Friday, July 11, 2008
Relay for Life Car Wash
A special thanks to the students that helped out--Kari, Katie, Trevor S., Nathan P., Dakota B., Molly V., Justin H., Connor H., and Trey W.
And thanks to the parents that helped--Mrs. Haynes, Matt and Kim Cook, and Lisa Deluse.
And thanks to the teachers who participated--Mrs. Griffey, Mrs. Stevenson, and Mrs. Caudill
And thanks to Tom McGuire for grilling the hotdogs!
Details will be posted soon about the Relay on July 19 @ noon at the Circleville High School football field.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Relay for Life and Relay Car Wash
The dates are set for the Relay for Life and the car wash.
The car wash to raise money for the Relay is set for Sunday, July 6 @ 1:00 at the school. There will not be a charge, but we will be accepting donations to go to the Relay for Life. Invite your family and friends to bring their car in to the school.
The Relay for Life is at Circleville High School on July 19 starting at 12:00 until 7:00 A.M. on Sunday morning. Someone from the Relay team will be contacting each member with details, but you can post questions on the comment section and I will be glad to answer them.
If you have the phone number of a member of the Relay Team, give them a call and let them know about the dates.
If you know for sure that you are attending one or both of the events, jump in with a comment to let me know.
See you soon!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Relay for Life
Friday, May 30, 2008
Sixth Grade Outdoor Ed. Camp
GREAT JOB, LAURELVILLE SIXTH GRADERS!
A special thanks to all of the staff members who made this possible including Mrs. Griffey, Mr. Congrove, Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Blubaugh, Mrs. Cartee, Mrs. Bower, Ms. Fraley, and Mrs. Caudill. Also thanks to our special guests, Mr. Guthrie, Deputy Thomas, and Ms. Bowlby.
More on camp later.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Relay for Life
We do have some great news already. VanCuren's Graffics sold Laurelville Elementary Relay for LifeT-shirts for $10. They donated $5.00 of the cost for each shirt sold. Over 90 T-shirts have been sold!
Also, the sixth grade students have been selling window stars for $1 each in the cafeteria every day at lunch. They have sold over 150 stars.
Great job to parents for your help! Hopefully this weekend students will be able to build on this great start!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Where am I #6?
The McGuire family prepares for a trail ride. Just like in the old west, we are heading out. Where am I?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Group Work
Today students had to make 2 lists:
The Top 10 Things That will Help a Group Succeed The Top 10 Things You Don't Want to Happen at Camp
After making the lists, students then shared their top three with the entire sixth grade class. Their lists were interesting, and the groups worked well together. Below is a compilation of the lists.
1. Teamwork
2. Encourage each other and be supportive
3. Respect group members
4. Follow camp rules/behave
5. Try your best
6. Don't give up
7. Respect Oty Okwa staff and teachers
8. Believe in yourself
9. Be Understanding
10.Have fun
And on a lighter note
9. Don't talk to Mrs. Stevenson before she gets a diet Coke in the morning
8. Don't pee in the pool
7. Don't run out of hot water after you go through Fat Man's Squeeze
6. Don't make Mrs. Griffey yell
5. Don't sleep in the bunk next to a snoring female teacher
4. Don't break a leg
3. Don't get poison ivy
2. Don't pass gas at dinner
Monday, May 19, 2008
Outdoor Education Camp
Sixth Grade Camp motivates students to work as a group member to achieve common goals. Activities also push students to achieve individual success and overcoming fears to reach goals.
PLUS, CAMP IS THE MOST FUN YOU CAN POSSIBLY HAVE IN SCHOOL!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
10,000 Hits!
This is remarkable for several reasons.
1. Students are listening.
2. Parents are using this resource.
3. Teachers tune in to see what we are doing.
4. This proves the value of a blogs in education.
5. Parents, students, and teachers are all reading the same thing.
6. Educational issues are being discussed.
7. Students are feeling ownership for the class and what happens here.
8. Where Am I? causes students to think critically and use map skills.
9. Student write with the knowledge that their writing has an audience.
10. Students are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn extra credit.
Thank you to everyone that has stopped by to see what we are doing!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Where am I #5?
Where am I?
