Quick Writes!

Once a month, we get together to write and share our stories. The fun part is that we only have one minute to plan our story and three minutes to write. The prompts somehow relate to the month's events and the stories are quite entertaining. It's fun to share the stories when we're done because the are all unique! It's amazing how many stories can come from the same prompt!

Here are Bethany's stories from this month...

I carefully opened the heart shaped box, when suddenly... the chocolates exploded in my face! I said to Jenny, not much of a gift is it? Trevor (my brother) came out and said, "Cool!" and he took some. I said never mind the gooey chocolate on my face. And he walked away. My mom walked out and said, "What happened to you?" I said, "Chocolate exploded on my face."

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General Washington turned to his men and shouted... I declare War! One of his men said, "What for?" He said, "I don't really know. Never mind go get me some exploding chocolate." Thank you! Back to your station."

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The groundhog woke from a sound sleep when something... was thumping on the ground! He was really mad because he was having a dream about George Washington declaring war, but then called it off, and had a box of exploding chocolates. He went outside to see what it was and saw that it was just hail, and went back inside his burrow to resume.

Way to go Bethany! I love the way your stories all relate! Very creative.

When it's time to write a story and you're not sure how to begin, try quick writing. You'll be surprised how much you can get down on paper in three minutes. 

 If you have a Quick Write to share, send it to me!

Lego Me

It's a good day when your inbox includes 100 Lego Dudes.

Especially when one of them is you.

Here I am with all my favorite Lego peeps!

 

I am pretty awesome.

Please notice my Oranges & Peaches book and my coffee mug that says, "Shhhhh."

Thanks Jasper!

Universally Cool

Zayne's family just sent me the coolest science interactive graphic. Check it out by clicking on the image below. Once it opens, click START and then use the slider at the bottom to help explain our place in this vast universe.

Using objects varying in size from 10^-35 meters to 9.3 x 10²⁸ meters, the tool attempts to help viewers grasp of the size of the universe in relation to familiar (and unfamiliar) objects, land masses, planets and the like.

Amazing, right?

What's even more amazing is that this graphic was created by twin brothers Cary and Michael Huang. These 14 year freshman live in Moraga, California, where Mrs. Sol went to college! Small world (pun intended).

When asked about this project, Cary replied, "My seventh grade science teacher showed us a size comparison video on cells, and I thought it was fascinating. I decided to make my own interactive version that included a much larger range of sizes," said Cary in an email forwarded by his mother. "It was not a school project -- just for fun. However, my science teacher loved it so much she showed [it] to the class! My brother, Michael, helped me put it on the internet." 

What do you think of Cary's project 
and the enormous size of our universe?

Science is awesome.

In about 90 years...

When Mrs. Sol's students are centenarians...

Still cute and talented, even at 100.

Nice work!

(and your whiteboard drawing skills are impressive)

February Work Sample

In honor of the 100th day of school, please send me 100 somethings by February 28th.

You can get as creative as you want with this one!

Feel free to mail in your somethings or send me a photo!

I will post them on our blog at the end of the month.

Stay tuned for "Our Class at 100" coming soon!

The Mighty Owl

In Book Club we are enjoying Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. I read this book when I was in elementary school and loved it. This is the first time I've read it since, and it's just as good today! I am reading it with my boys and it's one of those books that gets a "Read one more chapter!" on a nightly basis.

If you are reading this book with us, you know that we are at the part where Mrs. Frisby makes a courageous trip to visit the wise owl. We'll this got us into a discussion about owls, which led us to this video, which left us all wanting little owl pets. (Don't tell Vamp.)

So incredibly cute. 

Owls are amazing creatures, with their silent feathers and their amazing night vision. They are pretty much the superheroes of the bird world. Plus they are wise... and quite intimidating.

A few interesting facts about owls...

Owls have been around for a long time. Fossil owls have been discovered in deposits dating as far back as the Paleogene Period. They are depicted in cave paintings in France that date back 15,000 to 20,000 years. Owls also appear in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

A group of owls is called a parliament.

Owls can be found on every continent, except Antarctica.

Owls are unable to move their eyes within their sockets to a great extent, which means they must turn their entire head to see in a different direction

Owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees.

Owls are farsighted, meaning they can’t see things close to their eyes clearly. 

Owls hunt prey that includes mammals, other birds, reptiles, and insects. They do not have teeth to chew their food, so they swallow their prey whole.

Owls have developed special feather adaptations that enable them to minimize the sound made when flapping their wings. This helps them silently swoop down on their prey at night!

There are 41 species of extinct owls.

Owls are a diverse group of birds, with over 220 species of owls belonging to the Order Strigiformes.