Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Week 17 - Character Counts Dance Party link

Character Counts Dance Party
Here is the link:
You will see me looking bemused in the background. I do a lot of things, but dancing is not one of them! I may do short silly dance for the students when the spirit moves me, I may do some air guitar, I may do some head bobbing to some tunes, but the dancing shown on this clip is definitely not me! But it is fun for others and that's ggggrrreat!


Thursday, December 17, 2009

12/17/09

Spelling: Final test early!!

Language Arts: n/a

Math:
Balke: Finished test!!
Gatens: Test tomorrow! Pre-assessment
Gordon: MJ 104 SL 106 MJ 105 (due 1/5/10)
Hall: p.110 in packet, SL 4.4

Social Studies: n/a

Science: Final Crush!

Other: Permission slips!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

12/16/09

Spelling: p.103 1-18, words 3x due Tomorrow!!!

Language Arts: Mountain Lions! Began Journaling

Math:
Balke: Test - finish tomorrow!
Gatens: Test Friday - Pre-assessment
Gordon: MJ 109 102 103
Hall: 107 108 - packet

Social Studies: Geography of Egypt and area

Science: One More Index Card Structure!

Other: Permission Slips!!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

12/15/09

Spelling: p.103 1-18, words 3X - due Thursday

Language Arts: More Reading Response Journals

Math:
Balke: Test tomorrow!!
Gatens: p. 8,9 from packet, test Friday
Gordon: MJ 101, SL 104, MJ 109 (Thurs.)
Hall: Math packet 105, 106

Social Studies: More Ch. 7

Science: Instructions Assignment due Tomorrow!!!

Other: Permissions slips!!!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

12/14/09

Spelling: p.103 1-18, Words 3x, due Thursday

Language Arts: Reading Response Journals

Math:
Balke: More review, TEST IS WEDNESDAY!!!!
Gatens: SL 4.11, Test Friday
Gordon: SL 102, MJ 100
Hall: 103, 104 (packets)

Social Studies: More Egypt discussion

Science: Instructions Assignment - due Wednesday

Other: Permission slip!!!!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Week 16 - Goodbye Mr.Potratz

Good luck Mr. Potratz
We wish good luck to Mr. Potratz in his graduation, successful student teaching, and future job hunting! We will miss him greatly. I will be posting pics from the party as I am able.


12/11/09

With the excitement of Mr. Potratz's last day, we didn't get a chance to do this in class!!

Spelling: Final test

Language Arts:

Math:
Balke: Review for test Tuesday or Wednesday
Gatens:
Gordon:
Hall:

Social Studies:

Science: Introduce Instructions Assignment

Other: Field trip permission forms!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

12/8/09

Spelling: p.97 1-18, Words 3x - due Thurs. EVEN IF THERE IS A SNOW DAY!!!

Language Arts: Began using Reading Response Journal

Math:
Balke: Review for test - tentatively Friday
Gatens: SL 4.9
Gordon: MJ 98, study for Wednesday test
Hall: SL 93, 94, test today

Social Studies: None

Science: Results of the Crush

Other: Be careful out there!

Monday, December 7, 2009

12/7/09

Spelling: New Schedule - p.97 1-18, Words 3x DUE THURSDAY!!!!

Language Arts: DLR, Intro to Reading Response Journal

Math:
Balke: 4.11 - % of a #
Gatens: SL 4.9
Gordon: SL 95, MJ 97
Hall: SL 88, 92

Social Studies: Intro to Egypt

Science: Crushed Index Card Structures

Other:

Friday, December 4, 2009

12/4/09

Spelling:
Unit 14 Final Test

Language Arts:
DLR and Sheep

Math:
Balke: No Homework
Gatens: Study Link 4.8
Gordon: Study Link Page 92 (Bottom) and 94 (Monday), Tesselation Poster (Monday), Test (Wed.)
Hall: No Homework

Social Studies:
Brain-Only Test

Science:
Card Structures

Other: Check Your Overflow Bin

Thursday, December 3, 2009

12/3/09

Spelling:
Final Test on Unit 14 (Friday)

