Mrs. Cowan's Student Blog

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T11:07:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!!

How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

2009-05-06T11:27:00.008-04:00

by Will

Mmmm.... that was awesome. You must be wondering why I said that. That was the best PB & J sandwich ever! My mom just made me the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich in history. Here is how you can make your own awesome peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

First, you need to gather the ingredients. You need a paper plate. You use a paper plate because it is recyclable and easy to clean up. You need 1 tablesoon so you won't hurt yourself getting the peanut butter and jelly. You need three pieces of bread. The bread should be fresh and soft. A jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly are also needed. Any kind of peanut butter and jelly can be used. It is whatever you prefer.

You will need to put the paper plate on the counter or table. Carefully grab the three pieces of bread spread them out on the plate. They should be beside each other. Be sure they are not on top of each other. Retrieve the peanut butter and jelly. Set them beside the plate so they are easier to get. Open the peanut butter. Get a spoon full of peanut butter and spread it on one of the pieces of bread.

Close the peanut butter and put it in the pantry. This is becuase you will not be needing any more. This will also prevent the peanut butter from spoilng. Now you will need the jelly. Get the spoon and dig some of the jelly out of the jar. You can use the same spoon to save on dirty dishes. You are going to spread it one of the slices of bread without peanut butter. Take the plain piece of bread and put it on the jelly side. Get the peanut butter bread and put it that slice. You end up with a double layered peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

So, now you can enjoy this yummy treat. Be sure to go home and try it!

The Yummy, Yummy Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich!

2009-04-24T11:43:00.021-04:00

By Austin

When I was young, my mom used to make the world's yummiest peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever. It was the sweetest treat that history ever saw. Now it is time for me to share this wonderful recipe with you and the whole universe.

First you neeed two pieces of fresh bread. It should be regular sandwich bread. The best pieces to use are found in the middle of the loaf. They are the softest. Then you look in the refrigerator to find the blueberry jelly. It should be fresh, sweet and jiggly. Take it out of the refrigerator and set it on the counter.

Then you need get to go into the pantry for the peanut butter. Creamy peanut butters works the best. Any brand of peanut butter works well for this snack. After that ,you look in the cabinet to get the glass plate. If there aren't any in the cabinet, you may get them from your dishhwasher. Just make sure it is completely clean.

Place the 2 pieces of bread on the plate side by side. Get a butter knife and scoop the peanut butter from the jar onto one piece of the fresh bread. You then get a spoon and scoop some jelly from the jar onto the other slice of fresh bread. You then put it together to make the yummiest peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever!

How to Make Delicious Choclate Chip Cookies

2009-04-23T11:57:00.010-04:00

by Daniel

Hey you!

(Who, me?)

Yes, you!

(Yes?)

Have you ever been starving? Have you ever come home and wanted a nice, sweet treat after a long hard day at school or work? Do you crave something sweet and chewy? Well, if you answered yes to these questions, then you have come to the right cookie!

First, you must have the ingredients all gathered. You need 1 fresh egg, 1 box of chocolate chip cookie mix, 1cup of water, and 1 whole stick of butter. The butter will make the cookies extra yummy. You also need a cookie sheet,a teaspoon spoon, a large stirring spoon, a metal or glass bowl and 1 can of cooking spray. The cookie spray will help the cookies not to stick to the cookie sheet. Don't forget an oven mitt so you won't burn your hands.

Now lets get started. You need to put the stick of butter in the metal bowl. The butter needs to have softened for about 30 minutes before you use it. You take cookie mix and pour it in the bowl. Next, you crack the egg in the bowl with the cookie mix and butter. It should look pretty disgusting at this point. Don't worry though, this is normal.

After that, you stir it up really, really good with a spoon by hand of course. This is hard work but it is worth the effort. Then you spray the pan with cooking spray. This is so your delicous cookies will not stick. After that, drop the cookies on the pan using the teaspoon. This will make your cookies perfectly bitesize. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees until the oven beeps that it is ready.

After that, slide the cookies in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. After the ten minutes is up, take the cookies out of the oven using an oven mitt. Then, let them cool for 3 minutes. Finally, you can eat them! You may want to grab a nice cold glass of milk to go with them. Now you know how to make delicious choclate chip cookies.

