Did you have fun visiting the Southern Museum of Civil War in Kennesaw this weekend? Seeing all the Civil War artifacts and learning about the General was a great way to end our study on the Civil War and Reconstruction.

As we stated in class, if you want to earn extra points for social studies, tell us what new things you learned on your trip. Be sure to read each other’s posts and piggy back off of their comments but don’t repeat their ideas. You’ll have to think hard and remember something new that you learned to get your points.

Also remember to pay attention to the standard writing conventions. Any post with too many errors will be deleted and no points awarded. All comments need to be left by Monday at the end of the school day in order to receive extra credit.

Thanks to Ms Hacker at Frey for setting this special day up for us!

Several times throughout the year we wil be reading from the historical fiction genre. Currently our oral read is historical fiction, No Mans Land, which is set during  the Civil War. One of the elements of historical fiction is that readers are able to learn things about that period of time that they might not learn from reading a social studies book.

So this post is dedicated to sharing things we’ve learned about the Civil War from No Mans Land or one of the other Civil War historical fiction books you are reading. Share the title of the book you are discussing and the information you’ve learned.  As you learn more things, come back and share so we can learn them too! Remember to read each others’ posts, no repeats on information and try to piggyback off of classmate’s comments if you can.

In social studies, we have learned that slaves just before the Civil War resisted or fought against slavery by running away or rebelling. Harriet Tubman escaped slavery using the Underground Railroad, and then returned to the South as a “conductor” on the railroad. Nat Turner led a slave rebellion that resulted in 60 men, women, and children being killed. In the end, all the slaves who took part in Turner’s Rebellion were caught, tried, and hung.

The actions of Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner and people running the Underground Railroad were breaking the laws of that time. Think about and respond to three or more of the following questions. It may be a good idea to draft your thoughts on paper before typing and posting them on the blog. Pay attention to paragraphing, punctuation, spelling and capitalization. Students who post a well planned, thoughtful comment can earn extra credit toward their lowest social studies grade for the quarter. You have until the end of school on Friday, October 9 to earn this extra credit. You will also earn extra points when you read your classmates comments and reply or “piggyback” off of their thoughts.

*If you had been a slave back in the 1850’s, would you have joined Nat Turner’s rebellion? Explain why you would or would not.

*If you had been a slave, would you have tried to escape to the North? Explain how you would or why you wouldn’t.

*If you had lived in the North and found a runaway slave, do you think you would have obeyed the Fugitive Slave Law and returned the person to slavery? Explain.

*After the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, would you have continued to run a station on the Underground Railroad? Explain yourself.

*Is it ever proper to break a law or use violence, even if you are fighting for a good cause? Explain yourself.

Remember, only well thought out and well written comments will earn extra credit.

Wow! I hope everyone is safe and dry! I’ve been watching the news reports and can’t believe all the damage around our county. The picture on this post is of Clarkdale Elementary, an elementary school here in Cobb County. Imagine the damage and the clean-up that it will take to make this school operational again. We are very lucky that Pickett’s Mill survived this terrible storm with such little damage.

So how are you and your families doing? What have you experienced at your house and in your neighborhood?

Stay safe, dry and we’ll see you all hopefully on Thursday!

Mrs. Thompson

You’ve met the good ole’, imaginative, fun-loving, country boy, Harris, and his cousin Gary. Don’t you just love Harris’ imagination and how he seems to have fun with very little? Didn’t you love hearing about them playing war with the sows and catching mice?

On the farm, they entertain each other in very different ways then you do today. They did not have video games, TV or team sports. Sometimes I wonder how the technology of today affects our imaginations…

Let’s go back to simpler times and try to imagine what life on the farm would be like?

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  • What kind of fun do you think you would have if you lived on a farm? Have you been on a farm? What did you do?
    
  • What type of imaginative games would you play with friends?
    
  • More importantly, what do you think Gary thinks of the farm life?

If you have any family or friends that live on a farm or in the country, ask them to blog so we can see what they have to say about country life. We’ve already had one “guest blogger” so let’s see how many others we can get! You may have to teach your parents or grandparents how to blog!

