December 14, 2012

Read all about this week's highlights and be sure to post a response!  We wish you all a happy, healty holiday season.

-Alites

Time for Kids

By Logan, Chris and Michael

This week we read about the coolest inventions of the year.  We looked at everything from an electronic dog to a non-stick liquid.  Also, we saw a 3-D printer and Google glasses. Then Mrs. Aloe and Mrs. White let us go onto the computer to see them in action.  We understood the true value of all the inventions of 2012. Some of the inventions were quite spectacular.  We all hope you get to see these in action.

Star of Fear, Star of Hope

By Madeline, Stephanie and Daniel

In class we read a book called Star of Fear, Star of Hope. This book was about the Holocaust. The narrator, Helen, who was not Jewish, had a friend named Lydia, who was Jewish. One day Lydia’s mom told her she had to sew a yellow star on her jacket because it identified her as Jewish. That day Helen was celebrating her birthday so Lydia slept over. During the sleepover they hear a person calling out in the hallway outside the apartment, “Open up, its Madam 11 o’clock”. Then they heard more foot steps and Madam 11 o’clock dashed up the stairs to the next floor. A moment later, another person came banging against the door saying, “Open up it’s the Midnight Ghost”. Suddenly he heard footsteps and dashed up to the next floor. At that moment, Helen’s parents came home and Helen and Lydia told them about the visitors.  Helen’s parents went out into the hallway to find out what was going on. Apparently those names the woman and man used were code name so the Nazi soldiers wouldn’t get them. That is when the family learned that every Jewish person would be arrested and sent away that same night. Lydia noticed  that Madam 11 o’clock was wearing the same star on her shirt as Lydia. Then Lydia said she wanted to go home. Helen’s dad took her home and then Helen never saw Lydia ever again. It was a sad and great book to read. So if you’re interested in reading about the Holocaust you should definitely pick it up. You won’t be disappointed.

Pioneer Simulation

By Sakina, Emilie, and Becca

                       

In Social Studies we have been learning about pioneers. Our table groups became members of a wagon train. We have faced many problems along the way.  Each train moves along the trail based on the number of points that they earn through journal entries, trail decisions, and frontier fates. We just finished trail decision number two, and nobody earned any points. We had to decide whether to proceed along the Burial Grounds Trail or The Cheyenne River Trail. All the wagon trains took the Cheyenne River Trail, but unfortunately we all got into some trouble along the way. The Burial Grounds Trail would have been quicker and safer. Our concern was that we wouldn’t find water on the trail or possibly get attacked by Native Americans. The Cheyenne River Trail was a very long trail but it was supposed to be safer with a good amount of water and a less chance of getting attacked. We were wrong! It’s very exciting to hear the results. We are learning so much about the pioneer experience through our simulation.

Math

By Brian, Steven, and PJ

In math this week we learned about PEMDAS. It stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction. It is how we solve a math problem using the Order of Operations.  For example, we need to use PEMDAS to solve complex problems like 2*3+7-(8+2). We remember the steps because we think of the phrase Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

Van Gogh Café

By Caitlin, Kyra, and Yunseo

           

We started a new read aloud called The Van Gogh Café. Clara and Mark own a café called The Van Gogh Café. It used to be a theater and it is full of magic. We think that the stars in the Van Gogh Café came from the painting called Starry Night by Van Gogh. We have a booklet where we write a response to each chapter. The main characters are Mark and Clara. We think Clara’s parents are divorced because her mom lives in N.Y.C, and her dad lives in Kansas with her. We are excited to continue this book and discover the magic that comes alive in each chapter.

Cell Models

By Rachel, Adam and Jared

This week in science we made cell models using a plastic bag, uncooked pasta and many types of beans. We put the plastic bag in a cup and poured all of the beans and pasta in the bag along with warm and cold water. The mixture smelled terrible. There was also a plastic egg for the nucleus and inside the egg there was a piece of string that was 6 feet long to represent DNA. We put the string in the egg and then put the egg in the bag. Then we tied them up tight and left them in the classroom until the end of the day.  As the day went on they solidified and when we arrived home we put them in the refrigerator.  We had a lot of fun making these cell models and hope to do more cool experiments in science soon.

Volleyball

By Austin, Trevor and Sanjyot

It is Cantiague’s favorite time of the year in the gym!  It’s Volleyball time!  When you say volleyball it may not sound that interesting, but at Cantiague it’s a whole different story.  The top team is The Philippines Fudge. There is tie for second place; the Belgium Waffles and the Taiwan Pandas.  Sanjyot and I are on the Pandas and Trevor is on the Belgium Waffles.  I think we are going to win.  Trevor thinks his team is going to win. Let’s settle this in the GYM!