How To Write A Story

2009-04-23T11:46:00.007-04:00

By: Cobi

You know, I really enjoy chatting with just about anyone. However, sometimes I can't always do what I want. I frequently get fussed at for talking too much so I have discovered a way around that. I can talk to people through my writing. Writing a story is cool because you can write about anything you want.

First you need several sheets of notebook paper. This is because you do not know how long your story is going to be. You want to have plenty of paper to tell all of your details. Next you need a number two sharpened pencil. I prefer using a number 2 sharpened because that is what I am accustomed to. You may even want to use your favorite pencil if you have one.

Then, on one sheet of notebook paper think of a title and write it down. You might have to take some time to think of a title you will use for your story. Your story may come from your experiences in life, a movie, another book or title, and so on. For example, I am working on a story called "Elferella" which is based on the story "Cinderella."

Make sure you write the title on the piece of paper at the top. This will give you plenty of room to write your story. After that think of a topic that your story is about. It is very important that your story topic ties in with your title! Nothing is more irritating than a title that has nothing to do with a story. That is because you may pick out a book based on the title and it may have nothing to do with what you are looking for. That can be annoying!

You need to write the beginning down next. About 99% of the stories you read have a problem and a solution. So in the beginning, something happens for the problem to happen. Your beginning also needs to engage the reader. It needs to engage the reader by grabbing their attention.

Next you write your middle. In the middle your problem grows our bigger and bigger. This keeps the reader interested in your story or text. As the problem grows bigger in the middle, this is where you will find more action. During the end as you write, your problem is decreases. Soon your problem is solved and everything is back to normal. This is how most stories are.

If you want to write another story, you can start another problem at the very end and then solve that problem during your next story. When your story is done, you can read it to your friends and see if they like your story. Chances are, if you have done your best, your friends will love it! They may even turn it into a movie!

Here I come Hollywood!

Yummy Tasty Ice Cream Cookies

2009-04-20T11:19:00.004-04:00

by Ramon

Have you ever had yummy tasty ice cream cookie? If you haven't, you don't know what you are missing. I love it! It is the tastiest dessert ever made. Let me explain how you can make this yummy tasty treat.

Ingrediants:

cookies (any kind)

ice cream

whip cream

spoon

plates

sprinkles

mini-marshmallows

assorted toppings

First you need all of the ingrediants on the table or couter. Carefully put a plate on the counter. Place two cookies upside down on the plate side by side. Get the spoon and scoop up the ice cream. You can use any flavor of ice cream that you want.

Put the scoop of ice cream on one of the cookies. Then you place the other cookie on top of the ice cream. It may look like a ice cream sandwich.

Pour some toppings an an extra empty plate. Carefully roll the sandwich on its side on the plate of toppings. Be sure to coat all of the ice cream that is showing in between the two cookies.

Spoon some whip cream on top of the sandwich. If it is canned whip cream, you can squeeze it on top. Sprinkle the mini-marshmallows on top. Now you have a yummy tasty ice cream cookie that you can eat.

Enjoy your treat!

How to Make Choclate Chip Cookies

2009-04-20T11:17:00.014-04:00

BY MELISSA

After a long day at school, I really like to have a nice snack. My grandmother knows how to make me feel much better. She treats me to some very delicious, home-made chocolate chip cookies. These really hit the spot!

To make this wonderful treat, you need a few items. First, you go buy chocolate chips. You can buy any kind of chocolate chips that you would like. They can be dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and so on. It is whatever you are in the mood for. Next, you need to purchase the dough. It is found in the refrigerated section. They do have dough you can mix but it is easier to buy the premixed stuff.

Once you get home, take 2 cups of the chocolate chips and mix them in the dough. The mix will look lumpy yet creamy. This is okay because the lumps are the chocolate chips mixed with the dough.

You then roll the dough into balls. They should be about 1 inch in diameter. Be sure to have a cookie sheet ready. You need to spray Pam cooking spray one the cookie sheet. This helps prevent the cookies from sticking to the sheet.

Place the rolled dough on the cookie sheet. The oven temperature needs to be set on high. Then put the cookie sheet in the oven then put the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take them out and have some delicious chocolate chip cookies. This a great way to have a delicious snack at the end of the day!

Ingredients

1 package of dough.

