August 25, 2008- First Day of School!

Oh man! Summer is over and today is the first day of school. Mr. Kootman greeted us at the door and we found our nametags on the floor. We learned that every student will have his or her own number in our class. When everyone was ready, Mr. Kootman explained that some things in the classroom are tools and some are toys. We have a really cool Smartboard, which is like an electronic white board. This is definitely a tool!

After that, we learned about being responsible and taking ownership in the “Above the Line Chart.” Then we had a break where we played Autograph Bingo. Autograph Bingo is when people sign your paper if they have done certain things, such as having a dog.

All of a sudden, it began to rain for the first time in months! Luckily, we still got to go to recess. After recess, we learned about our new class blog and took notes. Then we talked about our homework and received a lot of papers for our parents to sign.

Next, we went to lunch where they served corndogs and quesadillas. At 1:05 we read Room One, by Andrew Clements. This book is about a boy named Ted who likes to solve mysteries.

Finally, we switched in to math mode, where we studied place value. We learned there are three ways to write a number: word form, standard form and expanded form. At last, we got our bags and headed out.

Photo credits: http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/rain.jpg

http://testimonials.epromos.com/school-bus-resized.jpg

June 10, 2008- by Devin P.

Wow! It is already the end of the school year! Hi my name is Devin and I am typing a blog during a Tuesday in the last week of school. The first thing we did today was our morning work, our morning work is D.O.L and a page in our math book. D.O.L is a worksheet that has different activities, like correcting sentences and other grammar work. D.O.L stands for Daily Oral Language. The math page that we did was math test review, which is about fractions.

After we did our morning work we went to yoga. During yoga it was so quiet while we were doing our stretches. We were so quiet because Mr. Kootman told us to be quiet or else we owe him a lap around the track. After yoga we went back to class and took our math test. The math test was so easy because we only had 16 problems on the test.

Then we went to recess where I played basketball with my friends, Conner, Hunter, Cyphrus, Christian L. and Kianna; we played half court shooting. Half court shooting is were you go half court and try to make the basket by throwing the ball with one hand. So Hunter, Cyphrus, and I are the only ones that made it so far.

After recess we watched two science video that were on Electro-Magnets and regular magnets. The first video that we saw was about how magnets have two sides, one side is the south side and the other side is the north. If you put the north side to the south side they will attract and if you put the same side to each other the magnets will be forced to not touch the other magnet. The vocab word for this is repel.

The second video was about energy volts and you should never go in a generator room with metal on you. It even told us a lot of experiments to do and we did two experiments. One of the experiments was rip off a bottom of a plastic cup and put water in it and a little wire in the middle then it will be like a compass. Then we tried an experiment that you have to have a magnet, wire, paper clip and a cup of water. Then you take the wire and Try to pick up a paper clip but it won't pick up a paper clip, so then you rub the wire on the magnet and it gets electric so the wire can pick up the paper clip and we tried to pick up a paper clip and it worked. This is called a temporary magnet.

Then we went to lunch, I had a hot dog for lunch with Pringles, Gatorade and hot Cheetos. Once we got dismissed from eating lunch we went up top to play; I played handball with Sam, Christian, Austin and Matthew. We played elimination handball .

After lunch recess we read our classroom book named No Talking. The chapter was about when they are not talking but they can only say three words. Then we read a lesson in our science book and we watched a movie about hybrid cars. At that point, I got signed out because I had to go to an orthodontist appointment for my braces.

So that is the end of my blog!

Image credits:

www.hilaroad.com/camp/projects/electromagnetism/electromagnet_battery.jpg

image.versiontracker.com/scrnsht/6084/165026/921adding%20three

%20fraction%20screen%20shot.png

June 6, 2008- by Devin D.

UH OHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! We're starting a new math lesson today! Mr.Kootman's class is on chapter 4 this week,"Add Unlike Fractions" . We have to do fractions like 3 6/7 + 4 2/7= 8 1/7. Some people still need help on some stuff in our math packet. The chapter that were on is " Chapter 18 Add and Subtract Fractions and Mixed Numbers ".

It was Thursday, the last day reading "Going West" in our Open Court book. Some people did not know what song was at the beginning and the end of the story, but Jackson ( a very intelligent kid) knew the answer. Mr.Kootman asked Devin Diaz (me) to see if he knows it. The story was 8 pages long.(522-529)

After reading, our class did our C.L.A.S. Book. We did page 208-209 on "Understanding and Combining Sentences". We had to write down BIG words like ,interrogative, imperative, declarative, and exclamatory. On the second page we had to combine sentences together,or make the words capitalized. We also learned a lot about run-on sentences during class. Run-on sentences are like sentences with and or but (sometimes commas) that seem to keep going on and on forever.

