Category Archives: Student Assignments

Wednesday’s To Do List

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credit: http://www.mangoapps.com

credit: http://www.mangoapps.com

 

We’re in the computer lab today, and you have a host of things to do in the 45 minutes we’re connected. Let’s get busy!

If you have a question, first check with your lab neighbor and see if they know the answer. If not, raise your hand. Start with the first item and work down the list.

1. Complete your 100-Word First Responders essay on Google Docs. Share with me. Check the word count to ensure that you’re at 100 words or less. Run your draft through spell check. Quietly read your essay aloud to confirm you have proper punctuation. Once you’ve done all of this, add your name to the top right corner and print it. 🙂 Deliver to me. 🙂

When done, move to item #2.

2. We’re preparing to write our Where I’m From poems. Right now, come grab a copy of George Ella Lyon’s Where I’m From poem. At your seat, read over it and underline any lines that strike a chord with you. Do you connect with any of these memories–or do they bring to mind similar items in your own life? Jot comments and questions along the poem’s border.

Once you’re read the poem, slip into a pair of headphones and watch the video of the author reading her poem. Leave a comment with your thoughts about this type of autobiographical poem. How do you feel about writing one? 🙂

When done, move to item #3.

3. Block 3/6 – All About Me PAGE. If you haven’t yet written your All About Me PAGE, do so today. Go to your blog Dashboard > Pages > New Page. Title your page: All About Me. Next, write a brief bio about yourself. Include only your first name. Introduce yourself. You might talk about your interests, the sports or activities you participate in, the musical groups or YouTubers you like, where you’d like to travel, or what you hope to write about on your blog. If you’d like to see a few examples, visit student blogs from Block 2/5 or 4/8.

Block 2/5, 3/6, and 4/8 – Blog Assignment #2 – Create your Top 10 List. Remember to include an introductory paragraph, not only the list. See any of my posts as examples.

When done, move to item #4.

4. Practice your vocabulary words on Quizlet.com. Quiz on week 9 and 10 on Friday. CLICK HERE to head to Quizlet.

5. Still have time? Start another new blog post! Insert a question or short quiz if you wish. Focus on writing today; not adding widgets. Thanks so much!

Some ideas…

a. Write a book review.

b. Write a perfectly constructed paragraph on your favorite season. Include a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a conclusion.

c. Choose any picture using CompFight (the camera icon) and write a sensory-detail-packed paragraph or a short story.

d. Write a poem about your favorite time of day.

e. Compare the setting of the book you’re reading to your hometown. How is it alike? How is it different?

Keep blogging–from home and class. 🙂 Over the holidays, I’ll be posting lots of extra activities guaranteed to be fun–and to enhance your blog. Keep an eye out for these posts while you’re on break.

 

 

 

 

Who Inspires You?

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photo credit: www.goodreads.com

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

As we finish reading A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park’s riveting story about former Lost Boy Salva Dut, I know many of us have been profoundly affected by Salva’s treacherous journey to freedom. This young man, who at age 11 left his South Sudanese village amidst brutal civil war, came to lead 1200 boys and and young men to safety.

Salva Dut’s courage astounds his. His determination, not only to survive but to change his part of the world, leaves us awestruck. We marvel at his unrelenting determination. If you ever doubt your ability to singlehandedly make a difference in this vast universe, remember Salva Dut. One hope-filled person with a mission…that’s where change begins.

Speaking of Salva Dut, check out his response to my tweet. Pretty cool. 🙂 Now, tell me who inspires you and why. I can’t wait to read your replies.! Leave a comment with your blog URL. When you click on the title of this post, you’ll be able to see my example. 🙂

 

Salva Dut TWEET

 

Who Let the Blogs Out?

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Who’s ready to rock the blogosphere?

Between Friday and Tuesday, we’ll be working together to bedazzle our blogs by adding posts, pages, widgets, and a your choice of interactive media. Before I launch into the NINE (9) items your blog should include by December 5, let me introduce a few more tools that are sure to make you blog crazy!

Be sure to leave your comments and questions. As you do, decide which of these three tools you’d like to embed in one of your future blog posts.

What is the best book you’ve read so far in 6th grade?… at AnswerGarden.ch.