2 cup of chocolate chips

Cookie Sheet

Cooking Spray

Oven Mitt

How to Make a Turkey Sandwich

2009-04-16T12:02:00.010-04:00

by Niya

One day I got really hungry and decided that I needed a snack. I wanted something healthy and delicious so I made myself a turkey sandwich. I love turkey and I know it is going to be healthy for me. Here is the recipe for you to try.

Ingrediants:

two slices of bread (any kind)

turkey (sliced from the lunch meat section)

lettuce (shredded)

pickles (dill slices)

bacon

pepper

salt

mayonaise

pan

oven mitt

knife

First you get the bacon. You can use the pre-cooked bacon if you want. If not, put the bacon on a pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Be sure to check on the bacon so it does not burn. On the bacon is done, remove the bacon from the oven and let it cool.

Then, you get the two pieces of bread from the pantry or wherever you keep it. You can use any kind of bread such as white, wheat, or even rye. Place the bread in the toaster for 6 minutes or until it is done.

Next, gather all of your other ingredients. You put the bread on a plate side by side. Using the knife, spread the mayonaise on both pieces. You can put either a little or a lot of mayonnaise. It is whatever you prefer.

Carefully get the bacon and put it on both slices of bread. The bacon should be crispy and done. Sprinkle the lettuce on the sandwich. Then you place several pickle slices on the lettuce. That will add a salty taste to your sandwich. Grab a few slices of turkey and tuck it in the sandwich. When you are done with that, sprinkle salt and then pepper on the sandwich. Be sure to sprinkle just a little bit.

Now you can place the two halves together and you should have a large, juicy, turkey sandwich to eat. For an added treat, you can get some chips to go with your sandwich. Enjoy!

How to Make a Vanilla Cake

2009-04-16T11:44:00.007-04:00

by Kiana

Are you craving a slice of warm, sweet, and tasty vanilla cake. Are you having a brain fart when it comes to making it? If you are, you came to the right how to.

First, you need the ingredients. You need a medium bowl, vanilla cake mix, a spoon or mixer, a pan, oven, water, cooking spray, icing, sprinkles, eggs, and oil. These are the ingredients you will need to make the scrumptious cake.

Next, you pour the vanilla cake mix into a bowl from the box. Then you add 1 cup of water into the bowl. Be sure that you do not mix the cake mix at this point. You then crack 3 eggs into the mix. Add 1/3 cup of oil. Then you get a spoon or mixer. Mix the concoction until it is creamy and until there is no powder left.

Next, you spray cooking spray on your pan. After you do that, put the oven on 350 degrees F. When the oven gets hot enough, put the pan in the oven with the mix in the pan. Now wait 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put icing and enjoy a vanilla cake. To make it even better put sprinkles on the vanilla cake. YYYUUUMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cheesy Quesadilla

2009-04-16T11:42:00.005-04:00

by Alex G.

One day I got tired of the plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwich so I just switched to the cheesy quesadilla. Buckle up so I can tell you how to make this cheesy masterpiece!

Things you need:
1 soft taco shell
1 hand full of shredded cheese (taco cheese)
A plate and a microwave

As always, wash your hands first with soap and water. This way you are making sure your hands are clean before you work with the food.

First you place the soft taco shell on the plate. Make sure you are using a fresh soft taco shell.

Then you get a hand full of shredded cheese and drop it on the soft taco shell in the center.

Fold the soft taco shell with the cheese in it in half. It should be the shape of a half circle. Make sure you roll the soft taco shell slowly so the cheese does not fall out.

After that, you slide plate with the quesadilla in the microwave for 30 seconds.

When the microwave rings, take it out carefully. You may want to use a potholder because the plate might be hot.

Eat the quesadilla after it cools for about 30 seconds.

Now when your mom tells you that she is going to make your your lunch, you can say "don't make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, make me a Quesadilla!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwhich with a Side of Happiness

2009-04-16T11:37:00.010-04:00

by Shaugnassy

Have you ever just wanted to come home from school and get a heart warming peanut butter jelly sandwich with a glass of milk on the side? If you want that day to come, this is the right sandwich for you . All you basically need is the following:

1 whole spoonful of peanut butter (any variety)
1 spoonful of jelly (any variety)
a regular sized bowl
a napkin or plate
several clean spoons
two slices of your choice of bread
container of fresh milk
1 cup
1 butter knife

First you get a bowl and put a spoonful of peanut butter in it. Then add a spoonful of jelly to it. Remember that you may use any kind of peanut butter and jelly you choose. This sandwich should make you feel comfy, cozy, and at home .

