4th-5th Grade Explorers 2010-2011
Fall Semester Theme:  GETTING ORIENTED: Exploring Points, Lines, Intersections, & Angles
Spring Semester Theme: NAVIGATING: Exploring Systems, Cycles, Spirals, Perspectives & Connections
MONDAY

9:00	Weather Data Collection Students will create a weather station for measuring temperature, rainfall, etc. and record daily on calendar grid. Results used in science/math.	October Weather Data Calendars for recording daily precipitation, high and low temperatures, daylight hours, wind speed/direction for these locations:  Asheville, NC, Fentress, Texas, and Quito, Ecuador. .
9:15	Centering/Class Meeting Class Meeting Agenda: Review World Class Explorers Positive Discipline Plan for Individual and Collective Space and Respect Expectations Environment Questions Quests Ideas Itinerary Self-organization: Homework folder, math and writing journal, field notebook for science and social studies notes; Explorer Book Club reading log and literary analysis; sketchbook	Goals and Reflections GOALS & REFLECTIONS Notebook: Students will reflect on their experiences, impressions thus far, express their hopes and dreams for the coming school year, and set forth a personal goal with a plan and realistic timeline for achievement of that goal.  Review work to date, then: Students will use Essential Learning skills in self-reflection of work (process and product) to select pieces for PassPortFolios.  They will write an explanation of their work, what they learned, and why they have chosen this example for their portfolios.  They will create a digital archive using the document camera and post to their own individual page on the class blog.  These presentations will be made in class on Friday to share with peers and as practice for the student-led conferences later this year.
9:30	Daily Journal & Explorer Publishing Students respond to writing prompt/morning discussion in daily personal journal. Risk-taking; cooperation; literacy, communication, trust Math Journal:  Explorers use math to count, number, name, measure, order, document, analyze, locate, time, compare, predict, etc.  Time and Place: Measurement notes on units of time (millennium to millisecond); Place:  Circle Facts for creating compass rose with cardinal directions Students will use word wall to write a paragraph about how Explorers Use math.	Crane Migration Report (field journal notes and updates from Journey South) http://www.ornithology.com/Lectures/Introduction.html intro to ornithology
10:00	Math Groups Students grouped according to achievement in math with vertical lift	MATHLETE TRAINING (warm-ups with multiples and square roots) STANDARDIZED TESTING Grades 4 and 5:  MATHEMATICS PROBLEM-SOLVING  (60 min.)
11:00-11:55	Research and Writing Centers	testing continued
12:00-1:00	Lunch & Recess
1:00-1:30	Multi-sensory Language Arts Students will explore different ways of learning, practicing, using language, reading, listening, writing, and speaking (includes vocabulary, spelling, phonics, phonemics)	CURSIVE PRACTICE Short vowels and the schwa sound New words:  Week 3 Sight words, schwa n, and academic vocabulary 1. usually 2. didn’t 3. friends 4. easy 5. heard 6. order 7. red 8. door 9. sure 10. become 11. muffin 12. pumpkin 13. apron 14. cannon 15. poison 16. landform 17. prime 18. composite** 19. wildfire** 20. tropical** 21. deposit**
	Or Back Porch Time (individual research, math, and reading projects)	THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE (GOOGLE EARTH  tour of Fentress, Texas; historical places; habitat; historical context) Read through chapter 6 and discuss characters, conflict, internal and external conflict, setting.  How does setting contribute to the conflict in this story so far?
1:30	Explorations Shared origin stories, myths, legends, modern literature, poetry, non-fiction, and drama from the region of the world we are studying. Students will practice Essential Learning Skills as they complete a set of Explorer challenges pertaining to the context of the geographical region they are “visiting,” virtually. Students will work in groups to design fact cards with illustrations, artifacts, (2D and 3D) for each major era, period, epoch for our hall wall timeline of NC History.	STANDARDIZED TESTING: MATHEMATICS PROCEDURES (35 min.) Grades 4 and 5
3:00-3:25	PE	BOOTCAMP (personal measurements and goals)
3:25-3:30	Pack up and clean up
3:30	Afterschool

