Delays of the Colonial Kind

Colonial days is going to be withheld/delayed until next Thursday due to the possibility of a snow day. We have a S.S. quiz Jan. 31. 2008. We also have a global quiz next Monday. Next Tuesday we are going on our ski trip. We are to have a lot of fun. Also in English we have a 3-5 page essay on a historical event. To make colonial lunch, you get a basket and make a sandwich and corn. Rap it in Cloth, and your done! For a drink you can bring a glass bottle and cork, or a glass cup, but no plastic!

What a Week

On Thursday the whole fifth grade went to Clay Middle School to see all the Instruments, Choir people, and Music Men. Just today Mr. Carter played the trombone for us and two classmates got to try out some insturments . Don't forget come to Clay on the 4th 7th and 11th of Febuary to try out insruments for next year.
On Friday it is Colonial Days and also on Friday our book reports due!!!!!!!!! All fifth graders must dress like they did back then and bring lunches like thety did back then. We will be playing games, dance, and make things like they did back then!!!! So don't forget to dress up and bring a lunch!!

Nick, Jack, Lindsey, and Maria

book mania

Upcoming Feb 1 book report due!

This book report requires an empty cereal box , construction paper, scissors, markers or crayons, glue, tape, and white or
light-colored paper.

1.find and read a book
2.The book must be at a reading level appropriate for YOU.
3. Get the book approved by Mr. C. and a parent
4. Design your cereal box.
5. divide your box into appropriate spaces
6. Write a rough draft of your items. (proofread for errors.)
7. Transfer your ideas to your box
8. Practice your book talk. Book talk includes a one-two minute commercial for your cereal.

The whole goal is to make a cereal related to the book, then promote it with a commercial ( your book talk)
Today, Mr. Carter's math class will find out who made math bowl! Great job to everyone who tried out and congratulations to everyone who made it!

Dylan, Claire, Claire, and Ben

Madden-ing '08

Hello! There are 4 events coming up. We have a spelling test tomorrow,Latin roots test tomorrow, a science project due Friday, and we have an English paper that we will be working on. The English project is interesting events in history. In science we are making a made up animal and a legend about how it got to be.

Kaitlin, Taylor, and Haley

Half Mile

In science we are learning about animal adaptations. We had homework on our favorite animal. On that homework we had to write about its habitat and where else it could live. On the back of the homework we had to draw and color in the animal's new habitat and the animal. Today we are going to Carmel Clay Middle School for a tour, free pizza, and to watch a free basketball game from 4:00 to 6:00. Coming up in English, we have to do a 3-5 page report on history. In math we have been learning about angles and coordinate planes. We had to do 12 laps in gym Tuesday.

Colorful Language

In word study we are doing really fun things. Today's word of the day was valor. These our spelling words, balloonist, drooping, raccoon,waterproof, moonlight, overlook, doorway, tablespoon, parenthood, cooperate, cocoon, and toothpaste these words are easy "they will get harder"(says Mr.C.) We also have Caesar's English: these are our words countenance: Facial expression, profound:deep (as in a profound thought or idea), manifest:obvious, or to become obvious, prodigious: huge, languid:weak, languish:to become weak. Our Latin phrase is caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.



Posted by:Anthony,Chad,and Drew

Biztown Memories

Friday, the fifth grade went to JA Biz town. Before we went to Biz town, we each got assigned a job. The place you could work were Lilly Laboratory, City Hall, The Insurance Agency, Steak in Shake, Emmis, JA Journal, and much more. We were taught how to handle money, how to write checks and work as a team to pay off our loans. Each citizen got a break. During your break you could eat lunch or shop, we had a variety of choices to buy then bring home. Some of them were sunglasses, visors, pencils, goo, lip balm, wooden airplanes,soda, popcorn and a newspaper. We had a great time.

By,
Lindsay, Maria, Nick, and Jack

So Much Time

You know, after all my declarations, I have to say that we will get back to having the kids blog every day. It's just been awhile because of BizTown taking up so much time.

All Along the Watchtower

Just wanted to drop a line and let everyone know that we started a new status quo today. I've been really convicted by my own conscience lately about how much I can expect out of the kids. This isn't to say that I'm going to start giving the kids a lot more homework, but I know most of them can put more care into what they're doing, read two books in addition to whatever else we're reading in class, and journaling and writing every day, we're going to read or listen to a poem every day and discuss or analyze it. We're going to further build their vocabularies with Word of the Day--every day. We're going to have geography quizzes so that the kids know where the United States is on a world map.

I've told them that "I don't get it" is no longer an okay thing to say in my class. "Could you please explain that again/further?" sounds a lot more like something that says they're willing to learn. I told them that I'm going to hold them to higher standards. They're all worth it--every single one of them.

In fifth grade, there is so precious little time spent in class, especially during the second semester. We have to squeeze everything we can get out of the small windows of time we're given. I'm done with filler. Of course, we'll still do drawing lessons and stuff like that occasionally, but it's got to be occasionally. I like to have fun in class, and I do--we do, but still, the kids' education is the most important thing. I'm going to teach them.

The next thing I want to stress to them is that I pray for them individually every single night. I realize I run a risk saying that as a teacher in a public school, but I do. I'm not getting overly-religious here, it's just true. My point is that I have the kids' best interests at heart. I pray that I would be a better teacher. I know I've made mistakes before and even made poor decisions in my past, but I strive every day not to do it again. I'm not going to ask anything out of them that they can't do. I want their very best. I'm going to have to give them my very best in order to get this, and I'm willing to.

I may suddenly lose my spine and delete this post, but I sure hope not. It's no wonder More and More Children Are Getting Left Behind when we can't push them. I promise to push them harder than they want to be pushed. I promise not to push them any harder than they can be pushed and still give us all results. I promise you they'll love me for it, if not now, then one day.

If any of you guys have any questions, please e-mail me.

"Let us not talk falsely now. The hour is getting late."
--Bob Dylan, All Along the Watchtower

Back from break

I hope everyone had a great winter break! Now welcome again to Mr. C's blog. We are going to talk about Mr. Carters new book called The Automatic Friend about a boy who finds a robot to replace his friends because the kid's friends always have anguments and sometimes don't get along. The robot's orginal name was chad, but Mr. Carter is still in the process of making the characters names. We are also going to JA Biztown on Friday. (Biztown is a city with a lot of buisnesses that kids run.) Now I am finnaly going to tell you that I forgot my A B C's this morning. That is all!

Fin.

By Brandon and McKenna Hook and Zach