Then you take your spoon and mix the peanut butter and jelly together. Once you are done mixing, it should be creamy unless you chose chunky peanut. Then you would see nuts in your mixture. Next get your napkin or plate and put two slices of bread on it. Once you are done with that, you then scoop the peanut butter and jelly up with your spoon and place the mixture on one slice of bread.

Carefully take a butter knife and spread the peanut butter and jelly on the bread. Then take the slice of bread without peanut butter and jelly and place it on the other slice. Get a glass cup and the jug of milk. With great care, pour some milk into the glass. Make sure the milk is fresh and icy cold.

That's how you make a heart warming peanut butter jelly sandwich with a glass of milk on the side. Share the recipe with your mom and you shall be delighted.

Friday's Awesome Toasted Ham and Cheese Sandwich

2009-04-14T10:09:00.019-04:00

by Hunter P.

   One Friday, my mom made me a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. I loved it! It was better than a frozen pizza for breakfast. So, I have decided that I absolutely must share this wonderful recipe with you. I`m going to show you how to make the best toast ham and cheese.
   First, you need two pieces of ham. The ham should be fresh from the store. Regular lunch meat ham from the deli should work.
   Next, you need two pieces of cheese. My mom uses white cheese or regular sandwich cheese. I like Kraft Sandwich cheese the best. It should be fresh, cold cheese from the refrigerated section.
   Then,you need two pieces of bread. My dad buys whole wheat bread which works well for this recipe. It is really good when it is soft, squishy and fresh.
   After that, you put the ingrediants together in this way: bread, ham, cheese, ham, cheese, and finally the last piece of bread. Be sure to put them on a plate when you put them together.
   Next, you open the toaster oven and put the sandwhich in the toaster for three minutes. This will make the toast crunchy and toasty brown. The cheese will be squishy, gooey, and soaked into the bread.
   For the best part, when it is done take, it out of the oven (using a potholder or towel) and put it on a plate. You can add some chips or whatever sidedish you would like with it. Finally, eat it!

Ingredients:

Two pieces of bread
Two pieces of cheese
Two pieces of ham
Toaster, Oven or Toaster Oven
Towel or Potholder
Plate

Calcite by Hunter L.

2009-01-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Calcite is an important mineral that most people don’t know about. In fact Calcite can be very interesting. It can be green, yellow, gray, white or colorless. If the calcite is pure, marble will be white since it is made from calcite. There are many different things in the world that are made of calcite. Seashells and limestone are made of calcite. It is also used to make walls that are found in houses. As you can tell, calcite is a vital mineral for people.

Our Mineral Presentation

2009-01-26T15:14:00.001-05:00

Our Animal Adaptations

2008-10-10T11:23:00.001-04:00

This is our presentation about animal adaptations. Please take a moment to check it out.

Our Animal Classes Presentation

2008-10-06T14:35:00.001-04:00

My First Week of School by Hunter L

2008-08-25T11:18:00.009-04:00

This year of school so far I learned that there are different things you can write about. You can write about such as animals, family and games. This year we also learned meanings of different words like fleet,vital and versatile. In art we learned that we can draw anything. We also learned how to do math riddles. In class we learned about how to infer and predict when reading. We learned how to figure out how to read words we don't know. We also learned how to help our self in subjects. We've also read alot of books like The Relatives came, Sideways Stories From Wayside school and My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother. In science, the class was observing which can float better, salt water or fresh water? It was saltwater. That was my first week of school.

HAVE A GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Silly Poem

2008-05-28T14:03:00.003-04:00

The Sycamore Tree by Jordan and Justin

A fish waddled up a sycamore tree.

He could move, he could groove,

and take my house down

by the count of three!

So I better keep an eye

on that fish so sly

going up that sycamore tree!

All About the Butterfly Life Cycle

2008-05-21T13:50:00.001-04:00

States of Matter

2008-04-29T11:42:00.002-04:00

Here is our states of matter voicethread presentation. Please check it out.

Cereal Boxes!

