Questions for Mr. Kevin Henkes

This year we are participating in the Global Read Aloud of The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes. Reading this book has led us to questioning many things about the story and about the author. Here are some of the questions that we have for Kevin Henkes:

* What would your job be if you weren't a writer/illustrator?

* Who is your favorite character in The Year of Billy Miller? Why?

* Could you relate to the story of Billy Miller when you were a second grader?

* How did you come up with the idea to write your first book? Was it something you related to in your own life?

* How did you come up with the story,  The Year of Billy Miller?  

* Why do you write children's books? 

* How do you come up with ideas for new books?

* How many hours a day do you devote to writing?

* Have you ever thought of writing more non-fiction books?

** Friends from Ms. Whiting's 3rd grade:  How do you think Mr. Henkes will respond to our questions? **

DEBATE - SHOULD CHOCOLATE MILK BE SERVED IN SCHOOLS?

This past month a couple of the reading groups researched and planned for a debate. Each group did a great job finding evidence to support their side of the debate. I was so proud of their hard work! Here are the links to the google slide show presentations they created! I hope you enjoy checking out their work! 

Chocolate Milk SHOULD NOT be served in schools!

Chocolate Milk SHOULD be served in schools

So after seeing their evidence - what would you say? Do you think chocolate milk should be served in schools?

All About the Wright Brothers

While learning about the Southeast region, one of the students in our classroom did an independent research project. Here is a google slide show displaying the information learned.

 Hope you enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YRW2J9yL2S0jHQ0l2NmNH8VR_l5J6mkvWxgIXAgAnvs/edit?usp=sharing

Website Recommendations

           Website Recommendations 

In our class we use different websites here is a list of some websites we use in school and some websites we like to use to play online!

Website#1.  One of our school websites is Think Cerca.

On Think Cerca we do quizzes on different types of reading passages.This is a good website to use for your reading.

 Think Cerca

Website#2. Another website that we use is Think Through Math.This helps you with your math skills.My favorite part is designing your avatar. You can also donate some of your points to charity. This is good for you to learn better math. 

www.thinkthroughmath.com                                            

Website #3 Is a website that helps you with your vocabulary, Worldly Wise.

This helps you to study words that you don’t know the meaning of.Also it helps you with your school work.

http://www.wordlywise3000.com/games/book03.cfm

These are the websites we use at school.

Website#4 One of our my favorite websites that you can use online to have fun is a website called Fantage.It’s a virtual world where you can have fun.There are places you can go to design your fantagian villager.

http://www.fantage.com

We hope these websites entertain you.                                      

                                   Edgar

         Question to our blog visitors:

    Are there any websites you like to use?

Field Day

At the end of the year, our school does a thing called Field Day to celebrate our wonderful year. At  Field Day, we do a bunch of fun games like relay races and stuff like that. A few games that I really  like are: tug o war, egg and spoon races, and the obstacles. Someone would call a class out into the middle and that class would start playing with a parachute. That class would do stuff like popcorn or make a clubhouse or capture  the air and sit on it. When the whistle blows, each class would rotate to a different station. There is always somebody sitting by the school and playing music. After Field Day, everybody would go over by the school and go to the table with all of the snacks on it and take: a go go squeeze, skinny pop, and a bottle of water.

Written by: Maddie

Question to our blog visitors:

Do you have something like Field Day at your school? If so, is it like ours?

Writer of the Week

WRITER OF THE WEEK

In our class we have writer of the week.During writer of the week classmates bring in three stories they made themselves.Then they read them too the class.Then they get a sticker and certificate.They bring stories from the past and the present.They could bring in their old young authors.Those are steps people do for writer of the week.

By: Finn and Cole

To our blog visitors: 

Do you have anything like "Writer of the Week" at your school?

A picture of our board is yet to come!

iPads

208’s new iPads!

We have new iPads! Our new iPads help us a lot with math. On the iPad we have math games and a bunch of other math resources. When we did not have the iPads we always had to go and get laptops. On the iPads we can do stuff faster than we did on the computers. Our iPads do not just help us with math they help us with reading too.

Do you have iPads or computers in your class? If so how do you use them?

By:Danny and Brian

Movie Recommendation

Movie Recommendations!

In our class we have a bunch of different movies that we like.

Here is one we recommend.

 We recommend the movie Into the Woods because it’s about fairy tales. It’s about different fairy tales going into the woods that they go too in their stories.

Jack and the beanstalk, Little red riding hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and the Baker and his wife are the fairy tales in this movie!

It’s also a PG movie.

We hope you see this movie in your local movie theater or buy it on Dvd when it comes out.

                            Written By: Edgar 

         Question to our blog visitors:

      What is a movie you recommend? Why?

Student Created Book Series

When it comes to writing, students in our classroom have a great imagination and love to write book series for their peers to read. Below are a couple of the book series currently in our room.

  Piggy Azalea

(based on the famous rap star Iggy Azalea)

Piggy Azalea is a really popular book series by Edgar.N.

“ I enjoy writing books about real superstars and turning them into animal superstars. For example, I’m doing a Piggy Azalea book called Piggy Azalea meets Tiger Swift. I do them with different people in my class!”he says.

