Our Geometry Fan

Our class made a Geometry Fan in geometry. A Geometry Fan is a paper folded in a zigzag (fanlike) way. You can tape the paper strips to make your fan longer and taller. On each box we put our geometry facts about angles, vertex, axes, triangles, quadrilaterals, and also degrees on a shape. We also put facts about parallel lines and perpendicular lines. The Geometry Fan helps us understand geometry better. The Geometry Fan also helps us study better in a fun and fascinating way.

The Geometry Fan is really easy to make. So instead of writing your notes on paper, make your own Geometry Fan. All you need to make a Geometry Fan are white paper and tape. On the index card you fill the card with facts. Draw the shape, tell the degrees, and anything else you see in the shape or angle. After that you can make it all pretty and color the Geometry Fan. For more on geometry go to GeoMEtry and see what we did. ~DC and AP

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

The holiday season is a time for giving back to others. Sometimes we need to give to people we don't even know. It is not about getting new stuff. As a class, we wanted to find a way to help others.

Yesterday, we found out that the students and teachers from the Sandy Hook Elementary School  are moving into a new building. They are moving all the furniture into the building, but it is not decorated like a school. They requested that students send glittery snowflakes to decorate their school so that when the students return, it will look like a Winter Wonderland.

For our Christmas party, we made snowflakes for  Sandy Hook Elementary School. When we were making the snowflakes, we put glue on our snowflakes and we sprinkled glitter onto the snowflakes. We really enjoyed taking time to do something for other people even though we've never met. We hope that our snowflakes bring joy and happiness to those students. ~MH and AM

Wonderful Weebly Portfolios

 Weebly is a wonderful website were you can create a website. You can also create a portfolio. You can make your Weebly public or private. We are using Weebly to create a portfolio of everything we have learned this year. For now, our Weebly is private. Mrs. Ramsay's Weebly is public and a lot of people visit her Weebly.

For our Weebly we have to write about all the marvelous and magnificent things we have done over the year. There are four pages for each season including the home page. The pages are Home, Fall, Winter, and Spring.We have been mainly working on our Fall page. We could put pictures too. So some people are done with there Fall page and some are starting their Winter page.

With our experience with blogging, it was simple. Good thing we knew the rules for the online world. It would be terrible if we didn't know the rules. For the Winter portfolio page we don't have that much to write about because Winter just started. By the time it's January, you will probably think we started two year's ago because we have learned and accomplished so much in a short time period. So check back on our class blog and Weebly.  ~AP

Fall 6 Word Memoirs

Our class did a 6 Word Memoir for our digital portfolios that we are publishing on Weebly.  In a 6 Word Memoir, you summarize a point in your life in exactly six words. You can  explain your feelings, your life, or whatever you want, but it must be in six words.

The 6 Word Memoir is pretty challenging because you have to really think how you are going to write about your life in six words. We started by looking at and analyzing some published 6 Word Memoirs online. After we discussed our findings, we began to brain storm some ways to create our won to publish in our digital portfolios.

This actually challenged our class a bit. Mrs. Ramsay challenged us to write a 6Word Memoir about who we were as a learner when we entered fifth grade and how we have changed after learning together for four months.We think our memoirs were really good. Many people use analogies and imagery to share their story. You could actually understand what they were trying to say in six words if you stop and contemplate the meaning behind their memoir. Even though it was challenging, it was fun at the same time.

Once was old and now new. ~Z.F.

I was smart, now I'm wise. ~N.E 

In fifth grade, much better learner. ~S.H.

 Here I am, a new learner. ~C.A.

Little smart but smarter each day. ~J.H.

Was a caterpillar, now a butterfly. ~M.H.

Was captain; now Lt.Colonel; achieved goal. ~D.C. 

I was small, but now BIG. ~M.H.

Open your eyes then dream big. ~C.K.

Always dark. Light ahead for learning. ~C.B. 

Dreams come true in our school. ~A.M. 

Was a canvas, now painted gold. ~D.C. 

Dream small, but dream become big. ~E.G. 

Nice teacher.Keep grades.Good work. ~B.C.

Creative, Inspired.Will be forever. ~L.C. 

Challenged, inspired, creative, opened, advanced, accomplished. ~K.T.

I am here, a  great learner. ~J.I.

Inspired kid ready to learn things. ~K.J.

Enter the room, opened my eyes. ~A.P.

Here's a challenge for you. What would be your 6 Word Memoir? Please write yours in a comment.