2008-04-14T21:22:00.001-04:00

The Cereal Box Book Reports were FABULOUS! I could tell that the students really worked hard on these projects. I hope they enjoyed doing them as much as we enjoyed talking about each of them. Thank you for your hard work! If you have a moment, feel free to check out their projects on the slideshow.

Famous Scientists

2008-04-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

The Schwartzman Quartet

2008-04-07T16:28:00.001-04:00

Habits of Good Writers

2008-04-07T10:32:00.001-04:00

We developed a list of habits good writers display. Here is our list:

• hooks the reader and keeps them hooked
• stays focused
• is very detailed in writing
• asks questions about the topic
• uses an interesting title
• writes daily
• rereads and checks over work
• draws pictures, diagrams, charts, tables, etc.
• brainstorms ideas
• borrows ideas from other writers
• writes a lot
• uses many different words
• puts their name on their work
• writes about topics they know
• selects their genre of writing
• plans the writing piece

These are the habits of a good writer that we have observed. Do you have any ideas to add to our list?

Questions for Mrs. Robinson's Students in England

2008-03-20T11:39:00.003-04:00

What do the uniforms look like? - Aliya

What kinds of food do you eat? - Brionna

What colors are on the uniform? - Kaylee

Do you get to use computers there? - Kayla

Why do the kids think we talk funny? - Brooke

Do you play kickball? - Justin

Do you have a P.E. coach? - Jordan

What do you like to drink? - Trevor

Who is your favorite author? - the class

What other words are different there? - Hunter

What subjects do you have in school? - the class

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

We miss you Mrs. Robinson!

Happy National Chocolate Caramel Day

2008-03-19T22:14:00.002-04:00

Here is our PowerPoint presentation featuring various chocolate caramels in honor of National Chocolate Caramel Day.

Report Writing

2008-03-18T11:01:00.002-04:00

We just learned about report writing. We made a list of what we noticed about reports.

•contain pictures (real photos or drawn)
•contain detailed information
•pictures have labels and captions
•topics are divided with headings and subheadings
•contain information about real things
•sometimes have a table of contents
•sometimes reports have an index in alphabetical order
•sometimes reports have a glossary in alphabetical order
•contain lots of text
•introduces you to new words
•sometimes reports contain maps
•reports are non-fiction
•sometimes reports contain diagrams
•pictures can be found on the cover and throughout the report
•reports contain new information

We also made a list of questions.

•Do they always have to be about real things?
•How do the author’s write reports?
•Why do we have reports?
•Do author’s like writing reports?
•Do many people write reports on animals and places?
•Do reports always have introductions and new vocabulary?
•Do they author’s have to reports?
•Why do author’s write reports?

How to be a Zookeeper by Geon

2008-03-17T13:41:00.003-04:00

Did you know how to be a zookeeper? If you don't, well you have come to the right place, me. First you call your mom or dad to go in the Jacksonville Zoo to be a zookeeper.

Step 1 Feed the African elephants with some yellow hays. If the African elephant is sullen, bring him a mate.
Step 2 Take the elephant to a bath. He likes taking a bath in mud.
Step 3 Take a Baird's Tapir into the water but be careful because it might poop underwater.
Step 4 Baird's Tapir's eat vegetables so feed him.
Step 5 Get a broom to pick up the large poop or small poop if needed.
Step6 Feed the rhinoceros some hay. Be careful because rhinos can chase you!
Step 7 If a animal escapes at the zoo, grab your gun or weapon. Shoot the animal in the neck to make them sleep.
Step 8 If animals were sick, grab an animal medicine to make animals feel good.
Step 9 If camels or gemsbok are hungry, feed them large hays like zebras.
Step10 If a jaguar and lions are hungry, feed them some meat chow. They like the meat chow.
Step 11 If warthogs are hungry, feed them hay or vegetables.
Step 12 If the giraffes are hungry, feed them hay or green vegetables. If they are sick, feed them animal medicine to feel them better.
Step 13 Use a sleep gun to gun an escaped animal.
Step14 Feed the antelope green grass when they are hungry.
Step 15 Give monkeys bananas or vegetables to eat like bananas.
Step 16 Feed the sting rays some fish when there are hungry.
Step 17 Keep all people out of the cages. You can use and electric fence.
Step 18 Feed the foxes some small meat chow.
Step 19 Be sure to give theultures some meat. They will eat almost any kind of meat.
Step 20 Feed the capyhara some yellow hays.
Step21 Keep your zoo clean. No one likes a dirty zoo, not even the animals.
Step 22 Feed the anaconda some meat.
step 22 Take care of the baby animals when they are hungry and sick.
Step 23 If a seal other is sick, put it in the animal hospital.

