Holes Combination Final Project- 50 points total

Holes Combination Final Project- 50 points total

**DUE MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2011**

Holes Family Tree Project - (20 points)

Stanley Yelnat’s family history goes all the way back to his great-great grandfather, Elya Yelnats.  Each person has a history that is worthy to document and write down.  In this project, you will begin research on your own family history.  How far back can you research your ancestors?  You may choose your mother, father or guardian’s family.

Each family member should have a name and location.  Any other details you would like to add are optional such as what type of job they did for a living.  You should also research family trees and display your information on a chart on a piece of paper no larger than half a poster board.  10 points for family tree display and 10 points for research information sheet.  This research sheet should include all the information you collected on your family and be organized neatly.

Character Playing Cards- (20 points)

Create player cards for 10 main characters in the novel, Holes.  Should include a hand drawn picture, full name, and paragraph summarizing their role in the novel.  The cards should be similar in style to a Pokemon card on white copy paper.  BE CREATIVE AND NEAT!

  Character list-

·         Stanley

·         Zero

·         Xray

·         Warden

·         Mr. Sir

·         Mr. Pendanski

·         Kate Barlow

·         Sam the Onion Man

·         Trout Walker

·         Madame Zeroni

*****Choose one of the following activities- 10 EXTRA CREDIT POINTS******

Create a clay model of your own lizard.  Be creative and decorate your lizard with its own special spots and design.  Below is the recipe for homemade model clay or you can buy your own at a local craft store.

4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth. Roll out dough to 3/4" thickness. Cut with decorative cookie cutters for ornaments or leave in a ball and use small bits to create figures, people, animals or whatever shape you desire. For ornaments, cut a hole on the top before baking. Bake at 250 degrees on cookie sheet for 2 hours or until hard. When cool, paint and then spray with clear varnish to preserve.

5th grade knows about TEAMWORK!

Our school has been motivating student involvement with homeroom prizes.  I love both my 5th grade classes, however I am only 5A's homeroom teacher and help them with contests.  Our school recently raised over 3,000 canned foods for local needy families.  5A students participated and encouraged eachother to help.  They were able to collect 400 canned items and place 3rd in the entire school!  The prize is an ice cream party, which we will have the Tuesday after we get back from Thanksgiving break.

During Anti-bullying week, the school also started a homeroom door decorating contest.  5A students worked hard together and were able to win FIRST PLACE in the entire school!  The prize this time is a doughnut party.  5B students deserve credit for their fantastic door as well.  Dedicated students stayed after school working together and came up with a great design.

Both classes did great and I am so proud to teach 5th grade!

"He who passively accepts evein is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it"- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  (This is the quote we chose for the door)

Literature Circles!!

I am excited to annouce that I will be utilizing my classroom blog much more this 6 weeks!

This week, both 5th grade classes will be assigned to literature circle groups.  It is important that each member of the group work together as a team.  I have tried to create groups with mixed up students that will force each person to learn to work with others.  It is up to YOU to choose to engage with the group each week.  I will be giving participation credit each time we meet in literature cirles.  Students choosing to not engage and discuss with teammates will be given a zero. 

Please remember to drop everything at the door!  All hard feelings should not be carried over into my classroom.  We are a family, and I want to see you all respecting each other. 

TASK FORCE-  Each 5th grade class will have a reading task force.  These three students will work with me on helping the rest of the class with assignments in literature circles.  These students are taking on the responsibility to read ahead and handle a heavier workload, so please respect them and appreciate their help. 

This 6 weeks we are reading Holes by Louis Sachar.  I truly love this book and look forward to many great discussions and projects with you all.

Welcome back to school!

I am reflecting over the first day of school and am excited about the potential projects and activities we can do this year.  I was able to spend time with both 5th grade classes and we are already becoming a close team.  My goal for the next few weeks is to learn how to trust and respect eachother.  Each student will be proactive in their education and will need their teammates to help complete assignments.  It is so important to understand that in order to have successful year, we must all learn to work together.

This week we will be be focusing on practice rules and procedures.  It is important to learn and practice what is expected of the class so that we can have a smooth year.  We will get over all the boring introduction stuff of the first week soon and dive right into fun lessons and assignments.  I can tell I have some creative writers and great readers in 5th grade.  I look forward to an adventurous year with the valiant knights of 5th grade!

