This morning we had a Skype call with an International School in Spain. We were not able to post video on this call because of privacy issues with the other school. We learned lots of interesting things about their school and their students. They have lots of different countries represented at their school including many American students. They told us that this is because of families from America that have moved their because of companies or because they serve in the military.
They explained that they have a King and a Monarchy. Their school speaks mostly Thai and English, but many other languages as well. We learned that they like many of the same video games and television shows that we do. They also play sports like rugby and football (which we call soccer). For fun, they like to go hiking and explore their city. One of the students told us her hobbies in Spanish. The kids said that this was their favorite call so far!

My fifth graders have had so much fun Skyping with other classes, I thought we might try it with other grade levels. Today, Mrs. Combs' second grade called Shepherd Elementary in North Carolina. They did a great job and had some great questions!

Today we Skyped with third-graders in the "windy city". We learned that they have a school similar in size to ours, except with a few more teachers. They have also used a lot of the same technology we have. We also found out that we have several differences. They don't have a cafeteria! Every student brings their lunch every day. They also travel to school and around using public transportation. They were very surprised that we had no public transportation except for our school buses. They also noticed our accent as most schools that we have communicated with have. Must be pretty obvious!

So sorry for the delay in posting. We have had a very busy week! We have been preparing for TCAP all week and I feel very confident that the kids are going to do quite well. Testing begins on Monday so please be sure that your child gets a good night's rest each night and eats a good breakfast each morning. Thank you to the parents who volunteered to send snacks. You will receive a schedule on Monday.

Well, it is nice sometimes to have an unexpected day off! This isn't the greatest time to have one, but oh, well...we'll take it, right?? I hope everyone had a very blessed Easter holiday. This week, of course, we are doing a lot of review in preparation for TCAP coming up next week. I will be out tomorrow. I'm going to visit another school. It is so nice to be able to watch other educators and learn from them. On Wednesday, we will have our D.A.R.E. graduation at 10am. Thursday the students will have their quiz on hyperboles, similes, metaphors, etc. Hope we have some sunshine by then and get everyone in good spirits going in to testing week. I will be asking parents to donate snacks for next week. I like to have a small snack for the kids during our breaks. Look for a letter later this week. Lots of happenings coming up..Stay Tuned!

Today we continued workstations in Reading and began a new unit in Social Studies. We are studying the Civil Rights Movement and began the study with a little in-class segregation. The students were clueless as to why some of them were being 'left out' of the activity, but by the end everyone was included. We have several things going on this month, so be sure to check the calendar often. Cap and gown pictures are Friday and the money has to be paid ahead of time. Be sure to check out VoiceThread in the portaportal. Very neat!!...

Well...the trip is over! We had a fantastic time in Washington, DC. It was busy as expected but well worth it. I agree with the tour guide in that now that we're home, we really have to sit and think about everything that we've seen. We visited most all of the memorials, got to go up in the Washington Monument, toured the Capitol and visited Arlington National Cemetery where we witnessed the changing of the guard. I think everyone is glad to be home and getting some much needed rest, I hope. Thanks so much to all the parents and fellow teachers who helped make this trip such a success. We couldn't have done it without you!

Yesterday, we had our meeting about Washington for the kids. I hope they are a little better prepared for what they will see there. Today, I received the final itinerary and sent it home with the kids. We are staying at a very nice hotel in Alexandria, VA. I discussed with them proper hotel, restaurant, and bus etiquette. Notice on the new itinerary that we will be arriving home quite a bit earlier than we had previously thought.
As for classroom business, we will have our WWII Social Studies test on Thursday. Also, those who are re-testing on the states test should expect that on Thursday as well. We have plans to Skype a school in Denmark on March 31st as a follow up to our novel study of Number the Stars. The students will be simultaneously completing a project on the novel that is due April 3rd. You should have received a paper to sign yesterday.

I got a little carried away yesterday blogging about our Skype call and didn't really mention anything else! Next week is our final week before Spring Break. We will be finishing Number the Stars and our study of WWII. The students should expect a test over WWII on Thursday of next week. Also, those taking their state re-tests will have that on Thursday as well. We're also completing our Number the Stars stations next week. The students have been visiting stations to study Denmark, WWII, and the Holocaust. If they bring any of these stations home for homework, they are optional. I am giving them time next week to wrap it all up in class.
Our student meeting for Washington, DC travelers is on Monday afternoon. I'll be going over with students some of the places we will be visiting while on the trip and some important etiquette rules. Please pick up outside my room at @4:30. We may finish a little early. We'll be leaving Friday morning. I know I'm excited! Any questions, please have them ready on Monday afternoon.