Hour(s) of Code!

Hour of Code is an annual event to promote Computer Science. According to their website: 

The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The 2017 Computer Science Education Week will be December 4-10, but you can host an Hour of Code all year round. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906). 

We're starting Hour of Code and changing the name to Hours of Code!

Thank you, Hadi Partovi for creating this project!

To prepare for our coding lessons, we did a collaborative unplugged activity involving building. The challenge was to build a free-standing tower out of 20 pieces of spaghetti. At the top of the tower was a marshmallow. Only 1 meter of tape and 1 meter of string were allowed to create the tower. 

This building challenge was a great chance to practice the strategy of trial and error. If your design didn't work, try another tactic! 

In preparation, we watched a building video on BrainPop.

Then it was time to start building!

 Some bundled the pasta together for strength. 

Others spread out the sticks for a broad base. 

The pyramid base was an idea from the BrainPop video! 

After 18 minutes, the building time was up!

1st Place :: 47 cm

2nd Place :: 46 cm

3rd Place :: 42 cm

Fun fact, this tower is still standing today!

Everyone enjoyed the first build! 

One tower was so tall is rose above 60 centimeters! Unfortunately, gravity was not a friend. 

After learning about the importance of trial and error, the class signed into our Hour of Code class. 

We needed our secret image to sign in! What a cute array! 

Let the coding begin!

What are you enjoying about the Hour of Code?

What skills have you learned?

What can you do with coding? 

Thank You, Veterans!

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On November 11, America celebrates Veterans Day. It is the day we honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Veterans Day is a national holiday! 

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

Veterans: Men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Soldiers: Men and women who are currently serving in the armed forces.

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Here is a link to a wonderful BrainPop

 video about America's Armed Forces.

What did you learn about the 

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast guard?

Here are some fabulous mind maps made in class!


Kody's Mind Map

Chloe Sky's Mind Map

Arjan's Mind Map

Hannah's Mind Map

Micah's Mind Map

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Here is a link to a patriotic Veterans Day blog post by Mrs. Hembree in Seattle, Washington. Read about her father-in-law's service and see photos from his Honor Flight to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.  

Photo honoring veterans at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Photo by Joe Hembree

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Here is some information about some veterans getting their Honor Flight. Thank you to Tanner grandfather, Nonno, for this information 

Photo by Nonno

Photo by Nonno

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To help us learn about Veterans Day and the men and women who serve, I asked my students if any of their family members are in the military or are veterans. We honor our soldiers with this blog post! 

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Navy: Meet our district superintendent, Dr. Stepenosky. As you can see, he served in the Navy. From 1990 to 1994, he was on the USS Chancellorsville which was a guided missile cruiser. It was 9,000 tons and had a crew of 330. Notice the destroyer in the background.

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ARMY: Meet Jake's great-grandfather, Sam. He served in the army during WW II.

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NAVY: Meet Ethan's grandfather, Gary Smith. Gary was apart of a squadron called para-rescue men. His job in Vietnam was to jump out of helicopter and rescue pilots that were shot down. One rescue mission was photographed and was in National Geographic Magazine. Gary got a medal for bravery under fire.

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ARMY: Meet Benjamin's grandfather, who served in the U.S. Army from 1964-1966 at Fort Ord, California. He did not serve time overseas, but was stationed at Fort Ord during this time period.

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ARMY:  Meet Jackson’s great-grandpa, Bernard Paul Cody who was a L.T. Colonel in the U.S. Army and served in WW II.

ARMY: Meet another of Jackson’s military family. Here is his grandpa, Gerald Paul Cody.  He was a Major in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam.

MARINES: Meet Jackson’s Uncle Matthew John Stone who was in the U.S. Marines and served in the Persian Gulf War. 

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Meet the Fanelli brothers, Mia's great-uncles. These men were serving in different Battalions in World War II. They ran an article in the paper in New York with this picture because somehow they all ended up in London for an accidental reunion! The uncle on the right, thankfully, is still living and just celebrated his 95th birthday last month! 

ARMY: Here is a picture of Mimi‘s grandfather, who was too young to enlist in World War II, but was in the army during the Korean War as a member of the band. He was a professional musician who played with all the greats, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and many more.

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ARMY: Meet Ralph Linore, Jake F.'s great-grandfather. He was a United States Army sergeant who proudly served from 1942 to 1945 in WW II. 

Are any of your relatives or friends veterans?

Please tell us about them and thank them for their service to America!

Happy Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

We have been learning about the Mexican tradition called Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It is a time of celebration and to honor the friends and family members who we have lost. 

First, we watched a BrainPop video to learn about Mexico and this special Mexican holiday. 

Next, we created beautiful calaveras to decorate our room. A big thank you to Will's mom for preparing the art project and teaching us about this special holiday. 

Behold! A few arrays of calaveras!

 What did you learn about this special Mexican tradition?

How many calaveras did we make? Use multiplication!

Did you honor anyone special with your artwork?