Winter Break: Dec.17th- Jan.2nd

Our winter break is here!  We are halfway finished with the 2016-2017 school year!  Here is your Symbaloo for the 4th Grading Period.  You will be having several days of vacation in the coming weeks, make sure you continue to practice your reading, math, and science skills.  I Station Reading will be available over the break too, as well as Education Galaxy!  You can also continue working on your coding at code.org. See you next year!

4th Grading Period Symbaloo

See you bright and early on Tuesday, January 3rd!

Spelling: Units 13-17

These are our lists for the 4th Grading Period!  Don't forget to visit www.spellingcity.com for fun games and activities to help you learn your spelling words!

Unit 13 List

Unit 14 List

Unit 15 List

Unit 16 List

Unit 17 List

Hour of Code

The Hour of Code is here!  Click on your class' link below, then put in your log in information.

Rapp's Class: https://studio.code.org/sections/OYNEDW

Sticher's Class: https://studio.code.org/sections/LVYFVW

Have fun, enjoy!

Blogging Rules- Part 2

I want to see more interaction between students on these blog posts.  You can respond to another student's comment.  If you agree with something another student has said, or want to add to their comment, you can do that.  Just make sure you write it correctly by using the @ symbol.

For example, 

@ tinydancer4: I totally agree, it is helpful that Mrs. Rapp adds our spelling lists on the blog.  Sometimes I lose my list, so I know I can find it here! TechFan1

See, super easy!

Reading: What's the Purpose???

Today, we are going to review why an author writes a text.  Is it to persuade? inform? describe? or to entertain?

Coco-Cola Commercial: Would you buy this product solely based on the commercial?  Why or why not? You must cite evidence from the video that supports your decision.  

Prezi Review

Reading: The Unbreakable Code

Talking in Codes is our theme this week. What are some different codes that you know about? What situations would someone use codes? Here are some of your ideas (and let me say, brain power was high today)...hand signals, such as in baseball or football, Morse Code, pictures/ symbols, sign language, "truck driver talk", secret handshakes, texting, etc. People use codes for many different reasons. For example, hospitals, police, and schools use codes in emergency situations, or militaries use codes to keep important information secret.

    In our historical fiction story this week, The Unbreakable Code, a Navajo boy named John learns about when his grandfather, and other Navajo soldiers, used their Navajo language to send secret messages during the war. The enemy never broke their code, and these men were able to save many lives and help win the war.

Our skill this week is author's perspective. Author's perspective reveals his or her opinions or attitudes toward a subject that affect themes. The author's writing may be slanted to show how he or she feels about a topic. Why is this important? Evaluating the author's perspective toward a topic can help you decide what to believe, if you need to check another source, or whether or not you agree or disagree with the author.

Here's our vocabulary for the week, along with your vocabulary game! 

Vocabulary Game

 The Unbreakable Code Vocabulary

Reading: Unit 3

Our Unit 3 Theme is Using Your Wits...what does that mean to you? Using strategies in sports, puzzles, and games?  Many people and animals use their wits to get out of tricky situations, but there are also those who use their wits in a negative way. We'll explore all the ways people/animals "Use their Wits" in the next few stories.

Week 1 theme: Tricksters...which animals come to mind when you hear the word "Tricksters"? Some answers I heard today are foxes, wolves, cats, etc.  We will be reading an African trickster play this week called Catch of the Day, where a fisher "tricks" several people out of their goods and food. In the end, the tables are turned on the fisherman, and he takes a dip into the river! 

This week's lesson is theme, which is the main message or moral lesson the author wants to get across to the reader. The theme may be stated directly in the story, or not. By understanding the theme in a story, it helps a reader better understand the relationships among the characters, which also helps you understand the story better.

Here's our vocabulary power point and game for the week. If you make a comment about this blog entry, a treat will be coming your way!

Catch of the Day Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game

Beat the Teacher to earn Class Rewards!

Do you have what it takes to take on Mrs. Rapp and win?  Great behavior in class earns you a spin of the wheel.  Got Homework?  If the entire class brings completed homework, another spin of the wheel!  What can you earn? MOVIE DAY! GAME DAY! PAJAMA DAY! LUNCH WITH RAPP! and so much more!

Spin the Wheel!

Reading: Hurricanes

We're finishing up our last week in Unit 2. Our week 5 theme is: Extreme Weather. While we were brainstorming in class, many of you remembered having to duck and cover for the severe thunderstorms and possible tornado a few years back. That was a memorable experience! Thankfully we all got home safely! Several students mentioned the horrible tornado that hit our neighboring communities last December, and all the flooding that we have had the past few years in our area.   