That is how you can be a zookeeper. I hope you enjoy being a zookeeper. I know I would.

Our Favorite Books

2008-03-16T17:06:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago, some of the students wrote a paragraph describing their favorite books. We then uploaded a picture of each book and the students read their paragraphs. We hope you enjoy our project.

Our Career Study

2008-03-14T13:56:00.005-04:00

Here is our voicethread presentation about our career study. If you have a moment, please check out our work.

Thank you and have a super weekend!

HOW TO EAT AN OREO BY SHAUGNASSY

2008-03-12T11:22:00.007-04:00

Doesn't the sound of vanilla OREO with the crunchy good OREO cookie with the silky good vanila cream make your mouth water? Do you want to know how to eat a tasty good vanilla OREO cookie? Well, here is how I eat a vanilla OREO with vanilla cream that tastes good.

First, when I get a vanila cookie, I pour myself a glass of creamy milk. I get a plastic white plate. So I slowly turn the top of the cookie off of the cream. After that, I dunk the top in the milk until there are vanilla cookie crumbs are in it. Then I take tiny bites off the top.

Right after that, I try not to break the cream as I slowly take the cream off the bottom. I dip the cream in the milk and eat it. It is so tasty. So then I do what I did with the top of the OREO to the bottom. That's how I eat a vanilla OREO. Next time we meet, you can tell me how you eat a vanilla OREO cookie.

How to eat an Oreo cookie by Serina

2008-03-12T11:12:00.004-04:00

Do you want to know how to eat a delicious OREO cookie? Well here is how. First you need to get an OREO out of the pakage. Then you twirl the top off as slow as a snail. This way the Oreo won't break.

Next you get a cup and pour the milk in it. Dunk your OREO cookie top into the cool refreshing milk. Then take it out and eat it. Then get another cookie and twirl off the top of the OREO cookie and dip it in the refreshing milk. Then you eat the top again.

After that, you gently break off the creamy icing and part of the cookie in pieces. Just be careful to leave some icing on and break off only part of the cookie. Dip the bottom cookie in the cool, refreshing milk. Eat it. Last you eat the rest after you dip it in your milk. Finally you drink what is left of your cool, refresing milk.

That is how I eat my Oreo cookie. How do you eat it?

National Nap Day

2008-03-10T14:51:00.002-04:00

In honor of National Nap Day which is today, take some time to take a nap. Have a good night!

Our Dioramas

2008-03-04T20:39:00.005-05:00

As a culminating activity related to our habitat study in science, the class made dioramas of various habitats. These are their dioramas. We hope you enjoy them.

How to Independently Read by Hunter

2008-03-04T11:04:00.006-05:00

Do you know how to independently read? Do you ever want some quiet time? Do you ever want to read a good book? Do you want to be alone? If you do, you have come to the right person. Let me tell you how to independently read.

First, get your bag of books and find you a quiet spot to read your bag of books. Your books should be books that you want to read. They should also be interesting.

   Next, don't touch your friends aroud you. If you happen to be sitting near another person, you need to leave them alone so you can read and concentrate. Then, try not move from where you are sitting. This way you can enjoy your book.
   Read your books over and over again until time is called. It is okay to read a book over and over again because it helps improve your fluency.
   Finally, return to your seats when signeld. Be sure to log the books you have read. You may even want to write a response to your books. That is how to indperdently read a story. I hope you take a chance and curl up with a good book.

February 28

2008-03-03T10:48:00.004-05:00

Good morning! I am Shaugnassy from Mrs. Cowan's class. When you first come in our class, you say the pledge. At 8:40, the class has a fire drill. When the fire drill is over, we write our homework in our agendas. We then took a minute math work sheet. A minute math work sheet is a timed math test of addition facts to 18.
   Then we read a story called Ant. It was a non-fiction story about ants. Right after that, we did a graphic organizer on the story Ant. It was a web about ants. Then we had popcorn for snack. It tasted wonderful.
   After snack, we independently read for 20 mintes while waiting for lunch. When the clock hit 11:55, we lined up for lunch.
   Then the teacher picked us up and we walked back to the class. Mrs. Robinson read the class a story called TEMPLE OF THE RUBY OF FIRE by Geronimo Stilton. The light's out in the room with our head's down as we listened. When we were done with the chapter we turned back on the light.
   Then Mrs. Robinson asked the class to gather for calendar math. She got the math bag and she pulled out a jar. Out of that jar she pulled a stick with someone's name on it to do the calendar. than we got ready for are resources. It was fun! When we got back, we went home.

