leo determine when Rafe should lose one of his three lives?
5. Leo says on page 54, “Not telling the whole truth isn’t the same thing as lying.” Is this an ethical interpretation of truth and lying? Why or why not?
6. Why does Rafe risk telling Jeanne Galletta about Operation R.A.F.E.? What does he hope to gain by confiding in her?
7. How does Rafe break his no-hurt rule by his antics on Halloween Day? Who does he hurt? What decision does he make as a result of the pain he inflicts?
Report Card - January 10
Rafe creates a report card for himself and records notes down. Today you get to play the role of the teacher and create a report card for yourself before the real one comes out in a week. For each class you are currently taking, design your report card in your notes section of your SMASH journal, use a ruler if needed. Record both a grade and a comment from the teacher. After you are done, flip to the next page and compare and contrast what you just created with what you think your report card will show. How similar do you think they will be? Do you think what you said as a comment is what your teacher would actually say about you. Don't worry, no one will see these but Ms. Bonnstetter. Be honest and have fun!!!!
Operation Y.o.U. - January 10
Type 2 Writing Activity
*For a million points in Operation Y.O.U. what would you want to be rewarded with? Why?
(You will be graded on TTQA and complete thoughts!)
*For a million points in Operation Y.O.U. what would you want to be rewarded with? Why?
(You will be graded on TTQA and complete thoughts!)
Create your Own SuperHero - December 10
In the book, Rafe creates his own game and then dreams big about what it could turn into. Part of that dream includes action figures! Today you are going to get the chance to design your own action figure and then you will come back, print it off and then come back and write about it. You will have 20 minutes in the computer lab to design your action figure and then you will have another 20 minutes to write about your creation!
http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
FCA #1: 2 paragraphs
FCA #2: 6 adjectives, (circled)
FCA #3: Use of three different types of punctuation
http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
FCA #1: 2 paragraphs
FCA #2: 6 adjectives, (circled)
FCA #3: Use of three different types of punctuation
Knowing Yourself - November 27
Our main character, Rafe, is entering middle school. Many educators and psychologist will agree that middle school is the stage in life you start discovering who you are. The first part of today's activities include answering a question, watching a short video clip and then answering another question. Please respond to your questions in your NOTES section of your SMASH journal.
#1. (Answer prior to watching the film) Does it matter what people think about you? Why? Why not?
Watch film cilp.
#2. (Answer after watching film clip) What does it mean to be self-confident? Whose opinions do matter to you? How many people really know the real you?
#3. Find a partner and discuss your answers. What do you agree on? What do you disagree on?
#4. Each of you need to locate the piece of paper that has your name at the top. To start off with write down one qualitiy that is positive about yourself. Once you have completed this, you will pass your paper to the person on your right. You will now have someone's paper in front of you. Think about that person and write down a different positive quality about him/her. We will keep passing until you have your own paper back!
#5. Rafe has quite the time in the book trying to break all the rules in his middle school's code of conduct rule book. Along with each of them he draws an illustration to go with them. Ms. Bonnstetter has done some research for you and selected 20 of the most popular rules out of Hoyt's planner. In a minute you will draw out a rule. Your task is to draw an illustration that goes along with that rule and properly label the top so it is easy to identify which rule you have drawn.
#1. (Answer prior to watching the film) Does it matter what people think about you? Why? Why not?
Watch film cilp.
#2. (Answer after watching film clip) What does it mean to be self-confident? Whose opinions do matter to you? How many people really know the real you?
#3. Find a partner and discuss your answers. What do you agree on? What do you disagree on?
#4. Each of you need to locate the piece of paper that has your name at the top. To start off with write down one qualitiy that is positive about yourself. Once you have completed this, you will pass your paper to the person on your right. You will now have someone's paper in front of you. Think about that person and write down a different positive quality about him/her. We will keep passing until you have your own paper back!
#5. Rafe has quite the time in the book trying to break all the rules in his middle school's code of conduct rule book. Along with each of them he draws an illustration to go with them. Ms. Bonnstetter has done some research for you and selected 20 of the most popular rules out of Hoyt's planner. In a minute you will draw out a rule. Your task is to draw an illustration that goes along with that rule and properly label the top so it is easy to identify which rule you have drawn.
Book Review - 10% summary
Follow the link below to see what the New York Times had to say about "Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life." The articles reviews a few different books. We will focus on just the part about the book we will be reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/childrens-books-about-troublemakers-by-a-j-jacobs.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/books/review/childrens-books-about-troublemakers-by-a-j-jacobs.html?_r=0
Elements of a Fairy tale
Special beginning and/or ending words
~ Once upon a time...and they lived happily ever after. Sometimes, there’s a surprise ending…
Good character
~ Do you see a kind, innocent character? Is the good character clever? Is s/he helped by others?
Evil character
~ Do you see a witch? A demon? An evil stepmother? A sinister gnome?
Royalty
~ Is there a castle? A prince? A princess? A king? A queen?
Magic and Enchantments
~ Do you see magical things happening? Do you see talking animals/objects? You might see fairies, trolls, elves, goblins, etc.
Reoccurring Patterns / Numbers
~ Do you see any patterns? Often, you’ll see things, phrases, tasks appear in "threes," “sixes,” and/or "sevens"
~ Once upon a time...and they lived happily ever after. Sometimes, there’s a surprise ending…
Good character
~ Do you see a kind, innocent character? Is the good character clever? Is s/he helped by others?
Evil character
~ Do you see a witch? A demon? An evil stepmother? A sinister gnome?
Royalty
~ Is there a castle? A prince? A princess? A king? A queen?
Magic and Enchantments
~ Do you see magical things happening? Do you see talking animals/objects? You might see fairies, trolls, elves, goblins, etc.
Reoccurring Patterns / Numbers
~ Do you see any patterns? Often, you’ll see things, phrases, tasks appear in "threes," “sixes,” and/or "sevens"
The Writing Process - september 18
Super Hero Quiz - September 10
Your first task, if you choose to accept it, is to take a super hero quiz to see which superhero you are. I will give you one second to quess who I came back as............that is right, Batman! Take the quiz at www.thesuperheroquiz.com and then write a paragraph about your results.
Smurf'd - August 30
1. Watch the trailer for the Smurfs below.
2. Brainstorm 10 places you would 'smurf-a-fy' in 5 minutes.
3. Write a plotline that could take place in Des Moines.
2. Brainstorm 10 places you would 'smurf-a-fy' in 5 minutes.
3. Write a plotline that could take place in Des Moines.
WordFoto - August 23
To get things started with our classroom theme, you are going to be using the iPads today. Your first task is to go to the WordFoto app. Using your type 1 writing prompt from earlier today, you will create a piece of artwork that represents you. Mine is shown as an example.