    Many people around the country experience all types of extreme weather: hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, tsunamis, etc. Not only is extreme weather costly, it can also be deadly. Our expository story this week is called Hurricanes. It tells us information and facts about hurricanes, along with tips on what to do during and after a hurricane. 

   Our lesson for this week is text structure. Authors choose to organize their stories in many different ways, such as, sequence, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, and description. We are going to focus on description, which defines or classifies information by describing its qualities or characteristics. When reading, you should look for signal words: most important, for example, to begin with, and bring. Or, if an author is describing a process, he/she may use sequence words, such as first, next, then, and last. 

  Today we focused on our vocabulary...here is our vocabulary power point and game-Enjoy!

Hurricanes Vocabulary
Vocabulary Game

3rd Grading Period Symbaloos!

Today marks the first day of the 3rd 6 weeks!  I can't believe time is moving so swiftly!  Here is your Symbaloo for the 3rd 6 Weeks. You will be having several days of vacation in the coming weeks, make sure you continue to practice your reading, math, and science skills.
3rd Grading Period Symbaloo

Homework: November Calendar

Today, I passed out the new homework calendar for the month of November.  You will notice specific passage titles with a page number listed on Tuesdays.  These assignments will be handed out every Tuesday and returned completed on the following Wednesday.  These assignments are required.  Parents: Please check over your student's homework.  The homework should be completed using ALL Reading Strategies.  I have added a copy of the reading strategies we use in class.

Super Reading Strategies!

Reading: Up in the Air!

Theme: Balloon Flight...why do people go in hot-air balloons when they can travel by airplane? Some brainstorming ideas we came up with were: for fun, adventure, pretty scenery, a hobby, a competition/race. This week we're reading an expository story, Up in the Air. We are learning about the scientists/ inventors who created hot-air balloons, and the discoveries that they made. We are also finding out about the first brave men and women (and animals) who were passengers in these amazing balloons. 

Our skill for the week: Fact/ Opinion. A fact is information that can be verified (proven true or false), where as an opinion is what someone thinks or feels about something. Here is your vocabulary for the week, along with your vocabulary game!
Fact/ Opinion Practice

Vocabulary Game

Up in the Air Vocabulary

Fact or Opinion: This is Mrs. Rapp's 16th year to teach.

Reading: These Robots are Wild!

Our week 3 theme is Scientific Discoveries. After brainstorming with our classmates, we came up with a great list of how scientific discoveries have made an impact on people. Each class came up with some amazing responses: Medicine to make us heal faster, vaccines to keep us healthy and to live longer, a better understanding of severe weather to warn the public faster, cell phones, TVs, and many other common household tools.
               

         Our reading story this week continues with this theme. We're reading a story about robots, and how scientists are using robots to do special jobs, such as, searching for survivors after an earthquake!
Our skill practice for the week is Author's Purpose. We'll learn that an author writes a story for 3 basic reasons or purposes: To inform, To Entertain, or To Persuade. Sometimes an author will combine 2 of these reasons. What do you think the author's purpose was when he wrote, These Robots are Wild!?
Author's Purpose Practice

Vocabulary PPT: These Robots Are Wild! Vocabulary

Fun vocabulary game: Vocabulary Game 

Grammar: Common & Proper Nouns

Last Week, we reviewed common and proper nouns.  We said that common nouns are everyday people, places, and things, like chip, store, man, and car.  Some proper noun examples included Super Munchie Chips, Target, and Ford Truck.  All proper nouns start with a ________  _________ .  (fill in the blank for a prize) Here's the video we watched.  You can also quiz yourself or play the game! Nouns!

Reading: Personification!

Today we learned that personification is a type of figurative language that gives animals and objects human characteristics. Here's the video we watched for more information:

Personifcation Video

Here's are the examples of personification that we found in the video:

Don't these examples paint a picture in your mind?  Not only does personification sound interesting, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the text!

Reading: Rattlers!

Theme: Slithery Snakes! Ssssss...What words come to your mind when you hear the word snake? Some answers the classes came up with are: slimey, scales, dangerous, venom, pets, etc. This expository story, Rattlers!, informs us all about rattlesnakes...who knew that there are so many different kinds of rattlesnakes!!! I really found it interesting that you cannot tell a rattlesnake's age by the number of rattles it has on its tail...what was your favorite fact from the story? 