Sheffield's Newest Additions

2008-02-28T14:46:00.003-05:00

Here are some snapshots of Sheffield's newest members.

Arctic Animals

2008-02-27T15:19:00.000-05:00

Here is our voicethread we created while studying Arctic Animals. Enjoy!

February 5, 2008

2008-02-06T10:43:00.001-05:00

Hello! I am Serina and I go to room 314 and so does my class. When we got in the room in the morning, we wrote in are agendas and did the Pledge of Allegiance. After announcements, we went to the gathering area and practiced questioning. Questioning is when you ask yourself questions as you read.

Then we read with our groups and we did questioning with each other. Then we had snack. Today we had concoction which is cereal with pretzels. After snack, we went to the gathering area and talked about strong verbs for are writing. Strong verbs are verbs that show lots of action. Then we did are writing.

Then we watched a noun show and went to lunch. After lunch, we put our heads down and Mrs. Robinson read us a book. After we read a little bit of the book, we did calendar math. Then we did somthing with shapes. Then we did a page with shapes. We had to fill in the shapes with smaller shapes. After math, we did sience and talked about animals. Then we filled out forms about what we were talking about. It was a Venn Diagram. Then we read a book about snakes. Then we did a math practice sheet and got our book bags and turnd on the t. v. We waited for announcements to come on. After announcements, it was time to go home. Have a great day!

January 24, 2008

2008-01-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Kaylee from Mrs. Cowan's class. We had a field trip to the zoo today. We went to get on the bus and then we got off the bus. Then we went in the educational center. We saw opossum. It was very cute to me. It was gray with soft fur. Also, we saw a turtle. The turtle was a cute little turtle. Then we saw a real live alligator. It was a baby and it was so so so adorable. After the alligator, we saw pine snake and it was very very long. It could blend in with the leaves. It was very light brown and dark brown.

After the education center, we went to eat a picnic lunch in the play area. It is an area where you can eat lunch and it was fun. Next, we went to pay to get in side the zoo. Then we got on the train. My mom and dad and Desirae rode with me.

After we got off the train, we got to walk around. My dad sat by me so we saw the alligator and giraffe. Then we saw the elephant. It was so big it is gray and it had big ears and it has a long tail. Then we played in the new kids play area. That was a blast! Finally, we went back to school.

January 9, 2008

2008-01-14T10:37:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I am Desirae. This morning we got a new teacher. Her name is Mrs. Robinson. She is really nice. After announcements, we began reading. Then we wrote in our reading strategies notebook. After we did that we got out are reading book and read A Trip to the Firehouse. Then we wrote what happened in the story.
Now we are doing my favorite subject, Writing. Mrs.Cowan is reading to us a cook book to snazz up our "how to" writings. She is telling us to use similes and other stuff like onomatopeia. I forgot somthing. Before writing we did snack and it was mmmm good. Now I will git back to writing. A lot of the students are writing "how to" stories except for me because I am blogging.
Now we are listening to Hunter read his story and next it will be Kaylee. We are giveing him compliments and we are going to do that with Kaylee. Hunter's title is "How to Independently Read.". Now we are listening to Jordan. Oh, I as wrong about Kaylee. Kaylee is not going to read. Now we are doing some thing like a test but not as hard. At least it is not for me.
At 11:55 we will go to lunch most of thirty minuutes for food I do not like. Some of my friends don't like the lunch. Well we are in lunch and it is really loud in the cafeteria. For lunch they had hot dog's unless you brought a bagged lunch. Well I guess I can say it was good but really I can only say my opinion because I had a bag lunch. But what I saw that bwas so funny was people are licking the hot dog's.
At 12:25 we left the cafeteria. We are going to read Chicken Sunday but Patricia Polacco. Next we will do math. In Calendar Math, we talked about the line of symmetry. We then did science. We read about the season's. Then it was time to go home.

