Happy "Strawberry Festival" Friday!

What a fun afternoon/evening! First and foremost...thank you SO much to Mrs. Gallo who organized the game and organized all of the volunteers...I so appreciate her hard work for our class!! Thank you also to the parents that were able to volunteer their time tonight...what a great time all the UES students had!

We had a great week...we are very busy working cooperatively...I was sitting back watching the kids the other day thinking about how much they've grown up in one year. They are such a great group and I get a little teary thinking about the fact that the year is starting to wind down...but enough about that...onto the important stuff!

Language Arts
Your children are heavy into the theater right now. They have picked scripts, chosen parts, designed scenery, and they are in the midst of rehearsals. They are projecting their voices and using great stage presence in their parts. I am extremely proud of them. I am hoping to have their plays ready to be viewed by YOU, the parents, the first full week of June. UNFORTUNATELY I left my planbook at school, so I cannot give you a date until Monday...but I promise to set the date so you can make plans to see the play. It will be in the morning...probably 9-10:15 or so...but again, can't give you the exact date without my planbook in hand!

This coming week will be the last week of Word Study. I know you all love for the homework to stay strong right up until the very end...but I gotta tell you...if they're half as tired of Word Study packets as I am of grading them...we need to quit after next week!! :-) I will continue to send Math or something to do with Social Studies, but June and Word Study are not friends. :-)

Social Studies/Math
Ladies and Gentlemen..."ENTREPRENEURS in the house!!" We have four different companies being run in our classroom right now. These companies have been given a loan and have designed a product they believe their classmates (the consumers) will want to buy. They have had to work within their budget while deciding what resources they will use, what type of advertising they're going to do, and what kind of profit they should shoot for when deciding on a price for the product. These groups are working very well together...even with a few economic problems along the way...and that is a feat in itself! Today we began to build the prototype and we will continue this venture next week.

We had an excellent lesson from Mrs. Cicerone in the computer lab on Tuesday! She showed the kids how to use Excel when organizing and recording data. THEN she showed them how to use the "chart" tool to graph their data...can you scream, "EXCITING!!" You could have heard a pin drop as these kids took her info and explored in Excel making all sorts of charts and graphs. THANK YOU, Mrs. Cicerone!! The next day we went back into the lab and using data we had collected that very morning, the kids chose which set of data to record in their own spreadsheet and they created graphs to depict their data...how is it they are only 8? 9? I was way impressed!!

I hope you have a great weekend...I'll try to take some pictures next week while the kids are working in their play groups or their Entrepreneur groups...'til then...

Field Trip Movie...as promised!!

First...thanks to Ms. Kim, our field trip photographer!! Click on "Our Field Trip May 2010" below to see our visits to the Frederick News Post, Mt. Olivet Cemetary, and the Frederick Keys Stadium. Ask your kids about the different pictures and how we got to see specialization and interdependence in action! Enjoy...

Our Field Trip May 2010

Happy (or not so happy if you were hoping for the Strawberry Festival) Friday...

The Strawberry Festival has been postponed until next Friday...I know this was a tough decision for the women running the event (three years ago I ran the Strawberry Festival), with the threat of SEVERE thunderstorms, it was a good call.

We had a busy, great week! Read below...please pay close attention to our classroom NEEDS!!

Language Arts
So, we have begun the last unit of the year...our dramatic unit...PLAYS!! We spent the week talking about the elements of plays and reading lots of different scripts. We have chosen three scripts, chosen speaking parts, found directors, and have started the undertaking of producing amazing plays...I'm very excited!!

Math
We dove back into measuring angles this week...we discussed line segments, rays, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, vertices, etc...we worked on labeling angles correctly and using the protractor correctly. The kids love using protractors...I tell you, if I could give them formulas and tools all day long, they'd be like in putty in my hand. :-)

Social Studies
Our field trip was fantabulous (fantastic and fabulous all in one)!! We saw two different productions in the works...we saw specialization and interdependence at both the Frederick Keys Stadium and the Frederick News Post. The kids wrote great letters using economic vocabulary. They truly got to see everything we've been teaching in action! As soon as I get copies of the pictures from our field trip, I will put together a short video...look for it early next week!

