Greek and Latin Are Taking Root!

Photo by Mrs. Yollis 

In Freckle Word Study, many students were introduced to Greek and Latin roots. If you know some Greek and Latin roots, it can help you "unlock" what an unknown word might mean. 

For example, uni means one. The unicorn has one horn and unison means you speak in one voice.  Bi means two, so a bicycle has two wheels, and a bifocal has two lenses. Photo means light, so photography (fo • tog • ru • fee)  uses light to make pictures and photosynthesis (fo • to • sin • thu • sis) means light is used by plants to make food. 

We worked collaboratively (collab means together) to create an informative slideshow. 

Enjoy and learn! We are adding slides daily, so check back often. 

 Leave us a spectacular (that means one that LOOKS good) comment using one of the words that have a Greek or Latin root! 

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Connect the Dot Stories!

After reading Peter H. Reynold's fabulous book The Dot, we put together a fun "Connect the Dots" writing project with our blogging buddies. We hope to get some fun stories!

Here are the steps we took to set up our "Connect the Dots" stories!

Step 1: Each team made a collection of words from the story or words used in our classroom. 

The collection could be five to six words. 

Step 2: Each person on the team wrote one word on a dot and then cut it out. 

Step 3: Each person on the team decorated their dot. 

Step 4: This is where YOU come in! Please select a team and write a clever story or poem using all of their words. We can wait to read your story in the comments!

TEAM WILBUR: 

Wilbur the pig, swirly, surfboard, taco, discovered

TEAM BARNABY BONES: 

Barnaby Bones, painted, gazing, carefully, dot

TEAM BEVERLY: 

Beverly, swirly, taco, tomato, gold 

TEAM ARNOLD: 

Arnold, jab, dot, blue, gold, swirly

TEAM PANDA: 

Panda, dot,  painted, gold, squiggly

We invite you to connect our word dots into a story or poem! 

Good luck!

This post is also available over on the collaborative blog called

International Dot Day Project. 

Have fun connecting the dots!

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International Dot Day :: Connect Professional Dots!

Mrs. Yollis' class is celebrating International Dot Day!

We are celebrating in many ways with our global Dot Day blogging buddies!

Here is a link to our collaborative International Dot Day Project Blog! 

Map Credit: Kathleen Morris 

You might be asking, how did Mrs. Yollis connect her students in Los Angeles with these classrooms in other countries? The answer is by taking a risk and reaching out through social media. Building a professional learning community is so important for teachers and has never been easier.  Leaving comments on classroom blogs and/or discovering professional opportunities on Twitter provide teachers with collaboration opportunities for their students. Let's connect the professional dots! 

Mrs. Yollis met Mrs. Morris from Australia through blogging! Their classes left comments for one another on their classroom blogs and a ten-year friendship began. Their passion for education blogging was shared at the ISTE conference in 2012, in San Diego.  

Photo by John Miller 

Mrs. Morris even came to meet Beverly and see the classroom. 

Educational Bloggers Meet from yourwonderfulteacher on Vimeo.

Here is a link to Mrs. Morris' Blog. 

Mrs. Yollis met Mrs. Beal from South Africa in 2012, at the Google Teacher Academy in New York City.  They share a strong interest in global collaboration and meaningful integration of technology in the classroom. Mrs. Yollis learned about the Google Teacher Academy via Twitter.

Mrs. Yollis met Miss Versteeg from Canada through Edublog's  Better Blogging with Students program run by Mrs. Morris on The Edublogger. Miss Versteeg was featured on  TheEdublogger. Mrs. Yollis starting following her class blog and is enjoying learning with her. Here is Miss Versteeg's Grade 2 Blog. 

Connecting with educators through blogging, Twitter, or Instagram can have a tremendous impact on student learning. It's never been easier to flatten the classroom walls and create a true global community!

Here are a few screenshots of some "connect the dots" stories and blog comments that you can find on the 

Collaborative International Dot Day Project Blog! 

Photo by Mrs. Morris 

"Connect the Dot" Words: dot, green, puppy, line, tree

Photo by Mrs. Morris 

"Connect the Dot" Words: line, Tokyo, campfire, diamond, quack

Photo by Mrs. Morris 

"Connect the Dot" Words: pen, splash, China, shark, potato

If you are looking to connect with other classrooms, join the Student Blogging Challenge!

