Third Grade On the Day I Was Born Research Websites

We will conduct research here at school, but if your child wants to work on it at home - hooray! These are the websites we are using here:

• Click here to find out how old you are in seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc...
• Click here to find out what your name means.
• Click here to see what the moon looked like when you were born.
• Click here to find out historical events, popular songs, item prices and more facts. Make sure to use the "quick page" option after entering your birthday.
• Click here to use the History Channel's website to find events from your birthday. Enter your month and day in the orange box on the right-hand side.
• Click here to find famous people who share your birthday, and scroll down to find other events, too.
• Click here for famous birthdays, music history, and other historical events from your day.

Welcome and Homework for the week of Sept 9-11

Welcome back to school! Working with your students is such a treat for me. The first weeks back at school include organization and new learning routines, and it's no different in the gifted resource department. Some work we did may seem confusing, please bear with your students and me until we get proficient with our weekly routines, it will get better.

Homework for this week:

All Grades: bring in supplies if you haven't done so already

3rd Grade:
Language Arts due by Thursday 9/18:
On the Day You Were Born Unit - complete the yellow interview worksheet and email me or bring in 5-10 photos of your first days in this world. E-mail photos to: markiser@edina.k12.mn.us

Math due Tuesday 9/16:
Complete pages 2-6 in Problem Solver Packet #1

4th Grade:
Language Arts due Wednesday, 9/17:
The Little Prince Unit - Complete day 1 worksheet including reading chapters 1-4, t-chart, questions, character map, and short essay

Math due Tuesday 9/16:
Complete pages 3-6 in Problem Solver Packet #2

5th Grade:
Language Arts due Wednesday 9/17:
Find, read, and be ready to discuss two news articles from two separate regions: local/state/national/world. Try to focus on an issue that you would like to know more about like the environment, weather, sports, school district news, presidential election, world news...

Math due Tuesday, 9/16:
ACE #1-3 on pages 15-16
Extra Credit (for everyone) ACE #18-20 on page 24

Welcome Back!

I hope that everyone had a fantastic summer and was able to relax and have some fun. I can't believe it is already "Back to School" time and we are counting down the hours until September 2nd. I am looking forward to working with everyone again this fall. As you know, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first baby (a surprise) so you may not see me right away in September. My sub will be Mrs. Kiser and you will all love her! She taught Gifted Education prior to me taking the job in 2007.

Each Thursday I will post an update for the weekly homework. Be sure to check back often so you can be up to date with your assignments!

See you soon- Mrs. Plasch

New Books for July

Again, the time has slipped away from me. Sorry it has been so long between my posts. I hope you enjoyed the June books and are ready for a few more! This month I am going to only choose 2 books (since July is already 1/2 over!). Here they are:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by: Trenton Lee Stewart
Four children, Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon, George "Sticky" Washington, Kate "The Great Kate Weather Machine" Wetherall, and Constance Contraire, pass a series of tests advertised in the newspaper. After passing the mind-bending tests, the four children meet Mr. Nicholas Benedict, a man trying to stop something known as "The Thing to Come". Mr. Benedict sends them to The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened (LIVE), where they meet Ledroptha Curtain, a man trying to take over the world using sumbliminal messages.

I thought this book was interesting. It is similar to Harry Potter because it deals with 3 friends who are orphans going to a new school. There is no magic or wizardry, but there is mystery- which is always exciting.

Which character do you identify with the most, and why?

Marley: a dog like no other by: John Grogan
The author wrote this adaptation of his #1 New York Times bestselling Marley & Me just for kids. In his own words, here is the heartwarming and unforgettable story of how this big, rambunctious dog becomes the heart of the Grogan family.
Meet Marley, a yellow furball of a puppy who quickly grows into a large, rowdy Labrador retriever. With an appetite for nearly anything he can get his mouth around, including couches and fine jewelry, Marley is always getting into trouble. Some may say he's the world's worst dog. But those who know and love Marley accept him as a dog like no other. His heart is pure and his larger-than-life personality irresistible. With unconditional love and loyalty, he brings joy to his family, the Grogans, and teaches them what really matters in life.

I absolutely LOVED this book when I read it originally a few years ago. I think this adaptation is wonderful and you will love it too, especially if you have a family pet.

Pets are frequently referred to as “part of the family.” In what ways does
Marley reflect this statement? If you own a pet, does your pet reflect your
family?

Happy Reading!!


P.S. I FINALLY received H.I.V.E from the Library. Long story, but I am excited to read it this weekend. I will let you know what I thought in my next post.