Piggy Azalea is known as a caring superstar who is a pig and has fun adventures with other animal superstars.

Piggy Azalea also has different fans around the classroom.

From teachers to students, Piggy will be a popular book series.

Bob Books

Another book series in the classroom is the Bob Books which is written by Sean.W and Mackenzie.F.

Bob is a guy who does random stuff all day!

Bob books are also really popular.

Teachers and students also love these Bob books.

“We enjoy reading them” say some students in our class.

These are all the popular book series in our class!

                                        Edgar.N.

Mystery Reader

Mystery Reader      

In our class, we have something called Mystery Reader .

  It’s when either a parent, an older sibling, a neighbor, or a member from your family, come to read a book to the class.

For example my mom went as a mystery reader and read a random book to us.

   Also mystery readers, sometimes have stuff to pass out to our class maybe for a special occasion.

  Our teacher gives us clues each week for us to guess who the mystery reader might be.

 There’s a different mystery reader each week.

One of the most popular books that the mystery readers bring are the Shel Silverstein books.

   Shel Silverstein is an author who writes poems.

Mystery readers are fun because you never know what book

they might read to us, you have fun, and you get to know the person better by the clues and when he or she comes and reads us a book.

                               By:    Edgar

           

          Question to our blog visitors:

 Do you have a special event that happens in your class?

Cougar Paw

At our school  we are doing something called "Cougar Paw".To earn a Cougar Paw you have to get five points. It starts when you are in kindergarten.The things you have to do to earn a Cougar Paw is: clean your book bin, clean your desk, clean your folders, and have your binder signed. Cougar paws are really fun to get because it shows that you are responsible. Do you have anything like a cougar paw?

       By:Sophie,Brennan and Finn

 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

We think that you should read the book Next Top Villain.

It’s about a girl named Duchess Swan who is the daughter of the Swan Queen.Duchess doesn't want to follow her parents footsteps because at the end of her story she becomes a swan and wants to stay human.Duchess is from the story Swan Lake.

Duchess wakes up on her first day of Ever After High.

Surprisingly,Duchess gets accepted to a class for Rebels.

In the class Duchess finds her freenimes Raven Queen,

Ginger Breadhouse;Sparrow Hood,Lizzie Hearts,Faybelle Thorn.

We recommend this book because it has a lot of journey,adventure,Topsy turvy,and magic.We hope you read this book!

By: Edgar and Ashley

Enrichment Classes

At our school we are very fortunate to have six different enrichment classes! They are: art, library, drama, music, gym, and Spanish.

Below are somethings we like about our enrichment classes.

Drama
By: Remi

Drama is a class we get to take at our school. It is a very fun class because you get to be “someone else”. You get to be creative and dress up. You can be in a school play if you audition. You can be the main roll! Also you can use puppets during Drama class. And those are the reasons why Drama is fun.


Art
By: Hally

One of the enrichment classes we do at our school is art. Art is very fun. We learn how to make clay, and paint. It is also fun to make prints. Sometimes we get messy, like when our class did animals that were covered in newspapers and then covered the animals in plaster. Art is very interesting activity!

Question to our Blog Visitors:

What were/are your favorite enrichment classes in school? Why?

Young Authors Writing Competition

Young authors is a time when the whole school  writes their story and reads it to their class. Then the class votes for the two best stories to go into the competition. You  can chose any type of story you want to do. You have to write three different drafts and turn each one in so the teacher can check it. Then, the teacher sends home your final draft  so you can rewrite it. If your story makes it  through,  then  the librarian can check it to decide if you are a winner or not. If you win you get to read your story at the book cellar in Lincoln Square.  After you read your book  at the book cellar, you can take home a free book. If you are not one of the two in your class you can still leave your book in the classroom for other people in your class to read it.

Written By: Maddie, Leah, and Julia

Question to our Blog Visitors:

Does your school do Young Authors or some other type of writing competition?

Think Through Math- A Fun Math Resource

      All About Think Through Math

         In Think Through Math, students are each created an account that is set up by a teacher or parent. Each student is  encouraged to work at their pace and level. The teacher assigns a pathway for the student to work on. As a student gets a question right, they are rewarded with points, to donate or buy things for their avatar. An avatar is something for people to recognize your account. They can personalise their avatar however they prefer.  As they go through lessons and earn points, they can be recognized and put on a leaderboard. These lessons are not a competition, but they are supposed to be a way to learn math easier and quicker. This is a great way to comprehend things and learn them faster. 

Question to our Blog Visitors:

Is there a website you like to use to learn or practice any thing for school?    

By: Mia,Amanda, and Anabella

Places to visit in the Northeast Region of the United States

In computer class, students were posed with the following writing prompt:

Imagine I was planning a trip to the Northeast Region, using what you learned in social studies, where should I go and why?

Here are some of their responses:

The first place I would recommend is Plymouth Massachusetts . My first reason is you can learn about our country and mostly how it was made.My second reason is you can see the MayflowerII.Lastly I tihnk you should come here because of the view if you come you could be standing on layors and layors of history!!!

