Merry Christmas!

Hi 5th Grade!

We have a super short class today because of Christmas Show rehearsal, but I would like to share the following Year in Review video from Google Zeitgeist.

Here's to the curious :)

You can make a choice of one of the games on my blog for the rest of your 12-minute class today... Merry Christmas! Mrs. Morell

Today, a timed typing test and Mathletics

Hi all,

Today I would like to give you a timed typing test.

When we're finished with that, you may play Mathletics for the rest of the class period.

If you stay focused, I'll give you some time to play CoolMath4Kids at the end.

Merry Christmas!

mb

Research for Social Studies

Colonizing of North America Worksheet

Name:

Dear 5th Graders,
Today you will begin research pertaining to next unit in Social Studies - the colonization of North America. You will receive a worksheet with the following questions. I would like you to refer to the websites below, then answer the questions using complete sentences. I do not expect you to finish the worksheet today, but I do expect you to focus and get as much as possible completed!
Refer to the first two websites for the first questions:

Virginia History Overview

Virginia History Facts

Education in Virginia

Jamestown history

Jamestown history



Did Virginia value education? How do you know?


How did the colonists govern themselves?

What resources did they bring to Virginia?

What did they do for work?

How did Virginia get her name?

Refer to the map of colonial Virginia (1663)

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1633m4.jpg
Looking at this map of Virginia, what sources of food might you find?

What kind of farming opportunities might there be?

How do you think the settlers will relate to the Native Americans?

Would it be better to settle close to the shore or further inland?
Visit Virtual Jamestown to answer these questions:

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/interactive.html

Who settled Jamestown?

Why was the Muster of 1624/5 important?

Go the Patterns of Settlement and click on the years. What kinds of changes do you note?

Massachusetts
Visit these two sites to get a good background about the settlement of Massachusetts.
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13massachusetts.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/usstates/massachusettshistory1.htm

Were the British probably the first European settlers to reach Massachusetts?


Who else had visited this land?


Did Massachusetts value education? How do you know?


How did the colonists govern themselves?


What resources did they bring to Massachusetts?

What did they do for work?


How did Massachusetts get her name?

We always think of Massachusetts and the first Thanksgiving? Find out about it.
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/feast/

Who attended this feast?


How long did it last?


What kinds of food were eaten?


Did it bring the Native Americans and Pilgrims closer together?

Visit the house that the Choate family built in Ipswich, Massachusetts. What do you think these clues tell us about their life?

http://americanhistory.si.edu/house/families/choates.asp
What was Mr. Choate's position in the community?

Click on the artifacts. What clues do they give us about life in Massachusetts at that time.

Do you think their life was typical of the settlers in Massachusetts?

Mathletics or Dancemat Typing

Hi there 5th grade!

This week I will be traveling... I would like you to try to guess "Where in the World is Mrs. Morell" while I'm away...

But while you have a sub, in the lab today, you have a choice to do:

Mathletics

BBC Dancemat Typing

FreeRice

or Type to Learn.

Have Fun,

Mrs. Morell

Microsoft Word Challenge

Today, I would like you to practice using an assortment of key functions of Microsoft Word.  You will find the document below saved into you network folder.  I would like you to open the document, carefully read the instructions, and complete each and every task. 

Once you finish the document, print it and turn it in to me, you may spend the rest of the class working on Mathletics.  The link can be found here:  http://www.mathletics.com/

Microsoft Challenge for 5^th Grade – With Many Thanks to Lemony Snicket

Name:

Insert Date

Change the font to Papyrus, the font size to 14, and the font color to brown.

If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats.

~The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket

Change the font to Cambria, the font size to 9, and the font color to purple.

“Having a personal philosophy is like having a pet marmoset, because it may be very attractive when you acquire it, but there may be situations when it will not come in handy at all.”

― Lemony Snicket, The Grim Grotto

Change the font to Juice, put the quote in bold, and center it.

“For some stories, it's easy. The moral of 'The Three Bears,' for instance, is "Never break into someone else's house.' The moral of 'Snow White' is 'Never eat apples.' The moral of World War I is 'Never assassinate Archduke Ferdinand.”