June 27 Reading Discussion

I apologize for missing last Friday's post. I noticed that not many students responded to week 1's post, so maybe I should aim for posting everyother week. I am STILL waiting for H.I.V.E. to arrive from the library, I am beginning to think my request was lost in the summer shuffle. Has anyone else read this yet? I am looking forward to reading it. I finished Lemonade War last week and have been reading ahead to pick some July books. I have found 1 for sure, but it is long, so I may stick with only 2 books for July. We'll see!

So, to the important stuff...Thank you to those of you who responded to my post on 6/13. I had fun reading your comments. I hope more people can join the fun this time around!

The Lightening Thief-
Still the best book I have read this summer. It really reminds me of Gregor the Overlander...have you read that yet? If you like Lightening Thief, then you would LOVE Gregor!

How does the last line of the prophecy – you shall fail to save what matters most in the end – come true? What do you think of this ending? Did Percy make the right choice? What would you have done in his place?

The Lemonade War-
This book was a really quick read. If I hadn't been distracted by the nice weather, I may have finished it in one day! I thought it was a good story about siblings and family relationships. I liked how the little sister researched "good business techniques" in order to make more money at the lemonade stand.

What are some lessons you can learn from this book? Why do you think they are important?

H.I.V.E (Higher Institute for Villianous Education)
As I mentioned above, I am still waiting for this book to arrive at my library. I don't have any new questions this week, if you have read the book, please post a question for the group.

How is Otto like and unlike Harry Potter? Do you see any similarities between the 2 books?

To post your comments, just hit the "comments" button below. Type in your first name only (so we know who is talking) and then write about your thoughts. I will check in periodically during the week to see what everyone is saying!

June 13th reading discussion

I hope the first week of summer was enjoyable & relaxing! I finished The Lightening Thief but haven't started either of the other two books yet. I really loved this book and hope someone else has read it too! I would love to hear what you think! I was trying to decide how to start up a conversation about these books, especially since there are 3...I am not very good at reading more than 1 book at a time. I will post 3 discussion questions each week and leave it up to you readers to comment (instructions below). If you have something else you want to comment on, you can do that as well.

The Lightening Thief-
This was a great book! I loved all the references to Greek Mythology. It made me want to go and check out a book to refresh my memory on all of the Gods and myths that went along with them! Did you feel that way too? Here is a discussion question to get you started:

When describing his mother, Percy says, “She’s the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people get the rottenest luck.” How does this apply to Percy’s mom? Is this theory true in life? In the Greek myths?

The Lemonade War-
I haven't started this book yet. It is next on my list...I think it will be a great one because everyone loves having lemonade stands, right? It is also about sibling rivlary...most of you can relate to that also!!

Have you ever felt competitive with someone you are close to, like a sibling or a good friend? What was the competition about? What did you do? How was it resolved?

H.I.V.E (Higher Institute for Villianous Education)
I am still waiting for this book to be sent to me from the library. It is about a boy who is sent to a school on a volcanic island against his will. He and his friends try desperately to get off the island. It sounds interesting...kind of like a backwards Harry Potter.

How is Otto like and unlike Harry Potter? Do you see any similarities between the 2 books?

To post your comments, just hit the "comments" button below. Type in your first name only (so we know who is talking) and then write about your thoughts. I will check in periodically during the week to see what everyone is saying!

Look for a new post next Friday, Happy Reading!

Mrs. Plasch

Summer Reading Opportunity!

It is almost summer! Time to talk new books :) This summer I will leave my Blog open for students, parents and teachers to talk about some hot new titles. Each month I will choose 3 books to read and will post weekly questions for students to discuss. This is not required reading. Choose any (or all) of the books listed that you are interested in. I think it will be a fun way for us to connect and read some pretty awesome books.

Blogging Terms and Conditions
1. Students using blogs are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts and/or comments. You agree to not post or give out your family name, password, user name, email address, home address, school name, city, country or other information that could help someone locate or contact you in person. You may share your interests, ideas and preferences.

2. Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for your blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

3. Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in this experience.

June Titles: (all are available through the Hennepin County Library)
H.I.V.E.: Highter Institute for Villainous Education
Walden, Mark
13-year-old orphan Otto Malpense, identified as a boy with a special talent for villainy, iskidnapped and taken to the remote Higher Institute of Villainous Education, or H.I.V.E.,where he is enrolled in a 6-year training program and immediately begins formulating aplan to escape.

Lemonade War
Davies, Jacqueline
Evan and his younger sister, Jesse, react very differently to the news that they will be in thesame class for 4th grade and as summer's end approaches, they battle it out throughlemonade stands, each trying to be the first to earn 100 dollars.

Lightning Thief (Book 1: Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
Riordan, Jack
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns his father isthe Greek god Poseidon and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyrand the demigod daughter of Athena, who join him in a journey to the Underworld toretrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.