CAPE COD my first why you should come here is the sight you could see.My second reason is you can swim along the northeast coast.My last reason is you can do stuff like make sand castels.I think cape cod is one of the coolest places in the northeast regin.

HERSHY my first reason why you should come here is you can learn about mass production and how people used to work.My second reason is you can taste all the coclate that is made there.My last reason is you can see the big hershy staue.  

By: Brian

Dear mr.Patten and mrs.Crews,

  I think that if you are going to the northeast I might give you some places to go to. First, I would visit New York  because it is huge! For example, there would be so many stores that you could go to, and it would be so much fun if you went to the Statue of Liberty and saw beautiful New York city!!!!!!!

  Second, you could go to Cape Cod because I have been there and it was beautiful! For example, you could collect sea shells on the beach, and you could take a look at the  city there.  

   And lastly, you could go to Boston because a lot of history started there. For example,the Boston tea party started there, and you could try their clam chowder.  

I think these are some great places to go and you should really listen to me.  

From your good idea friend,

                                           Mac   

I think you should go to Pennsylvania, New York, and the Empire State Building. Here are a few reasons why:     

             In Pennsylvania, you can visit the Hershey building. Also, you can enjoy sun in the summer. Secondly, you can look for animals in the wilderness. Lastly, Pennsylvania has differen’t tipes of choclates, and if you are a choclate lover, then you will love it!

In New York, you can see the Statue of Liberty, trust me, it’s awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!! You  could also see a lot of skyscrapers. Lastly, New York is a really beautiful state and you will really want to visit it!!!

      At the Empire State building, it is so tall and memorable, you will have dreams of it! Next, te Empire State building is so tall that if you try to jump that tall, it will never happen! Also, it is so cool, that some people would want to live in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Those are the states that you should go to!!!

From, Ashley

Dear Ms.Crews

I think some of the greatest places in the Northeast are New York City, Hershey Pennsylvania, and Plymouth,Massachusetts.

#1 I think you should go to New York City because you can see the Statue Of Liberty and the Empire State Building.You can count the stairs all the way up the Empire State Building and count them.You can also do this on the Statue Of Liberty.

#2 I think you should go to Hershey,Pennsylvania because you can take a tour in the Hershey Factory where you can try different types of chocolate.Maybe your favorite chocolates are Hershey Kisses you can take a tour and see how the machines work to make them.

#3 I think you should go to Plymouth,Massachusetts because you can see the Mayflower 11 and learn about the history of the first Mayflower.The Pilgrims came over to America on the Mayflower.

These are all my reasons why you should go to the Northeast.

BY: EDGAR

Question to our Blog Visitors: 

Are there any places you would recommend visiting? Why?

Water All Around Us: Rivers and Erosion

This week in science students explored how rivers form and flow. Students were also introduced to erosion.

Students making their "rivers" and testing out the affects of placing rocks along their river.

 

 

Students' thoughts on the science lesson.....

Today's lesson was about how water moves in rivers.I learned that hills move rivers. I also learned that bodies of water cause erosion.

by: Sean

Today's lesson was about how water moves trough rivers. I learned that rocks help the water move along the rivers.

by. Danny

Today's lesson was about how water moves through rivers. Rocks can create erosion.

by: Amanda



Today's lesson was about how water moves through rivers. What we learned in the science lesson was that rocks can help move rivers.

                                                                       by: Madison

Question to all of our blog visitors: 

*** What do you know about erosion and rivers?? ****

Exploring the Northeast Region

We have finally begun our study of the United States regions. Our first region to explore was the Northeast region. Through our exploration of the region we took a "train tour" of some very famous and/or historical places. "Mr. Mariner", our conductor, led us through these stops and helped us gain some knowledge on why these stops are important to the Northeast region.

Some of the stops were...

West Quoddy Lighthouse, Maine -
Fun Fact: This is the first place the sun rises in United States!

Plymouth, Massachusetts
Due to bad storms in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mayflower was pushed off its
course to Virginia and sailed into Plymouth instead.
Mayflower Videos

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
At the mountain's peak of 6,289 feet, the weather can get very bad!
Once the speed of wind was recorded at 231mph! 

New York City Skyline

Erie Canal
The Erie Canal was created to connect the Hudson River to the Great Lakes.
But there was one problem! The Appalachian Mountains were in the way.
So the men who made the Erie Canal had to create locks to help move the boats up the mountain!
All About the Erie Canal

Old State House, Boston Massachusetts
This is the place where the fight for America's freedom from Great Britain started!
The war was known as the American Revolution. It lasted for SIX years!

Independence Hall, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
This is the place where the United States was born.
On July 4, 1776 leaders from the 13 colonies met in Independence Hall to approve
The Declaration of Independence- a document stating they were now their own nation. 

In 1787, leaders came back to Independence Hall to create the rules for our country.
This document is called the United States Constitution.

White House
Washington D.C.

The Capitol Building
Washington D.C.

Supreme Court Building
Washington D.C.

HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA
Home of the largest chocolate factory in the world!!
Hershey Factory