Character Development

As soon as I finished The Sorceress, I drove straight to the book store and purchased the 4th and 5th books in the series.  I just could not wait any longer!  I also figured I could add the books to my classroom library.   Book four, The Necromancer, was another great read and I finished it very quickly.  I think it is such a special gift for an author to be able to create characters that evolve through a series.  As the reader, it is amazing to see characters grow and change and I almost feel like I actually know them.

The twins, Sophie and Josh, started off as normal 15 year olds living average lives in America.  In a matter of days, their whole life changed and took them on a journey around our world and other worlds.  They each had matured and gained some confidence through the series.  They were also both very dependent on each other and used to always having the comfort of knowing that they at least had their twin to support them.  As they continued to face new challenges, their bond was threatened by choices and jealously.  It is interesting to see how each handled their new lives.  Sophie was much more trusting of the Flamels and her natural powers might have made her one of the strongest humans in history.  Josh did not trust the Flamels and a part of him was interested in seeing if Dee was actually the good guy.  Josh's need to feel as powerful as his sister and doubt in the Flamels sent him once again into John Dee's corner.  Sophie is doing everything she can to save her brother and also save the world.

This seems to be the classic "gift and curse" that most super heros are faced with.  Save the world and never have a normal life, or go back to being a normal person and watch the world crumble.  I think that Sophie and Josh are both realizing that they probably never really had a choice in their destiny and that there will never be a normal life for them again.

Going beyond the text and researching some more!

The Sorceress: Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel- During this third book in the series, the reader begins to learn a bit more about Pernelle Flamel, who has been held prisoner by Dee since book one.  She is facing lots of hardships and surprisingly is able to overcome everything that tries to destroy her.  As a reader, I am beginning to think that Pernelle is much stronger than I thought and that she will soon be a major influence in the series.   While Pernelle is battling her own problems, Nicholas and the twins are still dealing with Dee and his team of monsters in London.  They escaped Paris and are having a really tough time in London.  Flamel and the twins are helped by other immortals, Palamedes and Shakespeare. ( Google these people!)  Nicholas Flamel must try to get the twins out of London and back to the West Coast of America and the fastest way is through a leygate.  There is one at the historic and ancient site, Stonehenge.  After barely escaping Dee and his monsters, Nicholas and the twins make it to Stonehenge and transport to California, where Pernelle is there to greet them.  She has escaped and is now reunited with Flamel. The warrior, Scathach and Joan of Arc are in Paris and do not know that Pernelle has escaped and decide to go rescue her.  They try a leygate in London, but it has been tampered with and sends them to a prehistoric world filled with beasts like sabertooth tigers!  The twins, Josh and Sophie, are becoming stronger but also seem to be getting pulled apart from their close bond by the events.  Josh still seems a bit jealous of his sister and I'm nervous that he will turn against her.


My favorite location in this book is Stonehenge.  This is a very ancient site used by early humans.  There have been a lot of studies done on and around the site to try to determine the age and uses for it.  Scientists think that the site was created in 2500 BC and initially used as a burial ground.  The actual stones are built in a circular pattern and very large.  It is hard for me to imagine early humans having the tools or strength to build something like this.  Today, the stones are worn and some have fallen due to weather and time, but it is amazing that a majority of the structure still stands.   I would love to visit one day, but the good news is that there have been replicas built all over the world.  We are lucky enough to have one in close to San Antonio in Ingram, Texas.  Check out the link for more information.  Maybe you can take a family road trip there this summer!
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7819

Reading can be done ANYWHERE!

So, I know it can be difficult to fit in some time to just sit and read during the summer.  Summers are filled with outdoor activities and usually you are with friends and family.  It can become a stressful thing just trying to figure out when to fit in one chapter of reading.  I was having this same issue but I started getting creative with my reading.  San Antonio has been on water restrictions for some time now with the little bit of rain we are getting and that means that homeowners can only water their grass by hand.  My yard is pretty big so that can take me up to an hour just to water it.  So instead of just standing there, I have been taking my book outside and reading while I water with the other hand.  It really has worked out great for me.  I am using up that hour and making it very productive.  You can do the same thing at your house!  It doesn't have to be only when you are doing yard work, think of all the other times you can fit in reading.  There are many minutes spent in the car driving places this summer.  If you take a book with you, I bet you'd be getting lots of reading done and it wouldn't even take away from your summer free time.  Try to be creative and pick up a book more often and I am sure you will be surprised by how much you get done. HAPPY SUMME READING!

