Optional Fifth Assignment

Dear Fifth Graders,

This is a OPTIONAL assignment.

What are your plans for Halloween? Do you plan to stay home for the night and pass out candy to the neighbors? Will you trick or treat with your family or friends? What do you plan to wear? What will you do to be safe?

Make sure to proofread your message and make it fifth grade appropriate!

Happy day,

Miss Paulson

Fourth Assignment

Dear Fifth Graders,

You have just completed your last session with Mr. Monseth on Environments. Over the weekend (This assignment is due on Monday) I want you to LIST two ideas that you learned from this unit. This is about your learning, please tell two things that Mr. Monseth taught you that you will always remember.

It should look like this: (You can use your own sentence starters)

1. I learned that it is important to........

2. I also learned from Mr. Monseth that I always need to remember to......

This is due on Monday!!!

Third Assignment

Dear Fifth Graders,

Here is your Third Assignment.

We are starting a new unit on Explorers in Social Studies. Here is my question for you:

What is a place ANYWHERE in the world that you would like to explore? You need to include WHY you would want to go there, WHAT would you look for or see, WHAT supplies you would bring with and WHO would join you on your adventure.

Read those expectations over again...... I am looking for COMPLETE answers.

Example:

If I could explore anywhere in the the world, I would explore Australia. I have always wanted to explore the world "down under"! I would explore the Great Barrier Reef and any zoo that had koala bears. I would love to meet the people of the country and visit many other tourist attractions. The main supply that I would bring with would be my camera and a computer, so I could document my trip carefully. I would bring my mom, she likes to travel and I would love to share this experience with her. Australia here I come!

Second Assignment

Dear Fifth Graders, (do not answer until Thursday)

Here is your Second Assignment.

In your opinion, who is someone that you feel "Gives it all they have Got?" Think about Language Arts theme 2 title. Who is someone that works hard, has discipline, is determined, and strives to do their best, no matter what? Please give four or more reasons to support your answer.

Here is an BAD example:

Charles Schultz. Good at comics. Cool writter. I lick his drawings.

Why is this bad a bad example?

This is a bad example because it does not have a topic or conclusion sentence. There are incomplete sentences. There are not four reasons why you believe that he was a person that has given all he's got. There are spelling errors and the author (your name) is not included.

Here is a GOOD example:

Charles Schultz is definitely someone who has given it all he had in his work. He was a dedicated artist. He had a sense of humor in his comics, and it showed! He has numerous characters and made them come to life. He spent many years perfecting his art and was in a variety of different magazines and newspapers. I think that Charles Schultz is a person who showed dedication and determination.

Miss Paulson

Why is this a good example?

It has a topic and conclusion sentence, four or more reasons, it has been proofread, and it make sense!

See the difference?

First Assignment

Dear Fifth Graders,

Since it is Career Day.... here is your first assignment.

If you could pick any career, what would you choose and why?

Here is an example:

If I could choose any career, I would be a professional golfer. I think that golfing would be the ultimate career for many reasons. If you were a golfer, you would play a game that you love and the risk of injury is pretty low. I would be able to travel great places, with usually a warm climate and beautiful scenery. I would love to travel to Hawaii, and also Pebble Beach would be my course of choice! Golfing is a great sport, and I would love to wake up, play a round of 18, practice my skills, see great places, and also work on my tan!!!!

Miss Paulson

10/04/07
Dear Students and Families of Fifth Graders,

Welcome to our very own BLOG of Room 315! As future college graduates and future workers of the world, I not only want to prepare students for junior high, but also their FUTURE as a computer user of the 21st century! We are all becoming very aware of technology and its’ importance in our daily lives.

How will we do this? With our very own BLOG! I was hoping our class would enjoy taking part in an experience designed to introduce them to weblogs. A weblog, or blog as they are commonly called, is a special type of web page that can be created and easily updated using a web browser.
The idea is to allow the students an opportunity to utilize this technology to read, write and respond to questions, comments or links, while at the same time sharing their thoughts with a real audience, you!

What will our blog be used for?
1. Completion of Homework
2. Posting thoughts, opinions, and homework
3. To learn and be involved in fifth grade
4. To become more Technology SAVY!!!

HOW IT WORKS:

A few times a week, I may post a comment, problem or a link to a website, and invite the students to share opinions, thoughts, and get homework via email from home. These tasks are meant to familiarize students with a form of communication which has already transformed many fields within our society (journalism, politics, business), and will soon transform education as well.Having a real audience is the key component to this experience. In addition to receiving comments, parents, grandparents, other family, are also invited to visit the blog and respond. Potentially, anyone on the internet could respond to our blog, however, it is not likely that the world at large will stumble across it. You will only post your comments as “Anynonmous,” but you can include your first name if you choose.

NO USERNAME AND PASSWORD NECESSARY. This blogging experience is designed to minimize risk to your child. The only personally identifying information included in the blog will be their first name. The will be no mention of our school name or our location. Students will not be allowed to post their age, email address, photographs of themselves, or other sensitive information.
Here is how simple it is!

1. Log onto www.fifthgradeblogger.blogspot.com
2. Click on Fifth Grade Blogger or another posting on the right hand side
3. Click on Post a Comment
4. Write your Posting under “Leave a Comment”
5. BE SURE TO CHOOSE ANONYMOUS button
6. PROOFREAD your comment
7. Click the ORANGE BAR to Publish your COMMENT
8. Go into the BLOG to check out your blog posting!

Terms and Conditions

Blogging Terms and Conditions

1. Students using blogs are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts and/or comments. You agree to not post or give out your family name, password, user name, email address, home address, school name, city, country or other information that could help someone locate or contact you in person. You may share your interests, ideas and preferences.

2. Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for your blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

3. Student blogs are to be a forum for student expression. However, they are first and foremost a tool for learning, and as such will sometimes be constrained by the various requirements and rules of classroom teachers. Students are welcome to post on any school-appropriate subject.

4. Students blogs are to be a vehicle for sharing student thinking and writing with real audiences. Most visitors to your blog who leave comments will leave respectful, helpful messages

5. Students accessing blogs from school must take good care of the computers by not downloading or installing any software without permission, and not clicking on ads or competitions.

6. Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in this experience.

HAPPY Blogging!
Miss Paulson

Resources:

Blogs created by fifth grade students in the USAhttp://writersworkshopessays.blogspot.com/ http://itc.blogs.com/macros/

BBC News article about blogging in a school in the UKhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3804773.stm

Welcome Fifth Grade BLOGGER

Welcome to the Fifth Grade BLOGGER of Room 315!

I hope that you are excited to experience a new form of technology! I am sure that you will enjoy our blog and I hope that you will gain new knowledge of technology and the world here on our Fifth Grade BLOGGER website. I hope that it adds excitement and new learning to our classroom. now, with new technology and ideas, we need to make sure that we always represent our school appropriately! Please be respectful and responsible with your thoughts and ideas, we want to represent ourselves well!

Please read the blog for more information.
Happy Blogging!
Miss Paulson