As many of you now know, 'The One and Only Ivan' passed away on August 20th, 2012.  Visit this website, read all of it and watch the YouTube video that is posted there.  This is required as part of your 'WRITE A RESPONSE' activity.

We have all made many deep connections to Ivan and the other characters.  With these connections, we have also felt many deep emotions.  Think back to all of your writing activities, your notes, and your memories and reflect on how powerful these two books have been.  Use your ideas for the 'WRITE A RESPONSE'.   

1.) MATH 6 - Do your corrections and return your quizzes signed.
     MATH 7 - Do your corrections and return your quizzes signed.

2.) SCIENCE - All research paragraphs, titles, subtitles, headings, pictures, etc, must be completed by Tuesday.  DO NOT PASTE ANYTHING ON YOUR POSTER PAPER YET.  You will be assessing your peers and giving them feedback on Tuesday so it is very important that you have all of your work completed so your peers can give you suggestions on how you can improve your work.  If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or post a comment here.  

3.) POST A RESPONSE (3 parts) - Visit the Atlanta Zoo website and read the article they have posted on 'CELEBRATING IVAN'.  Be sure to also watch the YouTube link that is posted on the Atlanta Zoo website.  Ivan was an amazing gorilla who had a huge presence.  

Unfortunately, Ivan passed away on August 20th, 2012. It was a very emotional event for many people.  I know that many of you made some incredible connections to Ivan and the rest of the characters during the 'Global Read Aloud' and I am sure you will all miss him.

a.) Write about how this makes you feel and be sure to explain why.  You should clearly describe how this event makes you feel by using descriptive words (adjectives). 
b.) You must include at least 2 connections you made to Ivan or any event that he experienced in the novel.
b.) BONUS: Do some investigative research and see if you can find an article on his passing.

4.) FIELD TRIPS - Ask your parents if they can drive to the rink on Thursday.  If you haven't handed in your forms yet, be sure to bring them in on Monday.  Also, if you are planning on going on the ski trip, bring in your forms and give them to Mrs. Van as soon as possible.  

5.) QUESTION OF THE DAY- will be linked from the sidebar (to be updated)

WEB LINKS:- The Atlanta Zoo Web page on Ivan

VIDEO LINK:
- The real 'One and Only Ivan' video from the Atlanta Zoo
- Katherine Applegate (The One and Only Ivan author) answers questions from students

We continued working on reading strategies today to deepen our understanding of the stories (The One and Only Ivan and Wonder).  Comprehension is an important part of learning how to read.  It is not simply a matter of being able to sound out the words, you must be able to fully grasp the inner workings of a story.  We have covered predictions, connections, images/visualizations, questioning, exquisite language, etc.  It is always a good idea to keep these strategies in mind when reading so you can deepen your understanding of what you are reading. 

1.)  MATH 6 - Any assigned work (Please post your assignment here)
      MATH 7 - Pg 47 #1 (Use LCM for the denominator) , #3 (draw pictures and use a ruler), and #4.

2.) LA / ART - Everyone has received feedback and you are all working on improving on your initial trailers.  Your revised/final copies must be handed in this evening sometime.  E-mail me if you have any questions.  Remember, using the feedback given to you by your peers and by your teacher will improve your learning if you 

3.) WRITE A REPONSE: Today we learned more about the importance of memory in 'THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN'.  What do you think was the major turning point in the story and what do you notice about Ivan's character development as the changes begin occurring? Be sure to include supporting details (IE Examples, quotes, etc).


VIDEO LINKS:
- Ordering Fractions

Today we learned about spatial awareness and safety in PE.  It is very important to be aware of your surroundings and to be alert for your personal safety and the safety of others, especially when objects are flying through the air.  

1.) WRITE A RESPONSE - I have listed several quotes from 'The One and Only Ivan'.  Choose one and write about a connection you have with it and what your interpretation of the quote is.  Be sure to include enough details to express your thoughts clearly.  If you see that your classmates are commenting on one of them, choose a different one.  Also, if you have one that you wrote down, feel free to use it instead of the ones listed below.

“When I'm drawing a picture, I feel...quiet inside.” 

“Humans. Rats have bigger hearts. Roaches have kinder souls. Flies have-”

“Human can surprise you sometimes. An unpredictable species, Homo sapiens”

“Right now I would give all the yogurt raisins in all the world for a heart made of ice.” 

"A good zoo is a large domain.  A wild cage.  A safe place to be.  It has room to roam and humans who don't hurt.  A good zoo is how humans make amends."

2.) WRITE A RESPONSE #2: The fall/Autumn weather is upon us.  Take a look at the photo in today's planner message and use descriptive words (adjectives), to describe what you see!  Answer the following:

- What do you see?
- What do you hear?
- What do you smell?
- What do you taste?
- What do you touch/feel?

3.) MATH 6 / 7 - Test tomorrow for both grades. Complete review questions.

We had a great time making and flying our kites on Friday.  Using different mediums for art is always an exciting thing!  Art is a very important part of your education.  We also learned how kites connect people around the world! There is much culture behind these flying objects.  