The next thing we did was read No Talking. The girls were winning the no talking contest by a couple points. Mostly the fifth-graders are called the "Unshushables". The girls were sometimes laughing at the boys, because they were losing. Sometimes the boys forgot that they were playing a quiet game. One girl thought that "um" was a word, but no. The teachers were astonished by their good behavior.

Near the end of the day we did an art project on a volcano. First, we started with a black permanent marker to draw the main part of the volcano. Second, we pointed out were the ash, lava, magma,and lava holes are. Last, we did patterns and lava with whatever color pencil we received. The focus was on creating patterns within the volcano.

Lastly, we were about to go to P.E, but some people were too loud. So we went back inside and read until school was out.

photo from: cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=72249&rendTypeId=35

June 3, 2008- by Megan

Oh, man I'm moving tomorrow, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Waaaaaaaah...sniff. But,forget about that.Today we started off with our morning work,I'm guessing that it was easy but how am I supposed to know? I was on the computer doing a photostory on static electricity with Katarina, Deisha,and Kianna. Then we did "Subtract Like Fractions" in our math book, that lesson was quite easy because it was almost the same as the lesson we did yesterday called "Add Like Fractions." We were almost finished when yoga came along, so we went to yoga. When that was done and over with we FINALLY went to recess...it was fun.

At 10:45, we finished math,then we did the Trimester Test Writing Prompt. It was sooo easy,and fun...to me. I'm sure that everyone did really well. When we finished that 12:20 happened to be the time,so we went to lunch,YUM. After lunch we went music and learned about Dutch music and how they live, we also listened to a song from the 60's called "Spinning Wheel." Next,we did our spelling words, it was soooooooo boring!!! Afterwards,we read our story called "Going West". Along with that we practiced our vocabulary some more.

This was the last thing we today. OMG!!! we didn't do Social Studies or read our chapter book!!! Well thats not ok. I really like reading our chapter book,and today is my last time to read it!!! Well,thats it.

June 2- by Cyphrus

Finally two more weeks of schoooool! We just started a new lesson on adding and subtracting fractions. When you add or subtract fractions you first have to add yourdenominator then you look at your numerator then you get your answer . After that we went out to recess and I played kick ball. When that was over we went inside and read "Going West" its about how people traveled to the west.

After reading, we had our second writing test for the trimester. The writing prompt was response to literature. We read a short story about three brothers who learned a lesson from their father. Afterwards we went to lunch. For lunch we had corndogs. When the fourth,fifth, and six graders were done all the kids went out to lunch recess. I played soccer with the fifth graders and made four goals. Hunter made five goals so did Devin D. Once recess was over we went to music; it was our last time in music, except for the people in band.

After music, we went back to class and we were making our own questions for a Jeopardy game that Mr. Kootman made. When that was over the class went out and played Kickball -basketball with Mrs.Moore. It was blazing hot outside and I was wearing a sweater. I did not know what the score was but I think it was a tie. When that was over, school got out and everyone went home.

May 27, by Connor

Tests!!! Tests!!!! We had tests!!!!! Today we started the day with morning work. We did DOL. DOL means daily orally language. We did math for ten minutes. After that we went outside to the Don Dornan Games practice. I'm not in them, but I had fun anyway. When we came in we did fifteen minutes more of math. Then we had to go back out into the blazing hot sun!!! Then we came back in people were acting like they were going to die. Then we did our math packet.

After math we went jumped right into '' Language arts." We had to take a trimester test. We had to do thirty-six problems!!!!! When we went to lunch we ate and talked, and talked so much we had to stay in a little. After we finally got out we went to the top of the playground. Everyone ran to go join in with their friends. When we came in we read ''No Talking''. In the book, a boy tried not to talk all day but he doesn't manage.

After that we did our Open Court book. We did a little bit of acting!!!! Then we thought we were going outside but we had to clean up the room. After that we left . Beep!!!! Beep!!!!!!!! That's the bell! Well got to go!

May 22, 2008, by Isabella

Three and a half more weeks of school WOW! The year seamed to go by in a flash. Today we read "Pocahonts." Pocahonts was not her real name. Her real name is Mataoaka. Many people do not know much about Mataoaka's life as a child. A part of her life that we do know about is when she is near the thirteen colony's. The word Pocahontas means "the playful one." Mataoaka means "little snow feather." She died when she was 22! That is young!

