Washington, D.C. ~ Day 2

Day two in Washington, D.C. was equally exciting and fun!

Although it was a cloudy day, I was excited to get to go to the top of the Washington Monument. Notice the circle of flags around the base of the obelisk. How many flags do you think surround the monument? What is an obelisk?

Park Rangers monitor the government monuments. They help tourists and answer questions.

As you enter the base of the monument, there is a statue of our Founding Father.

Tourists wait in line for their turn in the elevator to the top.

Up at 500 feet, visitors exit the elevator and observe Washington, D.C. Here are the four views!

North 

South

East 

West

The World War II Memorial was spectacular from 500 feet!

The beautiful Potomac River was interesting to observe. 

What do you notice in this photo? 

The windows at the top face north, south, east, and west. The compass rose was the perfect decoration inside the elevator!

Next stop, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. 

No photography was allowed inside, but photos were permitted in the lobby. 

Giant posters of bills were placed along the walls for viewing!

Color was introduced in 2004. 

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Sheets of two dollar bills on display in the lobby. What is the value of this sheet?

What is the value of this sheet of fives? 

How tall am I in stacks of hundreds? 

What is that value?

Around noon, I stopped by National Geographic. 

What is this strange animal behind me?

In the afternoon, I visited the National Archives. There I saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights! No pictures were allowed, but I did capture this great sculpture outside the building.

After the National Archives, I dashed over to the Museum of Natural History. There is an elephant in the lobby! 

Upstair, a real gem of exhibit...the Hope Diamond!

In the evening, I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the White House. My former student, Ella, lined up this special tour!

Thank you Ella!

What are some questions you have for me about my day?

Which photos did you like the best? 

Washington, D.C. ~ Day 1

It has been an exciting first day in Washington, D.C. I am in our nation's capital because I am a BAMMY Elementary Teacher of the Year finalist. What an honor!

My students helped me plan my first day, and it was a busy one! 

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial 

Jefferson Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Arlington National Cemetery 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Washington Monument

A close up photo of the American flag against the stone obelisk. Tomorrow, I will go to the top! 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial 

I even when on a moonlight memorial tour! Spectacular!

Because I have limited time, I am only posting photos right now. 

Students, share some facts about the landmarks photographed above. I will add your comments to the post!

Teaching Commenting Skills

WHY have a classroom blog?


Here is a video I made with my second and third graders about the value of blogging. I hope it convinces you to start a class blog!

Blogging has many parts: the post, the comments, and the sidebar.

If you do a good job with all of the parts, your blog will be more interesting.

Today we will focus on quality comments!

Content is key!

In our class, we evaluate our blog comments. A one-point comment is a general comment that doesn't add very much to the post.   Example: I like your blog. Please visit mine! 

A two-point comment adds something to the comment conversation. A commenter might compliment the writer in a specific way or add new information. Another idea is to make a connection. Maybe the post reminds you of an experience that you've had. Share that connection!  Try to end your comment with a relevant question. That way, an interesting conversation can develop.

What should I say in my comment?

Here is a video made by Mrs. Yollis' students called How to Compose a Quality Comment!  It offers FIVE tips to help you take your comments to the next level!

We like to open our comments with a greeting and end with a closing. We choose to do this as it makes it easier for us to follow the conversation within a comment section.

-For Advanced Bloggers-

Some bloggers like to use HTML code to make their comments better.  Learning to write HTML code, or HTML tags, is a somewhat simple way to take your comment to the next level.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a language.

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To write HTML code, use the following symbols:

Important: Do not add a space between the HTML tag and the word or sentence.

 

                                                                                                     

1.  To put text in italics, place this HTML code around the text:

 

 

The sentence will look like this when published:

 

Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.

                                                                                                     


2.  To make text bold, place this HTML code around the text:

                           

The sentence will look like this when published: 


Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.