― Lemony Snicket, The Wide Window

Change the font to Agency FB, put the quote in italics, and double-space it.

“Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course. Piracy, for example, is a tradition that has been carried on for hundreds of years, but that doesn't mean we should all attack ships and steal their gold.”

― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

Change the font to Gigi, the font size to 14, and the font color to blue.

“I suppose I'll have to add the force of gravity to my list of enemies.”

― Lemony Snicket, The Penultimate Peril

Change the font to Kristin ITC, the font size to 12, and highlight the quote in yellow.

“Reading is one form of escape. Running for your life is another.”

― Lemony Snicket

For the next three quotes:

Change the font to Berlin Sans, put the quotes in bold, change the color to red, and spell-check them:

“A new experience can be extremely pleasurable or extremely irritable, or somewhere in between, and you never know until you try it out.

~The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

“A pasport, as I'm sure you knuw, is a dociment that one shows to goverment officals whenever one reaches a border between two coutries, so that the official can lern who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photigraphed unflateringly.”

― Lemony Snicket

“If you are a studint you should alwuys get a good nights sleep unles you have come to the good part of your book, and then you should stay up all nite and let your schoolwurk fall by the wayside, a phrase which meens 'flunk'.”

― Lemony Snicket

Change the font color to orange, and put the following list in bullets:

The Bad Beginning

The Reptile Room

The Wide Window

The Miserable Mill

The Austere Academy

The Ersatz Elevator

Change the font color to green, and number the following list:

The Vile Village

The Hostile Hospital

The Carnivorous Carnival

The Slippery Slope

The Grim Grotto

The Penultimate Peril

The End

Insert a clip art picture of an apple here:

Insert the shape of a circle here:

Insert a call-out from the shapes menu here.  Insert the word Sunny:

Use Word Art to insert your name here:

Insert a text box here: 

Insert five letters of the alphabet with accents on them:

Put a page number at the bottom of the page.

-           

Delete All the Instructions.

Move your favorite quote to the top of the page

Save your work and ask Mrs. Morell to print it.

Native American Research

Today, we will spend the session working on online research for your native American projects.

I would like you to begin your research with our online encyclopedia, then try the sites listed below:

http://school.eb.com

http://www.native-languages.org/kids.htm

http://www.kidinfo.com/american_history/native_americans.html

Today we will create a Comic Life comic strip about last week's trip to the National Gallery of Art.

To give you an idea of the sort of thing I have in mind, here are a couple of samples from last year's class:

I'd like you to combine photos of the trip with photos of the paintings you studied... and provide thoughtful commentary about the adventure. Please be sure to include at least one fact about the symbolism in Nativity Art. If you need a bit of help remembering all you've learned, following are a selection of facts from Mrs. Bridgeland's notes:

Some symbols in the art of the Christmas Story:

ox and donkey: signs of Old testament prophecy of Isaiah, "the ox knows his owner..."

Star-divinity and sign of the place where Jesus was born.

Cross-death of Jesus by crucifixion

peacock-immortality (living forever)

violet- flower of humility

dandelion- bitter weed

dove- Holy Spirit

golden rays-divinity and Holy Spirit

halo-divinity

very small baby- vulnerability of human flesh

circle-eternity (no beginning and no end)

falcon and peasant- Crucifixion

pomegranate- souls united by the Church

blue:  the living Christ (ie, Jesus before the crucifixion) wear blue mantles. Blue symbolizes truth and clarity, it is the color of the sky, and therefore a symbol of heaven.

 

Saints: some of their attributes (symbols):

John the Baptist: animal skin

Saint Nicholas: golden balls and cloak, staff and mitre of bishop

Saint Anthony Abbott; cane, bell and pig

St. Anthony of Padua : Francisan habit and open book with Christ child on it

If you finish, I'd like you to visit the National Gallery of Art Kids page:

http://www.nga.gov/kids/

Mrs. Morell

Internet Scavenger Hunt: Election and Sandy Edition

Hi 5th Grade!

Less than a week remains until Election Day, so I thought it would be fun to spend a bit of time
exploring some great websites and watching some videos... about Hurricane Sandy and the Election.
Please be sure to fill out the worksheet I give you with complete answers!

