Meaning of Christmas

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.'" -- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

The theme for our classroom Christmas tree this year is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," a storybook by Dr. Seuss.

The above quote comes from the book and explains that the Grinch learned Christmas is about more than just presents and other items bought from a store. Although he had taken away the gifts and decorations, the Whos of Whoville were still happy and enjoyed Christmas.

With that in mind, please leave a comment telling what Christmas means to you.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching this week. We will be out of school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to celebrate this holiday and allow everyone time to visit with their families.

On Thursday, many people will travel to various cities in order to visit their families, while some will stay in the same neighborhood. Most will enjoy lots of delicious food that day and possibly afterward.

However, it's important to remember that the main point of Thanksgiving is just what the name says -- giving thanks. This year, what are you thankful for? Please leave your answer as a comment.

"Voyage Across the Solar System"

This image was taken by the Hubble telescope. It shows what is called a spiral galaxy. You can click on the photo to view it full-size, then come back to this blog post.

This week, our story is "Voyage Across the Solar System," illustrated by Craig Phillips. As we further study our planets and the entire solar system we are a small part of, name two interesting facts you learned about our solar system after reading this story.

"Science Fair" and "Planets"

Last week, our story of the week was "The Science Fair." What was your favorite part of the fair?

This week, our story of the week is "The Planets" by Gail Gibbons. In addition to telling me what your favorite part of the science fair was, leave me a comment telling me one or two interesting facts about one of the planets.

"Spiders and Their Webs"

This week we will be reading "Spiders and Their Webs," a National Geographic book by biologist-photographer Darlyne Murawski. In this story we will learn about various spiders and their webs. Choose two of your favorite spiders mentioned in the story and compare/contrast them in your comment.

Charlotte's Web

This week we will be reading "Wilbur's Boast," a section from "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. What was Wilbur boasting about? Have you ever boasted about anything?

"Robodogs of Greenville"

Our story of the week, "The Robodogs of Greenville," is a futuristic story. Leave a comment telling me two things that you think may be different in the future.

"Bat Loves the Night"

This week we will begin reading "Bat Loves the Night." As we read this story of the week, list two new facts you have learned about bats.

Plants

We began our unit on plants. Our Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds have been planted and have begun to grow. In the upcoming weeks we will be observing firsthand the life cycle of a plant! Over the next few days we will start measuring our plants. How much has your plant grown? Describe your plant.

"Me and Uncle Romie"

"Me and Uncle Romie" is a story about a young boy from North Carolina who visits his Aunt Nanette and Uncle Romie in Harlem, New York. At the beginning of the story he is very nervous and unsure about the trip because his aunt and uncle did not have any children, and Uncle Romie looked like "a bald-headed, fierce-eyed giant" in all of the pictures he had seen.

How do James's feelings about his uncle change after he sees his uncle's artwork? Give examples from the story to support your answer.

Guidelines for our class blog

In class we have discussed rules and guidelines for using our class blog. The students understand that it is not to be used to chat with their friends as a Facebook or MySpace page would be. The students are to simply respond to the question(s) on the page. Students must also use complete sentences when typing a response.

"Lon Po Po"

This week for our focus skill in reading we are learning how to compare, or tell how two things are similar, and to contrast, or tell how two things are different. Our reading selection this week is called "Lon Po Po." It is a Red-Riding Hood story from China. How is "Lon Po Po" similar to the Red-Riding Hood story that you know? How is it different? Which story is your favorite and why?