This week is National Young Readers Week.  So to celebrate, you are going to create an advertisement.  Choose your favorite book and sell it.  Your goal is to make your favorite book a book that everyone will want to rush out to read.  Follow the directions below to create this blog.

1. Choose your favorite book and briefly summarize it.


2. Include the title and author.


3. Tell us why you chose this book to write about.


4. Tell us why we should read this book.  Make it so interesting we can't wait to read the book.


5. Stay focused and organized. 


6. Use higher level vocabulary.


7. Edit carefully for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.

This assignment is due on Monday, November 16th.  If it is submitted by Thursday night, suggestions will be sent back to you for revision.

This month, all our reading groups are reading books about children who have difficulty being accepted by others.  We are also learning empathy as part of our CARES ideas.  Your blog assignment is about acceptance.  Think about a time you were not accepted.  Maybe you acted differently than everyone else.  Maybe you were new to a group.  Maybe you looked different.  Think about how others treated you and how that made you feel.  Maybe you can also think of a time you weren't so accepting.  Would you do anything differently today?

Follow the rules below to complete this blog assignment.

1. Write a brief summary of the book you are reading in group. 

2. Write about a time you weren't accepted.  Relate it to the book.  How did you feel?  How did you know you weren't accepted?  What did you do about it?  Has anything changed now?

3. Think about a time you weren't so accepting of someone else.  Relate it to the book.  Why did you not show acceptance?  What would you do differently today?

4. Do not use any real names when writing your blog.

5.. Be sure to keep your blog focused and organized.  Write an interesting introduction.  Use higher level vocabulary.  Edit, edit, edit for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.

This blog is due on Friday, October 30th.  If you want it checked before it is scored, it must be submitted by Thursday morning.

This week we performed demonstration videos in science.  We learned a great deal about the formation of the earth, as well as a tremendous amount about presenting information to a group.  Your blog assignment this week is to rewatch each video and write about what you learned.  Follow the instructions below:

1. Write about one scientific fact you learned from each video about the formation of the earth.


2. Write a concluding paragraph about what you learned about presenting.  What will you change next time you present?


3. Keep your focus and stay organized.  Use a graphic organizer if it will help you.


4. Edit carefully for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.

This assignment is due on October 16th.

This blog challenge was started in the Dragons Blog classroom.   "7 Random Facts assignment gives us a chance to look for connections all around the world. We post 7 things about us, everybody else posts 7 things about themselves...we go around the world and leave comments!It's supposed to be fun and supposed to teach us how to leave appropriate comments with other classes around the world. You will need to sign your comments with your online nickname and leave a link back to your blog."

Directions: 1. Come up with 7 Random Facts about yourself.  They need to be interesting but not too personal.  Be careful about what you are posting online. 2. Write an essay including these 7 random facts.  3. Be sure to include: a. An introduction b. A conclusion c. A clear focus d. Details e. Edit carefully for spelling and punctuation.

Let's have fun! This assignment is due on October 9th.

Blogs on our sidebar who also are participating in this challenge are:  Top Dogs, Mrs. Brown, Dragon Blogs, Blogger's Blast, Mrs. Smith, and Ms. Gidinski

Last week we began writing our Hopes and Dreams for the new school year. Now it is time for you to post your first blog about your Hopes and Dreams. Go into your page, post the article in the article section, click the Post button and wait for the teachers to approve your blog. Be sure to check back to see if comments were made by the teachers for more editing.

Here is Mrs. Parisi's Hopes and Dreams for you to use as a model.



My Hopes and Dreams for this year center around integrating math into more curriculum areas. I realize that math can be found in all subjects and I want us to solve math problems often during the day.  This will help us improve our math skills. It will also be fun and challenging to find math in every day topics.  I am looking forward to achieving this goal.

