End of a Great Week!

We are ending a week that was action packed! It was fun, but we're all ready to enjoy our weekend. It's hard to believe that we're approaching our last week before break!

The slideshow has pictures taken of the students during Science class. They were conducting an experiment involving the topic of pressure and volume of a gas. Enjoy!

We concluded our visit from Fritz Ottenheimer today, and heard from German student Theresa Bachmann. She was filmed with Mr. Ottenheimer. Theresa was 18 years old when filmed and had taken a year off after high school to share with students about the Holocaust. Her story was heartfelt, and we learned from her how it feels to be German after the horrific events that took place during Hitler's reign. One of the most important thoughts that Mr. Ottenheimer and Miss Bachmann left us with was that prejudice is poisonous. He left us with a strong and positive message to look at people individually instead of lumping them together and making one judgement about them. We felt lucky to hear from these kind, positive people. It was a great way to wrap-up our novel.

Homework:
Reading - Our test for 'From a Spark' will be on Monday. Also be ready for your spelling test.
Writing - The draft of your thank you note is due Monday.
Wellness - The decision paragraph for Mr. Barzan is due Monday.

Fritz Ottenheimer

The very best way to learn about history is through a primary source. Today, we heard from author, speaker, and retired mechanical engineer, Fritz Ottenheimer. He wrote the book Escape and Return, an autobiography, in which he details the first 14 years of his life in Constance, Germany during the time of Hitler's reign, as well as the years beyond. Mr. Ottenheimer was twice a guest at McD's Cafe. During his second visit, he was filmed (with his permission) so that his story could be told again and again to students. What he shared helped us to empathize with the Jewish people.

Since some of the injustice began when Fritz was only 8 years old, his first emotional reactions seemed to be shock and confusion. Once, when giving his talk at Seton Hill University, he said, "Our synagogue; our beautiful house of God, had been blown up by the Nazis. I was stunned. Why would they do that? Why?" His parents had said that they felt Hitler would not last long in power, but he did, and his power grew.

Mr. Ottenheimer's talk also helped us to grow in our understanding of our most recent novel Number the Stars. He shared the term propaganda with us; explaining how it was used by the Nazi government to convince people in Germany to believe certain things about the Jewish people.

Even though Fritz Ottenheimer did not visit us in person this time, we enjoyed his story. He's a wonderful teacher.

Today's class meeting topic was anger. We discussed whether it is viewed as a positive or negative emotion and whether there are ever situations where it is appropriate. Eventually, we discussed things that cause us mild anger and things that cause us to be furious. Ways we control anger or calm down were beginning to be shared when we closed our meeting. Next week, we'll continue our discussion of anger.

Books were exchanged in Library today!

Homework:
Reading - Number the Stars final will be tomorrow.
Math - First page of packet due tomorrow.
Spelling - Study words and review story. Test on Monday
Paragraphs due for Mr. Barzan on Monday.

Singing Loud for All to Hear!

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" Today, we were treated to a beautiful concert by the students in our band and chorus groups. It was fabulous! If you missed it during the morning, please come this evening! Guaranteed, you will leave with a smile on your face!

Homework:
Reading - Top Ten List is due for Reading tomorrow. Final exam for Number the Stars will be on Friday.
Math - Quiz this Friday.
Spelling - Continue to study your words.
Class Mtg. - Shoe is due tomorrow.

Elves, Elves, Everywhere!

"I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, through the sea of swirly, twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel. Finally, I saw the beautiful school of C.I.S.! Cheerful, festive music could be heard, as Mr. Gasper's and Mrs. McIlvaine's groups of talented elves took part in their final practice for tomorrow's concert! I can't wait to hear this concert! It'll be more entertaining than eating syrup on spaghetti!" - Buddy the Elf

In addition to rehearsals for the concert, our Language Arts classes sharpened skills to improve our comprehension. We read a story called 'Through Maggie's Eyes' and applied the skill of making predictions. At the spelling station, we solved puzzles and games using our assigned words on computer. We also spent time writing to complete our Top Ten List assignment and an open-ended prompt for Mr. Barzan about a decision that we made (relating to his recent visits).

The afternoon classes were shorter due to rehearsals, but we were able to fit in all but the final preliminary round of the National Geographic Geography Bee. It was a productive day!

Homework:
Reading - Top Ten List is due this Thursday. Final test on 'Number the Stars' on Friday.
Math - Prime factorization packet and quiz tomorrow.
Class Meeting - Shoe due Thursday.
Mr. Barzan letter due Monday.

TOMORROW IS THE CONCERT! CHORUS AND BAND...BE READY!

Is it Proper to Capitalize a Proper Noun?

The answer is YES! It IS PROPER to capitalize a PROPER NOUN! Today, as a group, we brainstormed lists of common and proper nouns. Common nouns refer to any person, place, thing, or idea, but proper nouns are special names of people, places, things, or ideas. For instance, the word principal doesn't need to be capitalized within a sentence, but Mr. Chambers does. Together, we corrected a paragraph with eleven capitalization mistakes, and our group did well. Many of us needed to review, as we do not take the time to capitalize when sending text messages on our phones. This has led to a few bad habits that have transferred to our daily writing.

Are you aware of the many important natural resources found in Latin America? Our team is! The people of Latin America have riches on land, in the sea, and under the sea! In addition, they have rich soil and a climate perfect for growing many important crops. Mrs. Mac's favorite is coffee, but a close second is cacao (used in making chocolate). Tomorrow, we'll continue to learn about the many minerals, precious metals, and fuels that are important to Latin America's economy. We will also continue the preliminary rounds of the National Geographic Geography Bee.

Mr. Barzan visited to present his third lesson! Today's lesson focused on decision making. He talked about what goes into decision making and how peers influence our decisions. Yes, for better or worse....our friends do influence our decisions. Mr. Barzan shared a video of students who were presented with situations that caused them to make decisions. The most important points that came from today's discussion and examples were: 1. A good decision hurts no one. (So, ask yourself...if I do this, and the worst happens, can I live with the choice?) 2. A good decision always lets you be who you are. (Ask yourself...is this decision consistent with my values?) Many decisions are not easy, especially when friends are trying to get you to go along with them. Today's lesson gave us some things to think about.

Homework:
Reading - Your Top Ten list is due Thursday. Also, be prepared for your final on Friday (Number the Stars)
Math - Divisibility sheet
Writing - Grammar p. 31