Congrats to Josh and Caleb, you get 17 trillion rocks from the shore of extra credit!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Magnetism of Bad Attitudes
Now, this is absolutely the hardest working sixth grade I have ever seen. This really makes a complainer, or someone with a bad attitude stick out.
What is amazing is how bad attitudes attract bad attitudes. They remind me of how
stink is attracted to armpits and old shoes or
ear wax is attracted to a Q-tip or
mustard is attracted to the front of a fat man's shirt or
grass stain is attracted to a 9 year old's knees or
spaghetti is attracted to a first grader's face or
a teenager's ear is attracted to a cell phone or
lipstick is attracted to a collar or
Mrs. Caudill is attracted to dark chocolate or
a 16 year old boy is attracted to his first car or
a sixth grader is attracted to camp or
a teenage girl is attracted to MySpace or
Mrs. Griffey is attracted to new clothes or
Those bad attitudes just love bad attitudes! Do you know of any attractions?
Relay for Life
The Relay for Life at Laurelville Elementary is moving forward. This week, students will be selling window stars for $1.00 to raise money. All of the stars will be posted in the window of the cafeteria.
VanCuren's Graffics is offering Relay for Life T-shirts for sale. Each shirt is $10.00. For each shirt sold, VanCuren's will donate $5.00 to the cause. These will be gray shirts with a Laurelville Elementary/Relay logo. The T-shirt sale will be May 12 -20. Shirts will be delivered on June 2 so we can wear them at the Relay for Life on June 3.
Relay Calendar
5/12-19 T-shirt sale
5/12-19 Star sale in the cafeteria
5/23 2:45 Relay kickoff for the whole school in the gym—envelopes & letters will go home
6/3 9:00 Turn in envelopes in homeroom
6/3 1:30 Assembly in gym with Relay for Life walk around school grounds to follow
Help the cause and purchase a star for only one dollar. The stars are available in the cafeteria at lunch each day and in the school store.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Scary Story
Well, funny you should ask that. The things we will cover include:
1. The plot and developing problems;
2. Descriptive writing and adding supporting details;
3. Punctuating dialogue;
4. Character development;
5. Building a narrative to a climax;
6. Cooperation and writing with a partner;
7. Edditing-git that speling write;
8. Writing with an introduction, body, and conclusion.
The assignment is to write a scary/horror story. BUT, shooting or guns, and stabbing or knives, or killing in any way is NOT allowed! All injuries must be incidental or accidental. The focus is on scaring the reading in only the most imaginative ways!
I can't wait to read them.
Plan for Success in Jr. High
On Friday, May 16, the sixth grade will go to McDowell for their orientation. As they begin to think about their future, what goals should students have to face this new challenge? And, what should their plan be to succeed?
I read this recently on Polski3's View From Here.
Helpful or Coddling?
Teaching 7th graders, every school season I get a good number of them who have absolutely NO organizational skills. Our school gives each student a binder and dividers at the beginning of the school year. Most have backpacks to use for lugging their school stuff... many arrive to us with no organizational skills.
The main problem many have with this is that when it comes time to turn in their work, they can't find it. Their assignment might be in their backpack, crammed amongst the remains of who knows what else in the pile of mulch found in many of their backpacks. Their assignment might be someplace in their binder, if they have a binder.
Will our students be a smiling example of success? Will they hold up "A" papers that prove their ability as jr. high students. Or will they be the Pig Pen from Charlie Brown.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Problems in Writing
Today, students brainstormed a list of problems that could occur in the setting where their scary story takes place. Each partnership came up with problems that might fit in a horror story. These problems had to be realistic enough to be believable, but "sick" enough to fit into a scary fictional narrative.
Once each group came up with a list of 8 - 10 problems, we came to the circle, and shared ideas. Then students revised their essays, inserting new problems and adding details. As we continue writing and improving these stories, I am sure the final drafts will be excellent and eerie.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Carinval of Education
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Two Person Journal
This system has an advantage over a regular journal in that the writer has an audience. Everything written will be read daily. Also, with a peer to share ideas, comments, opinions, and information, it means more. Whether students write about books, school, friends, hobbies, family, or any other topic, they know a reader cares about what they have to say.
