The Fabulous Baker Blog

I Remember...

2008-06-05T20:40:00.003-04:00

Wow - we are coming to the end of our journey together. September seems like it was only a few weeks ago, in some ways, but when I think about the many gains each of you has made over this school year, I am amazed that we have accomplished so much in so little time. Let's use the blog to reflect about personal accomplishments as well as class memories...

This time, connecting to the last post is not important - let's have everyone post once, beginning with the simple phrase "I remember", then once everyone has had a chance, let's start linking together our posts like a discussion.

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

2008-05-15T17:36:00.003-04:00

Share what you know/think about the pantheon of gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. You could retell a myth, discuss your favorite deity or... let's see where this takes us... remember to keep it connected and to proofread. Use the link: Mythweb to help you get started. Think about which god or goddess you would most like to meet or to have as a friend, or better yet, to BE~ :)

Our blog should read like a conversation so you really need to read ALL of the posts before you post, not just the one right before it...

Tickling the Funny Bone and Inspiring Reverse Peristalsis...

2008-05-02T14:25:00.000-04:00

Here you go, Tom, your Blog topic: Funny Stories has arrived. I will not be judging them, but I will be reading them, and I expect to either laugh or gag. One or the other - make it happen, writers~ I know you have it in you!

Food for Thought

2008-04-27T19:19:00.002-04:00

Both Ethan and Noah mentioned food as a blog topic, so let's try it. You can post recipes, favorite foods or even food stories, poems or... You get the idea - just keep it food related and remember to connect to the last post.

Favorite Animals

2008-04-12T22:01:00.001-04:00

OK, another good idea from the Noah Department. What are your favorite animals and if you care to share, why do you think they are your favorites?

Noah's Idea: Current Book Discussion

2008-04-07T07:44:00.002-04:00

What are you reading right now? What do you think of it?

Give a brief introduction/summary of the book you are currently reading and then share what you like/dislike about the characters, story, author's style etc...

And, of course, begin every post with a transition sentence and proofread carefully.

DCF Vote is this week!

2008-03-27T10:46:00.003-04:00

Wow! That sure came up quickly... So, let's discuss some of your favorites and why you chose them. Remember to connect to the last post in some way using a TRANSITION sentence!

If you need to remember the titles, there is a link to the list on this blog page.

Blog Topics?

2008-03-14T17:48:00.002-04:00

Serious suggestions, only, please...

And no "chatting" either!

:) Ms. Baker

P.S. Yes, I know that I suck the joy out of everything, but hey, you're stuck with me for another 3 months, so you had better make the best of it, right?

Ancient Culture Research

2008-02-28T17:23:00.006-05:00

So... we have studied two ancient cultures together, Ancient Egypt and Ancient China, and now you are choosing the next culture to study independently. What are you learning?

Please be sure to include in your post the culture that you are studying and try to connect to the last post in some way. As always, be sure to proofread.

School Lunches

2008-02-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

We have a new chef at Harwood this year. What do you think about the new menu choices? Are there things that you especially like? Dislike? One difference is that there are "localvore" days - and I would like to know what you think about that...

Remember, it is easy to criticize, but much harder to provide solutions, so when you comment, try to be as positive as possible, and when you do have something negative to express, be sure to accompany the statement with a reasonable solution.

Looking forward to the discussion and may print to share with the new chef -

Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen

2008-02-04T10:54:00.000-05:00

Free Choice Commentary with two rules:

You must connect your post to the last post.

You must use examples from the text to support your statements.

Remember that you can comment on the events and characters, but you also can discuss the choices that Gary Paulsen is making as a writer.

BLOG BREAK

2008-01-27T18:05:00.000-05:00

You can still use the links listed to the left, but we are taking a break from blogging this week. As a class, you have done a great job learning how to use this technology to discuss an idea - attaching your ideas to others and really creating an online dialogue. Nice job!

The Watsons Go To Birmingham

2008-01-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

As we journey through the pages of this novel together, let's use this "cyber space" to discuss the characters, as well as our reaction to the story overall.

Random Topic: Pets

2007-12-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

Got any? Want any? Had any?

Check out my dachshund, Clifford. Isn't he a sweetie? :)

Winter Holiday Traditions

2007-12-16T17:25:00.000-05:00

This week, let's discuss our winter holiday traditions. I am always fascinated by the many ways that families celebrate this time of year? Do you celebrate Chanukah? Christmas? The Solstice? How about New Year's Eve?

Author to Visit Moretown School

2007-12-04T08:28:00.001-05:00

Doug Wilhelm will be here on Monday to discuss his book, The Revealers. (Sorry, I couldn't underline the title, I couldn't figure out how to do it in this blog program!) Anyway, what do we want to ask him? What questions do we have about the process of writing the book or the content?

It is an incredible privilege to have an author like Mr. Wilhelm come to our school - let's make it productive by being prepared. :)

Longer School Day?

2007-11-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

This week, we read an article about the pros and cons of extending the school day. Using information from the article, and any other relevant information, please participate in a discussion about this idea.

Thanksgiving Traditions

2007-11-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

Let's take a break from blogging about Egypt - just for a week. I would like to know your thoughts about the Thanksgiving holiday - family traditions, favorite foods etc... The Valley Reporter is looking for some writing to publish about this favorite American holiday, so you may want to work on some related writing pieces this week - the deadline for me to mail things to the Valley Reporter is this Friday, November 9th, so that they will arrive by Monday, November 12.

Special Interests: Ancient Egyptians

2007-10-16T21:58:00.000-04:00

So now, do a little bit of digging about the things that you said you were interested in - check out my links or research on your own. Post what you learned. For this week, posts should be done in paragraph form. Tell us about what you have learned and what you still want to know - if someone posts a question about a topic, such as "When was the Rosetta Stone discovered and by whom?" or "What was the Narmer Palette?" Feel free to investigate and then get back to the group about your findings as well as your own questions.

Preview of Ancient Egypt

2007-10-06T16:22:00.001-04:00

WAY back when I started teaching 5/6, (11 years ago...) we started the tradition of creating plastercloth Egyptian funeral masks - and the tradition will continue this year. But what else would you like to explore? Check out some of the sites I have listed to the left and begin to explore your options... Eventually, you will complete a project that will be part of our Class Ancient Egypt Museum display. If you find something interesting, tell us about it on the class blog.

Our Changing Earth Continued...

2007-09-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

This week, we will continue our conversation about the changing Earth... What will change, in our conversation, though, is that we will be sure to read what others have written and connect to the last post...

:) Technologically Yours,

Ms. Baker

Our Changing Earth

2007-09-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

We have been talking/listening/reading about topics related to geology. The big question is how does the Earth change? This week, let's discuss what we have learned, what we want to learn and questions that we have...

School Uniforms

2007-09-14T09:51:00.000-04:00

Some public schools in the United States have started to require their students to wear school uniforms. What do you think about that? Should Moretown School have a school uniform? Why or Why not?

Solar Energy

2007-09-07T11:27:00.000-04:00

So... what is the big deal about solar energy anyway? Why are we concerned about using the sun when we have all this handy oil, coal and gas?