Geometry Brain Drain

In geometry we are doing a Brain Drain. A Brain Drain is when you take everything that you know about a topic and write it down on a piece of paper. The main purpose for a Brain Drain is so people can know what you know about a subject. It also lets your teacher know what you already know and what you still need to learn.

This is also for you to know how much the other person knows about a subject. First, when we started a Brain Drain we discussed what we knew about geometry with our group. Next, we wrote what we said on the sticky note.When we were writing what we knew about geometry on a sticky note, most of us wrote about angles, shapes, polygons, volume, 2D, and 3D shapes. After that, our class discussed what we wrote on our sticky note. Some people wrote on more than one sticky note. Lastly, we stuck our sticky notes on the big green piece of paper and hung it outside to share our knowledge with everyone.

This is a great learning activity because we got to share what we knew and we got to teach our classmates.

GeoMEtry

Today, we got the opportunity to do a GeoMEtry activity. This is where you get a group of people and make different geometric shapes with your body. We had to make shapes like circles, right angles,quadrilaterals, obtuse angles, and polygons. We took pictures of  our shapes, which you can see them below.
The way that we made shapes was by working together to curve and make our shapes. There were three groups that worked together to practice their geometry. We either could sit up and make shapes or lay down in the grass and make the shapes.A lot of the groups chose to lay down. It was not too cold today so it was a perfect time to do this activity.
Some shapes were easy to do and some were challenging. Mrs. Ramsay stood up in a chair to take the pictures so, it would look like it was a flat, 2D shapes.I think that this was a great learning experience for all of us because we had to really know our geometric shapes to make them.


P.S.   Do you know why this activity is called GeoMEtry?

Family News: Unit 5 Activities for Home

Family News: Unit 5 Measuring Polygons

Below you will find the Family News explaining what we will be studying for the next couple of weeks.

Our Learning at Zoo Atlanta

We had such a great time learning at the Atlanta Zoo. We wanted to share with you some of the cool things that we learned about different animals and their habitats. Do you know something interesting about an animal that you would like to share? Please leave it in a comment.

J.I: What I learned at the Atlanta Zoo is when a flaming is cold it curls its neck to its back so it looks like a giant puffball with legs. Something else I learned is that Atlanta Zoo is one of the largest zoo's in the country.

D.C:  I learned that flamingos live up to 20 years in the wild and up to 50 years in captivity. Adult flamingos are pink because they eat pink shrimp. Pandas are meant to be carnivores but they eat plants.

Z.F:   I learned that gorillas walk with their knuckles because they have callused knuckles.

C.A:  What I learned in the Atlanta Zoo is that was where Ivan lived. There are lots of smart animals. While we were down there,I discovered that Pandas eat more than 300 pounds of bamboo a day.

  A.P: The first thing I learned at the zoo was that there is a snake called a Spitting Cobra. They shoot venom into your eyes. Next,I saw an alligator turtle which is a turtle with an alligator's skin as a shell. Last,I learned that a python doesn't have teeth. I also learned that it can eat an alligator whole.

A.M:  I learned that the gorilla eat fruit, insects, vegetables, and leaves. They are fast and can live up to 30 or 40 years. Ivan lived for 50 years.

E.G:    One thing I learned at the zoo is that gorillas are mostly vegetarians, and that silver backs are the leaders.

M.H:   I learned at the zoo that male gorillas are silver backs but the baby boy gorillas aren't a silver back yet.

L.C:    What I learned at the Atlanta Zoo is Gorillas are mainly vegetarians. I learned that Meerkats might like to eat pumpkins. Another thing I learned is Vultures are big birds that mainly eat dead things. I also learned that all male gorillas turn into a Silver back.

N.E: I learned at the zoo that flamingos eat fruit vegetables and pink shrimp. They are pink because of the shrimp they eat.

J.P:I learned that you shouldn't tease the reptiles because if you do they will get mad at you. Example:Snakes will strike at the glass if you tease them or bother them.

C.C: What I learned at the zoo was pandas were made to be carnivores but, they made adaptions and now they are vegetarians.

B.C:I learned that gorillas get fed twice a day. They are tomatoes and apples when we were there.

Do you know something interesting about an animal that you would like to share? Please leave it in a comment.