In addition to this, we learned more about gorillas and how they behave in the wild.  It was interesting watching the National Geographic documentary.  I'm sure all of you were you thinking about Ivan and made a connection with the silverback you saw.  Gorillas are clearly very intelligent and emotional animals.  We will look deeper into this next week when we start Science!

3.) WRITE A RESPONSE (3 parts): Based on what you have learned about character development.  What can you tell us about....
A.) Ivan's character 
B.) Mack's character.  
Explain using examples from the beginning of the story up to where we finished on Friday.  I e-mailed the audio file of the read aloud to all students who were not present today.  If you did not receive it, let me know and I will share it with you on Google Drive or by email.
C.) Write down 2 deep questions and answers based on the criteria you have learned for creating deep questions.

2.) Math 6 - Board work will be collected on Tuesday.
     Math 7 - Any unfinished work.
    
3.) FUN MATH 6/7 HOMEWORK - Mrs. Van gave me a great website for you all to try out.  It has been baffling me because I can't seem to figure out how it works!  Visit this website and see if you can figure out how the 'FLASH MIND READER' works. The crystal ball can read your mind!  There will be a prize for students who are able to figure out how it works.  Post any questions/comments here.

4.) Language Arts / E-Folio - Do your best to complete as much of your 'PASSION TRAILERS' as possible.  Use the criteria points we came up with together in class, as well you can refer to the Guideline/Criteria sheet that I shared with all of you on your Google Drive.  You should have all received an email from me with the shared document.  If you didn't, be sure to email me RIGHT AWAY so that I can send it to you.  Also, if you're having trouble logging into your accounts, refer to the end of the shared document as I have included detailed information.  

VIDEO LINKS:
- Ms. Fei's Passion Trailer
- Mr. Hong's Passion Trailer

We continued reading from 'THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN' today and saw that we can learn a lot from animals.  In addition to this, we watched a YouTube video about a relationship between an elephant and a dog.  It was heart warming to see such a strong bond of friendship form between two different animals.    

1.) WRITE A RESPONSE - What can humans learn from the relationship between the elephant and the dog? Watch the video clip again and pay attention to near the end of the clip.  (VIDEO CLIP)

2.) MATH 6 - Complete board work on prime factorization trees.
     MATH 7 - Any assigned work.

3.) FUN ACTIVITY - Continue working on your passion trailers.  Here is a link to Miss Fei's Passion trailer.  Use it as a general guideline of how you may want to set your trailer up.  Do you notice any similarities between the one Miss Fei showed you and Mr. Hong's Passion trailer from the first week of school? Any differences?

VIDEO LINKS
Dogs and Elephants 

Today we learned about the importance of the words we choose to use.  We discussed the 'POWER OF WORDS' and saw a great video clip that displayed this.  We also discussed the criteria for a good blog response that was in lines with our 'BLOGGING B.R.G.R.R.R.' criteria.  Also, we played 8 corner soccer with Ms. Wilson's class and had fun doing this with prime numbers, factors, and multiples.  We learned the importance of ball control.  




1.) Math 6: Quiz tomorrow - Factors, Multiples, Prime Numbers, Composite numbers, arrays, factor rainbows, prime factorization trees.  Know your definitions and how to find factors/multiples, 
     Math 7: Page 18 #2-5

2.) LA: Today, we continued with our 'QUESTIONING' skills and our ability to recognize and interpret 'EXQUISITE LANGUAGE'.  We learned about the 'POWER OF WORDS' and that using certain words can have a profound effect on how someone interprets a sentence.  Show your parents the video we saw in class today.  

3.) WRITE A RESPONSE:  Post 1 deep question and answer it with details and your honest opinion.  In addition to this, post one phrase/word that you found to be 'EXQUISITE' from today's reading of 'THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN'.  Explain why the word/phrase was powerful to you.

YOUTUBE LINKS:
THE POWER OF WORDS

THE GLOBAL READ ALOUD 
We came up with a class generated criteria of what makes a good prediction.  A good prediction is logical and takes into account what you already know about the story.  It also 'PREDICTS' the following parts of a story.  
- Who
- What
- Where 
- When
- Why
- How

1.) POST A RESPONSE:  We did a lot of work on reading predictions.  We brainstormed with sticky notes, discussed, and created a K-W-L. chart.  Post your revised prediction only after going through the 'BLOGGING B.R.G.R.R.R.'.  Remember, your revised prediction is based on what you learned from watching the 'BOOK TRAILER'.  It must also take into consideration the 2-3 suggestions for improvement your classmates gave you.   

2.) POST A RESPONSE #2: Reflect on what you learned about predictions today.  Did your revised prediction differ from the predictions you made on your stickies?  Explain.  

3.) FORMS / MONEY
- Kites
- Terry Fox
- Hot Lunch Orders (due on Monday)

VIDEO LINKS:
The Global Read Aloud History and Information 
The One and Only Ivan Book Trailer (Official)