I originally did this project with composition notebooks that students shared. Now, with the technology available in Reading Workshop, students keep a common Open Office Word file saved on our file server. They can each write to the file from anywhere in the school. Because there is a computer for each student, they can access their file during class each day, read their partner's post, and respond.
This is a great motivator for students. After all, what does every writer want? To be read, of course.
Where am I #4?
Don't let the sun set, without this view, at the end of the day.
If you think you know, grab a seat and guess away.
If the day was bad, or just okay,
Reading a book here will whisk my troubles away.
You might think that it's a place to pray,
That's sometimes true, depending on the day.
The Church of God are where most guesses lay,
But you better swing some other way.
There is a field in front, you could say,
With horses grazing through the day.
I might soon go there, but not today,
Although this spot will keep the rain away.
In fact, it's a nice spot for a mini soiree.
Or, to get over a school day filled with disarray.
Me and my diet Dew overcoming the fray,
Of wrong guessing students at school today.
Just looking at the picture is no way to play,
Think about what the clues convey.
Dillon was so so close guessing yesterday,
But, close doesn't win this game we play.
Congratulations to the KW's because hey,
They guessed it right, I may be there today.
Monday, May 5, 2008
How Do You Feel About Reading?
If you don't already know, reading is an important part of your education. Reading can give you knowledge and entertainment. If you don't read you probably can't comprehend some of the most basic Social Studies, Science, Math and Writing skills. The only reason why you can't do these things is because you don't read enough! I know some people don't like to read, but sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do!
As I said earlier, some people don't like reading, but I do! Reading has helped me get A's in all of my school subjects. When I was in 3rd grade I didn't enjoy reading that much. That was before I found out about the Harry Potter books! After that I started to try more and more books until I found the right genre. The genre that I like the most to this day is realistic fiction. Realistic fiction is like where the things that happen in the book can be real, but they are not proven facts.
If you want to know where to get some really good realistic fiction books I would look in Mr. McGuire's bookshelf. Some of the best books that I read were The Outsiders, Party Girl, Define Normal, Kira Kira, Star Split and the Watchers series.
To end my post I wanted to ask you some questions about your reading habits.
1.What kind of books do you read?
2.How often do you read?
3.Do you like reading?
4. Do you read as a hobby?
Role of Technology in Education
Parents, students, and teachers, how should technology be incorporated into education? What would the ideal Reading Workshop look like? What would reading and writing instruction look like? What processes would we follow? What activities would take place in this "ideal" classroom? What would determine success?
Friday, May 2, 2008
Learning Styles
Just follow the link, take the test, and then print out the results.
Felder and Soloman, researchers for NCSU look at four areas of learners in their report of Learning Styles and Strategies. Listed below is a breakdown of the areas.
Active and Reflective Learners
Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others.
Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first.
Sensing and Intuitive Learners
Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike surprises.
Intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts. Intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative.
Visual and Verbal Learners
Visual learners remember best what they see--pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations.
Verbal learners get more out of words--written and spoken explanations.
Sequential and Global Learners
Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in steps, with each step following logically from the previous one.
Global learners tend to learn in large jumps. Global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together once they have grasped the big picture.
My Results
The chart below shows the results from my test. As you can see, I am strongly an intuitive, global learner, with a tilt towards visual learning. Basically, this means I tend to work quickly, always looking for new ideas, and need to see the whole concept. I need to picture an idea to understand it.
What is your learning style? What does this tell you about how you learn best?
Why Blog?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Brain Teaser
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
New School
As the Logan Elm Local School District searches for a new superintendent, the leading candidate, Mrs. Jan Broughton, current superintendent, Portsmouth City Schools, helped her current district achieve this. Logan Elm currently ranks 371 out of 612 districts by the Ohio School Facility Commission for matching state funds. Most of the schools up through the first 300 either already have new schools, or are in the process. We will soon be eligible.
Almost every district in our area has new buildings. You will see new buildings if you drive by Amanda, Southeastern, Adena, Huntington, Teays Valley, Canal Winchester, Logan Hocking, Unioto, Westfall, and many others.