Going beyond the text!

The Magician was an exciting adventure that captured my imagination.  As I mentioned in the previous post, Nicholas Flemal and the twins esaped Dee in Oaji through a leygate and was instantly transported to Paris, France.  Nicholas Flamel views Paris as his home town and in real history is documented to have lived there for many years.  In Paris, the reader is introduced to an old friend of Nicholas, Joan of Arc!  This is another historical figure to research!!   Sophie has had her powers awakened and learned three elemental magics, but Josh still is a normal human.  He is feeling jealous of his sister and also scared that they no longer will have a close bond.  He is determined have his powers awakened also and after some crazy events, he ends up with Dee.  Dee convinces that he can find an Elder who can awaken his powers.  Dee takes Josh deep under the city of Paris in what are called the Catacombs.  Deep under the city the God of War, Mars Ultor.  Mars awakens Josh's powers and also gives Josh all his war strategy knowledge.  A final battle take place between Dee and Nicholas and the twins at the historic, Notre Dame.  Dee uses magic to bring to life the stone gargoyles and monsters that decorate the gothic building.  Flamel and the twins escape and head to London in search of another person to help teach the twins another elemental magic.  The third book in the series, The Sorceress, was also great, but I will save that for another post. ;)

This book had me "googling" so much information!  From Joan of Arc to Notre Dame, but my favorite was the Paris Catacombs.  In the book, the characters go deep under Paris through tunnels and some are filled with human skeletons!  It turns out that this really does exist.  In the eighteenth century the local graveyards in Paris were overflowing, so the city decided to take out the old skeletons and  export them to these tunnels.  The walls are filled with skulls and bones and some are even in designs.  This tunnel is open to the public, so if you are ever in Paris, be sure to check them out.  I have officially added the Paris Catacombs to my "places to visit" lists.  I think I would be a bit nervous, but it would be worth it.

For more information check out this link- http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm


Here are a few pictures of the Catacombs.

I love these books!

I finished The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel, and jumped right into the 2nd book in the series, The Magician.  I got so consumed in reading that I haven't posted any updates!  Well The Alchemyst was a fantastic novel that really created vivid images and scenes in my mind as I read.  The book that the antagonist Dee stole from Nicholas Flamel is known as The Lost Book of Abraham the Mage or the Codex.  In the novel, people throughout history have been searching for the books to unlock the secrets it holds.  The book creates a world that is full of everything that we thought was legend and impossible, and makes them all real.  Flamel takes the twins to meet an ancient warrior named Scathach.  This red haired young looking girl is thousands of years old and the founder of modern day martial arts.  Scathach helps the twins (Josh and Sophie) and Flamel escape Dee and find a shadowrealm created by an Elder, Hekate. Hekate is not human but one of the first races to live on Earth.  She and other Elders are very powerful and were also though of as gods.    The twins learn that in the Codex there is a prophecy that mentions twins of silver and gold saving the world from the dark elders.  We learn that each person has an aura of different colors around them.  The purer your color, the more magical power you possess.  It turns out a that Sophie is pure silver and Josh is pure gold.  Flamel is certain that these are the twins that will help save the world.  Hakate helps awaken Sophie's magical powers but before she has a chance to awaken Josh's, they are attacked by Dee and his army.  This was my favorite part of the book because of all the detail used to describe the battle.  Hekate is killed by Dee, but Flamel and the others escape.  

The  book continues to jump from different points of views as you read on.  Perry is still trapped by Dee but she is able to use her powers to help.  She tells Flamel to take the twins south to the witch in Oaji.  When I read this I was very curious about where exactly Oaji was in the USA.  I had never head of this town so I took my iPad out and searched for it on a map.  It is in southern California!  I love having the power of the internet so easily available when I am reading.  Searching for places or people really helps me understand novels better.  This book is filled with references to common known legends and tales, and being able to read them online helps you as the reader connect with the characters.  Many characters in the book, including Flamel and Dee were actual people, so if you read this book be sure to do some research.