Notes:  see inserted page with links for Whooping Crane Migration and Research
Materials:
Reflections/Goals:


http://whoopingcrane.com/whooping-crane-videos/
http://whoopingcrane.com/whooping-crane-videos/?tubepress_page=2

http://whoopingcrane.com/picture-gallery/

http://whoopingcrane.com/whooping-crane-man/
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/fact_page.html
Whooping Crane
Grus americana
Classification:
Animal kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Gruidae
Genus: Grus
Species: Grus america

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/jr/CountdownTT.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/WeatherOrNot.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/WCEPOverview.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/sl/33_annual/index.html

http://www.bringbackthecranes.org/technicaldatabase/index.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/sl/33_annual/index.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/sl/33_annual/gallery.html      
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/sl/33_annual/jan.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/jr/BookletListWesternFlock.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/WCEPHighlight050701.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/VisualizeEgg.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/jr/JnKidsOverview.html

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/crane/jr/Countdown.pdf

Crane Migration Report (field journal notes and updates from Journey South)
http://www.ornithology.com/Lectures/Introduction.html
intro to ornithology



TUESDAY

9:00	Weather Data Collection Students will create a weather station for measuring temperature, rainfall, etc. and record daily on calendar grid. Results used in science/math.	October Weather Data Calendars for recording daily precipitation, high and low temperatures, daylight hours, wind speed/direction for these locations:  Asheville, NC, Fentress, Texas, and Quito, Ecuador.
9:30-10:00	Centering/Class Meeting	IRP discussion (the research process and products)
9:45	Daily Journal & Explorer Publications Students respond to writing prompt/morning discussion in daily personal journal. Multi-sensory Language Arts Students will explore different ways of learning, practicing, using language, reading, listening, writing, and speaking (includes vocabulary, spelling, phonics, phonemics) Risk-taking; cooperation; literacy, communication, trust Students will work in teams and independently to conduct qualitative and quantitative research	STANDARDIZED TESTING: LANGUAGE (grades 4&5) 55 min.
10:00	Math Groups Students grouped according to achievement in math with vertical lift	5th Grade:   Standardized Dictation in classroom (10:30) 4th Grade:  Listening (in bkout room)
11:00- 11:30	SMART BOARD/COMPUTER LAB Technology	CRANE RESEARCH
11:30-12:00	Literature Circles and Explorer Book Club Reports/Projects	Subject and Predicate Diagramming sentences from last week’s lesson: Use your field journal notes and knowledge about cranes to write complete sentence captions for the following two slide shows: http://whoopingcrane.com/picture-gallery/ http://whoopingcrane.com/whooping-crane-man/
12:00-1:00	Outside Play & Lunch
1:00-1:30	INDEPENDENT READING	BIRD RESEARCH PROJECTS
2:55	EXPLORATIONS Around-the-World Adventures (Multi-sensory centers which include: Scientific Inquiry, Social Studies & Science, Cultural Arts & Humanities, Visual Arts, Games and Logic, History, Language, Diversity of Life Exploration) Students will practice Essential Learning Skills as they complete a set of Explorer challenges pertaining to the context of the geographical region they are “visiting,” virtually.	ART:  Intro to watercolors Origin Stories: Students will close their eyes and listen to the Cherokee origin story of how the earth was created.  They will try to paint a scene from the story in their imaginations, listening for vivid details of color, texture, sound, setting, character and action. Later, they will be given a chance to use water colors to recreate this imaginative scene in an original illustration. 1.        How the world was made
2:45-3:30	Spanish Students will explore different ways of learning, practicing, using Spanish language, reading, listening, writing, and speaking (includes vocabulary, spelling, phonics, phonemics)
3:30	Afterschool

Notes:
Materials:
Reflections/Goals:



WEDNESDAY

9:00	Weather Data Collection Students will create a weather station for measuring temperature, rainfall, etc. and record daily on calendar grid. Results used in science/math.	October Weather Data Calendars for recording daily precipitation, high and low temperatures, daylight hours, wind speed/direction for these locations:  Asheville, NC, Fentress, Texas., and Quito, Ecuador
9:15	Centering/Class Meeting Class Meeting Agenda: Review World Class Explorers Positive Discipline Plan for Individual and Collective Space and Respect Expectations Environment Questions Quests Ideas Itinerary Self-organization: Homework folder, math and writing journal, field notebook for science and social studies notes; Explorer Book Club reading log and literary analysis; sketchbook	Standardized Testing (Gr. 4&5) Reading comprehension (60 min.)
9:30	Daily Journal & Explorer Publishing Students respond to writing prompt/morning discussion in daily personal journal. Risk-taking; cooperation; literacy, communication, trust Math Journal:  Explorers use math to count, number, name, measure, order, document, analyze, locate, time, compare, predict, etc.  Time and Place: Measurement notes on units of time (millennium to millisecond); Place:  Circle Facts for creating compass rose with cardinal directions Students will use word wall to write a paragraph about how Explorers Use math.	(see above)
10:00	Math Groups Students grouped according to achievement in math with vertical lift Promethean Board	5th Grade:  Area, Perimeter, & Circumference: The Dollhouse Design Project 4th Grade: Homework:  5th grade word problem worksheet with formulas for area, perimeter
11:10-11:55	Language Arts Explorer Publishing Computer Lab and Smart Board	Standardized Testing Language Form D (grades 4&5) 45-50 min.
12:00-1:00	Lunch & Recess
1:00-2:30	ART EXPLORATIONS: Art History and Studio	2.    The creation and fall of man, from Genesis 3.         The golden chain
	Or Back Porch Time (individual research, math, and reading projects)
2:30	Explorer Book Club Shared origin stories, myths, legends, modern literature, poetry, non-fiction, and drama from the region of the world we are studying. Students will practice Essential Learning Skills as they complete a set of Explorer challenges pertaining to the context of the geographical region they are “visiting,” virtually.	LONGITUDE  and LATITUDE Lesson Key Unit Questions: How do the geographic features of a region affect the people who live there? How can the activities of people affect the local environment? How do the stories people tell reflect where they are from? How can stories be used to persuade people to act in a particular way?
3:00-3:25	PE
3:25-3:30	Pack up and clean up
3:30	Afterschool

Notes:
Materials:
Reflections/Goals:


