Sunday, October 28, 2012

Free Science + Social Studies Printables!

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Hello friends,

Here are a few of my favorite science and social studies projects from the last few years. If you click on the image, you can download a free printable!


California Mission Tri-Fold


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American Heroes


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Solar System Project

 

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Community Service Projects 


I originally created these projects for grades 3-5, but you can adapt them for other grades as well. A complete list of printables can be found on our website. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for Reading Freebies in my next post...

Friday, October 19, 2012

Cover Letters

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cover letter is a type of business letter that's sent to an employer when you're applying for a job. A cover letter explains to the employer why you want a particular job and what makes you qualified for it.

Cover letters explain your experience and qualifications in detail. The ability to write a good cover letter shows employers that you have strong communication skills.

A cover letter should be less than one page long. It's also important for a cover letter to be single-spaced, clearly written, without errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.

Click on the image below to see a sample cover letter with helpful guidelines. 


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TIPS:
Here are a few cover letter tips from Quintessential Careers:
  • Whenever possible, address your cover letter to a named individual
  • Grab the reader's attention by writing an appealing first paragraph
  • Highlight your three to four key accomplishments/skills/experiences
  • Focus on the fit between your qualifications and the job requirements
  • Whenever possible, relate yourself to the company
  • Never include any negative information
  • End your letter by requesting an interview
  • Mention that you will follow-up your letter -- and then do so
  • Cover letters should be kept to under one page; electronic versions even shorter
  • Avoid all types of mistakes, including typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors
___________________________________________________________________

OTHER RESOURCES:

Read Write Think always comes up with fun, interactive tools, such as...


...and...

Check out this handy dandy Resume Generator!


Now, when the time comes to apply for a job, you will be set! I look forward to your cover letters. If you create a resume, I'd love to see that too!

Show Me the Story!

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This week in Creative Writing, we learned about making our writing more descriptive by showing the reader what is happening in the scene. Good writing tends to draw an image in the reader’s mind instead of just telling the reader what to think or believe. Readers are smart! We can read through the lines! Give us some credit!

"If you find your writing feeling flat, particularly fiction or narrative nonfiction writing, step back and imagine your scene yourself. What sounds do you hear? What smells are in the air? What expression does your character have on his face? What are his motivations? Once you are deeper in your own imagination, see if you can make your writing better by adding a few specifics and transporting the readers to the scene you have in your mind." (Grammar Girl)

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The following description was written by Jordan.
Can you imagine Tommy in your head as you read?

    Tommy was one of those kids.  He was one those kids that people would look at and get angry.  He went to a school where he would pull pranks on the teacher, and annoy his classmates.  Sometimes, he would pull pranks on the wrong person and would get beat up, but he didn’t care. He liked what he did.

    One day, he came up with the best prank he’d ever thought up.  He was going to fill up a big inflatable swimming pool in the classroom, and fill it with goldfish.  He spent a long time devising how he would pull this off, and when the time came, he was ready.  He snuck out of his house and rushed down to the school.  The next morning, the teacher walked to her door, opened it up, saw the pool, and muttered to herself, “Tommy.”  

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Nice job, Jordan! What is the golden line? Pick your favorite word or sentence from the description above and type it in the comment box.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Bookworms

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I have a bazillion favorite books. I love reading children's chapter books, autobiographies and young adult fiction. Last summer, I enjoyed the sunny days with a book in hand. Out of all the books I read, here are a few that I think you might like too...


Autobiographies: 


Teen Fiction: 


Children's Chapter Books: 



Click on the book covers to learn more!
Tell us about a book that you recommend and I will add it to the list in the sidebar!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Be Cyber Safe!

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Last month, in Computer Literacy we learned about Internet Safety. When I was looking for information on the topic, I came across this nifty poster created by CTAP. If you would like to print a copy and post it in your work area or near the family computer, click here.


Share something you learned about Internet Safety or "Netiquette" 
 by leaving a comment below!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Chicken Little Lots

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Okay, so my friend told me about a little known fact...

You can buy a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken, off the bone, at Costco for a great price! Already. Off. The. Bone. You just go up to the meat/deli department window and ask the guy for "rotisserie chicken off the bone." He will hand you a nifty package like the one pictured below. I picked this one up today - 2.5 pounds for $10.99 (that's about two fat bone-in chickens)!



I don't know about you, but I use rotisserie chicken for tacos, enchiladas, soups, sandwiches, and any other "in a hurry" dish that requires chicken. There are tons of recipes online. Here are a few good ones:
...and I'm sure there are many more on Pinterest!

So next time you go to Costco, pick up a couple packs of chicken. You can always freeze a pack too!