Merry Christmas!

Well, I have made it through the crazy Christmas season. The 5th graders have created 6 different ornaments, successfully completed a Secret Santa activity, sang in a holiday concert, and had an exciting Christmas party - including a surprise visit by Santa.

I am kind of happy to forget about school for a few days and just focus on my own family and friends. I might even read a book that isn't school related.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season filled with good food and fellowship. (And don't forget about the Social Studies projects that are due on January 9th!)

6th Grade Chemistry Christmas Party

For our last day of science in 2011, we had a chemistry party. We made borax crystal snowflakes and snowy trees out of laundry bluing and ammonnia. We also made a great big tub of ooblek.

What is ooblek? It is just ordinary corn starch and water, but when mixed together it makes the greatest slimy mess ever! Ooblek is called a non-newtonian liquid - which means it acts like a solid when firm pressure is applied to it, but it is also a liquid and will run between your fingers. Each student got to spend some time walking across and then sinking into the ooblek.

As a special gift from me, the class got a bag of candy chemistry experiments - pop rocks, zotz, and wintergreen lifesavers (who doesn't like making sparks in your mouth?!)

It's Christmas Time in Hill City

It was Christmas program day. Oof! That means practice in the morning and the "real thing" in the afternoon. It means lots of little girls in pretty dresses and boys in ties. It also means I didn't get any prep time today and had to wait 4 1/2 hours to go to the bathroom.

This is a hard-working, musically-talented class. Many of my kids have been giving up their recesses to come in and work on singing and playing their instruments with Mr. Kneeland. And boy, can you tell! Some years I have to play "Name that Tune" when the band starts, but this year the songs were loud, together and very recognizable!

The Two Little Pigs

Sigrid's mom brought in two baby pigs this morning. She shared that their mother wasn't taking care of them, so now Sigrid is spending a lot of time helping to raise them. They wandered around our room and checked everyone out. They seemed perfectly happy in our classroom. When it was time to put them back into their carrier, they sure made a loud racket. I am sure the whole school heard them. It was fun to learn all about raising pigs and Sigrid's mom even left us some farming math problems to solve for extra credit!

ICC Engineering

Today four engineering students from Itasca Community College came in to our 6th grade science class to teach the kids about engineering. After talking about different types of engineers and the design process, the 6th graders built towers out of styrofoam and skewers. The goal was to build the tallest tower that could withstand a wind. The towers were tested with a large fan. We will be working on an engineering unit in January, so this was a great introduction!

Studying Plants

The 5th graders have been studying plants. We had a (very difficult) test yesterday on plant parts. Today we started learning about the different kinds of plants.

The first group we will study are the nonvascular plants. These include the mosses and ferns. Today we took a careful look at moss. Tomorrow we will learn about ferns.

Every year I think I should start this unit earlier so I could actually go out and find moss and ferns before they die off for the winter. I always end up buying ferns at a florist, but I did manage to chip away from the icy ground some pieces of moss from under my deck yesterday.

Math Masters Mini Meet

I have been coaching the 5th grade Math Masters for many years. Today we had a Math Masters Mini Meet (say that 5 times fast)! Gretchen Hynk is the local director of the program and she came in today to give the kids a taste of what Math Masters is all about. The class competed in teams to do some pretty hard math problems.

The Hill City Math Master team will be selected this week and we will soon begin to practice. Our first competition is in January in Grand Rapids. I have a feeling we are going to have a successful year!

Hands are not for Hitting

Today we had a special guest from Aitkin County Kinship come in and talk to the class about healthy ways to express anger. We did a little role playing and as a final project the students decorated grocery bags that will be given out at Roadside this month.

Science Presentations

The kids have been learning about the 5 kingdoms of all living things: protists, bacteria, fungi, animals and plants. In groups, the students researched their assigned kingdoms and are now busy preparing Power Point presentations to share with the class.

I taught them how to use Power Point last week. Actually what I did was go through a quick demonstration and then told them, "You will figure it out on your own." And that is exactly what happened. It is amazing how young kids can figure out technology so quickly. Within minutes of playing around with Power Point they had inserted photos, typed text, and added cool backgrounds.

Honor Flight

Today we had a special presentation from Harley Kiger. Harley is a World War II Veteran and participated in the Honor Flight program. Honor Flight sends a group of World War II Veterans to Washington D.C. to take in the new World War II Memorial each year.

Our school is having a penny drive to raise $600, the cost of sending a Veteran to Washington. We hope to be able to send a Hill City area Veteran to Washington D.C. next year. If you have any lose change (or bills), send them in!

Homemade Smoothies!

For the last 3 weeks, we have had Jolene Gansen from the Aitkin County Extension Service come talk to the class about nutrition. She always brings healthy treats and today the class made smoothies out of yogurt, fruit and juice. Jolene shares important information about how to stay healthy. Hopefully, the kids will think about this a little bit the next time they grab a snack - good health starts at an early age!

Thank you, Mrs. Jorgensonsen!

Once again I had to leave early on Halloween. Usually Mrs. Crabbeesub comes in and subs for me, but she recently fell and broke a hip. So her friend, Mrs. Jorgensonsen, came in for me this afternoon. She was a good old fashioned Norwegian substitute teacher. She loved the Halloween treats brought in by the kids and I understand she had a lot of fun dancing with Just Dance on the Wii.

A Visit from John Latimer

John Latimer is a rural mail carrier from Grand Rapids who also has a radio show on KAXE radio (91.7 fm). Every Tuesday morning he hosts the "Phenology Show" and my class has been a part of it for the last 8 or 9 years. Phenology involves watching nature to see how it changes over time. Things like the first robin spotted in the spring, or when a tree loses all its leaves. Every day we talk about weather and changes in nature during science class. We write up a report and call it in to John's show on Tuesday.

Today John came to our class and talked about phenology. We got to go outside (in freezing cold temperatures, I might add) to look at some interesting phenology right along the path near the school forest. We saw a few late blooming wildflowers, a robin's nest and we learned about willow galls.

Thanks John, for being a part of our class.

Fall Wonder Wander

I love these warm, sunny fall days. Today the 5th graders went on a Wonder Wander. They had five minutes to wander along the edge of the woods and find one plant that they found interesting. They then had a half hour to make observations, draw and do sketchbook notes for this plant. The drawings were incredible. These students really know how to look carefully at items from nature!

Spelling Fun Day

Our Thursday spelling assignment is always something kind of fun. By rolling a 12-sided die, we determine which activity will be completed. Some of these are games and others are more art activities. The class favorite is always number 7 - shaving cream. Who wouldn't like to write their spelling words in shaving cream?

It's Snake Season!

Minnesota snakes love these warm fall days. The gravel roads and highways are filled with garter and red belly snakes soaking up those last rays of sunshine. Unfortunately, there are cars on these roads as well. I have seen so many flattened snakes the last few days.

Today I brought in a tiny little garter snake and a red belly snake for the kids to explore. Almost every one of my 5th and 6th graders were brave enough to hold a snake. After spending the day in my classroom, I released them right where I found them - on the gravel road by my house (but I let them go in the ditch).

I am sure the poor little guys were scared to death being held hostage by 36 loud and boisterous kids. But I guess it beats the alternative of being flattened on the road!

Observational Drawing

Our art program got cut a year ago, and so this is the second year I have had to teach art. This week we are working on observational drawing, a skill the students will use in science as they document the plants and animals they study this year.

Today the kids selected an interesting rock and spent some time observing with magnifying lens before they started to draw. The goal was to mix colors using their colored pencils to try to match the colors and patterns just right.

I sure have some talented artists in this class - most of them are way better than I am!

Books, Books, Books

These are the shelves in our classroom. I am a little embarrassed to say that I own most of these books. I just can't resist buying the latest titles. Now I will admit that most of these books were purchased at garage sales and used book sales. A few I get from our monthly book order with bonus points. But many of these I bought just because the book looked good to me.

During the school year I mostly read 5th grade books. My adult novels sit at the bottom of the stack, collecting dust until summer vacation rolls around again. The only way I can truly recommend a book to a student is if I have read it myself, and so I find myself deeply engrossed in a 5th grade novel every night.

These books all contain my name in black sharpie. So if you find a book lying around with MAGNER scrawled in it, please see that it gets back to these shelves. I really appreciate it!

Tree Identification

The fifth graders have been busy with their adopt-a-tree projects. Each student has selected a tree out in the school forest and has been busy getting to know it better. We measure it, we do bark and leaf rubbings, we make close observations of the area around each tree, and we keep checking back to see if it is changing colors yet.

We also identify each tree and learn its scientific name. Today we looked at six common tree species in detail. The kids did a quick sketch and explored whether the branches were alternate or opposite and the structure of the leaves and bark. My goal is that they can identify these trees on their own - maybe in their yard or on their route to school.

All Star Students

The first All Star list of the year came out today. This is my was of keeping track of each student's work. The kids work hard to get stars across the list and when they do, they are welcomed into the All Star group. If their work isn't done by next Tuesday, they will have to spend some time finishing assignments during recess. I am happy to report that almost the whole class became an All Star today. It's going to be a great year!

Yes, this is real!