Remembering Ivan: Our Trip to the Atlanta Zoo

On October 30, 2012, we took a field trip to the Atlanta Zoo to see where the real Ivan, who inspired The One and Only Ivan, spent twenty years of his life.. We rode on a charter bus to the zoo. On the charter bus we could watch TV, eat snacks, and play our hand held consoles. We watched a zoo movie. Through all of these things, we were excited about arriving in Atlanta and seeing the gorilla habitat.

When we got to the entrance, we saw different pictures of animals which was like a preview of the amazing things to come. The zoo was amazing! We saw so many amazing animals. We saw flamingos, elephants, tigers, lions, meercats, pandas, bears, and gorillas.

Then we went to the Gorilla Habitat which is the largest in North America. It was feeding time in the different habitats. They have eighteen gorillas. In Habitat 1, one of the momma gorillas had a baby on its back. Many of them would run and pound on their chests to get attention. We learned that if a little boy gorilla is born, it will turn into a Silverback when they grow up.

Ivan was a real gorilla. He was born in Central Africa. He was taken in from the wild and to a mall. The docent could tell us all about Ivan's life. He lived there for twenty years after living for almost thirty years in a cage at a mall in Tacoma, Washington. He really did paint, but the zoo had to agree not to sell any of his paintings. They are now teaching all of the gorillas how to paint and sign their name with a thumbprint, just like Ivan. There is a habitat dedicated to Ivan's life with a memorial. It was nice to learn all about his life at the zoo.

Kinyani was really Ivan's girlfriend. She lived at the Atlanta Zoo, but has been moved to the Columbus, Ohio Zoo. She used to hide beside the observation house and then when it was full of people, she would run in front and hit on all of them windows as she ran by. Everyone would jump and screams and then she would look over her shoulder and cover her mouth like she was saying, "Did I do something?"

We took many photos at the zoo and we turned them into a Trip Wow. We really hope you enjoy "travelling" with us to visit the real home of "The One and Only Ivan."

   

The Atlanta Zoo Slideshow: Mrs.’s trip to Atlanta was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

Tweet Stories

                                                      

 Today we were given the challenge to create a story in 140 characters or less. We thought it would be easy, but we learned to be careful selecting our words to say the most important things. This challenged our thinking and creativity. Can you write Tweet Story? We challenge you to try and share your story in a  comment. We hope you enjoy our Tweet Stories.

Dancing with the Pigs

As a pig wants to be a dancing  star! He always warn heed his favorite TV show, Dancing with the Pigs and dreamed he could dance there one day. 

Dreamland

There once was a land called dreamland. Where people imagined things and they appeared. Jack lives there, and my job is defeating furious dragons.

A Prince and Princess                                                       

Once upon a time there was a princess who was very intelligent but, her parents mistreated her. She met  a prince and they ran away. 

 Spoiled Girl

One morning a witch snuck out to grab children. A spoiled little girl got caught. She pitched a fit and the witch let her go.

Haunted House

Once upon a  time  Lauren and Brooke went to a haunted house. As they creeped through a man with a chainsaw jumped out. They ran for our lives and never looked back.

Billy

Billy is a superhero. He likes to help people with problems. He loves to fight crime, and make the world a better place.

Gross 

An alien named Bob came to planet E. He thought humans were the grossest thing he'd ever seen. Bob threw up all day long and flew away quickly.

Dancing Al 

There was an elephant named Al. He dreamed of cheering for Alabama. He kicked the old mascot of the stage and cheered his heart out.

Fighting for the Right to Dribble

Julie lives in 1974. She is a bright girl. She finds out at school that no girls can play basketball. Julie protested and now they have a girls team.    

Bad Luck? 

Once there was a brown dog and a black cat.The brown dog was jumpy because he thought the black cat was bad luck. It wasn't true. They met and became friends.

World Record for... 

One time a monkey wanted to get into the world record book. He wanted to break the banana eating record. He did by eating 248 bananas. 

Polly Want a Win          A parrot wanted to win a phrase saying contest. He practiced for 26 days. He won by saying 469   phrases.  

A Dog with a Blog 

One day Mya and her family found the most adorable dog and took him home. When they turned around to get him food, he disappeared. He was blogging on their computer. 

A Surprising End 

A frog wanted to kiss a princess, but the princess thought he was disgusting. She finally agreed. When they kissed, she turned into a frog. 

 Suzzy's Dream

A panda named Suzzy wanted to work at a circus. Suzzy had a ungue talent. She can pogo stick and eat ice cream. A circus man discovered Suzzy and she worked at the circus. 
Lost Dog

There was a dog that loved to play. While playing, he found a path. It took him to another world. He was scared and returned home. 

