Hour of Code: Celebrating Computer Science Week

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 2021 Computer Science Education Week will be December 6-12, 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!

Computer Science week coincides with the birthdays of two computer science pioneers. A pioneer is a person who is one of the first to enter a field of study or explore a new area of thought. 

1. Ada Lovelace, born in England on December 10, 1815, is considered the world's first computer programmer.

Photo Credit


2.  Grace Hopper, whose birthday is December 9, 1906, was an American computer programmer and Navy rear admiral. She contributed to the development of the COBOL language and is credited with popularizing the term "computer bug" in the programming community. 


Grace Hopper said, "To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge."

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One of the important things about problem-solving is persevering. Sometimes you try an algorithm, or list of steps used to solve a problem,  and it fails, adjust your algorithm. Try again! This strategy is called trial and error. 

On our class blog, you can use HTML code to level up your comments. Here is some information about HTML code. Here is the HTML code for some fancy shapes. There are many more!

What do you like about coding?

Share something you have learned about a program?

What is the most difficult thing about writing computer code?  

Turkey Takes a Vacation :: Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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Turkey Takes a Vacation!

Stories and Vacation Photos by Mrs. Yollis’ Third Graders

Enjoy!

Tech Tip: Click on the three dots to "Enter full screen". 

How did we create this project? 

First, we read Turkey Trouble, by Wendi Silvano.  The funny fantasy follows our feathered friend as he finds out what Americans feast upon for Thanksgiving.  Thank you to Noah and his family for purchasing the book for the class! 

Second, we selected an exotic vacation location for Turkey. (If he left America over Thanksgiving break, he would not get eaten.)

Third, we researched an international landmark using reference materials like Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 

Fourth, we located the international landmark on Google Earth and took a "vacation" screenshot. Pegman was so helpful! The screenshot was uploaded to our class collaborative photo album. 

Fifth, we used our facts to create a story about Turkey's time at the international landmark.

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What was your favorite part about the project and why?

What landmark would you like to visit? 

Happy Veterans Day!

Today 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.

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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?

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Below we feature some friends and family who are veterans!

Illustration by Aarna

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Meet our district superintendent, Dr. Stepenosky. As you can see, he served in the Navy. From 1990 to 1994, he was on a 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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Meet Lucas' grandfather, Seargent Bill, who served in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina, and he served in the Vietnam War.

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Zach's great-grandfather

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

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Meet Noah’s papa, Michael Berkson. He was in the Army and stationed at Fort Ord in Northern California.

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Meet Molly’s Gramps Stanley Bossuk. He served in the army at Fort Ord in Monterrey, California. He never went overseas. He was 20 years old when he served, and he is now 87.

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Meet Amelia's great-grandfather Umberto Cavaletto. He served as a captain in the Air Force during WW II. Captain Cavaletto was a navigator who got shot down over Italy and was a prisoner of war for 18 months.

Amelia's other grandfather was Bob Ajeman. He was an Army and Marine reserve. Ajeman was most proud to being part of the Army 81st Airborne in the 1950s.

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Meet Eli's Aunt Lisa's Uncle Nick Zancouridies. He served in Vietnam as a Sergeant E5 in the Marine Corps. 

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Meet Mrs. Yollis' uncle, Don Pfau! He is the soldier on the right. Uncle Don served in the Army in Korea in 1945. 

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This is Marcus' Grandpa Dixon. He was in the Navy and he served in Vietnam on a Destroyer Escort Ship. The purpose of his mission was to protect the Carrier Division of the Fleet from enemy submarines.

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Meet Airman Nelson, Coach Felicity's patriotic son. He serves in the Air Force and is stationed in Colorado.

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We thank all our veterans for their service to our country!   

Are any of your relatives or friends veterans?

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

What have you learned about Veterans Day? Please share!

ShapeGram Fun! Thanks Tony!

Mrs. Yollis' class loves ShapeGrams! Creating digital drawings with ShapeGrams is a wonderful way to learn about geometry, muster some technology skills and shortcuts, be creative, and have some fun! Tony Vincent created ShapeGrams and he brings humor and an amazing skill set to each creation. 

Mrs. Yollis is not being paid to promote ShapeGrams. 