I can’t wait to read your comments….who knows, maybe even author Gary Paulsen will find our blog and read what you’ve written about one of his most popular books!

Remember, in order to get your comment published you must be detailed, descriptive, and check over your comment for appropriate writing conventions (spelling, punctuation and capitalization).

You may want to visit Mrs. Gurski’s blog also to read what her class thinks about farm life. http://gurskiclassblog.wordpress.com/

Hello pirates! Thought I’d upload this quick post just in case there are a few of you out there that want to share what you’ve been doing this long weekend. It’s been good hearing from former students and finding out how middle school is going for them.

Since the weather is kind of icky today, I’ve been on my screened porch reading. I’ve also made another round of Cash Cab questions for Tuesday. I can’t wait to play  it with you all!

Be sure to “sharpen the saw” this weekend, because we have a busy week planned!

See you all Tuesday,

Mrs. T

Hey there! Do you think you need to raise your average in science? Be pro-active and “dig up” some extra credit points this weekend. Do some research to find out more about the structure of our Earth.

1. Find out two NEW interesting facts about the Earth and come back here to report on them. Information must be presented in your own words so that classmates can understand your information.

2. Pay attention to spelling, capitalization and sentence structure. All poorly written comments will be deleted and no extra credit will be earned.

3. Don’t repeat information..only the first person to post with the information will get credit. So be sure to read all the comments that are posted before yours!

4. Extra credit must be posted by Wednesday morning !

Happy digging!

Hello Class,

This post is dedicated to Jennifer, Bufo, and all the other characters Bruce Coville has introduced us to! Hopefully you all have been enjoying Jennifer Murdley’s Toad. I have always enjoyed reading this book to my classes!

Now, for all of you that like to draw and be creative. Here is a fun challenge for you that shows you are willing to go above and beyond.

Choose a scene from Jennifer Murdley’s Toad to draw. Be as detailed and creative as you can.You can cut out pictures from magazines, use clip art on the computer, draw and color as you like or use a combination of these to make a creative scene. Please do not put it on notebook paper!

Here is an example: Maybe you can draw Bufo relaxing in his terrarium with Jennifer peeking in. Maybe you can draw the scene with the ringing red plastic phone. Or maybe you could draw Jennifer on her walk home when she meets Sharra and her friends. The possibilities are endless! Just be NEAT, CREATIVE, and DETAILED! Also include a brief summary explaining what is happening in your scene or in this part of the story.

On the blog, post what scene you are working on and tell us how you are making it. Are you using magazines, computer clip art, colored pencils, paint or a combination of items? If you have questions about the details, ask them here and maybe someone can post the answer so check back often to see what people are doing and saying.

If you want to receive extra credit in reading for this work, you have until Friday, August 28 to post and bring in your artwork.

Have fun!

Mrs. Thompson

One week down…how many to go? We hope that everyone enjoyed their first week back at school. We would love to hear and read what everyone thinks about the new school year. If you are a fifth grade graduate (former student) please let us know what you think of middle school and what advice you have for our new fifth graders.

New fifth grade class…You are AWESOME! As you know you have some pretty big shoes to fill. We’ve had some great students in the past, but you all are on your way to keeping the tradition alive. You’ve already received many compliments from other teachers. Thank you for that!

So, new fifth graders, tell us what you thought about your first week as a fifth grader. What did you like, what were you surprised about, what worries you still?

Please read each other’s comments and piggy-back off them if you can. We all look forward to reading what you have to say.

Mrs. Thompson

Hope everyone is having a great time this summer. I also hope everyone is finding some time each day to read. I’ve finished 3 books already! Two murder mysteries and one very long science fiction book called The Host. It is about aliens coming to Earth and putting their souls into people. It was really good and even though I finished it over 2 weeks ago, I still find myself thinking about “What if….” I love books that make you think about them long after you’ve finished reading them.

So what have you all been reading and doing? Keep us posted!