Thursday, September 27, 2012

Track-off time!

Hey folks,

So...it's track-off time! It's hard to believe we're already 1/4 of the way through the school year! I will not be at school tomorrow because I'm leaving tonight for Baltimore. I'm attending the Baltimore Book Festival, where I'm selling my book, Stanley Finnigan and the Race Around the Universe. Wish me luck!

Make sure to check in to the blog every so often during the vacation time. I will still be updating the blog with fun games, educational sites, and anything else I find that seems worth showing the kids. Have a great break! I miss the class already!

Mr. C

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Tuesday Trivia for 9/25

Hey folks,

Let's get back to some science! Today, Endeavor made it's final ferried ride before it goes to the California Science Center to go on display, officially ending the NASA shuttle program. Your question:

1. What was the date of the first NASA shuttle launch, and
2. What was the name of the shuttle?

Have your answers in tomorrow! Good luck!

Mr. C

Monday, September 24, 2012

Monday Math Facts

Hey folks,

We're working on the 4s this week! Good luck! Here's the table:

4x1 = 4
4x2 = 8
4x3 = 12
4x4 = 16
4x5 = 20
4x6 = 24
4x7 = 28
4x8 = 32
4x9 = 36
4x10 = 40
4x11 = 44
4x12 = 48

Remember, practice out loud to see if you can consistently say it in 20 seconds or less!

Mr. C

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Weekend Fix [A little early]

Hey folks,

I showed the kids an awesome website today for when you're bored. It's educationally stimulating! It's called Sporcle, and it has a HUGE archive of timed trivia quizzes. Today I showed the kids "name the US states," "car logos," and "the 100 most common words in the English language."

DISCLAIMER: Play with parent approval/supervision. There are some games that might not be appropriate for younger kids. Most are pretty PG, but you never know. So kids, only play with a parent. You can search anything you want, just like we did today!

Go here.

Have fun! DON'T FORGET: 3x tables are tomorrow!

Mr. C

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Tuesday (Wednesday) Trivia

Hey folks,

Quick reminder: PRACTICE THOSE 3X TABLES. They're a little further down the screen. Study them, say them all in 20 seconds or less, and win a bunch of tickets! We'll be moving on to the 4s next week.

Okay, cutting to the chase. Here's this week's trivia question:

In class, we've discussed the young physicist named Isaac Newton who later went on to theorize that "things fall to earth" because of an invisible force called gravity.

Sir Newton did a whole lot of other great things too...but one of them is a controversy amongst historians! What "mathematical language" is Newton sometimes credited with inventing to discover the world around us? (Hint: it's something that high school students learn).

Follow-up question: Who is the other person believed to have created this type of math eight years earlier?

Get your answers in tomorrow for a chance at two tickets! This is a tough one!

Mr. C

Classroom updates: Week of 9/17

Hey folks,

Sorry I missed trivia last night! I was preoccupied last night! It's coming soon...

First, a couple classroom updates:
1. I don't think we'll be able to do the classroom makeover music video this year...we just don't have time. However, I think we'll put together a little video for the district Veterans Day competition, in which our class will answer the question "What does being a veteran mean to me?"

2. Track-off is next Friday. Students will get to leave their things in the classroom this year.

3. Next Friday is also our first HERD assembly. Four students from the class will receive an award for each category (Honor, Effort, Responsibility, and Dedication) and one student who encompasses all of those traits will receive a special Silver Antelope Award.


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

ATTENTION: Math Facts Mondays

Hey Folks,

I decided to start a new contest each week, called Math Facts Mondays. Each Monday, I am going to post a new multiplication table through x12 for the students to memorize. Then, each Friday, any student who thinks they have them all memorized and can recite them out loud in under 20 seconds has a chance to win some sort of prize. I haven't worked out the prize stuff yet, but will think about it. I want to start THIS WEEK.

Rules:
The student has to have all the facts memorized, in order, up to x12.
When reciting, they have to say the entire number sentence out loud. (For example, 3x1=3 would be spoken as "Three times one equals three" or "Three times one is three."

So, I know it's a late start, but we're starting with the three times table this week. Here's the list:

3 x 1 = 3
3 x 2 = 6
3 x 3 = 9
3 x 4 = 12
3 x 5 = 15
3 x 6 = 18
3 x 7 = 21
3 x 8 = 24
3 x 9 = 27
3 x 10 = 30
3 x 11 = 33
3 x 12 = 36

Good luck! Study hard! Win stuff!

Mr. C