We mostly we go to recess at 10:30 and lunch at 12:20. We read our class chapter book after lunch. Our class chapter book is called Patty Reeds Doll.The book is awesome! We finished it today. I loved that book because it had California history and it was exciting too. The book Patty Reeds Doll is about a girl, her family and two or three more families. It was a hard journey for their party because they did not have enough water in the desert and did not have enough food in the mountains. In the desert, they lose their oxen when the drivers tried to take them to the river. In the mountains they get stuck in their cabin because it is so cold. When a rescue team comes they scream with joy.

After we reviewed what we learned today, we did Don Dornan practice. Don Dornan is like track and field events for students. Then I got on the bus and went home.

May 21, by Diego

Today is the talent show try outs and I'm going to use the cello and I sure hope I make it. By the time I got to do my songs I had to wait an hour and a half! Today we started with our D.O.L. and with our mixed and quick review in math. Speaking of D.O.L., in our homework tonight we get to make our own D.O.L. I plan on making mine very hard for everyone.

By the time I came back to class from the talent show everybody had already finished reading our new story, Pocahontas. She was born in eastern Virginia by a lake in 1595.The new Jamestown colonists arrived in 1617 and they became friends with Pocahontas. She had a husband named John Rolf; he was a very wealthy tobacco planter,and they had a son named Thomas Rolf. When he was older he helped fight against the Indians. Pocahontas later died of smallpox when she was only twenty two.

Our next story is a play but i don't know if Mr. Kootman is going to let us act out the play. After reading the story we did our comprehension book on figures of speech. We then all made our own creative sentences. Next we went to lunch and by the time we went to recess the weather got really foggy and cold. The news said that it was going to rain and a chance of a tornado, but i don't think that is really going to happen.

When we got back from lunch we read Patty Reads Doll. Ms.Reed and all the family's were finally out of the snow and they were finally on their way to the mountains were they planned on meeting Mr.Reed. Mr. Reed went on ahead to Sutter's Fort after the insistent where he stabbed someone.

After reading the book we did social studies. We learned about very famous people in the gold rush. After that we went out side and people who did sign up for the Don Dornan games got to do a relay race and they got to use these really cool batons. The batons looked almost as if they could glow in the dark. And they also did tug o' war. The people that didn't do the Don Dornan games would go to the playground, but this time we got to play tug o' war too. Then we went home and I cant wait for the next week of school.

May 20, by Hunter

MATH!!!! We had our morning math and writing assignment. I won't have to do that tomorrow because I will be typing this blog! Every morning, we do a short math review and our DOL (daily oral language). After that, we did page 277 in our math book.

Then we had lunch. I had Funyuns, peanut butter crackers, Nutter Butter cookies and 2 Capri-suns. When it was time to go play I played soccer with Devin D. and all my other friends. I scored one goal. When we returned from recess, we read our class chapter book. In the book, Patty Reeds Doll, they were in 10 feet of snow and two of them died: Milt and Eddie's baby.

Then we had to write a quick summary of the chapter we read. We only got 10 minutes; I probably got about 85 words. After that we went outside to try out for the Don Dornin games (a mini Olympics) We tried out for the standing long jump. This is like the regular long jump, but without running. I got 55 inches; I hope I made it Then we all went home to rest our legs. Then we have to do our homework.

May 19, 2008- by Mattison

Watch out there's a math test coming out!!! Today for math we did review for "Understand Time." We did some problems on our white boards about elapsed time. Once that was done we checked DOL. It stands for Daily Oral Language. DOL is an activity where we have to correct incorrect sentence grammar and spelling.

When we finished at 9:35 we went out for the Don Dornan games practice. What you do for the Don Dornan games is you race against kids in different classes. The reason why we went out at 9:35 is because we knew it would be in the 90's. For reading we did Vocab and clues chart on "Pocahontas." The story "Pocahontas" is from The Virginia Colony. It is about Pocahontas's life. She had 3 names which Pocahontas was her nickname. Her names were Motoaka, Rebecca and Pocahontas.Pocahontas meant "the playful one."

After we did our Vocab and Clues chart we went to lunch at 12:20-12:35,then we went to lunch recess from 12:35-1:00.we get in the classroom at 1:05.Once that was done we read Patty Reed's Doll. It's about a doll who is talking in first-person.Cattle's are getting buried by sand,because the wind is blowing to hard that the sand is covering the cattle's. For Social Studies we watched a video on California Statehood,and we will be doing a Social Studies test on Tuesday. At 2:00 we went out to do some more Don Dornan practice.

May 16 was Miss Metcalfe's last day.She was our student teacher who helped Mr.Kootman and our class. I was unhappy to see her go, but glad that she has become a teacher. Finally we went home and did our homework.