                                                                                                     


 
3.  To make a hyperlink, it gets a little tricky.

Use the following HTML code around the URL and add your own link word/words:

  [The URL is the address of the web page. It starts with http://www…]

The HTML code below:

  

Will become this hyperlink when published:

                                                                 Mrs. Yollis’ Website

Sometimes it is hard to remember the HTML codes. I keep an HTML word document on my desktop with all the common codes, especially the one to create a hyperlink. Here is a video demonstrating how easy it is to a create a hyperlink if you have the code set up in a Word doc.

If you like to add fun shapes...here are those codes!

What did you learn about quality commenting? 

 Why is it important to proofread a comment before pressing publish? 

Have you ever had a conversation in a comment section?

 

Marvelous Masterpieces With Mrs. Ranney

Today we had a special visitor, Mrs. Ranney! She is a good friend and colleague of Mrs. Yollis. 

We were talking about the two parts of a sentence, the subject and the predicate.

A subject tells WHO or WHAT the sentence is about.

A predicate tells what the subject did or does.

____________________________________________

Mrs.  Ranney introduced the class to a masterpiece sentence. 

A masterpiece sentence is a descriptive sentence with a lot of detail.

Mrs. Ranney finish the following sentence for us:

The bear _______________________________________.

Here is her masterpiece sentence:

The enormous brown grizzly bear waded into the freezing water to catch a delicious salmon swimming upstream. 

WOW! 

Can you make any of these subjects into masterpiece sentences?

The tunnel  ___________________________________.

Stan ________________________________________.

My camera ___________________________________.

Snoopy _______________________________________.

Thanksgiving __________________________________.

Mrs. Ranney and Mrs. Yollis _______________________.

Leave the class a your masterpiece sentence in a comment!

Join Our Photo Project!

The world is a magical place! 

If you are observant, you can capture some great images on your digital camera or phone. Here at Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog, we invite you to be a part of our class photo-of-the-day blog called

Yollis' 365 Project 

~ Daily Digital Documentation ~

To contribute to this online digital community, 

just email a photo to Mrs. Yollis at:

Be sure to include the following FOUR items:

1.  An interesting photo.
It does NOT need to be taken on a specific day. However, the photo must belong to you. Only submit photos that you, your family, or your teacher has taken. (A smaller file is better, around 200 kb is a good size.) Try not to include too much personal information in your photo.

Not sure how to take a good photo? Here are some tips from my third graders:  How to Take a Good Photo or Video

2. Attribution.
Who took the photo? Who wrote the text? It is important to credit the photographer and writer of the photo-of-the-day. Feel free to include a hyperlink back to your blog! This helps build community!

3.  Text to complement the photo.
Write a few sentences explaining the photo. Here are some possible questions to include when composing your description:  Where was the photo taken? When was it taken? What is special about the subject of the photo? Are there any facts you could share so we can learn something new via your photo and text? 

4. End with a question. 
Think of a question or two you could ask that would start a conversation in the comment section. Ask OPEN questions that cannot be answered using yes or no. This is a great opportunity to get some feedback on your photo or gather new knowledge about the subject of the photo. Invite readers to make up a story about your photo. 

Be sure to check back and see if your photo received a comment. It is good blogging netiquette to respond to a comment.

Here is a wonderful annotated example from Allison, one of my third graders. Be sure to include these four elements when you submit a photo. 

Photos and text must be approved by Mrs. Yollis.  :-) 

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For bloggers who are interested, the above email will set up a post in the Blogger platform. This is an easy way to collect and publish photos. 

To set this feature up in your Blogger account, go to: settings>mobile and email>email>posting using email. Add a "secret word" and you will have an email to share with others. As you can see, I set my setting for "Save email as a draft post". I approve everything before publishing. 

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Here is a link to the Yollis' 365 Blog which has been building for three years!

Check out some of the photos and text for examples and ideas.

 Feel free to leave a comment on a photo that you liked! 

We hope you will join our international, collaborative project in 2014! 

Rounding Video Tutorial

In class, we have been working on rounding numbers!  Here are the rules for rounding:

Radical Rounding Rules!