The kids will be becoming ENTREPRENEURS this coming week! (don't quit your day job...its fake money) :-) I am excited to see what their companies come up with for products. For this project, we will need:

• egg cartons
• plastic cups
• foam letters or shapes
• Popsicle sticks
• paper towel/toilet paper tubes
• any other fun recyclable items

Have a great weekend! Enjoy your families...

Great Heron Wetlands Celebration and a big Thank You!

First, thank you to the children who made me feel so special this past week during Teacher Appreciation Week...it is my absolute pleasure teaching your children and their notes and cards are an added bonus...I will treasure them...so thank you.

Click on the words "Great Heron Wetlands Celebration" below to see the movie of our day Friday...hope you enjoy!

Great Heron Wetlands Celebration

What a week!!!!

We had an amazing week...read all about it!

Can you say WOW? POW WOW? It was a fantastic day...I took tons of pictures and video clips...I'll make a movie this weekend and post it by Sunday...ask your kids about it...it was SO fun!

Language Arts
We spent a good portion of the week working on a story in the program Junior Great Books...the story we read was The Ugly Duckling. We read the story twice...during our second reading we made notes in the story as to which parts had actions that were sad, mean or scary to the ugly duckling. We analyzed the story and spent time thinking from the perspective of the duckling. On Thursday we had an inquiry based discussion...we sat in a circle and each child had time to independently answer a question. Then we spent about 20-30 minutes discussing our ideas and sharing our thoughts and support for the question. At the end of the discussion (you would have loved to have been a fly on the wall..."I agree with so and so"...OR..."I have a different opinion from so and so"...OR..."To piggyback on what so and so said"...they're such little adults). I was very impressed with their ability to discuss! We also worked on stories this week. The Dancing Bear toy store is having a contest and some kids have decided to enter...others are just writing a story for fun...the contest has "story starters" that have to be a part of the story...you can see this contest if you click on the following link http://dbeartoys.blogspot.com/. We move into the PLAYS unit Monday...a favorite of all kids!

Math
We worked on the volume of squares, rectangles, and cylinders this week...your kids LOVE formulas! We were able to discover the formula of the squares and rectangles based on different measurements and filling the numbers into all sorts of equations. Cylinders...not so much. For cylinders, I shared the formula Pi x r2 x h. (I don't know how to make a small two on blogger to show "squared".) Once a few of our friends shared that Pi = 3.14, and after our discussion about radius being half the diameter, we were ready to roll...sort of. We had lots of practice...they would walk into the classroom in the morning, grab a calculator, and start to work on the day's problem...they would talk to each other about how they were solving each problem and also tell each other what they had done incorrectly....it was WONDERFUL!!

Social Studies
Our economics unit is in full swing! We are almost finished with our friend, Econ!! I am looking forward to PART 2...we'll be creating companies and developing products...more to come next post.

Important Dates:
Tuesday, May 11 - last field trip of the year! We will be going to the Frederick News Post for a tour, stopping off at Mount Olivet Cemetery to listen to some historical facts about Frederick, and ending up at the Frederick Keys Stadium for a tour and lunch!

Wednesday, May 12 - two and half hour early dismissal

Friday, May 14 - Strawberry Festival

Check out the past two posts for information about summer reading lists

and summer programs offered around our area!!

Have a great weekend!

Summer Reading Lists

Summer reading lists, a joint project between FCPS and FCPL have been published and are available in the following locations through FCPL:

Reading suggestions for Grades 3-5...click on the link below....
https://legacy.fcps.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fcpl.org/information/children/schoolbooklist/3_5_2010.html

Reading suggestions for Grades 6-8...click on the link below...
https://legacy.fcps.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fcpl.org/information/children/schoolbooklist/6_8_2010.html

Looking for ideas for summer?!?!?

2010 Summer Program Options

for Elementary and Middle School Students

Following is a list of summer program options for children in the Frederick area. The list certainly is not inclusive, but provides some possible options that address a wide variety of student interests. In providing the list, the Office of Gifted and Talented Education of Frederick County Public Schools is not endorsing or promoting the programs, but is simply offering information as a service to parents and children. The programs, phone numbers and web addresses are accurate as of May 2010, but subject to change without notice.