Language Arts:
Tall Tales and DLR

Math:
Balke: Study Link 4.8
Gatens: Study Link 4.7
Gordon: MJ 90-91 (Friday) and Tesslation Project (Monday)
Hall: MJ 99-100

Social Studies:
Open-Book Test (Brain-Only Test on Friday)

Science:
Card Structures

Other: Turn in Overdue Homework and bring in Conference Sheet

Week 15 - Mr. Balke Returns, New Spelling

Mr. Balke Returns
I will back in the saddle again starting Monday. Mr. Potratz will be doing what is known as the “phase-out” portion of student teaching. He is to observe in some other classrooms. I have him going to Wood, Wickham, Regina, and Hoover, plus observing here in the building. He’ll also be in the room helping out a little. You may pay your last respects to him at
william-potratz@uiowa.edu. His last day is Friday, December 11.

New Spelling
I am making a few changes to the way we do spelling starting next Monday.

Monday: Assign text and Words 3x, Dictionary Group give me 5 words by the end of the day.
Tuesday: Pretest (by then I will have the Dictionary list ready to go)
Thursday: Assignments due
Friday: Final test

I am attempting to use my time more wisely!

Have some hot chocolate this weekend!
nb

Week 15 - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there's nowhere to go

In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it's so white as snow

Running through the field where all my tracks will
Be concealed and there's nowhere to go oh!

Now that I have your attention, just a few words regarding the coming winter.

Dress for success
If you are a student and you are coming early and have to wait outside, you had better check the weather report! It gets cold out there! Either don't come so early or dress appropriately.

When there is snow on the ground, many times there will be restrictions at recess. Boots and snow pants are nerdy, but it's a lot more fun to frolic in the snow than to stand shivering on the blacktop!!

Cancellations and Late starts
Nowadays, if there is a cancellation or late start because of weather, Mr. Plugge or one of his designates will give you a Connect-Ed automated phone call. If your phone number is not in the system, or you simply miss the call for some reason, here is what you can do if you are wondering (in order of best to worst):

1. Internet - kcrg.com will give you updates, click on "Cancellations". The ICCSD website will post information prominently on the main page. This is the best option by far.

2. TV - KCRG and others will crawl the cancellations along the bottom of the screen. Not as efficient; you have to wait.

3. Radio - Terrible, I wouldn't even use it, unless I had to. KXIC or KCJJ would be your best local bets.

4. Call the teacher - If you call me, I will be cheerful, but I do not have ANY special teacher advance knowledge. I find out when you do. You laugh, but I have had folks think I have some sort of early notice regarding cancellations, and call me.

Cancellations get added on to the end of the school year. Late starts or early dismissals do not get added on. Late starts in the ICCSD have ALWAYS been 2-hour delays. So we begin at 10:30 instead of 8:30. Early dismissals, going by memory they are usually 1:00, but I believe that can vary, depending on the conditions.

Now if you can identify the song and the artist from first part of this post, I will send you a fabulous, but totally intangible and imaginary, no-prize, selected especially for you.

Have an excellent day,
nb

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

12/2/09

Spelling:
Practice Test Unit 14 (Final Test on Friday)

Language Arts:
Tall Tales

Math:
Balke: Study Link 4.9
Gatens: Study Link 4.6
Gordon: Thursday: SL 90 (Top) Friday: MJ 90, Tesselation Poster
Hall: Tesselation Poster

Social Studies: Review Game (Open Book Test on Thursday, Brain-Only on Friday)


Science: Card Structures

Other: Turn-in Overdue Homework, Conference Sheet

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

12/1/09

Spelling:
Words 3X & 1-18 Pg. 91

Language Arts:
Expository Paragraph (The Gift of Life CQ Due Wed.)

Math:
Balke: Study Link 4.7
Gatens: 138, 140, 141
Gordon: MJ 85 & SL 90 (Top Due Thursday)
Hall: Tesselation, Color it different colors (needs to fill up a page---Due Thursday)

Social Studies:
Assyrian Empire and Neo-Babylonian Empire Notes

Science:
Card Structures

Other: