Skype with Kaleb Nation!!!

The much anticipated day arrived! Author, Kaleb Nation, entered our classroom via Skype. The 6th graders surprised him wearing red gnome hats in honor of Polland, a character in Bran Hambric and the Fairfield Curse.
English Enrichment (E2) students had created questions ranging from pets to publishing.
E2 has been following Kaleb through his website, Twitter, uTube, email and blogtv.
Kaleb has inspired podcast radio shows, creative newspapers, and wild tv broadcasting during the 2009-2010 school year. Concluding the year with a Skype was a highlight for us all!
Thank you Kaleb! We can't wait until your sequel is released this fall.

Old Creamery Theater Visits Oelwein

Once again, the great performers from the Old Creamery Theater entertained students from Oelwein with their skits centered around this year's theme: The Right Stuff. All the skits are written by students and then molded into a show that teaches important life lessons.

Oelwein 6th graders had two peers that had the right stuff to earn recognition in the writing contest-

Third Place went to Be A Brave Bug by Natalie B. and Special Recognition and performed on stage was Doing the Right Thing by Andrew P.

Congratulations!!!

The actors had lunch with the winners and students from E2 sharing information about acting, writing, and enjoying life.

"Poetry Speaks Who I Am"

April is National Poetry Month! Middle school students this year have Poetry Speaks: Who I Am, an anthology of poetry chosen for the middle school student to enjoy. This book has contemporary and traditional poetry side by side sharing the struggles and successes that tweens & teens live every day.
This book hasn't been on my school desk long enough for me to read all the way through the powerful pages. Students are checking it out faster than I canrecord. The CD is a great compliment to a book that shares a common voice with the listener and their lives.

This is a book that should be available to all middle school students!

Poetry Speaks: Who I Am edited by Elise Paschen

April...What happened?

It was just April Fool's Day and then I realized the joke is on me-May is here and I hadn't blogged all month!
Why???? What kept me from my spot to blog for so many days? Let me see...

1. Iowa Tests of Basic Skills- Students were amazing and the hard work everyone showed made our results shine! Oelwein Students can do it whenever they set a goal!
2. Spring Break- a much needed rest for all of us. I spent most of my time reading and relaxing.
3. DARE instruction- Sgt. Reagan from the OPD does an awesome job teaching us real-life scenarios to help us make the right choices. The student essays proved how much they learned.
   
4. Earth Day- Going paperless sounded easy...even with computers available all day, it was hard not to reach for our pencils and paper!
5. Turkey Vulture visit-yes, you read that right! OMS adopted the turkey vulture from Fontana Park. Not cute and cuddly but very informative and fun to see up close.
   
6. Writing contest winners announced almost weekly! I'll post winners soon. I knew this year we had amazing writers. I am so proud of all the 6th graders that entered and placed in these state and national contests!

So why didn't I blog in April? I guess I was just having such a great time in the classroom I forgot my on-line audience...I'll try to share the fun in May with you all. So, to keep the vultures from circling, let the blogging marathon begin!

Horrid Henry's Joke Book

Warning: Too Rude For Parents!

April Fool's Day was spent sharing jokes from the newly released Horrid Henry's Joke Book written by Francesca Simon. Who can resist knock knock jokes? "Mummy's Curse Jokes" and "Scary Sitter Jokes" keep you screaming for more. The unexpected "Underpants Jokes" and "Jokes Much Too Rude to tell Mom" brings out the British humor the Horrid Henry series always carries with it.

One of my favorites: What is brown and sticky? A brown stick.

A laugh out loud for all ages!

Tangram Trials & Triumphs

Students celebrated the end of the 3rd quarter testing their skills with a variety of tangram puzzles. Paper puzzles, magnetic pieces, 3-D models, and the ipod touch were all used by the students to conquer the shapes and designs offered by the tangram teasers.

When Reading Reaches Us!

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead has been a favorite read aloud. We were very excited when it won the 2010 Newbery Medal while we were enjoying the story. To celebrate Rebecca's award winning story, projects were shared in class and now, here on our blog...

Traveling Through Social Networking

Enjoy watching some our "travels" in social studies class.

This video was created to celebrate the WeAreTeachers grant awarded earlier this year.

Regional History Day 2010 Exhibits

Regional History Day 2010

Congratulations to our 6th, 7th and 8th grade students that competed in 2010 History Day!
It was an amazing day for all involved. The projects and presentations showed the dedication and hard work each student put forth.

Bran Hambric The Specter Key color cover was released 3-3-10.

Kaleb Nation is excited about his 2nd book in the Bran Hambric series. I am hoping our class will be able to help with this fall release!

Share your thoughts on the cover. What do you think we might see in Bran Hambric The Specter Key?

It's Raining Cupcakes

It's Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder is a book everyone should read! You will find friendship, feelings, family, and funny bits mixed into pages of mini life lessons. The recipe would not be complete without an ending that makes you want more--more cupcakes, more laughs and more to read. I loved the chapter titles and the real-life relationships that developed in each one.
The book is available from the Scholastic Book Club and I have one for check out in our room library. I bet you can't read it without craving a cupcake!