Mrs. DelMonaco’s Blog

As we read about Charlotte’s courage to follow her dreams, blog your reactions the the book.

Is there a particular part of the book that makes you laugh, cry, wonder????

Laura Dekker, 13, lives in the Netherlands. SHe wants to be the youngest person to sail alone around the world. Her voyage would take place ina 26-foot boat. The trip could take up to two years. Larua would have to deal with gad weather and mechanical problems by herself. Her father is an expert sailor, and he says that Laura is too. He supports her wish to go on the voyage. But judges in the Netherlands have said not so fast. They think the trip might be too dangerous for a young person. They will make the final decision at the end of the month. What do YOU think? Should Laura Dekker be allowed to set sail? Post your view.

timeforkids.com/debate

According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, about 3,000 schools in the United States have year-round programs. President Barack Obama approves. “The challenges of the new century demand more time in the classroom,” he said.  But some educators say the extra class time does not necessarily mean more learning. “It is more important that we use the time that we have in school well,” says education expert Elena Silva. What do you think? Should more kids trade pool time for school time?

timeforkids.com/debate

Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation so far, despite all of this rain

I would love to hear from you about what you’ve been up to. What is your favorite part about summer? Where have you visited or vacationed? What books have you been reading? What movies have you seen?

My children and I have been doing a lot of reading. My daughter and I have been reading “The Magic Tree House” books together. (I’m sure some of you have read these books when you were younger) We are also planning a camping trip for August. I can’t wait to sit by the campfire and eat S’mores! YUMMY! Does anyone have a favorite summer treat?

Hope to hear from you soon! :) Mrs. D

I am very impressed with the poetry that I’ve seen my students working on. I’ve created this “Poetry Corner” in order to give you an opportunity to share your talents. Please post some of your poems for others to read and comment on. Don’t be shy… the beauty of poetry is that there is no “right” or “wrong” way. Express yourself!  

www.answers.com

Did you know motion pictures (movies) were invented in the state of New Jersey?

Did you know that the state of Oregon has more “ghost towns” than any other state?

Did you know that The Professional Football Hall of Fame and the Rock’ n’ Roll Hall of Fame can both be found in the state of Ohio?

These are just some of the many interesting facts that you may learn through your state research. Please share your stately knowledge with our class on the blog. Remember…you can also comment on other facts or information posted.

President Barack Obama’s inaugural address on January 20, 2009 included many powerful words. Some of the quotes from his speech that we discussed in class were…

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

http://www.papersculpt.com/Flag.jpg

“All this we can do. All this we will do.”

“Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism–these things are old.”

What do these quotes mean to you? Are there any other quotes that you have heard in life, that have inspired you? A quote from a teacher? A family member? An idol? What makes them so important to you? Feel free to share on our blog

-Mrs. DelMonaco

If you want to take part in this fun, creative writing activity, just click on the comment link, read what other bloggers wrote, and add to the story. Each time you add to part of the story, write 5-10 sentences that would add more detail to the plot. Let’s see where this story writing adventure takes us! I’ll start…

It was a sunny October afternoon in the small town called Springview. Beth Taner was walking her golden retriever, Sadie, after school, liked she did every afternoon. As she approached the corner of Spruce Street and Windy Road, she found a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. She decided to pick up the paper to see what it said. After she carefully opened the paper, she noticed that the handwriting looked familiar…

Each week our class will be reading articles from Time For Kids magazine, and discuss current events that are going on in our world. If there is an article that you would like to comment on, or discuss further with our class, please post it under this category on our blog. For starters, what have you learned so far about the 2008 Presidential Election?

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/