Maryland Summer Centers for Gifted and Talented Students are sponsored by the Maryland State Department of Education and are held in locations throughout the state. Information and online registration are available in February at www.marylandpublicschools.org/summercenters.

Center for Talented Youth (CTY) is sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University. Advanced screening process, including testing, is required. Information for this program is available at 1-410-516-0278 or at www.cty.jhu.edu.

Frederick Community College offers year round programs for students. Parents may call 301-624-2820 to be added to the mailing list or visit www.frederick.edu/courses_and_programs/children.aspx ,

Programs for Children.

Summer Institute for the Gifted offers high quality summer programs for academically advanced students in grades 4-11 at prestigious institutions of higher learning. This two-week program is costly. For more information call 1-866-303-4744 or www.giftedstudy.com.

Rose Hill Manor offers history camps for students in the summer. Information is available at 301-600-1650 or visit www.rosehillmuseum.com .

Delaplaine Visual Arts Center offers many classes for students in grades preschool through high school in the arts. Parents may call 301-698-0656 or visit www.delaplaine.org to request a brochure or to be added to the mailing list.

YMCA offers summer programs for students. Information is available at 301-663-5131 or
at http://frederickymca.org/ .

Hood Athletics Summer Camps for boys and girls of various ages in Basketball, Soccer, http://frederickymca.org/ Lacrosse, Volleyball and Field Hockey are available at http://www.hoodathletics.com/athletics-about/camps/summercamp10 .

Hood College offers swimming classes. Information is available at the Aquatics Center at www.hoodathletics.com/aquatics/aqu-welcome.

Mount St. Mary’s University Residential/Commuter Soccer Camp is sponsored by the Rob Ryerson Professional Soccer School and offers weeklong soccer camps for both boys and girls from ages 10-18. Information is available at 301-447-5383 or www.scoringoals.com.

Dream Catcher Farm, located in Adamstown, Maryland, offers summer riding camps for one or more weeks, with limited enrollment available. The farm features an indoor and outdoor riding rink. Camp includes riding instruction, training in horsemanship, horse care, trail rides and arts and crafts (1-301-607-4238).

Frederick Arts Council sponsors programs (301-662-4190).

West Winds All Sports Camp at 11411 Gas House Pike in New Market offers weeklong camps focusing on golf, tennis, swimming and other sports. Information is available at
1-800-627-2267 or at www.campchannel.com.

Clustered Spires Golf Course offers golf camps for students all summer (301-624-1295).

The Frederick SportsPlex offers summer sport camps. Information is available at 301-662-6866 or at http://frederickindoor.com/ .

Fountain Rock Park and Nature Center is rich in natural and historical interest and offers many hands on programs for children. Information is available at 301-898-1460 or at http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/index.aspx?nid=2934.

Life and Discovery is a learning institute for enrichment and discovery. Classes include math, Chinese studies, reading and writing. Information is available at 301-631-6838 or www.lifeanddiscovery.com.

Volunteer Frederick Inc., located at 31 West Patrick Street, offers summer opportunities for students from ages 11-17. Students can choose from three two-week programs called SummerServe Express or one five-week program called SummerServe. There is a charge for these programs, but scholarships are available. Free volunteer opportunities also are available. Students may consider any of these opportunities offered through Volunteer Frederick Inc. to fulfill their service learning requirements. Additional information is available at 301-663-5214 or at www.volunteerfrederick.org.

Local magazines, published each spring, provide information about additional summer youth programs. These magazines, which usually may be obtained at no cost in grocery stores, doctor’s offices and real estate offices in Frederick County, are:

Frederick County Guide, 301-662-6050 or www.thefrederickguide.com/thefrederickguide/ .

Family, 301-662-8171 or www.fredmag.com.

The Recreator (a free brochure prepared by Frederick County Division of Parks and Recreation) 301-600-2936 or http://www.co.frederick.md.us/index.asp?nid=3034.

Child Guide, 540-955-2004 or www.childguidemagazine.com.