1. Underline the place value position to which you are rounding.

2. Write which two tens or two hundreds the number is between.

3. Draw an arrow to the neighbor on the right.

4. Think:  ♬ ♫  "If the neighbor next door is 5 or more, round up, round up!" ♫ ♬ 
     (If the neighbor is a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 round up. If the neighbor is a 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0 round down.)


5. If it's not, round down!

6. Circle the correct estimate/answer.

Here is a video tutorial we made last year to demonstrate the rules for rounding!

Watch the slide show and try the quiz to practice 
your rounding skills!

Rounding Numbers! on PhotoPeach

Rounding Numbers! on PhotoPeach

You can also head over to Splash Math for more practice!

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How did you do on the rounding quiz?

How about asking a rounding question
 in your comment?

Once others write comments, look for question you can answer!

Learning About Educreations and Problem Solving!

In class, we have been learning how to use logical reasoning to figure out math problems. Here are the steps for solving a logical reasoning hundreds chart problem:

First, read the entire math problem. Second, underline important clues. (Some clues were very useful, while other clues didn't help very much.) Third, use the clues to identify numbers that are in or out. Next, circle numbers that match the clues, and cross out numbers that do not match the clues. When you reach your answer, REREAD the clues to make sure your answers is correct!

We are also learning how to share our thinking using Educreations. 

Here are a few Educreations modeling the logical reasoning process. These are our first Educreations, and we would like to get better at them! 

Kate, Asha, and Derrick made their first Educreation.

 Nick. Sydney, Ethan, and Ruby made an Educreation:












Troy, Winston, and Leah made an Educreation:

Mrs. Yollis even made an Educreation! Here is her presentation about clues that involve the SUM of the DIGITS. 

 Here is an Educreations demonstrating the answers to Mrs. Ranney's challenge!

 What are some math patterns that you like? 

 What are some tips you can offer for making a great Educreation? 

Check back later this week for more Educreation additions! 

Do You Know Your Number Forms?

Mrs. Yollis' class is learning about numbers.  They have learned about:

STANDARD FORM:    2,345 

EXPANDED FORM:   2,000 + 300 + 40 + 5

WORD FORM:  two thousand, three hundred forty-five


Here is another example of the three forms we learned:

Photo by Mrs. Yollis 

In the comment section, make up a number and write it out in standard form, expanded form, and word form. 

Challenge someone to a number!

Remember:  Do NOT use any personal numbers or words in your comment! No addresses, no phone numbers, and no last names!

Welcome Back! 2014-2015

Welcome back to a new school year! 

 Here's a video greeting from Mrs. Yollis!

 

Here is the photo I mentioned in my Welcome Back video. After many days of practice,  Buck was able to master the skill of dock diving! 

Go, Buck! Go! 

Photo by Mr. Yollis

Such JOY!

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Parents & Students

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

A.  This 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!  :-)


C.  I am proud to tell you that I am a finalist for a BAMMY Award in the category of Elementary School Teacher of the Year. I will be flying to Washington, D.C. in September for the national awards ceremony! Here is a link to my BAMMY nomination page.  Being a finalist is a true honor!

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If you are a new or returning student, please leave a comment telling me about yourself. What did you do over your summer break? What adventures and experiences did you enjoyed?

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! Students must always be supervised on the Internet! 

:-)

If you are not sure how to comment on this blog, watch this video tutorial! It will walk you step by step through the process!

Happy Blogging!

Blogging Tip: Sometimes comments disappear when using Chrome. If that happens to you, switch to another browser like Firefox. 

Happy 4th of July, America!

This post was first published on July 4, 2010

By Mrs. Yollis 

July 4th is Independence Day in America!

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This document announced America's independence from Britain.

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Four years ago I was with my family on the Fourth of July, and we had a special event planned for the day.

My family had three old, tattered flags that needed to be retired. So on July 4th, we had a retirement ceremony.

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The United States Flag Code states: "The Flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."



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First, we sang some patriotic songs!

Then, my cousin Jon gave a short speech. Finally, we retired the old flags to the fire. 

Last year, my class learned how to fold an American flag. 

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What did you do on the Fourth of July?