"Out of My Mind" Great book! Student Responses in Padlet!

Created with Padlet

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Similes and Metaphors with Mrs. Longmeier!

We learned comparisons and how authors use these techniques to make their writing more interesting and descriptive! We can too!

Scholastic's webcast with Taylor Swift

We are on a #JourneytoMars

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Our Padlet for The Fourteenth Goldfish!

Created with Padlet

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

QAR!

Green, yellow and red codes can help students think about types of questions and how they. An use strategies to answer them!
Green-GO! Answer is right there.
Yellow-Slow down. Skim different places for answers.
Red-Stop and use your head! Answer is based on your opinion and background knowledge.
Hope this help kids answer different kinds of questions!

OUR PADLET for The Fourteenth Goldfish!

   The #GRA2015, Global Read Aloud is underway! We are all enjoying the book and the kids are full of ideas about what will happen next.  The book has done a good job of giving us descriptions of the characters, so the students have done a great job creating predictions.
   We decided to use a tool called Padlet to share out thoughts and predictions with other classrooms. I created a new Padlet and shared the link with the kids and away they went!  They even figured out how to add pictures.
   We connected via GHO with another classroom to share our predictions.  They students loved being on camera sharing their ideas with other 4th grade students. We are looking forward to connecting with them again at the end of the book to see if our predictions were accurate.  These creative kiddos were full of great ideas!

Created with Padlet

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Global Read Aloud starts Monday, Oct. 6th!

We will be reading The Fourteenth Goldfish as part of the Global Read Aloud

We have enjoyed participating in the Global Read Aloud the last few years.  No doubt this one will be great as well!

We will keep you posted on our thoughts, connections and collaborations with other classrooms! ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Be a Great Digital Citizen!

Check out this poster to keep yourself safe and happy on the internet. Be a responsible digital citizen! ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

A Successful Bee Hive Removal!

We were lucky enough to have about 60,000 visitors all summer- a honeybee hive in our front yard about 20 feet off the ground. We respected each other's spaces and did not impede on each other's territories. And, since they are doomed to die at the first frost, we contacted a beekeeper to come rescue them. We were amazing to watch him carefully remove the hive a section at a time...BAREHANDED! Only 8 stings total- one for my son and the rest on the keeper. Not band considered the incredibly high number of bees we had! Enjoy this video that shows just how he did it! ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Countries that have visited our YouTube Channel!

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​Create your own visited countries map​ or check out the ​JavaScript Charts​.

   ​I did a check on the lifetime views on my YouTube channel today and found it has been viewed by 120 countries around the world!  That is just mind boggling to me.  I was curious to see, so I created a map showing them all!  I know some countries do not have internet and some have restrictions, so overall, we are doing pretty well! 
   Thanks to all who have visited or subscribed to the channel!

Getting to know you bags

Students were asked to bring 5 things that represent who they are in a brown paper bag. They then took turns revealing items that showed who they are! We had a ball getting to know each other! Great job, kiddos!

Classroom Champions again this year!

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Classroom Champions: Kids, Athletes, and Technology!

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Meryl and Charlie posted our End of the Year video on their Facebook Page!

Post by Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

So exited that our montage of Classroom Champions subjects made it all the way to Meryl and Charlie. We are happy they posted it on their Facebook page! I hope they know how much we LOVED having them as our mentors this year. Couldn't have been better!

We ARE Classroom Champions!

Our end of the year Classroom Champions video- showing how we KNOW we are champions!


We made slides and talked about which video clips would illustrate each subject.  I love how it turned out!  I heard the song and bought the rights to it on Envato...and I think this was the perfect place to use it.  Enjoy!  And thanks so much to Classroom Champions for making this all possible!
***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Meryl and Charlie Live Chat with Mrs. Regruth's room!

Our second live chat this year with Meryl and Charlie- our amazing, Olympic athlete mentors from Classroom Champions.  They were so personable and we all enjoyed our chat with them.  Charlie went to get his medal (at 6:25) and cracked the kids up when he bit down on it for them (at 7:01)!  Meryl's face was funny when he bit it too!
I love that even with the very time consuming, incredibly fast paced schedule they have maintained for the last year, they took the time to spend it with us.  I admire their passion, not just for their sport, but their passion for sharing with others.
We were incredibly lucky to be paired with them this year.  Please check out our YouTube videos on the Classroom Champions Playlist we made each month, responding to the challenges they gave us based on the theme.  We were always ready to check out their advice and work to put it to use, and then make a video showing what we learned.
I'm so thankful to be a part of this amazing program!
***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Ssshhheee'sss bbbaaaaccckkk!

