Winter Break

I hope everyone is enjoying their winter break!!!

This is a friendly reminder that you should be reading throughout your Winter Break. You can either email me (mjansa@pps.net) or give me a note on the first day back telling me the following:
1. What you have been reading
2. What you thought about it

You do not need to worry about what you read (as it is a novel of some sort) or finishing the book so long as you are reading consistently throughout the break.

Be sure to work on your other winter break homework assignments like relaxing, smiling, and appreciating those around you :) :) :)

Have a great celebration as we enter into a new year!!!

Last Weekend Before Winter Break :)

Sorry for the late blog post folks!

Congrats on a most excellent River Festival and all the hard work/effort/thinking/creativity that went into everything you did leading up to it.

Your homework this weekend is to READ.

You should be finished with your Native American novel by Wednesday, December 18th. If you are already finished, you should be reading something else of your choice.

You are going to have one homework assignment over winter break. It is going to be to read a book of your choice. Be thinking about what book you will read!

Next week we will be participating in Secret Snowflake. You are not allowed to spend more than 5 dollars total all week. You can get 1 gift or many small gifts. Place whatever you create in your buddies cubby (or elsewhere if you prefer). Here are the notes from what you all said during our secret snowflake conversation on Friday...


Secret Snowflake - Things I Enjoy

Lasayany – Hershey kisses

Willow – chocolate

Julian – Taco Bell (anything goes… the gift just means a lot)

Cellina – chocolate

Maia – all candy (sour/sweet things)

Lucy – caramel

Mya – allergic to tree nuts (hazlenuts and stuff like that… stay away from peanuts)... likes other stuff

Hannah – mint gum

Max – Charleston chews

Emma – chocolate

Iman – Chocolately sweet things

Aidan – Cosmic and sour candy

Blake – Nerds (yes!)

Oliver Bisby – sour sour sour or gummy bears

Sam – Corner store – tubes called dynamite like doritos or anything that is gummy/sour/sweedish fish

Hrishi – sour candy and/or 5 dollar basketballs

Ellis – soda beverages or anything ("I am proud of the class… the people… especially those who worked extra even when I didn’t!!!" - GREAT QUOTE ELLIS!)

Milo –  tinsy packets of caibou gummy beras or natyhing gummy/candy/sour ("
I like how we worked together" - GREAT QUOTE MILO)

Olivia – junior mints/peppermint bars

Holden – I don’t like candy but I love chocolate

Zakiah – skittles and other chewy candies like that

Parker – chocolate

Destinii – I like any type of candy except for dark chocolate

Ben – skittles/chewy candies

Acacia – chocolate that is not super dark and iced tea

Sara – sugar sugar sugar

Silvan – twix, snickers, and peanut m & m’s

Luz – chocolate

Sloan - absent

Jackson - absent

River Festival - Last Night

Friday = RIVER FESTIVAL!!!!

Due Friday:
1. River Story!!!
2. Come to the River Festival (6:00 - 8:00)
... Earn service :)

the following people are signed up to earn service in my classroom during the River Festival:
3:30 - 4:30 (you need to give me a note saying how you will be helpful during this time... This is the a VERY important time in helping me bring my room together. I am looking for energy, leadership, independence, and amazingness) - Milo, Max, Hrishi, Hannah, Willow, Mya, Iman
5:50 - 6:30 - Luz, LaSayany, Olivia, Cellina
6:30 - 7:00 -  Julian, Aidan, Maia
7:00 - 7:30 - Destinii, Aidan, Emma

If you are not signed up but want to be please let me know and I can add you to the list! The more help the better!!!

Extra Credit:

1. Create and add another Pacific Northwest Native Plant to our mural
2. Bring in a tablecloth to help get our room beautified for the 3D projects (Getting roughly 4 of these in the classroom would be VERY appreciated :))

Below are the steps for how to arrange your final River Story
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River Story --- This is the order it should be in....(leave space for epilogue/author's page)

1. Cover
2. Map
3. Fact Page
4. Timeline
5. Intro
6. Natural History
7. Initial Inhabitants
8. Arrival of Settlers
9. Growth of Cities/Industry
10. Problems/Solutions
11. Epilogue
12. Author's Page

D. Type Epilogue/Author's Page (come get the handout next to the projector!)…..Add 1 Image to each
YOUR DONE!!!


River Story Epilogue and Author's Page --- These are the two least important pages... Don't spend more than 15 minutes on each

River Story – Epilogue

This is the conclusion to your River Story. It should wrap up the entire story of your river and show what the future looks like for your river. The epilogue can be written from either your own perspective or the perspective you have been using throughout the story.

