Behold the Evil Testmaker!

For the past few weeks, Class 3-216 has been hard at work defeating the Evil Testmaker! These eggs represent the many challenges and tricks the testmakers use to try to fool us. This is where they get their power. 

Throughout the day when our kids are using smart strategies, working hard to solve difficult problems, or being strong partners, they take an egg from his basket. This is how we outsmart the testmakers, taking the power away from them and keeping it for ourselves. As the state tests get closer and the basket empties, the students' brains have become strong enough to finally defeat the Evil Testmaker.

So far, we've used our powers to steal MORE THAN 200 eggs from the testmaker! Keep going! We're getting closer to defeating him every day. 
 

Awesome Video Game Review by John T.!

Mario Kart!

By John T. (3-218)

Imagine that you are Dry Bones. You are in eighth place, you get a power-up, it was just a banana. You drop it on the floor. Bowser tries to push you, but instead of pushing you, Bowser trips on the banana and falls into the lava. Now you are in seventh place, you get a star. You hit everybody out of your way and into the lava . You are now in third place. You see Yoshi in front of you. You get a power-up. You get a green shell. You throw the shell at Yoshi. Now you speed up. You see Toad in first place. While your speeding up, you hit Toad into the lava. Now you see the finish line. You run and run as fast as you can. You get to the finish line. You win first place!

My opinion is that Mario Kart is a cool game for kids, a group of friends, a group of teenagers or just a teenager. It is also an awsome, cool and adventuries game.

One reason Mario Kart is an awsome video game for kids and teenagers is because you can challenge a friend or friends to this great game. Thanks to wi-fi conection you can now play with people around the WHOLE WORLD.  You don’t  need to go to your friends to play this game. You can just connect  with the Wi-Fi connection.

Another reason Mario Kart is a cool game is because you can use Power-Up’s to get ahead of people. If you are having a hard time getting ahead of people you can use Power-Ups. If you are way behind get a cannon and bump people who are in your way. If you don’t get a cannon get a star and bump people in your path. Or get a red, green or gold mushroom to to speed up. Get one or three red or green shells, you can even get a flying koopa shell or get bananas to trip people.

Finally,the last reason I like Mario Kart is because you can choose whether easy, normal or HARD. For starter’s,if you are not expert at Mario Kart you can choose EASY. Or if you know a bit normal. And if you’re an expert you can choose hard. 

So, when you get thirty five dollars go to Game Stop and buy Mario Kart. It’s Rated-E for everyone. Are you up to the challenge?

Geometry Sites to Explore

Yoltic asked for some sites you could visit to learn more about the geometry we are studying in math this unit. Here are a few sites with games and activities to help you practice what you're learning in class:

This site has several games to help you practice naming 2D and 3D shapes 
Click here to watch videos, play games, and find activities that will teach you more about many different areas of geometry
This site teaches you more about measuring angles and lets you practice making angles of different sizes (some of the vocabulary is a little different than the words that we use, but the ideas are the same. We'll be learning to measure angles using degrees starting tomorrow!)

Math 6.7

Hi 216,
For some reason, our website is not letting me post pictures today. These are the angles you need to make in your Student Math Journal, if you didn't finish in class:

A: less than 1/4 turn clockwise
B: more than 1/4 turn but less than 1/2 turn counter-clockwise
C: more than 3/4 turn but less than a full turn clockwise

R: More than 1/2 turn but less than 3/4 turn clockwise
S: Less than 1/2 turn counter-clockwise
T: more than 1/4 turn but less than 1/2 turn clockwise

Click here to see the charts that remind you about each turn. Happy homeworking!

Mystery Unit Celebration

These hardworking detectives have been tracking clues across mystery books this month. We celebrated the end of our unit by making "Wanted" posters for the culprits in our books, and we took our own fingerprints on case file cards!

Unit 6 Geometry Charts

This unit in math we're studying geometry, and there are lots of important words to remember! Here are our charts from class so far to help you out at home. 

Holiday Festivities

We squeezed some holiday cheer into math workshop yesterday by making some festive trees! The kids frosted a waffle cone, then solved multiplication and division problems to find the number of each color ornament to add to the tree. Then they measured Twizzers to the nearest 1/2 inch and added garland to their trees. 

To make a tree, you need a waffle cone, some frosting (I added green food coloring to vanilla and cream cheese icing) and your favorite candies to decorate.

Gregorio and Ashley practicing their frosting skills

Leslie measures a Twizzler segment while Nikki adds hers to her tree

Horatio is Getting into the Holiday Spirit!

It's been a very exciting week for Horatio! He dressed up in his favorite holiday sweater to decorate his third Christmas tree last night! (It's a little snug. I think he's put on some weight since last year.)  

Today, Vanessa helped make the season even merrier. Horatio really appreciated his two new mice and thought your picture was lovely! He says to tell you, "MEOW very much for the wonderful presents!" 

Sniffing my new friends

Wrestling black mouse

Relaxing with my buddies!

