We Have New Laptops

It was like opening a birthday present!
Mrs. Ellis's Class cracked open the new laptop cart today.  It was fun working with this class as we set up the brand new laptops.  This class was so excited!  Students have not had laptops at Proctor School before and the novelty was evident in their smiles.  The students handled this like 21st Century Pros.  Using google chrome, students first created a bookmark for the Proctor School website. Then it was time to work.  The Fifth Grade had taken a field trip to Sturbridge Village and their assignment was to write a blog post about it.
Visit Mrs. Ellis's Kidblog page to read about their experience.  Leave them a comment.  They would love to hear from you.  Have you ever been to Sturbridge Village before?

Students use their username and password to login.

Kidblog was the site today.

Happy faces logging in to kidblog.

Creating a post about their Sturbridge Village field trip,

Summer Blogging

 Summer Blog

 

Dear Students,

During the summer your Kidblog page will be kept active.

You will be able to log in to your new Class in July.  How exciting!

We are so excited that you will to be sharing your reading and writing with others.

 

*Reading Challenge:

 

Write a detailed summary of a book you read this summer, but be sure not to give the ending away. Make the reader of your blog want to read this book and leave you a comment.

 

Title your post with the The Title  (underlined and capital letters)

The One and Only Ivan

Include the author and genre in your post.

 

Your post needs to be self-edited and will be submitted for review when completed. Remember that if you have too many errors, your post will not be published.

 

Use this link for a list of Newbery Award Books if you are looking for suggestions.

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal

 

*Writing:

 

Your blog may also continue your personal writing by posting original stories and poems.

You may include a Summer Destination writing piece by describing a place you have visited.

 

*Comments:

All comments on the blog should be written in a friendly letter format and be sure not to reveal any personal information.  Remember to add new information and get a conversation going.

 

Student Blogs can be found on Mrs. Klipfel’s Blog on the Blog Tab

and on the Proctor School website:

http://www.tritownschoolunion.com/proctor

 

Questions? Contact Mrs. Klipfel   pklipfel@topsfieldps.org

Have a fun summer!

 

**In order to make this a fun summer experience; we will be giving prizes in the fall for all students with posted entries. 

 

   

Simple Machines

Fourth Graders have been hard at work studying Simple Machines.  Students worked in Kidblog to create a written post about a simple machine.  Check out their posts.  I know they would love a comment. 

Mrs. Murphy's Class Blog

   

As a culminating activity students created an educreations project to share their knowledge.

 

  http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/simple-machines-by-mrs-murphy-s-class/16553243/?ref=link

Mrs. Murphy reviewing Kidblog posts with students.



Using Kinex to create Simple Machines.



Students collaborating to create the pictured example.

 

 

Letter From the Revolutionary War

"There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!" -- John Hancock after signing his name in large letters on the Declaration of Independence

 

"The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I Am Not A Virginian, But An American!" -- Patrick Henry in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party.

“I have not yet begun to fight.”   John Paul Jones

 

It has been a very exciting time in Fifth Grade this month.  The students are studying the Revolutionary War.  Some are doing a web quest, others are researching battles, and some are writing letters from a Partiot or Loyalist point of view.  The portal includes many resources for research.  http://guest.portaportal.com/proctorgradefive

 

Mrs. Ellis's Class used Kidblog to write a letter to King George III.  Click on the link and spend some time reading these well thought out letters.  They would love a comment.

 

http://kidblog.org/MrsEllisClassBlog/

 

Mrs. Boucher's Class read these letters and are writing a response to the author of the letter.  They were responsible for adding new information.  Check out their letters.

 

http://kidblog.org/MrsBouchersClass-5B/

 

   

Kidblog

Kids Are Bloggers Too!  

Students at Proctor School have begun blogging.  The students are very excited to be sharing their writing digitally and to a wider audience.  We looked at the cluster map on my blog and discovered that blogs are read all around the world.  Fasten your seat belt and take a journey with these young bloggers.
Comments are always welcome.

 

You might have noticed a new page listed at the top of my blog titled Student Blogs. We are using the site Kidblog.  Students have their own blog pages associated with their classroom.    As blogging was introduced, we had a discussion about rules for blogging.  Students signed a contract.(see below)  We talked about writing thoughtful blog posts and comments that add new information.  At times, classes will be using this as a way to post written assignments.  No more carrying notebooks back and forth. 

It has been a lot of fun reading original poems and stories.

Take some time and check out their blogs. 

 

 

"Kidblog is built by teachers, for teachers, so students can get the most out of the writing process. Our mission is to empower teachers to embrace the benefits of the coming digital revolution in education. As students become creators - not just consumers - of information, we recognize the crucial role of teachers as discussion moderators and content curators in the classroom. With Kidblog, teachers monitor and control all activity within their classroom blogging community."