    This week, we're working on main idea and supporting details. By finding the important details in the story, you can see what they have in common, which will then lead you to the main idea of the story...cool huh?

Remember: When we find out the main idea of the story, and the supporting details, we can combine all these together to form the summary of the story. Hope you enjoy this story, and if you answer my question, you can earn a treat, no tricks here!

Here is your vocabulary and games for the week...ENJOY!

Rattlers! Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game

Spelling: Unit 7-13

Don't forget to visit www.spellingcity.com for fun games and activities to help you learn your spelling words!

Unit 7 List

The humble pupil found the final ancient fossil in the rural countryside.  How many spelling words can you spot?  See how many spelling words you can write in one sentence!

Unit 8 List

Unit 9 List

Unit 10 List

Unit 11 List

Unit 13 List

Mrs. Rapp & Ms. Sticher's Favorite Websites!

Spelling Practice/ Lists: Spelling City

Math, Science, & Reading STAAR Practice: Education Galaxy!

Math: Think Through Math

Science & Research: Discovery Education

Math & Reading Practice: I Station
Library Resources: Research Resources

MAP Practice:
1. Find your RIT range.

2. Select the first category, then work your way down.
3. Click and practice!

Math Link:
Math MAP

Reading Links:
Reading MAP

Trapped! Spooktacular Punctuation!

Punctuation Activity! Sometimes punctuation can be scary...and fun!  Check out this new game created by the BBC called Trapped!. In this animated activity, you will be challenged to identify the correct punctuation in the course of an eerie story!

CLICK HERE! to play...Enjoy!

Reading: Hidden Worlds

Week 1 Theme: Scientists at Work...we've learned that there are many different types of scientists who study many diverse topics. Scientist research, investigate, and observe to learn more about our world and the creatures in it. By collecting data, scientists hope to use their knowledge to connect to the real world, and help others.

     Our reading story this week is called Hidden Worlds. It is an expository text that teaches us about an intelligent scientist named Dennis Kunkel, a biologist who studies microscopic life forms through an electron microscope. This story is filled with vivid photographs that spark our interests in science! Our skill for this week is sequencing...putting events from a text in order. We're also working on summarizing a text using the correct sequence.

Here's our vocabulary for the week, along with a interactive vocabulary game!!!

Hidden Worlds PPT

Vocabulary Game

Want to practice your sequencing skills?  Try out this website!
Sequencing Games

Reading: Alliteration!

This week we have learned that poets and authors use literary elements, such as alliteration and meter, in their poems and stories to reinforce its meaning.  In "Paul Revere's Ride", we found the meter was the beat of a horse galloping, which helped entertain us, as well as help us to understand the urgency in Paul Revere's midnight ride to alert the sleeping colonists of the arrival of a British attack! In this narrative poem, we also found many examples of alliteration: wonders, watches; muster, men; him, he, hears; hurrying, hoof-beats; and the list goes on. Hmmm...what's a narrative poem?  Leave me a comment for a prize.

Today, we will compose and illustrate a tongue twister using alliteration.  Here's my silly line:

Crazy, clumsy crabs carefully crawl around carrying crunchy corn on the cob!  See if you can say that 3 times!

Read this excerpt from Dinorella:

The dumbfounded deinonychus stopped in disbelief.
"Who called me a dummy?" he demanded.
   The moon's light caught Dinorella's dangling
diamonds. Dots and dabs of light darted toward
the deinonychus.
        "A DEVIL!" cried deinonychus.
             "See its dreadful demon eyes!"  

What examples of alliteration do you see...respond for a treat!

2nd Grading Period Symbaloos!!!

I can't believe we are already starting our 2nd 6 weeks!!!  Here are the skills that we will be working on in reading, math, and science-ENJOY!

2nd 6 Weeks Symbaloo

Reading: Patriot Technology Project

This week we are starting our research project!  See Power Point for instructions.

Patriot Project
Project Grading Rubric

Reading: Sleds on Boston Common

Our story for this week and next week is a Historical Fiction story, where fictional characters take part in an event that actually took place in the past...The American Revolution. Boston in 1774 is a difficul time: The British king has closed the ports, people have no money, and British soldiers occupy the city. On a snowy, winter day, Henry Price and his siblings want to have some fun. They rush to the Boston Commons to sled in the snow with Henry's new sled, a birthday present from his father. However, there are British soldiers all over the hills. Henry tells the British general that the children want to sled. He understands that sledding is important to the children, so he orders his men to move. The children end up having fun.