Field Trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

We had a great time today on our trip to the Met! Since we only had a short time there, there's lots more to see and do. Check out some of these family programs at the museum. All programs are free with admission, and many include fun art activities. Or, the Met suggests these itineraries if you'd rather explore on your own.

Our guide on the Faces tour

 

Stephanie tries on a garment like the little girl in the sculpture behind her would have worn

Discussing Chuck Close's Lucas

I think we have some future art critics on our hands

Division With Equal Groups

Multiplication Games

Several of you asked for links to games to help you practice your multiplication facts. Unit 4 is all about multiplication, so it's important to begin getting quick with your facts!

 Click this link to find lots of fun multiplication games. I like these because most let you choose which facts you want to practice. 

If you're just starting to learn your facts, begin with the 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10 facts (these are the numbers you can quickly count by to solve the problems). If you're ready for a challenge, add in the more difficult facts. 

Have fun!

Shake, Shake, Shake the Butter!

It's really easy to make butter like we did today in class for your Thanksgiving table. Impress your family and friends in just a few simple steps!

What you need:

• 1 pint of heavy cream (we used a quart to make enough for 60 kids!)
• 1 glass jar with lid
• Family and friends to help you shake!

What to do:

1. Fill a jar halfway with heavy cream.
2. Screw the lid on really tight.
3. Start shaking! It will take at least 10 minutes for your cream to turn to butter, so pass it to your family and friends when your arms get tired.
4. Your butter is ready when a ball forms inside the jar.
5. Pour off the extra liquid (this is buttermilk, like you use to make pancakes).

This is what your finished butter should look like! 

Enjoy your butter on a roll, or you can use it to cook other Thanksgiving dishes. It makes a great start to cupcake frosting! 

Yummy! 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our dual language family! 

218's Trotting Turkeys

Class 3-218 made these jolly  scrapbook paper turkeys to get into the Thanksgiving spirit.  

Turkeys on parade

Testing the turkey's foldable beak

 

Turkeys by Kelly C., Bryan G., and Jennifer V. 

Best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Our Series Reading Unit

To celebrate all we learned during our series reading unit, students created a book jacket for the next book they would write about their character. I'd love to follow some of these adventures!

Inspired by Beverly Cleary's Ramona

Inspired by Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse

Inspired by Ann Cameron's Julian and Huey

Inspired by Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones

Next up: non-fiction! 

Math Games to Help You Prepare for Monday's Test

Remember to study for the Unit 3 math test on Monday! Here are some extra links to games to help you practice the skills you need to know. 

Skills from Unit 3:
Perimeter and Area 
Measuring with a Ruler in Inches and Centimeters (you should be able to do the "easy" and "medium" levels in both inches and centimeters)

Old skills you still need to know:
Reading Line Plots
Making Change
Ballpark Estimates 

Enjoy your weekend!

Check Out This Awesome Selection of Kids' Books to Read Online!

Forgot your books at school or haven't been to the library for a while? Click on this link to see more than 150 books you can read online! 

Username: msranager
Password: gleane

Use the "filter" and "sort" tabs to find the kind of book you are interested in, and click on the cover to read the complete book on your computer. 

Read every day, lead a better life! 

This is How We Answered the Call!

Here are a few photos of the volunteers who received our food in Rockaway last Friday. The families were truly grateful for the time and love you put into your cooking. With our classes' help, volunteers were able to feed hundreds of our neighbors in need.

The American Legion, where our meals were taken to be reheated and served. The electricity comes from a gas-powered generator.

Volunteers prepare the food for serving

A delicious buffet! 

Thank you again for your generosity. It is truly appreciated! 

Finding the Area of Rectangles

Remember: perimeter is the total distance around the OUTSIDE of a shape. Area is the total amount of space INSIDE the polygon. Help yourself keep track of the squares you are counting by numbering the inside of each square!

Print-and-Play Math Game

Practice your skills making estimates with this Rounding Robots game! Just log into Google Drive, and you will see a new folder at the top called "Math Games to Print and Play." You will need to print a copy of the game board for each person who is playing. Ask your parents first if you can print the file! 

In class, we will use special dice that have 10 sides to play the game, but at home, you could use a regular deck of cards. Just take out the face cards and only use numbers 1-9. You can use beans, pennies, or pieces from other games as markers.

1. Put the cards face down in a pile.
2. Turn two cards over and put them next to each other to form a 2-digit number.
3. Round that number to the nearest 10 and cover it with a marker.
4. The first player to cover five numbers in a  row is the winner!

I laminate the games to make them last longer, but you can also put them in a clear plastic page protector or even a large Ziploc bag.

Hope you have fun practicing estimates!

THANK YOU!

We're blown away by how many of you generously cooked meals for families in the Rockaways. Over the past two days, parents and kids from classes 3-216 and 3-218 made nearly 20 large trays of food to donate to people in need after Hurricane Sandy. I know your delicious meals warmed the stomachs and the hearts of people facing one of the most difficult times of their lives. 

Thank you SO much! May we continue to teach our children the value of serving others.