It's Friday....

and it's a long weekend with beautiful weather in store!  Who could ask for anything more?

What's coming up next week?

We are finishing up the causes of the Civil War and heading into the some of the major events.

     SS5H1 The student will explain the causes, major events, and                   consequences of the Civil War.

       a.Identify Uncle Tom’s Cabin and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry,

and explain how each of these events was related to the Civil War.

b. Discuss how the issues of states’ rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and South.
c.Identify major battles and campaigns: Fort Sumter

 

Reader's Theater in Social Studies 

Constructed Responses will be expected on ALL tests.  

R-Restate the question
A-Answer the question simply
C-Cite evidence and Examples to support your answer
E-Explain how the evidence supports your answer

 

According to Ralph Fletcher, "a writer's notebook should reflect your personality."  Because of this, we take a short period, on the first Friday of every new year, to decorate our writer's notebooks.  I have been doing this same activity for years and have come to find out students treasure their personalized notebooks and keep them to look back on years later.  Below are a few photos of students working on personalizing their writer's notebooks.

Some 5th graders showing off their decorated Writer's Notebooks!

It has been a great first few weeks of school.  In SS, we have learned about the SS Themes, the Bill of Rights, and are now currently learning about the causes of the Civil War. 
In ELA, Reading Genres and poetry terms have been studied.  We have worked with Greek and Latin roots, homophones, and types of sentences.  The students have written poetry booklets, and we are currently studying figurative language. 
Needless to say, our days are busy!

Letters from Little Turkeys

 Dear Mr. Hunter,

   People think turkeys are healthy, but we’re actually very unhealthy. Our skin is full of fat and cholesterol. Yuck! Even though we are unhealthy, we are still being eaten! Everybody is eating turkey for Thanksgiving. So, why can’t you lead them to eating other things? Why settle for turkey, when you can eat chicken or ham?

    Don’t you know that I’m a part of history? I was Ben Franklin’s choice for the U.S. national bird. Ben respected us for our looks and agility.  Abe Lincoln even saved my great, great grandmother from being eaten.

   You have other options, you know! I know a great recipe for squid! Everyone likes it! Also, I could make you some country- fried chicken. Its crunchy, crispy skin is delicious! Why not eat some tender, juicy ham? It is very good. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to turkey!

   I also have a family to take care of! I have 18 poults that just hatched! Who is going to teach them to hunt for acorns, nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, and salamanders? I’m the best hunter in the family! I also promised them that I would take them to Six Flags if they were good! They have been pretty good lately. They are going to be so upset!

   So, why settle for turkey when you can have something else? I’m a part of history and you have other options! Besides, I have a big family to take care of! Don’t you think you should try something else, besides turkey? Psst…I have a secret recipe for ham that is sooo good!

                                                                    Sincerely, 

                                                                    Your turkey buddy!

                                                                                                      (Brianna G.)

Dear Turkey Hunter,

    Every Thanksgiving people want to eat me.  Try something different.  Why would you want a poor turkey  instead of a big, juicy ham for Thanksgiving?  Eat ham!  Ham is a better choice.    I guarantee you would not go back to turkey.  Please don't eat me! 

    I'm no good for you.  I'm really tough.  I am as tough as a rock.  I really stink like a skunk because I do not take baths.  I also have a disease called turkey-itis.

    Do you really want to eat me?  I have a family.  Please do not eat me!  I have to teach my kids how to fly.  I have to teach my kids how to hunt.  Please do not eat me because if I die, who will teach my kids all these things?

    Finally, I'm a big pain to cook.  Can you imagine having to pluck all of my feathers?  It would take all day for me to cook in the oven.  Would you really want to spend that much time on lunch? 

    So, please don't eat me!  I'm no good for you,  I have a family, and I'm a big pain to cook.  Try ham!  Once you try ham, you'll never go back to turkey.  Ham is really good.

                                                                   Sincerely,

                                                                   Tom the Turkey
                                                                   (Taylor B.)

 

ALLITERATION ACTION

Scary Cemetery Witch

By: Dillon T.

     In a creepy cemetery where shadows follow you and slime oozes out of gravestones lives a witch named Cedric Skullboiler.  He casts spells with his wand.  His skin is scaly, and he causes scandals.  There is nothing more selfish than Cedric.

     Every Halloween night, he soars through the sky searing everything in sight.  He slices up the crops and scares everybody out of town.  He craves children, but nothing scrawny, so he cooks the big ones first.  As he stirs the ingredients, steam rises to the ceiling.  When he’s done with his scrumptious meal, he goes to scare again.

     The next time you venture into a scary cemetery, be cautious, or risk being Cedric Skullboiler’s lunch.

After studying alliteration and Pablo Picasso's art techniques, students wrote a short alliteration piece about a witch. Then they created a witch in the style of Picasso.

  

Picasso Witch

 By: Braz H.

Similes, Metaphors, and Abstract Nouns

Happiness
By: Hagan

Happiness is a door.  If you open it, you will find a whole new world.  All you have to do is find the key.

Happiness is a tree.  It grows and grows until an evil rises up and chops it down.

Happiness is the ocean.  You can find many treasures.  Just open your eyes and look.

Happiness tastes like sweet candy tickling your tongue.  It smells like a red rose in a bright red field.  It sounds like a child’s laughter on a crisp fall day.

Onomatopoeia

Riding a Dinosaur Coaster in Jurassic Park
By: Brianna Gilbert

                                      Swish! Swish!
   The coaster started moving and it took us in a river. Tiny, mysterious heads started to pop out of the surrounding woods, looking at us curiously, and then popping back into the woods.
                                  Rustle! Rustle!
   The plant- eating dinosaurs eased out of the woods, followed by the “tiny, mysterious” baby dinos that were poking their heads in and out of the trees. The adult dinosaurs started chewing the leaves off of small plants and trees.  The baby dinosaurs were chasing each other as if they were playing tag, Dino Tag that is!
                                 Chug! Chug!
     The coaster led us into a factory filled with boxes, blinking lights, and turning gears.   The gears were turning very loudly. Everybody was amazed by how huge the gears were. To me, they looked like a huge truck! The blinking lights seemed as if they were brighter than the sun!
                                      Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
     A Tyranosaurus- Rex came out of nowhere! He was huge! His teeth were sharper than anything I have ever seen!
                                     ROOAARR!
       He shouted at us furiously, as if we had entered the hunting grounds of the Tyrant Lizard King! Uh! Oh!
                                     Sniff! Sniff!
      He bent down, sniffing us like he was going to eat us! The air coming from his nostrils felt like a storm was about to hit us. I covered my face, blocking the warm air.
                                          Slip!
   I got scared and slipped down into the floorboard.  I didn’t want to get eaten! Especially at such a young age! I needed to hide somewhere! There was nowhere else to hide!

                                Chug! Chug! Screech!

    We passed the T-Rex and through the factory and chugged away from the T- Rex. The ride was over. Thank goodness! I unbuckled the seat belt and raced back to my family for safety from the Tyrant Lizard King!