January 8, 2008

2008-01-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

HELLO! My name is Kayla with my friend Celine from Mrs.Cowan`s 2nd Grade class. This morning the class had to write in our agendas. This is when you write your homework for today.
The class did reading vocabulary next. Our words for this week are vivid, brilliant, illusion, quirky, transform, bewilder, and solution. We played on Quizlet to study the words.
The class read the A Trip to the Firehouse. Then they had snacks. After snack, the class worked on functional writing. Functional writing is writing instructions or "how to's". Then the class did the Daily Language Review.
The class went to lunch. After lunch, the class did math on the board we learned about centimeters. We played a math game with problems like this 91+8+1=100.
WE THANKED Mrs.Cowan for letting us play speedball since we could not go out. It had been raining .The class finally lined up to go to Mrs.Boyles for music. We sorted our bookbags. The class began playing speedball with Mrs. Boyles. We stayed at Mrs.Boyles for dismissal.

January 4, 2008

2008-01-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

Greetings! Our names is Justin and Jasper from Mrs. Cowan's class in room 314. This morning we did centers for Friday. Group 1 did listening center. That is when you listen to a story with headphones. Group 2 did computers. They played reading games. Group 3 had big books. That is when you read the big books. Group 4 did buddy reading (reading with a friend). Group 5 played a reading game. Group 6 went to the library center for 30 minutes.

On Monday, Group 1 will do buddy reading. Group 2 will do reading games. Group 3 will do libary center. Group 4 will do listining center. Group 5 will do big books. Group 6 will do independent reading. Each center was friendly and quiet.

Then we visited the lunch room to talk to a fireman. That was very interesting. Next we had a reading test on the story we read this week. We read Chinatown. After the reading test, we went to lunch. We then took a math test. Then we did fun Friday. Fun Friday is free time we earn each week. See you on Monday.

January 3, 2008

2008-01-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

Hello! This is Trevor and Jordan. We are 2nd graders. Our Teacher is Mrs.Cowan. She's REALLY nice. First we write in our homework in our agendas. Next we get stickers in our agendas. Then we went to the cafeteria and we disussed the rules with Mr. Lauzon. He went over the Panther Sounds. He did not call them rules. He called them behavior standards.
   Next we came back to our portable. We had to take a reading test.It was kind of hard. We had to be detailed in our writing. Then we had good hot chocolate and three kinds of cookies for a snack. The hot choclate was very warm which was nice since it was so cold. It made us feel warmer.
   After that, we did math. We had to add with big numbers. It took us about 30 minutes to do. Then we went to lunch. The food was okay. Our drinks tasted colder because it was cold outside.
   Then we did independent reading. Independent reading is reading your own books from your bookbag. They are sorted by levels. Next we read The Graves Family by Patricia Polacco. It was different then some of us predicted. That book was out of this world!
   Guess what we did next? We went to the library. We colored and checked out new books. Jordan got a dinosaur book and Trevor got a kid book. Then we made cards for Mema. We hope she gets well soon. The day was fun and we learned a lot. Then it was time for dismissal. See you tomorrow!

Welcome Back!

2008-01-02T14:21:00.000-05:00

Hello! This is Jasper and Justin from Mrs. Cowan's class. We wrote our homework in our agendas. After that, we went over the Panther Sounds. 0 is SLEEPING or No Noise. 1 is PURRING or whispering. 2 is GROWLING or talking regularly. 3 is HOWLING or talking loud/screaming.
   Then, this morning our class read the Book of the Month. It is called By My Brother's Side by Tiki and Ronde Barber. It was surprising! It was surprising because Tiki's leg got better so he could play football with his brother. We wrote a response to the story and write our connections, noticings, and wonderings.
   Then our class went to independently reading our books. Do you know how to independent reading? That is when you read a book by yourself. Then we logged our books. We read Chinatown next. It was about a boy and his grandmother's walking trip around Chinatown.
   Our class went to lunch. After lunch, Mrs. Siu, Jasper s mom, came with cupcakes, cookies and toys for the class. Then Mrs.Siu left. Then we did Math and Social Studies. We played Roll to a 100 in math today. It was a game about adding large numbers to equal 100. We learned about resources in Social Studies. Finally, we got ready to go home. That is what we did today. We'll see you tomorrow!