Saturday, November 19, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving, 2011!

This  week we had a wonderful time measuring and mixing up the ingredients 
for our own loaf of pumpkin bread!




Busy Bakers! on PhotoPeach








In addition to creatively wrapping our bread to look like a turkey, we read a clever Thanksgiving fable this week about Thomas T. Turkey. 
He had quite a dilemma to solve! 










In the story, Thomas was invited to not one, not two, but three Thanksgiving dinners. Benjamin Bobcat, Fanny Fox, and Henry Hawk all told him they wanted to have him for Thanksgiving dinner and that it just wouldn't be the same without him!








In the end, Thomas decided he did not want to hurt anyone's feelings, 
so he declined all the invitations! He ended up staying home alone 
for Thanksgiving dinner.


 




We learned that it is better to eat alone than to be eaten!






After listening to the story, we created our own invitations for Thomas T. Turkey. He must have been overwhelmed by his sudden popularity this year!


 




We hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!



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Please leave a comment and share your thoughts about our projects.

Tell us what you will be doing to celebrate Thanksgiving this year!

Most of all, tell us what you're thankful for!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Learn to Write a Compound Sentence!





Mrs. Ranney's students are always trying to improve their writing skills.

*     *     *     *     *
 A compound sentence:
  1. Combines two shorter sentences (so has TWO subjects)
  2. Joins the two sentences with  a conjunction (and, or, but, so)
*     *     *     *     *
Here are some sample compound sentences, and they are all about Thanksgiving!
(Hey, that's a compound sentence!)  


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Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, and many families gather for a traditional feast. 


In 1620, the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, but they had really 
planned a trip to Virginia. 



The Massachusetts winter was extremely cold and harsh, so everyone 
had to work together to survive!



The Wampanoag Indians helped the struggling Pilgrims, so they were able to harvest crops for their first feast!
  

Modern Americans dine on turkey and stuffing at home, or they make a 
reservation at a local restaurant.

 *     *     *     *     *




Comment Challenge!
In the comment section, tell about your plans for Thanksgiving. Be sure to include at least two COMPOUND SENTENCES!
 

Monday, November 7, 2011

Uniting for Unicef!




 UNICEF is the United Nations Children's Fund.
It was founded in 1946 to help children after World War II.
It now operates in over 150 countries all over the world and has saved
many lives!


The tradition of "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" began in 1950
in the United States.

This year our school carried on that tradition!



In Mrs. Ranney's class many students participated and brought in their boxes of money
right after Halloween.


We all emptied our boxes and put our money together!

Once we had separated out the paper currency, we sorted the coins.




Please enjoy watching this slide show
which shows how we counted all of our donations!

Our UNICEF Donations! on PhotoPeach





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Did you trick-or-treat for UNICEF?


How did you feel about this experience?

What did you learn from counting the money together in class?


Do you have any facts about UNICEF to share?



Wednesday, November 2, 2011

November is Family Blogging Month!

Mrs. Ranney and her students to share what they are
learning and experiencing.


In an effort to include more family members in our online community, we are proclaiming:



November is Family Blogging Month!



Each student made a list of their family members. After looking through the archive, students selected specific posts tailored to the interest of a particular relative. 


We're inviting everyone to comment: moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, and cousins.
We welcome friends, too!







Students will be inviting their family and friends to participate in a conversation! 



Frogger, the Blogger, says: 
"Maybe we'll get some 2-point comments! Follow the chart below for some tips!"







 
Here is the key we will use for  Family Blogging Month~





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What do you think of our idea?

Who are you inviting to be a part of our online community?

Please leave a comment and introduce yourself!