Google Celebrates Mark Twain's Birthday

Google Doodle Celebrates Mark Twain's 176th Birthday

Touring Through Non Fiction- Guided by the Dewey Decimal System

Week One: 

Introduction, The Caveman Story, Grouping by Subject, and 000's General Works

Melvil Dewey

Week Two:  
100's  Philosophy and Psychology-Workings of the Mind

Optical Illusions

Week Three:
200's Religion

Greek Mythology

Hercules

Review of what we have covered so far:

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Questions from Doing Dewey from Mr. B. (December 12, 2011) .http://breitlinks.com/deweychallenge/

Week Four:

300's Social Sciences

"People wonder about other people."

Social Sciences discuss careers, holidays, government, and fairy tales.

"The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen

Cartoon by Disney and Pixar

• Exploring Career Information
• Holidays
• Government
• Fairy Tales

Check out the Cinderella stories that are from different societies:

Week Five:

400s Language

How can we understand one another?

Spanish

Dictionary.com

Word games on Fun Brain

Northern Cheyenne and Crow Tribe Language 

Touring Through Non-Fiction is adapted from K. Delaney (2011)Dictionary.com

Biography Assignment (5th Grade)

A biography is the history of a lifetime. It narrates the most important facts of someone’s life, his or her childhood, adolescence, military service, wars he or she lived through, educational background, professional life, marriage, children, and most outstanding achievements. A biography also tells anecdotes, memories, trips and dearly cherished moments of the person's life. (biographybiography.com, 2011)

1) Students select their biography from our school library.

2) Students read their chosen biography and take notes using the organizer tool on their person of interest.

3) Students follow directions on assignment guide and create a timeline summary of their individual's life using the  resource linked below:

Create Your Timeline

Finding "Just Right Books"

How can students and their parents find books that are not "too hard" and not "too easy" but are "just right" ?

1.  Choose a book that the student thinks he or she would like to read.
2.  Find a page in the middle of the book.
3.  The student should start reading the page aloud.
4.  Each time the student comes across a word he or she does not know, hold one finger up.
5.  If all five fingers are up before the student reaches the end of the page, the book is most likely too difficult for the student to read.  The student should look for another book.

In the coming months primary students will be learning and reviewing what makes a "Just Right Book"

We will be reading "Goldie Locks and the Three Librarians" and discussing what makes a book just right for us as readers:

Students will be learning and using the five finger rule when selecting books in the library:

Hand by: Franklin Public Schools, MA

shelfelfnews.blogspot.com

Christopher Paolini to be in Billings, November 25th

On November 25th, Christopher Paolini will be in Billings.  He will be the Grand Marshall at the parade starting at 7pm.  At 8pm, he will be signing his new book in the Inheritance series at Barjon's Bookstore.

Tall Tales

Friday in library, we are going to be studying two versions of "John Henry" and compare similarities and differences in the two tales.

1.  We will read "John Henry" by Julius Lester with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney

2.  We will listen to

"John Henry" sung by Harry Belafonte

                                                             picture from: postalmuseum.si.edu

                                         

November 11th is Veterans Day

History of Veterans Day

November is...

“Picture books are important because they are with us for life. They are the most important books we'll 

ever read because they're our first. No matter how many books we've read since, they will always have a 

place in our hearts.” – Dan Yaccarino from his Picture Book Month Essay. 

Picture Book Month