It should include:

·       What is life on the river like TODAY?

·       A brief summary of each section (1-5 sentences total)

·       What the future ahead looks like for your river…

·       1 Image (or border if you want)

River Story – Author’s Page

This is the final page in your River Story. The goal of this page is introduce yourself to the reader, talk about who you are and share parts of your bamba, and share about what you learned during the process of writing your River Story

It should include the following:

1.     Introduction to who you are

a.      Name, age, school, and any other important details you want to share about yourself

2.     My Bamba

a.      Share two things that you do when not writing river stories that make up a part of what makes you special (your bamba) ... for exmpale I might share that when I am not writing my River Story I can be found eating elephant ears by the handful!

3.     The Writing Process

a.      Share what the research and writing process was like, what you learned about yourself

4.     Big Take Away….

a.      One final thought about your river and your hopes for its’ future

5.     Image

a.      At least 1 image

                                               i.     Add an image related to yourself

                                              ii.     Add anything else that relates to you, your river, or your bamba

3D Project and Write Up Rubric

River Festival 3-D Project

• Help bring our rivers to life at the River Festival with a three-dimensional project.
• This project should demonstrate some aspect of life on the river you’ve researched, something specific you learned from a field study or in the classroom related to rivers.
• In addition to the 3-D project, a brief write-up will need to go along with it explaining what you did, why, and what it means/how it works.

Below are some suggestions:

1. 3-D map
2. Model of a building or a boat as it relates to history of a river
3. Diorama of an event with explanation of the significance
4. Focus on a specific topic regarding your river, such as river features, erosion/deposition, water quality, specific animal/macroinvertabrates, or anything else you learned!
5. Create a board game that is educational for those playing it.
6. Write a song. This may be displayed, performed, or recorded.
7. Make a video that demonstrates your learning.
8. Create a computer program that shows a field study or something on your river
9. Create a dance, a play, or infomercial. This would be performed the night of the festival or recorded and played via video.
10. Create a food dish from the region of your river.
11. Other ideas? Check with Michael

This project may be done alone, with your family or with friend(s) from core class.

DUE DATES:

1. Detailed plan along with who is working on it by Friday, December 6^th
2. Project with write-up the morning before the River Festival-- Thursday, Dec. 12^th

Rubric:

8 points – 3D/Interactive

7 points – Write up/explanation

5 points – Effort

Total Points: 20 points!!!

3D Project Write Up

In addition to the 3-D project, a brief write-up will need to go along with it explaining what you did, why, and what it means/how it works.

The write up should include the following:

• What did you do for your project?
• Why did you choose this out of all the options?
• How does it specifically show your learning?
• At least 5 pieces of information related to your topic

***This can be written in response form and attached to your project

***This can be found within your project through interactive flaps, song lyrics, signs, etc

***It can be a combination of the two

HW - River Story and 3D Proejct - Planning it Out

Mapping out our HW

3D project due Thursday 
...If you have not started, you would be wise to spend 20-30 minutes on this each day this week until you are finished. Use the 3D project rubric as your guide.

River Story due Friday
 You have all worked hard, well, and thoroughly on your river stories over the past month. I have been impressed with your research, writing, and effort. The River Story is due Friday. Even if it doesn't feel like it, most of you are VERY VERY VERY close to done. For those of you who don't feel close or are overwhelmed, I have mapped out what our time in class and at home can look like this week to get it ready to finish by Friday. 
.
...Monday night - 30-45 minutes of choice work on River Story based on what makes most sense for your (borders, final draft writing, timeline)
...Tuesday - 1 hour in the computer lab
...Tuesday night - complete final draft writing
...Wednesday - 1 hour in WW to finalize pages
...Thursday - 1 hour in core to finalize pages, bind books, get it finished
...Thursday night - finishing touches at home! Turn completed book in Friday.

You will not have other homework from core this week. The focus is on these two assignments.

Your Native American novel will need to be finished by Wednesday, 12/18. This means if you are behind on this novel you will have all next weekend to catch up on it (it will be pretty much your only homework assignment next weekend and week).

If this is still feeling overwhelming come check in with me and I can help you make a plan of action to get everything done in a sane way.