By December 5, you should have the following items on your blog:

(1) An All About Me PAGE. Note this should be a PAGE. If you’d like to also make it your first post, that’s fine. However, you need to have an All About Me PAGE. This page is always visible on the front page of your blog. You’ve already written your All About Me PAGE in Google Docs. Simply copy and paste into a new PAGE. To do so, highlight the entire text of your Google Docs. Hold Control/C to copy. Click the mouse in the text section of the Edublogs PAGE. Hold Control/V to paste. Graphics and fonts may not transfer exactly as they appear in Google Docs.

(2) Your first assigned POST. In the dashboard, open All Posts, Add New. Using the school-themed prompts provided, write your post. Be sure to carefully proofread. Click on Save Draft as you’re working to safeguard your writing. After you’ve thoroughly checked over, made revisions to improve your writing, and changed fonts if desired, click on Review and Submit. It may take Mrs. Rombach 1-3 days to approve and publish. Please be patient. 🙂

(3) Activate ClustrMaps widget. Add to blog sidebar.

(4) Activate Google Supreme Fonts (Dashboard>Plugins>Google Supreme Fonts>Activate).

(5) Create a virtual pet and insert Text widget/embed code to side bar. (see classmate or Mrs. Rombach for help if you missed this in-class project).

(6) Activate Compfight Plugin (Dashboard>Plugins>Compfight>Activate)

(7) Add Categories: Classroom Blogging Assignments, Reading, Writing, Book Reviews, Middle School, and any others you wish.

(8) Add one of the following interactive widgets:  AnswerGarden, Voki, or Padlet. (click to on each title to connect)

(9) Leave a complimentary comment on three (3) other classmates’ blogs (any block).

Water, Water Everywhere…but Not a Drop to Drink

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 Stop and drink.

You can turn on the faucet and clear, clean water rushes out. You have plenty of water to drink, to bathe, to cook, and to wash clothes, dishes, and cars. We sprinkle our lawns with clean water. We fill Nerf guns and summer pools with clean water. For us, clean water is everywhere.

CREDIT--Plan-David-Ngige

CREDIT–Plan-David-Ngige

As we read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, we now know that for south Sudan and for so many other countries around the globe, clean water is a luxury more precious than gold or cattle. As we continue to journey with Nya and Salva across the barren landscape of a war-torn Sudan, I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves how vitally important water truly is–to all of us.

Today in your small group, watch each of these two videos. Please use the headphones provided. After each, complete the questionnaires you’ll find stacked on the table.

 

How much water should you drink each day?

 

What happens if you go without water?

After watching these two videos, complete the questionnaire on your table. 

If time permits, leave me a comment. Did you learn anything new or surprising?

Do your best work!

Mrs. Rombach

The First Step…in A Long Walk to Water

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photo credit: www.goodreads.com

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

 

On Friday, our class will begin an in-depth exploration of Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water. This book chronicles the struggle for clean water that a large portion of the world’s population faces. As our daily read-aloud, A Long Walk to Water, will escort us into our research unit, where you’ll be tasked with identifying, researching, and promoting a social injustice in the world that matters to you.

Homework:

Due Monday

(1) Over the weekend, your mission is to complete the WebQuest for A Long Walk to Water.  Like our reading survey, the WebQuest is a Google document that requires you to log in using your LCPS username and password. As you progress through this challenge, I have no doubt you’ll find this story both eye-opening and heartbreaking.

While we will begin this journey in class, its completion is your responsibility. Make the time as this is a graded assignment. To complete this WebQuest, use the two-sided questionnaire handed out in class. If you need a copy, click here: Webquest Task Sheet.

 

Click here: A Long Walk to Water WebQuest 

 

Due Wednesday

(2) Watch the TEDTalk featuring Ludwick Marishane. By Wednesday, leave a quality comment about how his story affected you.

 

Meet author Linda Sue Park and discover her inspiration for this novel.

 

If you had to walk a mile for a jug of water every day, as millions of people do, it’s unlikely you’d use that precious water to bathe. Young entrepreneur Ludwick Marishane tells the amazing, funny story of how he invented a cheap, clean, and convenient solution. I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Remember, leave a quality comment about how this video affected you.

 

I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Mrs. Rombach

 

 

It’s All About the Characters

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Hello!

Meet Clancy, my sweet, red-haired Golden Retriever, who’s delivering tonight’s homework assignment. Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Cynthia Rylant’s The Old Woman Who Named Things and discussing how the protagonist changes as the story progresses.

credit: www.litkids.com

credit: www.litkids.com

How has the character in your story changed since you opened the book?