Are our one hundred year old building good enough? Do we need air conditioning? Would it help if classrooms were bigger, so students would have more room? Would Laurelville Elementary students learn more in a new setting? Would more students succeed?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Achievement Test, Some Took it, Some Didn't
Now, supposedly this test is no different that the other versions ( of which there are several), but for some reason, which was not explained to the district, all IEP students must take this specific test. These will then, without a doubt, be graded as a group.
For more information regarding this law read the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also know as No Child Left Behind. Basically this law requires schools and districts to focus their attention on the academic achievement of traditionally under-served groups of children, such as low-income students, and students with disabilities. The whole purpose of this act was to guarantee that all students achieve and are treated equally. It makes a teacher wonder why our Ohio Department of Education claims to be supportive, but then forces IEP students to all take a specific version of the OAT. Oh, and by the way, students will take the test whenever they arrive.
You can read more about this in the Columbus Dispatch's article State Goofs, Prints too Few Tests.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Teen Writing, r u lol
How has the use of electronic writing affected you? How has it helped? What problems has it caused? With only one month left in the school year, should language arts instruction be changed to reflect this? And if so, how?
Pew Internet & American Life Project researched Writing, Technology and Teens. The study looked at the effect of modern technology on students' writing.
This is a significant issue based on their conclusion that 85% of teens ages 12-17 engage at least occasionally in some form of electronic personal communication, which includes text messaging, sending email or instant messages, or posting comments on social networking sites.
This table summarizes some of the findings of the study.
The complete findings of this study can be viewed here.
Are texting, IM'ing, MySpace, Facebook, blogging and email ruining the next generation of writers, or will they make them the best ever?
Friday, April 25, 2008
A Sure Sign of Success
Well, they always make sure you know. Thanks to Amanda for sharing some love for The Reading Workshop.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Secret to Success
Dean Rieck, wrote this in his blog, Copyblogger, discussing the secret to success in his post The "Chicken Plucking" Secret of Success.
So the questions are, do you have it in you to be successful on the test? And, what do you have to do personally to perform at your best? What is your plan for success on Monday?
Achievement Vocabulary
Why say: How does the ending show what the writer felt?
When you could say: Analyze how the author's purpose is defined throughout the conclusion. Use detailed description to illustrate your position.
Now, I get that this is a reading test, but geesh, ask the question! It almost seems like the test writers from the Ohio Department of Education find the most difficult way possible to ask a question.
Anyhow, today we looked at specific words necessary to understand test questions. You can view most of the words at the Reading Workshop Wikipage. Students studied in rotating four person groups and then we had the big challenge. Students played Around the World, defining the words.
Congratulations to the winners: Shayna T., Micah L., Connor H., and Shelby C.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Achievement Test Tips
Here is the Real Top 10, Baby!
Go to bed early, and get a good night’s sleep.
Eat a good Breakfast.
Come prepared (three sharpened pencils, erasers, highlighter, SSR book)
10 Questions every 30 minutes
Read the questions before you read the passage, so you know what you are looking for.
Skim the article
Highlight the important information in the article and the questions.
Reread questions and look for key words. DON’T GUESS if you don’t know the answer to a question. Take a deep breath, read the question again, and look back into the selection.
Restate the question and number your answer
When you are done, go back and double check your answers.
Fantastic Commenter
Congrats to the KW's for being selected as the Outstanding Commenters for April. Katie and Kari consistently post with great comments that are well written. You can find their opinions all through the blog. They were two of the first to comment, and continue to join in on almost all discussions.
Congratulations to Trevor S. for also being selected as the Fantastic Commenter for the month of April. He was selected due to his well thought out comments and clean, easy to understand commenting (And his mom posted too).
Trevor S. said...
I think bringing a CD into school and listening to it for the day is awesome. Listening to music helps me focus on my school work or any work. I got a high percentage in the accelerated category on my OAT test. I know that is not as I high as some people in this class but I tried. However I did better listening to music than I had ever done. My mom was not so sure about letting me bring in a CD to school, until she saw the blog. Thanks Mr. McGuire for letting us do such a cool thing.
And his mom said:
Mr.McGuire,
I encourage both of my boys (Trevor & Brayden) to learn all they can now while they are in school. I think all parents want that for their children. Your knowlege will get you everywhere you want to go in the future. When you grow up it is a tough world out there. And it just keeps on getting tougher! Take advantage of the time you have now to learn all you can. When you get out in the real world there are no free lunches! Go to school and learn and have fun. You are only a kid once so enjoy it!