THURSDAY

9:00	Weather Data Collection Students will create a weather station for measuring temperature, rainfall, etc. and record daily on calendar grid. Results used in science/math.	AVERAGE THURSDAY (5th graders calculate average high and low temperatures for both locations) Sept. Weather Data Calendars for recording daily precipitation, high and low temperatures, daylight hours, wind speed/direction for these locations:  Asheville, NC, Fentress, Texas, and Quito, Ecuador.
9:30	Average Thursday	Whole Group Math instruction: WHAT IS AVERAGE? Students will explore the definition of “average” and learn the operations involved in finding the average (“mean”) in a data set.  We will brainstorm examples of averages in our daily lives.
10:00	MATH  Journal Students respond to writing prompt/morning discussion in daily personal journal. Risk-taking; cooperation; literacy, communication, trust	Standardized Testing:   Grades 4&5 Word Study Skills, Reading Vocabulary (60 min.)
10:45	Math Groups Students grouped according to achievement in math with vertical lift How do Explorers use math? (Students will brainstorm collective list of ways that explorers use math.  Discussion will include specific Operations, Processes, Purpose:  Measurement, Counting, Naming, Locating, Describing, Numbering, Estimating, including Time, Temperature, Cost, Space….)
11:00	Music in River’s Studio	River out today!   Standardized Testing:   Social Science (25 min) Science (25 min)
12:00- 12:55	Outside Play & Lunch
12:55- 1:30	Back Porch Time	CURSIVE PRACTICE/TYPING PRACTICE Connecting letters and intro to cursive capitals
1:30- 2:30	SMART BOARD Around-the-World Adventures Story Circle and Literature Discussion Shared origin stories, myths, legends, modern literature, poetry, non-fiction, and drama from the region of the world we are studying	THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE & Introduction to plant taxonomy:  identification of tree species by leaf Specimen collection
2:30-3:20	(Multi-sensory centers which include: Scientific Inquiry, Social Studies & Science, Cultural Arts & Humanities, Visual Arts, Games and Logic, History, Language, Diversity of Life Exploration) Students will practice Essential Learning Skills as they complete a set of Explorer challenges pertaining to the context of the geographical region they are “visiting,” virtually. Natural diversity North Carolina has within its borders the highest mountains east of the Mississippi River, a broad, low-lying coastal area, and all the land in between. That variety of landforms, elevations, and climates has produced as diverse a range of ecosystems as any state in the United States. It has also influenced the way people have lived in North Carolina for thousands of years. STUDENT OBJECTIVES Students will       observe and write about their observations in a science field journal.       pay attention to detail in all types of observations.       formulate questions that could be researched or that could lead to investigations.       seek out answers to those questions through observation, exploration, and research. record and share information learned.	Origin Stories (continued): Students will close their eyes and listen to the Cherokee origin story of how the earth was created.  They will try to paint a scene from the story in their imaginations, listening for vivid details of color, texture, sound, setting, character and action. Later, they will be given a chance to use water colors to recreate this imaginative scene in an original illustration.  Students will discuss the similiarities and differences between these three stories, as well as their connections to the scientific “History of the Earth” film that relates geological time. 4.       How the world was made 5.         The creation and fall of man, from Genesis 6.        The golden chain
3:20-3:30	clean-up and Whole Class Collective Reflections/Goals
3:30	Afterschool
	Essential Learning Skills: Self-organization, Communication, Collaboration/cooperation, Use appropriate resources to seek, access, and apply knowledge, Function Independently, Demonstrate Self-Confidence, Make Decisions, Take risks, and Be Present in Mind-Body-Spirit (conscious/conscience)	After Class Visual Moral Spatial Aesthetic Logical Spiritual Kinesthetic Emotional Intrapersonal Mental Interpersonal Physical Existential Auditory Verbal

Notes:
Materials:
Reflections/Goals:



FRIDAY

9:00	Weather Data Collection Students will create a weather station for measuring temperature, rainfall, etc. and record daily on calendar grid. Results used in science/math. Centering/Class Meeting	October Weather Data Calendars for recording daily precipitation, high and low temperatures, daylight hours, wind speed/direction for these locations:  Asheville, NC, and Fentress, Texas.
9:30	Spelling Quiz
10:00	Math Quiz	5th Grade:  Operations, area, perimeter, circumference 4th Grade: Addition and Subtraction word problems.
10:30-11:55	Portfolio Independent Reading Document Camera	Students will use Essential Learning skills in self-reflection of work (process and product) to select pieces for PassPortFolios.  They will write an explanation of their work, what they learned, and why they have chosen this example for their portfolios.  They will create a digital archive using the document camera and post to their own individual page on the class blog.
12:00-1:00	Outside Play & Lunch
1:00-1:30	Back Porch Time	Rain plan geography map game key out pressed leaves
1:30	SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS Students will work in teams and independently to conduct qualitative and quantitative research	UNCA BOTANICAL GARDENS FIELD TRIP (Tree adoption) Students will record date, make observations of tree, use field guides to key out leaves, and estimate height, circumference, and age of tree.  (We will later check these estimates with real measuring tape!)
2:30	Students will work in teams and independently to conduct qualitative and quantitative research	Students will key out at least five leaves from a variety of trees on our campus and at the Botanical Gardens, recording and sketching (leaf-rubbings and notes) in field journals.  We will also collect and press leaves from the area in our leaf presses to dry for leaf books.
3:00	Closing and Weekly REFLECTIONS Students will share self-selected texts and projects from portfolios and discuss goals/reflections for the week, collectively and individually. Student Jobs, Pack up &Pick up Leveled readers	Presentations of portfolio selections Bead ceremony
3:30	Afterschool

Notes:
Materials:
Reflections/Goals:

After Class Visual Moral Spatial Aesthetic Logical Spiritual Kinesthetic Emotional Intrapersonal Mental Interpersonal Physical Existential Auditory Verbal	My Reflection
	Homework