Fame and Learning 

There is a famous person named Mrs. Ramsay. She became famous by giving her students tools to learn. She gave them tech; they Skype too. 

Cheer 

There was a girl named Chelsea. She wanted to cheer at ACE. Her dad said no. So she cried all day, and she gave her dad the silent  treatment. 

Goners 

We went to an old house. Inside, a witch told us to stay and offered candy. She put us in a hot tub. We knew that we were goners. 

Zombies? 
There was a boy named Josh who didn't believe in zombies. One day walking home, he took a shortcut and found a family of zombies. 

Global Read Aloud: Surprise Guest Reader

Mrs. Ramsay told us we were going to get a surprise on Friday.We could not figure out what it was.So, when we got back from lunch, we thought we were just going to read The One and Only Ivan which always makes us happy and excited. We got on our class carpet and sat down with our books, iPods, and iPads. Then all of a sudden a Skype call came through our class computer.Guess who?  It was Mrs. Ripp!  She is very nice. Mrs.Ripp is the founder of the Global Read Aloud. She with some other teachers chose the book The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate for us to read this year for the Global Read Aloud.

 It is one of the best books we have ever read. It is a book about a gorilla and other animals facing life changes in a mall. We all love this book truly. It was written by a very enthusiastic author, who can write very interesting and detailed books.We read to almost the end of the book with Mrs. Ripp. We felt honored and surprised to read with the founder of the Global Read Aloud. This was a great surprise. ~LC

Ecosystems Poetry

In science, we have been learning about ecosystems. We studying the different biomes. Some of the biomes that we have been studying are the desert, tropical rainforest, grasslands, tundra, taiga, temperate forest ,marine,and freshwater.We even did a diamante poem which is in the shape of a diamond. We had to choose two different biomes like taiga and the tropical rainforest and contrast them through our poetry writing. It was really fun and we all learned a lot about the different ecosystems! ~AP and JM

Skyping with Ms. Penno's Class

Today, we Skyped with Ms. Penno's grade 4 class.Their class is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We are in Fultondale, Alabama, USA.We discussed  The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. We were separated in 6 groups to discuss which animal character we would save from the book. Our groups were: Ivan, Stella 1, Stella 2, Ruby, Mixed characters, and Bob. Each group had  turns talking to the students in Ms. Penno's class. Each group discussed who will they save, how would they save them, why they save them. We also asked questions about the story. We Skyped for one hour with their classroom. When we were Skyping, we felt as if we were actually talking class to class. Skyping to Canada was the most awesome experience ever. We also got to learn some cool information about their school and their city. ~DC and AM.

Inspiration from Ivan's Art

We got inspired by the real gorilla named Ivan while we were reading The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Ivan does paint in real life, but it is abstract. Abstract painting is when you paint something, but it is not something specific. When you abstract paint it shows people's emotions or feelings or how they have lived in their life.

We got paint and did some Ivan inspired art [abstract]. We discussed and analyzed some famous abstract artists. We got a piece of thick paper called card-stock and finger painted with tempura paint just like Ivan does in the book. We painted abstract art. Here is a digital art gallery of our art. We hope you like it. ~CC and MH

Family News- Unit 4 Activities for Home

Family News- Unit 4 Fractions, Decimals, and Percents

Global Read Aloud- Character Trading Cards

While reading The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, we feel like we've made new friends with the characters. Ms. Applegate is such a  good example of how to write characters. We wanted to share our thoughts about these characters from their point of view. We hope you enjoy them.

Ivan

My name is Ivan. I am a gorilla. I live in a domain at the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. I used to be in the wild, but now I am not. I have been in my domain for nine thousand eight hundred and fifty-five days. I draw art work because I am an artist and my art work cost $20 in the mall's gift shop or $25 with the frame. I have a friend named Julia who is an artist too. Today, I drew a beetle and Mack said it looked like a big blob of nothing. Julia saw it an knew my art was of a beetle.

Stella

I'm an elephant named Stella,who remembers everything and loves to tell stories. I have scars on two of my feet from being chained when I was young. I live in the Big Top Mall with Ivan the gorilla. Ivan is one of my best  friends. He lives in the domain next to me. He is a 400 pound gorilla. I like to take care of the other elephant, named Ruby, in my domain.