Tell me (and Clancy) by leaving a quality comment here on the blog. Remember to click on the title of the post and scroll to the very bottom to see the comment box.

 

In addition to leaving a quality comment, please do the following:

(1) Study Weeks 5 & 6 vocabulary words on Quizlet.com.

(2) Review your grades/assignments on Clarity. Catch up on what you’re missing.

 

 

See you on Wednesday!

Mrs. Rombach

Follow Directions: This Way to An Awesome Blogging Experience!

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credit: www.edudemic.com

credit: www.edudemic.com

Be sure to read this entire post. 🙂

Quite a few students have been bending my ear, wondering when we’ll launch our student blogs. “Soon,” I say, with a twinkle in my eye.

I already know the riveting journey you’ve about to embark on, as I took this trip with last year’s sixth graders. Along the way, I learned some things I wouldn’t change for anything (like blogging with students) and other things that require a complete overhaul (like ample time to draft and publish).

On this journey, we’ll learn about one another–and about sixth graders around the world. We’ll connect with other students, teachers, and take a virtual peek into other blogging classrooms.

We’ll start small and build upon a firm foundation. We’ll make mistakes, but always we’ll learn from them. Best of all, we’ll take this journey together.

You can be an extraordinary student blogger–if that’s who you want to be. It’s important to remember that blogging will be as memorable and important and wonderful as you make it. It will be up to you–not Mrs. Rombach–to write interesting posts that connect with others. It will be up to you–not Mrs. Rombach–to put in the extra 10-15 minutes required to correct all the little typos or spelling errors that are like roadblocks for any reader. For inspiration, check out the blogs on my Alumni Bloggers blogroll, located on the right sidebar.

photo credit:: http://philstubbsteaching.files.wordpress.com/

photo credit:: http://philstubbsteaching.files.wordpress.com/

*You’ll be expected to write upbeat, encouraging comments.

*You’ll be expected to respond to people who leave comments on your blog. Think of it as a conversation…back and forth, back and forth.

*You’ll be expected to post two blog assignments every month, although you’re always welcome to write more. We’ll draft them in class (in our writing journals) and write them at home or in the lab.

*You’ll be expected to credit all photographs, which we’ll discuss soon.

Now it’s time to watch a video. Imagine you’re a sponge and soak it all in.

After you’ve watched the video, leave a comment telling me (1) something you learned from the video AND (2) one thing about blogging that sounds exciting. Use only your FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL. It’s important to protect your privacy. 🙂

To leave your comment, click on the title of this post and then scroll to the very bottom of the page for the comment box. Don’t wait until Friday to ask for help with this. I’m posting on Tuesday!) If you have a question, you can put that in your comment, too, and then look for my reply. 🙂

Follow the directions given here. Be sure to include the two items I’ve requested. I’ll be watching for one from everyone so I can enter your participation in the gradebook. 🙂

Cheerio!

Mrs. Rombach

 

 

Dreaming Big & Setting Goals

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“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra

“If you want to live a happy life,tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein

May-Blog-3-Image-Setting-Realistic-Goals

credit: http://blog.yvettesalva.com

 

 

Last week, we articulated our big plans for sixth grade. What did you want most to accomplish between now and June 16? What was on your to-do list? What priorities have you set? Are you determined to make new friends? Do you want to earn better grades? Are you focused on improving in a subject that left you feeling overly challenged or frustrated last year?

What are your dreams for today, tomorrow, and the rest of the year? Dreams only come true when you believe they can. Do you believe in the awesomeness that resides inside you? Do you recognize that you’re already an expert in oodles of things? You could surely teach Mrs. Rombach many things, starting with how to take a presentable selfie. (Currently, I am an epic failure in the selfie department.). The bottom line is this: I believe in each of you, and recognize the gifts you bring to my class every day. You may not love to read or write — yet — but you’re passionate about something.

What is that something? Your Wednesday night homework is to watch this TedX video (it’s less than 5 minutes long), and then tell me: What would YOU attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? From landing a difficult trick with your skateboard to someday hosting your own YouTube channel, share one goal you’ve set for yourself. It may take you 2 months or 10 years to reach that goal, but just putting it here in black and white makes it real.  Share your goal in a comment–and let me know how this video inspired you to dream big.

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” 
― Robert H. Schuller

 

To leave a comment, click on the blog post title, “Dreaming Big & Setting Goals.” A comment box will appear at the bottom of this page. Complete and submit. Yes, you’ll have to type in the anti-spam letters.