Here is a collaborative slideshow featuring our most recent digital drawings. Some have a spooky Halloween theme!

Which  ShapeGrams creation did you like the best and why?

What is your favorite ShapeGram tip? What makes it so useful?

 

It:s National Punctuation' Day?

 Today is National Punctuation Day Yes If it wasnt for punctuation we would not be able to understand what is being said at least not easily do you agree with me 

Mrs Yollis read us a wonderfully funny book called Punctuation Takes a Vacation We thought it was a clever story idea that punctuation could go on a trip and not be available anymore What a problem that would be for everyone Everyone appreciates how punctuation helps with understanding

Leave a comment down below but do not use any punctuation Lets see if we can figure out what you are trying to say

Which punctuation mark is your favorite and why Is it a mark that is easy to use

FALL in the Northern Hemisphere!

 FACT: Seasons change as we orbit the sun.

Spring • Summer • Autumn • Winter

Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23, our sun shines directly over the equator. That event marks the beginning of spring or fall. What is the equator?

Public Domain photo

e·qua·tor

[əˈkwā•dər]

noun

1. an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.

In March when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the spring or vernal equinox. In September when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the fall or autumnal equinox. 

The Autumnal Equinox will occur in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 12:20 P.M.

Things to look for in fall:

1. Deciduous (di•si•jo͞o•əs) trees will change color and drop all their leaves. Evergreen trees will not. Evergreen trees will stay forever green. :-) Why do the leaves of deciduous trees change color? Use World Book Online to research. Remember, do NOT copy sentences. That is plagiarism, and it is against the law! Take notes, and then turn your notes into your own sentences. 

Photo by Grandma Barb

Photo by Grandma Barb

2. On the equinox, there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. The day and night hours are equal. However, as we continue into fall, the days will get shorter and the night hours will get longer. This pattern will continue until we reach the winter solstice. That is the longest night of the year and marks a new season, winter.

3.  Because the northern hemisphere is now tilted away from the sun, the days will start to become cooler. People will change their behavior. What sorts of behavioral changes will your family make as the days get shorter and cooler?  (In southern California, we have mild climate. We don't get too cold in our community.)

There are many fall festivals or holidays. Watch the BrainPop video about fall to learn about the many harvest festivals celebrated. Do you celebrate any of these autumn holidays? If so, please share so we can learn from you! 

Check out the FREE BrainPop video about Fall. 

4. Some animals in the northern hemisphere will change their behavior. As fall leads to winter, some animals migrate, or move, to a warmer area. Others try to fatten up for the winter they know is coming. 

Again, BrainPop Jr. has a FREE video about fall. 

Check it out by clicking here.  

https://jr.brainpop.com/science/weather/fall/

  

Share some fun facts about fall!

If you are in the southern hemisphere, tell us what season you are enjoying! How are you changing your behavior? 

Welcome Back :: 2021 - 2022

 Welcome back to a new school year! 

Wednesday was our first day of school!

Like my former dog Buck near a body of water, we jumped right in and started our third-grade adventure! 

Photo by Mr. Yollis 

When we got to the classroom, Mrs. Yollis introduced herself. She has been teaching for one score and one decade and five years. How many years has Mrs. Yollis been teaching? 

Here is a photo of Mrs. Yollis on her very first day of teaching back in 1987!

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Parents:

Here are some links for you to peruse as we start our year of learning together:

A. This educational blog is the centerpiece of our classroom community. It is a wonderful space for sharing and learning together. Here is a link to an article I wrote about the benefits of classroom blogging. I hope you'll have a chance to read it before our Back to School Night.

B. We also have a class Photo-of-the-Day blog! Anyone is welcome to contribute a photo or comment throughout the year. Join our 365 Photo-of-the-day project! :-)

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Like Buck off a dock, let's jump right into blogging!

Students, please leave a comment telling us about yourself. What did you do over your summer break? What adventures and experiences did you enjoy? 

IMPORTANT: 

When writing on the internet, never give away your YAPPY. 

If you are one of our blogging buddies, please introduce yourself to my new class. Where are you from? What have you been up to? 

Remember to proofread your comment with a parent before you publish. No need to log in, select NAME/URL to comment. Write your FIRST name and leave the URL box empty. (See image below.)

Happy blogging!