Today we were out in the school forest starting our Adopt-A-Tree project. While measuring and observing our trees, we found this guy on an ash tree. It is a fawn sphinx moth caterpillar and is one of the prettiest caterpillars out there. The bright green color and the iridescent blue and black speckled horn make it seem like a fake toy. At first the caterpillar didn't move a whole lot, but he soon was crawling around across everyone's hands. We all got a good look at this amazing creature before we let him go where we found him.

Hopes and Dreams

Today was our Hopes and Dreams Celebration. We have spent the last few days thinking about what we are good at and where we need to improve. Today the kids set some goals for the year and published them on brightly colored stars. We had a fun (and very loud) time sharing these hopes and dreams with each other during our celebration. They are now on a bulletin board, displayed for all to see. Each quarter we will look back at these goals and change them if need be.

SCIENCE!!!

Today was the first day of school. We spent the day talking about bathroom breaks and pencil holders and lots of important stuff like that. I don't usually get into subject matter until the second week of school, but today we did science all afternoon.

The monarch caterpillars are finishing up their Minnesota life cycle. They will soon all be butterflies on their long flight to Mexico. If we don't act now, it will be too late! I have spent the last week searching the ditches for caterpillars for our first science lesson. Today we took a close look at them and the milkweed plant that they eat and live on. Soon (maybe even tomorrow) they will all be chrysalises transforming into butterflies.

Here we go again!

Well, here we go again! Another year of 5th grade is about to begin. This is my 17th year of sharpening new pencils, typing up new class lists and planning that hectic first day. When I think back to my first years of teaching, I was a nervous wreck right before school. It has become so much easier and, even though I still get a little nervous, I've finally got it all figured out. At least I think I do... I guess I will know tomorrow!

Mission Accomplished!!!

Today was the last day of school. Phew! The desks are clean and stacked and the room looks a little bare without all those 5th graders and their stuff.

I am truly beyond exhaustion right now, but it is a good feeling. I hope my students learned something this year. I hope they enjoyed school at least a little bit. It was a good year, but I am glad summer vacation is here so I can have a little bit of time for myself and my family.

Thank you to all the parents out there who supported me and the kids this year. Have an adventure-filled summer and I will see everyone next fall!

Turtle Races

Disclaimer: No turtles were harmed in this race. The turtles were made out of cardboard!

I always end the year with a fun activity called turtle races. The kids design some fun turtles out of cardboard and we race them on a string stretched across the classroom floor. It is a double elimination tournmanet and takes most of the afternoon. Our big winner this year was Grace. Colton was second and Jaylen was third. Way to go, turtles and racers!

Patriots Win!!!

We have been "fighting" the Revolutionary War in my classroom the last month. The students were evenly divided into the British and the Patriots. They chose their leaders (King George and George Washington) and we moved the desks so each group was on a different side of the room. The kids hung flags from the ceiling marking their side.

As we read about each battle that occurred in the war, we had a mini battle in our classroom. These battles included relay races and crazy challenges that had the class competing against each other. The final battle (the Battle of Yorktown) was a heated kickball game. I had to keep reminding the class that this wasn't a real war and we still needed to be kind and respectful of the other side. (Some of the kids took it a little too seriously.)

After the scores were tallied from all the battles, the Patriots came out on top - just like in the real war!

Climbing Wall

The National Guard brought a climbing wall to school today. The kids got to climb it during their physical education class. Fortunately I chose to wear a skirt today, so I stayed firmly on the ground. (Good planning on my part!)

Spring Wildflower Hike

John Latimer visited our class today to take the kids out into the woods to search for wildflowers. John has a radio show on KAXE 91.7 radio in Grand Rapids where he shares phenology information with his listeners. He visits us about three times a year and we call in our observations to his show on Tuesday mornings.

Today we saw many beautiful wildflowers including wild ginger, marsh marigolds, bloodroot and violets.

Take Me to Your Leader

The final project for our astronomy unit was to research a planet and create an alien that could survive on that planet. Each student had to come up with at least three adaptations for his/her alien. We had reflective shields for the great amount of sunlight and warm fuzzy coats for the cold temperatures. There were hover crafts for floating above the gaseous atmosphere and beacons to attract other aliens. The class did a great job showing what they learned about each planet.

Look at the Birdies!

The Hill City archery team is gone to Louisville, Kentucky today and tomorrow, so I am down to nine kids. We have had a lot of fun with such a little class. In reading/writing the kids have been writing and practicing "hat skits." Each group was given a bag of hats and props and they had to make up a play that we are filming for when the other kids come back.

In science we took a long walk in the woods. I have 15 pairs of binoculars, so I took them out for the kids to use today. We didn't see much, but it made a cute picture.