What you’ve all been waiting for: The English Fair!

Portfolio day! Learning Journeys! Exhibition Unit! Combined!

This was what the English fair turned out to be. And it was AWESOME! For each major project in the semester, we worked to make a process presentation. Was it a documentary? Was it a presentation? Was it a bulletin board? The kids decided their mode of presentation and got to work documenting the learning, the steps, and the work behind  the project. The students then chose their favorite project to present at the English fair in the end of March.

The community of parents, teachers, and friends were invited to the middle school to participate in this event. Over 350 people came to take part in the learning. It was sheer madness, sheer inspiration, and sheer excitement around every corner. The kids were able to reflect on and showcase their best work, and the community ate it up!

Our awesome colleague and docu-wizard Doğukan compiled an incredible video showcasing the collective learning of the students. Enjoy!

Ms. Rachel Gabbert

Blog Awards 2014

Dear students,

Thursday, we will be voting on the Blog Awards for 2014! There are three categories:

Professional Blog Award: This blog is zen, has beautiful images and text that is grammatically correct and the content reflects what the post is about. All posts are categorized. The widgets on the side bar are not distracting, but interesting and add to the blog.

Layout Award: This blog has beautiful images, all of the html has been fixed so that it fits within the theme. They have included all sorts of media, including embedded videos, images, and interactive pictures. The widgets on the sidebar are interesting but not distracting.

Content Award: This blogger is a writing genius! The writing accurately describes what the post is about, is detailed, interesting, and grammatically correct.

Good luck!

Ms. Gabbert

 

Butterfly Blog Morning Work

Welcome back to quarter four!

For your morning work today, take a look at Ms. Bass’s blog post about the butterfly stroke. Embed your video, and answer the questions.

from allposters.com.uk

I’m happy to see you again!

Ms. Gabbert

Reflection Posts

Dear Class,

I’m so happy you’re back! Today, for our writing time, I’d like you to make TWO blog posts.

The first blog post is about the juice party we had before the holiday break.

• Explain a little about what we did that day.
• What was the best part of the party?
• What was the most memorable part of the first semester?
• What do you look forward to during the second semester?
• Include pictures from Flickr.

The second blog post is about what you did for morning work.

• Write a small moment story about the best or worst part of your holiday. 
• Include description, dialogue and details!
• If you have pictures, include them.

I’m looking forward to reading your posts!

Sincerely,

Ms. Gabbert

Buu Long Reflection

Dear Class,

We had such a rich, full day at Buu Long yesterday. We challenged ourselves and grew as students and as a class. As you think back about your day yesterday, ask yourself these questions.

1. What was the best part of the day? Why?
2. What was the most challenging part of the day? How did you meet that challenge?
3. Was there anything you didn’t try but wish you did? What made you not try it?
4. What did you learn about yourself?
5. Were the team building activities hard or easy for your group? What did you do to solve the problems?
6. How can you use the skills/ideas you learned at Buu Long in your everyday life?

Answer any five questions. Your post should be 2-3 short paragraphs. Categorize it as Field Trips. Flickr isn’t working, so we’ll put in pictures when you get back from break. I can’t wait to read it!

Ms. Gabbert

Making your first post as a fifth grader!

 

Dear friends,

Today your job is to create your first blog post. I want you to write about your first day of school yesterday. Use what you brainstormed and wrote during writer’s workshop today. Include:

1. A greeting (“Dear World, Dear Friends, Dear Bloggers,” etc)

2. 1-2 short paragraphs about your first day at school.

3. A conclusion (“sincerely, Yours truly, Your friend,” etc.).

 

Good luck!

Ms. Gabbert