Bob

Hi my name is Bob. I am of questionable heritage, which means I'm a stray. I live at the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. I am nut colored and used to have many brothers and sisters. Now I'm on my own. Julia gave me my name. I don't let humans touch me because their scent upsets my digestion. I only let Julia touch me. I love TV. I prefer to watch professional bowling and cat-food commercials. Ivan and I enjoy western movies and romance movies.I am speedy and not tactful, but Ivan lets me sleep on his belly. He's a good friend.

Ruby

I am Ruby. I am a baby elephant. I make many noises like the trumpets they sell at the gift shop. I am shorter than Ivan who is a gorilla. I used to live in Africa. I am here because humans captured me. Humans killed my family and I was alone. I lived at a traveling circus for a month where they didn't feed me enough.Then Mack bought me and moved me to the Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. I've met Stella, Ivan, Bob, and Julia.

Julia

Hi, I am Julia. I have black hair, a half-moon smile, and old clothes. I'm ten years old. My dad is George. He works at the Exit 8 Mall and Arcade to clean Ivan, the gorilla's cage, and all of the other areas in the mall.When I am at the mall and arcade center, I sit by Ivan's domain while doing homework and also while drawing. I like Ivan because he is smart and he likes to draw just like me.

Mack

Hi, my name is Mack. I work at the Exit Eight Mall. I am the boss so I answer the phone all day. I also feed a gorilla named Ivan because I don't have enough money to hire a gorilla babysitter. I do shows where I dress up like a clown and ride on a really tiny bike too. After that show, our elephant Stella does a show with Snickers, our dog. Stella stands on her hind legs and Snickers jumps on her back.If she doesn't do her trick, I have to swing the claw stick. I love my job at the mall.

GRA- Ivan and the Epigraph

At the beginning of The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Appplegate, we noticed the epigraph:

It is never too late to be what you might have been." ~George Eliot

We had a great discussion about it and we wanted to share our thoughts with all of you. Here are some of our thoughts about what the epigraph means and how it relates to us and possibly to the characters in the book:

"If you wanted to be a good person in life but you are bad you can quit making bad choices and then you are what you wanted to be. " ~JP

"I think the quote connects with the book because I think the gorilla named Ivan maybe wants to change who he is. Ivan lives in a mall in a domain. A domain is his territory in the story it's just his cage. He is the only gorilla in the mall. He has friends,  but they're not in his domain so he's lonely. His friends are Stella, Mack, and Bob. Stella is an elephant, Mack is a human, and Bob is a dog. Ivan probbaly wants to change who he is because if he changes who he is maybe people might like him more and they'll find hima gorilla, a friend." ~HW

"What that means is if you are a bus driver and you want to be a teacher it is never to late to go back to school and earn a teaching job. But what that means to Ivan is he doesn't like it in the circus he can change that." ~CK 

"I had a job that I've been in for five years, but did not finish collage, I could just go back to college and finish and get a master's degree. With the degree I could get a even better job than I had before, am I right? I really do think that this quote is really part of life, because if you're stuck in place you don't want to be in, you can always go back where you really wanted to be. So just think about it, have you ever been bad and then all of a sudden been good, I know I have, but the question is have you?" ~DC

"Some days you might want to be someone else, but when you think about it, it's best to be the best you you can be."~LNH

We would love to hear your thoughts too. Please leave a comment and tell us where you are from so that we can mark your location on our class' world map.

The Best Time in Class! 9-28-12

This week in science we were studying  Body Systems. We learned about how the body works in many different ways. One thing I learned from this week was that the circulatory system and the excretory systems both aid in removing waste from the body. I also learned that lungs are part of the respiratory. I have one more thing I want share which was that the excretory system includes which two organs which are the bladder and kidneys.

 

Also this week we did math workshop. Math workshop is these like centers we do for math. A couple of centers I love are Mucho Multiplication and compare cards. You play Mucho Multiplication by getting two small tubs of dice. Then you shake each tub and turn it over then you multiple the numbers together. After you complete the problem you check your answer with the calculator. The first person with the right answer gets a point. The team member with the most points at the end gets a pass of their choice.Compare cards are when you turn over two cards from each person and who ever has the biggest product of their two numbers gets all the cards from that hand.The one with the most cards at the end wins.

We are doing the Global Read Aloud. It starts in THREE days!We are reading The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The field trip that we are going on goes with The One and Only Ivan. We are going to the Atlanta Zoo. We are taking a charter bus and it is going to be a lot of  fun. 

~ LNH

Christmas Came Early...

