Thursday, December 20, 2012

Dear Families,

We had so much fun learning from each other during our pioneer presentations.  We just had to share these photos with you!  Your children are truly special individuals and we love them all.

Have a wonderful holiday.
-Alites
Austin as Crazy Horse


Madeline as Wyatt Earp


The founders of the Mormon Church...
Adam as Joseph Smith and Chris as Brigham Young


Yunseo as Jesse James


Sanjyot as Chief Joseph


Brian as Kit Carson


Emilie as Laura Ingalls Wilder


                                 Kyra as Charles Russell


Steven as Davy Crockett


                              Michael as President Jefferson


Trevor as Levi Strauss


Stephanie as Sacagawea


Daniel as Buffalo Bill Cody


PJ as William Clark

Sakina as General Custer


Caitlin as Meriwether Lewis

Friday, December 14, 2012

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!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Read all about this week's highlights! 
Feel free to leave a post.
-Alites


Cells
By Yunseo, Michael

            In science this week we learned about cells. Ms. O’Neil (our science teacher) compared the parts of the cell to our school. For instance, the vacuole is the school vault. Then we watched videos about single celled organisms. We were able to recite every part of the cell when we came out of the science lab. Under the guidance of Ms. O’Neil learning about cells became fun. We will keep you posted about the things we are learning in the science lab.  



Holiday Boutique
By Steven, Kyra, Emilie, and Stephanie

On Wednesday we went to the Holiday Boutique. There were a lot of items to buy for Hanukah, Christmas, and other holidays. You could buy gifts for your brother, Mom, Dad, and other people in your family or friends. Some items were speakers for sports teams, Goo, jewelry and toys. The holiday boutique was very fun.


Making Meaning
By Rachel and Sakina

            This week we read a book called Uncle Jed’s Barbershop. In the book, we learned about segregation and how white people were treated much better than colored people. The narrator was a girl named Sarah Jean who became sick.  The doctors in the hospital would not help her until all the white people were looked after. Sarah Jean needed surgery which cost $300. Her Uncle Jed, paid for the surgery and took the money out of his barbershop fund. Uncle Jed refused to give up.  He kept saving for his dream of owning a barbershop. Finally, he achieved his goal of opening a successful barbershop and earned all of the money by cutting people's hair. We learned that if you work hard at something you can achieve it, no matter what color you are.


Westward Ho!
Madeline, Sanjyot & Austin


Our wagon trains have just hit the trail heading west. We went shopping for supplies to help us survive on the trail. We could only carry a certain amount of weight on our wagon. We’ve already had to face challenges.  For example, we were on our way to Prairie Wells to get water and when we got there the guards told us that the once free water now cost ten dollars. As a team, each wagon had to come up with possible solutions to the problem.   The wagon master got to choose the final decision. We will see what happens next!


Math Graphing
By Becca, Adam and Daniel

This week in math we started graphing. We learned about bar graphs and line graphs. To learn about bar graphs, each person got a bag of M&Ms. As a group we counted all the M&Ms and made a bar graph poster. Our posters are hanging all over the classroom. While learning about line graphs we made a line graph about the height of Jack’s beanstalk. Today we did a check-in on graphing and finding averages.


Volleyball
By Brian and Chris

In gym, we started a volleyball league. The teams are Taiwan, Philippines, Belgium, Austria, Romania, and Sweden. The league lasts for about 2 weeks, and then we have the playoffs. Every team makes the playoffs. The teams have to make a poster about their country. Currently, Taiwan is doing the best, at 2-0. Mr. Bailin and Mr. Chaney are the referees. The fifth grade loves volleyball!


Tuck Everlasting
By Logan, PJ and Trevor

Last week we finished a fascinating book called Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit.  Mae Tuck was sent to jail for killing the man in the yellow suit. She was to be sent to the gallows as a punishment for murder. The problem was that Mae couldn’t die because she drank the magic water. Winnie Foster decided she had to help save Mae or the secret of the spring would be revealed. Winnie helped saved Mae and then had to decide whether to drink the water when she turned sixteen.  In the end, Winnie chose to live a normal life and did not drink from the spring. Some people in the class wish she had decided to drink the water and live happily ever after with Jesse.

We used magazine clippings and modge podge to create magic bottles inspired by Tuck Everlasting.