 

Next Monday, I’ll ask you to complete a Google survey on your reading and writing goals for the First Quarter. As the week progresses, contemplate what kind of goals you might set for yourself as a reader and as a writer.

Remember, study Weeks 1 & 2 vocabulary words on www.quizlet.com and be prepared for the vocabulary quiz on Friday. Also on Friday, be sure to bring your completed weekly homework sheet.

Spread happiness with your smiles and positive outlook!

Mrs. Rombach

 

Read this Summer to Help Cure Childhood Cancer!

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The Blogtastic Summer Book Club Starts Next Week

Just two more crazy days in a classroom before summer break officially starts. With the countdown nearly complete, I wonder…what’s on your summer to-do list?

Besides digging my bare toes into the sun-bleached North Carolina beaches, I’ll be turning pages in books I’ve been dreaming about reading all year long. Next week, we (as in you and me) officially launch this blog’s Blogtastic Summer Book Club, a way to keep us reading and writing about fabulous, must-read books. (Vote for Blogtastic Book #1 at the bottom of this post.) This summer, it’s time to read for pleasure…and for the promise of a future without childhood cancer. 

A Million Books for Hope – Summer Reading Challenge  

Thanks to Alice, one of my students who knows all too well the tragedy of losing a young friend to cancer, I can share A Million Books for Hope read-a-thon with all of you. No matter how old we are, an adversary like cancer makes us feel helpless. Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children and adolescents in the United States? In fact, cancer kills 7 children every day in the United States. (Source: National Cancer Institute).

How can a parent–much less a kid–do something that actually makes a difference? What if I told you that by reading books you can contribute to the cure? It’s true. Childhood cancers get shortchanged when it comes to federal funding. Grownups are working on that issue, but while they’re speaking out nationwide and lobbying Congress, we can take part in A Million Books for Hope read-a-thon.  Ask your Mom or Dad, Aunt Kathy or Uncle Oakley, or MeeMaw and Grandpa to sponsor you. Whether it’s $1/per book or $5/book, 100% of proceeds go to childhood cancer research. Plus, with Barnes and Noble as A Million Books for Hope sponsor, you’ll earn a $25 gift card if you raise $250. Raise more; earn more! Prizes are detailed on the webpage. Click here to register (or just get more information).

Maybe you know someone who’s living with cancer? We at Eagle Ridge have our own hero, Gavin Rupp, #15, who lost his life to brain cancer on July 30, 2013. Only 4% of cancer funds go to childhood cancer. That needs to change. We will find a cure…one day soon.

 

 

Eagle Ridge Summer Reading Challenge

To encourage and inspire you to read as many books as possible this summer, sign up for the ERMS Summer Reading Challenge, too. Read whatever you want…and keep track of the books you’ve read. If you do, prizes are potentially in your back-to-school future.

On Tuesdays, you’ll receive a text message with book recommendations. You can read one of the recommended books…or any book that interests YOU! 

Keep track of what you read.

On Sundays, you’ll get a text message as a reminder to log any book you’ve finished. Click here to log books. 

Tweet about what you’re reading! #ermsreads

Instagram your books! #ermsreads

 

Pick a Winner…

Which book should the Blogtastic Summer Book Club read first? Click on the book cover to watch the book or movie trailer.

Vote today. Winner announced next week!

Lemoncello

If I Stay

movie trailer for If I Stay

LEGEND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reflecting on Blogging

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Te atreves...
Photo Credit: Fernando Valenzuela via Compfight

In reflecting back over nearly a full semester of blogging, what will you remember most about being part of the blogosphere?

What was the most rewarding aspect of blogging?

What was your greatest challenge during this blogging experience?

In your opinion, which post was your best-written? Did it receive the most comments or did another post bring in a larger number of comments?

As I prepare for next year’s sixth-grade class of bloggers, do you have any recommendations about topics, assignments, or how incoming students can be the best bloggers possible?

Thanks so much for blogging with me this year! It’s been a learning experience for me, too, and one I wouldn’t trade for anything. Keep writing…keep reading…keep being awesome for all of the days you spread joy on Planet Earth. To all those heading to Trailside, keep in touch by stopping by this blog now and again. If you’re staying here at ERMS, come visit! 🙂

Leave a comment!

Happy Summer!!

Mrs. Rombach 🙂