Learning How To Google Draw

The Alder classes have been learning how to use drawing tools in google.  They were assigned the task of creating a water transportation system to alleviate a common problem that was meet by the ancient Mesopotamian civilization.  Here are few of the completed projects.

Nonfiction Text Element Scavenger Hunt

The Clarkia have been working on finding information and creating their own piece of expository text.  Before completing their writing we first had to learn the best ways to unlock information using text tools.  Our focus has been on using:  table of contents, index, headings, captions, glossary work, and much more.

We went on a scavenger hunt using the Oregon School Library Information System.

Using the National Geographic Kids ebooks we looked to see how quickly we could find information on rocks by using the many text tools.  This was a lot of fun and we found out some cool facts in a short amount of time.

Stop Motion Coding

During our coding elective our animation group has been working on creating dialogue using stop motion technology and coding.  This takes a lot of perseverance and troubleshooting.  Often students will need to work together to find out the reason glitches are occurring and form solutions.  I am proud of how hard they have worked to overcome these obstacles and make a final product.  Please take time to check out a few of our creations.

Carter's Project

Cody's Project

Emi's Project

Criss-Anna's Project

Annie's Project

Author Highlights

 

The Trillium have been gaining expertise in identifying influential authors and illustrators in children's literature.





Can you name these well known authors and/or illustrators?

We have explored Bill Martin, Jr, Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Lois Ehlert, and Mo Willems' works of art.  

 Much to our delight Lois Ehlert, uses nature collage to form her illustrations.  In, "Boo To You" many of her artwork include gourds!  Something the Trillium know about from our school garden.  We look forward to expanding our knowledge in finding other talented authors and illustrators. 

Migration Of Fables

                  

The Huckleberry classes have been deep in exploring the habits of migration.  If you have not seen their work on their salmon pillows it is a "must see".  One of the things I love about our school is that we carry our themes throughout all subject areas.  Our library, music, and PE classes work hard to make our students' learning relevant to what they are immersed at the time.  With that focus we discovered that folktales also have migrated across cultures, time, and space.  We learned that Little Red Riding Hood was first developed somewhere between Asia and Europe.  There were and are many different versions of the famous fairy tale.  We learned that Goldilocks and the Three Bears most likely came from Britain although the first story most likely had a "silvered haired" woman as Goldilocks.  Rapunzel is a herb grown over the country of Italy where, most likely this story originated.  We learned that the original story had a lot of differences compared to the recent Disney movie, Tangled.


Folktales are an important part of our culture.  I would encourage you to revisit these well-known stories with your children.  Here are some of my favorites:

  


     

               

Kick Off OBOB Meeting

Dear Parents and Students in Grades 3-5 and 6-8,

We are looking forward to the new season of Oregon Battle of the Books! The Oregon Battle of the Books, OBOB, is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program. The mission of OBOB is, "to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students".

As the organizers of the team for students, we are looking forward to starting our 2017-2018 season.  Our first OBOB meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 during lunch in Mr. Foote’s room.  This will be a brief informational meeting for any students who are interested in joining Battle of the Books this year.

If you have any further questions about OBOB in general or to see a list of the 2018 books visit the OBOB website at https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2017-2018-obob-book-titles/

For any questions about the program please email Mrs. Quinlan at iquinlan@mra-k8.com.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Quinlan, Mr. Dante, and Mr. Foote

Computer Science in Electives

This semester our 5th-8th grade students have had the option to choose a coding class for electives.  This computer science class was a first exposure for many students.  We are using a  CS-First program that uses Scratch to complete some fun coding projects.  CS-First's goals for students using code is to:

1.  Increase their confidence when using computers.

2.  Instill courage to try new things.

3.  Grow perseverance when tackling difficult problems.

4.  Provide a sense of belonging in technology for underrepresented students.

5. Demonstrate the impact that CS has in careers and communities. 

We have found these goals to be truly represented as we try to tackle some challenges in creating our story and animation.  I would encourage you to click on a few of the links to watch what our students are creating.  

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/177057209/#editor

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/177629840/

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/177263968/