Mrs. Longmeier returns to show us Synthesis Sundae! It's a way good readers organize their thoughts as they read. Before, during and after reading, the reader logs his or her thoughts in each scoop.
It's a great way to see how a reader's thinking changes as a story progresses! Thanks, Mrs. Longmeier!

Don't Be a Nerd!

Or....DO be a Nerd! Dare to do something different, something you love, no matter what others may think.
I love the spirit this student of mine has- it's beautiful.  And she has the precious personality to match.  I love that she gives the things she loves all she's got...and she doesn't really care what anybody else thinks.   Thanks, Jay, for making me smile- every. single. day.  I admire you for being you- and for sharing who you are with all of us.  #YouRock.

 ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Rainbow Editing

Mrs. Longmeier, our literacy and math coach, is back for a lesson peer editing!

www,YouTube.com/jlregruth

I was looking through analytic stats for my YouTube channel, and not long after not came across Google Fusion tables.  Wow!  Amazing things you can do with data! This shows that my youtube channel has been seen in all 50 states! On the world map, the channel has been viewed in 97 countries!!!!!



The intensity map shows shades of color based on how many times the site has been visited by folks there-hover over a state to see how many visits! Same thing on this intensity map- darker countries have more visitors. You can mouse over the country to see how many visits! ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Love this antibullying project!!

I saw this clip on Lauren Bush's project she made at her school.  It shows how different words from others can affect us.  LOVE it.

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

#GoUSA!!!

***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Punctuation on Vacation!!

Another awesome mini lesson from Mrs. Longmeier!

Virtual Field Trips to Antarctica!!

We were thrilled to get acquainted with Scientist Jean Pennycook and connect with her during her students in Camp Royds Antarctica!  The first call took place in mid December, which is the summer and mating season for the penguins.  Ms. Pennycook told us about the Adeline penguins, what they eat, how they interact, and how they are pretty curious about humans.  She took her laptop, hiked to the penguin camp and sat down.  The penguins walked right up. She said they didn't like to be touched, but they would come really close to her.  We could hear them "talking" and watched as moms and dads switched places babysitting the egg, while the other went for food.  We even watch one couple, and the one with the egg did not want to trade places and we all had a chuckle.  He or she must have been pretty comfortable!

Our second call introduced us to the babies.  It had been almost 4 weeks since our last call, so the babies were pretty big, but it was still amazing to see and hear them live.  We watched the parents feeding them in the warmest part of the summer (still below freezing).  And, although it seems harsh, we learned how the parents decide one day to leave the babies to fend for themselves and just don't come back.  The babies then must find their way to the ocean and hunt for food themselves.

Skype is an amazing tool for connecting with folks all over the world.  This year we have connected with places like Canada, Mongolia, Uganda, Australia, and lots of states around the US.  We have learned about wildlife, geography, language, culture, traditions...and learned presentation, communication, collaboration, and tech skills.  Skype is an invaluable tool.  Visit Skype in Education website to get you started discovering the world.  It's just waiting for you.



***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)

Google Alerts

We are thrilled to be paired with ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White in our Classroom Champions program. (Check it information about this awesome program here.)
I was often searching the internet for the latest information about where they were traveling, how they were finishing in competitions, or appearances they were making.  Then I found out about Google Alerts, and the whole task became SSSOOOO much easier.

Google Alerts is a great way of being notified about news or information concerning your athlete is posted on the internet.  It's super easy to do, and you will receive an email each time your athlete makes the news!  We have read articles about how Meryl and Charlie paired up as kids, how their moms are involved, how DWTS start, Derek Hough met with them about choreography, just to name a few! Usually after I am notified about our ice dancers by Google Alerts, I read the article with my class to keep them in the loop.  They always love hearing stories about their athletes!

Click here to set up an alert for something you are interested in finding current news about.

Click here for the help page on Google Alerts

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I would be happy to help if you have any trouble!  Just send me a message.

When I read a newsworthy story about about Meryl and Charlie, I also will tweet the news story to share on Twitter.  If you are on Twitter, it's a great way to share news about your athlete.  You can add @classroomchamps to your tweet too!  It's a great way to get this great program and news out on social media!

You could use Google alerts for lots of ways in the classroom too!  Check it out and let me know what you think!  Share any ideas you come up with!  It would be great to hear all the creative ideas!

Jennifer

P.S. We're getting so excited about the Olympics!  Meryl and Charlie had an epic, amazing weekend in Boston and placed first!! (I watched this on tv BEFORE the alert came...but you get the idea.)

 ***Any time, any place, learn!*** ;)