P.S. I'll have my eyes peeled for the McGuire family when we go out to eat!!
Steph Swackhamer
Stay tuned as I will feature the intelligent thoughts of other commenters soon.
Special thanks to the Dangerously Irrelevant Blog for the idea and the certificate!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Achievement Test Success Ahead
I know you have been working hard to prepare for the Achievement Test. One week from today, you will have the opportunity for success. And, SUCCEED YOU WILL!
Listen While You Work
"You can put on your headphones, play a CD, and listen to music as you work." Students almost fell out of their seats when I told them they could start doing this on Monday. They had never heard of anything like this. First it was singing in the class. Now, we are experimenting with this in language arts. Due to the fact that each students has his/her own computer, each has a CD ROM at their desk.
There are a few rules:
1. You put a CD in the computer at the start of class, and leave it for the entire class.
2. You cannot play it loud, or bother peers.
3. Once you hit play, you must work.
There are several benefits when students play background music while they study, read, or write:
1. increase attention levels
2. improve retention and memory
3. extend focused learning time
4. expand thinking skills
In the brain there is a band of white fibers connecting the right and left halves of the cerebrum called the corpus callosum. Very recently researchers have discovered that the corpus callosum increases in size when humans are exposed to music. This increases communication between the two halves of the brain which increases learning efficiency.
Yiftach Levy of the Department of Educational Technology at San Diego State University studied the use of background music in the classroom. This is part of his finding.
Davidson and Powell (1986) took up this exact subject in their study of American fifth-grade science students. They reported the observations of on-task-performance (OTP) of children in the classroom over 42 class sessions, with data recorded every three minutes (10 times) per session. Treatment, in the form of easy-listening music, was delivered in between two control observations (i.e., 15 sessions without background music, 15 with, and 12 without, in that order). They determined a significant increase in OTP for the males in the classroom, and for the class as a whole.
You can read the entire report HERE.
Students have the opportunity to listen to music as they work. How will they respond?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Haiku
1. Three lines with 17 syllables in the pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables
2. Only one topic
3. Traditionally about nature and/or seasons
4. Does not rhyme
5. Written in present tense
6. Stirs the imagination
Sunshine by J. McGuire
Breaking through treetops
filtering golden beauty
bringing in the day
Spring By Alina S.
Daffodils and crocuses
Blooming everywhere
When it Rains by Josh P.
Clouds roaring with fierce
Lightening attacks with anger
Peaceful when rain stops
they are purple and yellow
they are spring flowers
Mushrooms by Sean C.
see those mushrooms, see them.
go and pick them please
Wildfire by Shelby C.
Bright like a wild fire
suddenly stepping forward,
out of plane nothing.
out of the rich dark brown soil
their bright pedals glow
look at the big sunflower
what a hot nice day
Morels by Mrs. Bower
Delicacies hiding low
cool, damp, sunny day.
Carpenter Bees by Mrs. Bower
Angry, droning pests
Aggressively drilling holes
wood chewing insect.
Pot O' Gold at the bottom
An arch of color
Walking in the Woods by Brittany M.
Walking in the woods
alone looking for a waterfall
it's close when it's cool.
Around and around it goes
Going on forever
Wandering through the forest
Gentle animals.
Grass by Amanda K.
long, soft cut, pokey
green, soft, rough, up in the air
falling all over
in the sky so high above
Fly by day and night.
Birds by Brianna G.
birds fly in the air
cardinals and red tailed hawks
what beautiful birds.
The trees of the damp
forest move swiftly by my
eyes with great beauty.
Hard Working Students
Where is this student? Well, he is not in Reading Workshop. On our sixth day of school this week, I couldn't be prouder of the effort put forth by the sixth graders at Laurelville. Great job to all of the hard working students, giving it all to be successful!
The reasons why I come to school are...
1. Well I have to by law
2. Learning is is fun to me.
3. I get to play basketball.
4. I get to talk to friends.
5. It will help me get a good job in the future.
6. How are you going to get smart just sitting at home. (Home school does not count).