We are preparing to participate in the Global Read Aloud. The Global Read Aloud is where you read a book and do activities with student from all over the world. We're reading The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. It's going to be so much fun.We are going to skype and do activities with Ms. Penno's fourth grade class. We will also skype and do activities with Ms. Morgan's fifth grade class in Melbourne, Australia. This week we have been talking about going on a field trip that will go along with the book. We earn clues about the field trip when we are good. Our first clue was Charter Bus. Our second clue was Africa. Then, we got another clue which was five. We can't wait to hear our other clues.

This week we also got another class iPad. The class iPad is white like the other iPad that we had on the first day of school. Now we have two iPads. It gets even better. We also have a class iPod Touch. Christmas came early for us. We have all these amazing tools to help us learn better.

In math, we also have been working on multiple towers. It's where you have to make multiples of a certain number. For example: Make a multiple of  21. No one has finished the tower yet. We really like the tower. It's very challenging and helps us think about numbers and find patterns.

This week, there was a full page article about our class and our first day of school in the Alabama School Journal. There were even color photos of us doing our spaghetti and marshmallow activity. Today, in the mail, the news reporter sent all of us a full color page of our article. It was so cool. Many of us are going to frame it and hang it up in our rooms.
                                                                                  
This week was a social studies week. We learned all about how the Spanish came to the Americas. They didn't tret them natives fairly, which was not right. Next week will be a science week. We will be learning all about the human body. We can't wait.


Until next time,
~J.P and K.T

It's Reading Season...Read Like a Champion

Learning Teams

We have had a fantastic time this week. This week, we started a new ongoing activity called Learning Teams.  All of us are divided up into teams. Each week, we have goals that we strive to meet by each Friday.  We all got to create a team name and logo that we display on the classroom wall.

We can earn team points each for various activities such as class participation, following class procedures, completing homework,cooperative team work, etc. THESE POINTS ARE NOT FOR A GRADE.  They only count for the team towards earning a cool prize or special activity each Friday, if we meet our goal for that week.  

At the end of the grading period, any teams that earn Super Team status (a goal set at the beginning on the nine weeks) will earn a fun activity such as a popcorn and movie, ice cream sundaes, or outside activities.  Individuals can also earn individual points by being a good citizen or making good grades on tests.  These points can be spent by shopping in the "Ramsay General Store" or purchasing a classroom pass. 

This is an activity that helps us manage our point budget, set goals, and work together as a team which are all important life skills.

Math Family Letter for Unit 1 Investigation 1.4

Below you will see the Family Letters that accompany our Math Investigations which explains the types of  learning activities in which we have been engaged. I hope that you find this helpful as we transition to this new math program.

Math Family Letter for Unit 1 Investigation 1.3

Below you will see the Family Letters that accompany our Math Investigations which explains the types of  learning activities in which we have been engaged. I hope that you find this helpful as we transition to this new math program.

Spaghetti and Marshmallows: Our 1st Day Challenge

In order to build a community of learners who listen to one another, work collaboratively to problem solve and who respect one another, we completed a challenge. Our challenge was to take 20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti, 1 jumbo marshmallow, 1 yard of masking tape, and 1 yard of string to construct the tallest tower that could hold the marshmallow on top and still stand upright. We had 18 minutes to complete this task with our teams. Check out the photos below to see how well we did.

The tallest tower was 14 1/2 inches tall. All of us did a great job working together and communicating with one another. We all agree that this is going to be one amazing year. We can't wait for our next challenge.

Welcome to 5th Grade!

The time has finally come for us to begin our adventure together. I have been anticipating this moment all summer as I plan and prepare for the launch of our year of extreme learning. Our class is not a traditional class. Much of the class time is spent with my learners working with peers in class and from around the world. Technology is embedded to support each student's individual learning goal.

Be sure to check this blog regularly as we will update it with photos, successful 5th grade tips and strategies, important events, and exciting projects in which we will be engaged all year.You can sign up to receive updates by email (look to right side if this page) if that is what is most convenient for you.

Another way that we can stay in touch is through our class Twitter feed (@RamsaysClass). We will be tweeting about the exciting things that happen throughout the day. We will be tweeting photos and links to some of our exciting projects. This way you can join in our class happenings.

If you were unable to attend our Meet and Greet, please take just a minute to complete this survey so that we can strengthen our Home-School connection. I know that by working together we can make this the most successful year possible for your learner.

Who's ready for our extreme year of learning?