For your final blog of the year, it is time for you to evaluate what you have accomplished this year and plan new goals for next year.  Go back and look at your Hopes and Dreams blog Parts I and II.  What were your original goals for fifth grade?  Did you achieve them?  If you did, to what do you attribute that achievement?  If you didn't, what do you think prevented you from achieving your goal?  What do you hope to accomplish in sixth grade?  Are your goals the same or different?  How will you work to achieve them?

Since this is your final blog, be extra vigilant about following our writing traits.  Use voice and vocabulary, stay focused and organized, edit carefully for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Watch your introduction and your conclusion.  Make this your best blog yet!

Today, we had another opportunity to see a fabulous presentation from the people at the Franklin Institute.  This one was about matter.  Your assignment this week is to demonstrate your knowledge after viewing the presentation.  You may write a blog, create a PowerPoint, make a movie...be creative.  Just be sure you include all of the information below.

Include:

• What are the forms of matter and how can you change from one form of matter to another?
  
  


• What are molecules and how do they relate to the forms of matter?
  
  


• Discuss at least two experiments.  They were:
  
  

1. The Bimetalic Strip - Why did it curve in the liquid nitrogen?  How did John get it straight again?
   
   


2. Ball through the Circle - How did John get the ball to fit into the circle?  Why did this work?
   
   


3. Balloon in Liquid Nitrogen - What happened to the balloon in the liquid nitrogen?  Why?  What happened when John breathed on the balloon?  Why?
   
   


4. Pringles Container/Cork Bottle - Why wouldn't the lid stay on the bottles once liquid nitrogen was poured in?
   
   


5. Sponge ball against the Wall - What happened to the ball after it was put into liquid nitrogen?  Why?
   
   

• Be sure to explain the science behind the experiments.  You may need to do more research.
  
  


• Use vocabulary: solid, liquid, gas, matter, molecules, expanding and shrinking, scientific observation, hypothesis
  
  

Remember to edit carefully and be thorough and focused.

This assignment is due on May 15th.

This past week we celebrated Earth Day.  We were lucky enough to participate in a 24 hour Earthcast, working in groups to present information about various topics related to Earth Day.  Think about your topic for the Earthcast.  What information did you present?  How do you think your presentation went?  How would you change it to make your message more powerful?  What would you like people to do now in order to help your cause?

While writing remember these items:

1. Be sure to write a cohesive blog and not just answers to questions.


2. Be sure to use language and voice to make your blog interesting to the reader.


3. Be sure to carefully explain your topic to your audience.  You may need to do more research.


4. Cite sources properly.


5. Stay focused and organized. Use a graphic organizer if needed.


6. Edit, edit, edit.

This blog is due on Friday, May 1st.  If you submit the blog by Wednesday, April 29th, we will give you suggestions for improvement.

Today we had the opportunity to learn about energy from Mikey from the Franklin Institute traveling program.  He taught us about potential and kinetic energy, showing us examples of heat, light, electric and sound energy.  Your assignment this week is to blog about your experience.  What did you learn about energy?  What can you teach others?  How did Mikey make your learning experience exciting?  What was the most surprising part of the presentation?

In your blog, you must:

1. Teach us about energy.  You may need to do some additional research on the topic.


2. Stay focused and organized.


3. Use higher level language and voice.


4. Answer all the questions above.


5. Edit, edit, edit.

This blog assignment is due on Friday, April 3rd.

We have been working hard this year to learn about events occurring around the world.  This week, watch the news, read the newspaper, go onto a news site, or listen to the news on the radio and find out what is happening.  Choose one story.  Be a reporter and tell us all about your event.  Where does it take place?  Who is involved?  What is the story?  Be sure to keep us informed.  You may choose to use more than one resource to get all the information you need.

Be sure to:



   1. Cite your sources.

   2. Stay focused and organized.

   3. Be accurate in your reporting.

   4. Use voice and vocabulary so you keep us interested in the story.

   5. Edit, edit, edit.



This assignment is due on March 20th.