 

1. List three facts about Hurricane Sandy from this article from the New York Times:

New York Times Link

2. Watch the mini-bio of Mitt Romney, and tell me three facts you didn’t know before you watched this:
Biography.com link to Romney Mini-bio

3. Watch the mini-bio of Barack Obama, and tell me three facts you didn’t know before your watched this:
Biography.com link to Obama

4. Why do Americans vote on Tuesdays?
Ted Ed video

5. How many electoral college votes are needed to win the US Presidential election?
Common Craft video

How many electoral college votes are needed to win the US Presidential election?
Real Clear Politics 

If you were able to drive to President Obama’s hometown of Chicago, use the "Maps" section of Google and find out how far away it is FROM OUR SCHOOL.
(The address of the school is: 1325 36^th Street, NW, Washington DC)https://maps.google.com/

What is the weather like today in Mitt Romney’s hometown of Belmont Massachusetts?
http://www.weather.com/

What are the names of the two Virginia Senators and the two Maryland Senators?
http://www.senate.gov/

Which cookie would get your vote – Ann Romney’s or Michelle Obama’s ?
Cookie link

 

Today, we Email!

Hi all,

Today, we will make sure you can all login to your Gmail accounts.

Your accounts should be your last name, followed by your first initial @htsdc.org

such as GrangerH@htsdc.org

Your passwords should all be: titans1213

First, navigate to the HTS Homepage, and choose HTS Webmail Login:

Next, fill in your username and the password of titans1213:

You will need to fill in this wacky code to continue:

Then, you will be prompted to reset your password. IF SO, YOU MUST SET YOUR PASSWORD TO THE SAME PASSWORD YOU USE TO LOGIN TO THE NETWORK. I mean it.

Once you are in to your Email, please choose compose, and write a note to Mrs. Morell

Send it to mbmorell@htsdc.org.  Tell me you successfully opened your Email and tell me what you reset your password to:

Please write your new Email password onto your password sheet.

Then, I would like you to continue with BBC Dancemat Typing or Type to Learn.

Good Morning 5th Grade,

We'll continue with keyboarding through the end of the first quarter...

So today, once again, I'm going to have you work on BBC Dancemat Typing:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Keep the keyboard covers on, and your fingers on the homekeys!

Happy Typing,

Mrs. Morell

More Keyboarding!

Dear 5th Grade,

This week, we will continue keyboarding in class.  I would like you to complete all the levels on BBC Dancemat Typing.  If and when you complete that, please switch to Type to Learn.

Always remember to keep those keyboard covers on, and your fingers on the homekeys!

Happy Typing,

Mrs. Morell

Ideas for Keyboarding Practice

Now that we have finished Scantron testing, it is time to start typing!

We use Type to Learn during technology class. I spend a lot of time saying: "Just Keep Typing" to the tune of "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo :) The goal is that our students should be typing at least 25 words per minute by the end of 5th grade. We do a lot of keyboarding at HTS in the Upper School!

I know many of my students are eager to meet the 25 words per minute goal, so I offer a menu of web-based games for fun to practice at home - or work on during class-time. Be sure to always sit up straight, keep your feet on the ground, and keep your fingers on the home keys when you practice keyboarding! I promise - you'll be a faster typist if you follow those tips.

1. Typing Games at ABCya

These games are great for our younger students. Be sure to try Alpha Munchies, Cup Stacking and Keyboard Challenge:

2. BBC Dance Mat Typing

This is a very methodical approach to typing - carefully structured lessons are offered in a colorful, fun format. I like it because the lessons constantly prompt the kids to keep their hands on the home keys. I have to report that various critters with the Scottish accent who direct the efforts seems to get quite a few giggles in class.

3. Keyboarding Games at LearningGames for Kids:

This site offers a comprehensive menu of games.

Try them out, and let me know which ones you like best!

4. Free Typing Games:

I have to admit, I find the advertising a bit distracting on this site, but the games are very fun... especially "Desert Typing Racer."

5. Typer Shark on AOL Kids

This is always a favorite among our students - but beware... it gets hard very quickly!!

Happy Typing!

Mrs. Morell