Register Individual Student Blogs 

Register a Class Blog 

The Student Blogging Challenge starts October 7, 2018. 

What do you like about working with other classrooms around the world?

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#clrpoem

Twitter is a wonderful microblogging platform to connect, share, and learn with others. You can learn a lot in 140 characters!

This #clrpoem Twitter project incorporates color, poetry, geography, social media, and fun!  

This week, we start the 4th annual colorful global collaborative project with classroom poets from all over the world. 

Teachers, you and your students are invited to join us for our poetry project! A tip of the hat to Catherine Monaghan for this colorfully clever idea.

The object of this collaborative project is to share original poems, create colorful digital images, and publish through classroom Twitter accounts using the hashtag #clrpoem! Each week a color of the visible spectrum will be showcased!

ROY  G  BIV 

One way to remember the visible spectrum is the

 ROY G BIV acronym.  

(red-orange-yellow-green-blue-*indigo-violet) 

ac·ro·nym

(ak rə nim)

noun

1. an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word
2. 
   

(*Indigo is the color between blue and violet. We will do purple that week.) 

Teachers, YOU are invited to join our 

collaborative project! 

The more, the merrier!

This week, we are seeing RED! Shoot a photo of something red, compose a little poetry to complement the photo, and tweet it out! Remember, use the hashtag #clrpoem. 


* The first week will actually span TWO weeks  (April 3-April 14) because we will be on our spring break. This will give more time to kick start the project.

Here is an example Wrap Up :: What is Red? post from the past. It will give you an idea of the fun that is in store for your poets!  

What are some things that are red?

What are some elements of poetry? 

Couplet, triplet, or haiku,

What kind of verse can we expect from YOU? 

:-) 

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November is Family Blogging Month!

Mrs. Yollis 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! 
Maybe we'll get some 2-point comments! 

(We frequently evaluate the comments that our blog has received. In order to earn the 2-points, a comment must be error-free and add something to the post.   Many of Mrs. Yollis' third graders have already met the challenge!)

If you don't know what to say, here is a video made by Mrs. Yollis' third graders. 

Learn FIVE tips for writing a quality comment! 

If you don't know How to leave a comment, here is a video tutorial about HOW to leave a comment on our blog.

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

 

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!

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Spaghetti Challenge :: Projects By Jen

Today we participated in the Great Spaghetti Challenge, one of the many wonderful Projects By Jen! 

Task: Use the materials listed below and build a free-standing tower! The project runs from October 10 - November 18. Join the fun!

★     ★     ★     ★     ★

To prepare for the project, we thought about the Engineering Design Process. 

 (click to enlarge)

From Tracy Watanabe 

In preparation, we watched some building videos on BrainPop. 

Mrs. Yollis put everyone into small groups, ideas were discussed, and  a plan was made. 

Finally, the materials were passed out, and the creativity began! 

Students were given 18 minutes to build a free-standing tower with a marshmallow on the top. The enemy to all...GRAVITY! 

Time was ticking away...

Several started with a solid foundation. 

Everyone chipped in! 

After 18 minutes, only one tower was free-standing! Behold, the winning structure and team!

Way to go! The tower measured 44 cm! 

One of the members on the winning team used observational learning to modify and create a winning structure. Preston noticed that everyone was making their towers quite tall, but none of them were staying upright, and that was without the marshmallow! So, he persuaded his team to make a shorter, more stable tower. It worked!  



After processing the learning, Mrs. Yollis gave every team an additional five minutes to modify and improve their tower...just for fun.  Almost everyone was able build a free-standing structure. Meter sticks were brought out and the height was measured. 

This one measures 38 cm! 

 Here's a second try that measured 46 cm. 

 Will it stand? Will gravity win? 

This one measures 38 cm. 

Sadly, this one collapsed. 

This one measures approximately 15 cm. 

Plus, our little 3 cm tower. 

Preston also used weight to counter balance the tower. 

In the afternoon, we held a Google HangOut with Mrs. Watanabe and some teachers from Ventura County Office of Schools. The students talked about the process of designing a tower. Many of the teachers had the same results as the students. The teachers asked the students how they resolved problems. How did you resolve some of the problems in your group? 

Photo collage by Mrs. Watanabe

What was your favorite part of the design process?

How would you do this task differently?

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