The witch in Oaji, is a master of air and gives Sophie all the knowledge and memories she has ever had to help Sophie learn how to use her powers a bit more.  Now that Sophie's powers have been awakened, Josh feels distant and a bit envious.  Sophie has always been his best friend but now he doesn't know how to feel.  Dee tries to convince Josh that Flamel is not a trustworthy person and now Josh seems lost on what to believe.  Dee tries to battle Flamel and the gang in Oaji, but fails as the witch helps them escape thru a leygate to Paris, France. Leygates are points around the world where more than one power line intersects.  I really hope you read this book! My summary is not worthy of it's greatness ;)  I am almost finished with The Magician and will update you on the adventures in Paris.

Here's a picture taken after I searched for Oaji, California.  Always go deeper than the text and research on your own.  NEVER rely on one source for your knowledge ;)

8th Grade Graduation 2011

Next year I will no longer teach 8th grade, but I had a great year teaching the 8th graders of 2010-2011.  We read some great novels as a class and created the coolest projects ever. :)  Here are a few photos from the 8th grade graduation ceremony last month.

My Summer Reading Funk

I have been on summer vacation for 2 weeks and I must admit that it has been hard to get back into reading for fun.  I was struggling to find the motivation to just sit down and read.  Yes, teachers also don't always like reading ;)   I started thinking about all of my students and what I would say to them if they came to me with this problem.  I think I would say, "Just sit down and start reading!"  Sometimes you just need to dive right into a book and you will be right back to that reading loving person you always were.  I brought home a tub of student favorites to read over the summer.  So I finally picked one up and started reading.  Once I began, I remembered how much I love reading.  The characters you meet in these wonderful novels truly become lifelong friends.

I decided to start with The Alchemyst, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I was introduced to this book by my 5th grader, Redwan.  He had a great passion for the story and characters, which I can now understand why.  The novel introduces the reader to twin brother and sister, Sophie and Josh Newman.  They are in San Fransico for the summer working down the street from each other.  Sophie works at a coffee shop and notices some strange looking men down the street walking into the bookstore where her brother works.  The novel is written in Third-Person Omniscient and jumps back and forth between Sophie's point of view and Josh's.  Josh is searching for books when he realizes that his boss, Nick Fleming is having a disagreement with the strange men that Sophie noticed.  There is a big fight in the book store, but not with fists.  Nick Flemming and the leader of the strange men, Dee, began using magic against each other.   Sophie and Nick's wife, Perry, run down the street to help when the men take Perry and an old book.  After the fight is over, Sophie and Josh are confused and looking to Nick for answers. They learn that Nick's true identity is Nicholas Flamel and he was born in the year 1330!  He and his wife Perenelle, Perry's real name, have managed to stay alive with the magic found in the book that Dee and the men stole.  Nicholas and the twins begin to plan a way to save Perenelle and get the book back from the powerful wizard, Dee.  My favorite detail so far is the odor of magic.  So if you smell peppermint with a mix of rotten eggs, there is sure to be some magic happening near you ;)

This book has hooked me right in and I cannot wait to finish it.  It is the first in a four book series, so I will have plenty of reading material to keep me motivated this summer.  I encourage you to buy or check out a copy and read it along with me!  If you have already read this book, make a comment with your thoughts.  I love reading with other people.  Until next time, happy summer reading!

5th grade finished the year off reading the exciting mystery novel, The Westing Game.  Students speculated over the "murder" of Sam Westing with predictions after each chapter.  We played detective along with the tenants of Sunset Towers and analyzed the clues to the mystery.  A major theme in the story was the game of chess.  After reading the novel, each student created their own unique chess set.  Below are a few examples of the creative chess sets of 5th grade.

Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremony Background!

The fifth grade promotion ceremony was a magical night for the students, family and staff here at SST-Discovery.  The goal of the night was to create a memorable night for our students and families.  I believe we went even futher and forever imprinted their hearts with the feelings of pride, love and teamwork.