This week we're working on drawing conclusions...using clues from the story to arrive at a new understanding about the characters or events in the story. For example, when Henry walks up to General Gage and asks him to have his soldiers move their tents and supplies so they can go sledding, we came to the conclusion that Henry is brave and courageous. 

Here is the vocabulary power point for this week, along with our vocabulary game-ENJOY!

                                                            

Sleds on Boston Common Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game!

S.S.- 5 Regions of the United States

There are 5 different geographic regions in the United States.  Each region has unique qualities, such as climate, natural resources, landforms, industry, and plant/ animal life.  Watch the video for more information:
Flocabulary 5 Regions of the U.S. Video

You are going to pick one of the 5 geographic regions of the US (Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, or West) and create a travel brochure for that region.  You can use the information from the video, as well as, your own research to complete the brochure template.

Source: https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/regions-of-the-us/printable-activity/

Check out my Grading Rubric to see what I'll be looking for when grading your project and presentation.

Reading: The Night of San Juan

Our story this week is a fictional story called The Night of San Juan. The Night of San Juan, a night when people walk backward into the the ocean at midnight 3 times are supposed to have good luck. Evelyn and her two sisters want to invite their friend Jose Manuel, a boy whose stern grandmother doesn't allow him to play outside, to come with them to the beach. The girls scheme to get into his house. Once they do, they find that Jose's grandmother is not scary. She allows Jose Manuel to go to the celebration. Now Evelyn is sure that Jose Manuel will have good luck from then on!

This week we're working on problem and solution (conflict/ resolution). In stories, characters often face a problem. By the end of the story, the problem is solved...called the resolution. We can learn a lot about characters as we watch them solve their problems.

Question: How could we solve this problem?

I lost my spelling list, and the test is tomorrow-HELP!  Respond and you could earn a prize!

Here is your vocabulary power point and game for the week:

The Night of San Juan Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game

Grammar: Complex Sentences!

Complex Sentences are a type of sentence that combines an independent clause with a dependent clause.  We combine these 2 related ideas with the conjunctions: after, although, as, because, before, if, since, so that, until, when, whether, and while. Check out this video for a better understanding:
Complex Sentence Awesomeness!  You can get some extra practice with the game links below:
Complex Sentence Game
Simple/Compound/or Complex Game

Reading: Maya Lin, Architect of Memory

Week 3 Theme: Remembering the Past...How do we pay tribute to those who stand up for what they believe in? In our story this week, some people, like Maya Lin, design memorials to celebrate those people who fight for what is right, or what they believe in. Maya Lin is an architect, and has designed many things including: a huge clock, a park, and two memorials here in the United States.

This week, we'll also be learning about main idea and summary. The main idea is the most important point an author makes about a topic. To find the main idea, think: What is the author talking mostly about? Remember a summary helps you as a reader better understand what you have just read. A summary has 3 parts: BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END.

Here's your vocabulary for the week, as well as a fun game!

Maya Lin Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game

Vietnam Veterans Memorial. . Photography. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016. 

http://quest.eb.com/search/142_2300444/1/142_2300444/cite. Accessed 15 Sep 2016.

Grammar: Compound Sentences!

Compound Sentences Introduction

   When we join simple sentences together, we need to make sure to use a comma and a coordinating conjunction.  To remember these coordinating conjunctions, think of FANBOYS:

Spelling: Unit 2-5 Lists

No spelling this week, but here are a few spelling lists if you want to get ahead of the game!

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

Unit 5

Remember, you can also find all of our spelling lists at Spelling City.  There are games and practice tests that will help you prepare for upcoming tests!

Reading: Shiloh

  This week we're reading the story Shiloh. We are learning about making inferences....using clues and prior knowledge related to the text to make logical decisions or predictions about the story's event and characters' actions that are NOT stated directly. Here is our vocabulary for this week. Make sure you practice these words for your test on Friday!

Shiloh Vocabulary

Vocabulary Game!

What to practice inferences???  Check out this link: Inference Fun!

Reading: Idioms and Adages!

Are you pulling my leg?  No jokes here...idioms are fun and make a story/ writing more interesting!  Here are a few power points on idioms and adages!

Easy as Pie Part 1

Easy as Pie Part 2

Grammar: Complete Subjects and Complete Predicates

  This coming week, we will review complete subjects and complete predicates with this Prezi.
You can practice with this awesome Game!