Our SMLS5 Blog

Stuck on Alcatraz Island

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:43:54 -0500

Colin Island

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:31:45 -0500

The Lost Ones

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:56:47 -0500

Lost and Found

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:41:58 -0500

Recently, we read Island of the Blue Dolphins as a class. Afterward, we wrote our own “island stories” — stories whose plot took place on an island. As these stories are revised and edited and made ready for publication we’ll publish them here. Please check back often.

We hope you enjoy them all!

Lost and Found
by Nick

    I was going on an island adventure with my parents and my sister. My Dad had planned a trip to a private island in the Caribbean. This was going to be the trip of a lifetime! He said the island was deserted except for a caretaker. It had a large house and everything we would need for the week: fishing gear, rock climbing equipment, and scuba diving gear. We were going to have a great time!
     My dad hired a private jet to take us to the island and drop us off. The pilot would be picking us up a week later. Until then, we had no way off the island. I told my dad that that was a little creepy. He said we would have a two-way radio in case of an emergency. I still thought it was kind of creepy. I am all for family time, but this is ridiculous!
    We arrived on the island in the afternoon. I wanted to go exploring. We really were in the middle of nowhere. The house was cool, but so empty. I still had not seen the caretaker. I went exploring in the woods and realized how alone I really was, no voices, no people, no cars, nothing. Then I thought I heard a voice. I turned around quickly and nobody was there. I thought I had just imagined it, but decided to go back to the house. I was a little freaked out.
I ran back into the house and grabbed a bottle of water on my way out to the back porch. I yelled, “Mom! Dad!” No answer. I ran upstairs and yelled for them again. There was still no answer. Wait a minute, something isn’t right. Where are the suitcases and all the other things we brought with us? Everything was gone. My parents were gone! My sister was gone! What had happened while I was in the woods? Did thy leave me?
I searched for my parents and my sister for a really long time. There was no sign that they had even been there. I had no idea what to do next! I was really scared! Then I heard that voice again. It was telling me to get out! “Who is saying that?” I screamed. No one replied.
I must have finally fallen asleep. I woke up really early; my watch said 5:30. Everyone was still gone. I tried to use the radio to call the pilot, but it was dead. I got something to eat and then went outside to try and find my family or a way off the island. I did find a dog wandering around and he started to follow me. I named him Coconut. I was really glad to have some company. I really was stranded here and had no idea how I was ever going to get off this island or find my family.
The next night I heard the voice more clearly. It was telling me to get off the island, to leave now. What did they think I was trying to do? I thought I saw a shadowy figure but I couldn’t be sure. I think Coconut saw it too, because he started barking in that direction. I’m really glad he was with me.
The next day I decided I had to find a way off this island. I thought the best way was to build a boat, so I went looking for supplies. While I was searching for things in the woods, I was sure that I was being followed. Coconut knew it too. I kept telling myself it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but I knew it was more than that. Suddenly, whatever it was seemed closer than ever! I ran like a cheetah to get away. I got to an open area and stopped. The sun was like an oven. I sat down to catch my breath and cool off. As I sat there quietly, I heard laughing. Not just regular laughing, but cracking up kind of laughing. I looked over and saw the outline of a man, he was kind of see through. He just kept on laughing!
I got up and started to run toward the water. I would swim off this island if I had to, but I was getting out of here! I jumped into the water and started to swim but something was pulling me back. I was dead meat! I thought this was really the end! I was finally able to at least get out of the water. I crawled up on shore and just passed out. That night, I slept like a log. When I woke up the next morning, I was in the same exact spot where I had passed out.
I decided that the voice I was hearing and the see through man must be a ghost. I figured I may as well find him and see why he was bothering me or if he knew where my family was. I felt different. I wasn’t scared anymore. I just felt like I had to find whatever it was and get some answers. I was going to all the places that I had seen or heard the ghost, but he wasn’t showing up today. I even started calling for him. I still had the strangest feeling, like I wasn’t feeling anything! I looked into the water at my reflection and I didn’t have one!
Suddenly, I felt someone watching me again and I started to hear voices. This time they were calling my name, “Nick! Nick!” I opened my eyes and screamed! Right in front of me was the see through man and right behind him was my parents and my sister! “What in the world?” I exclaimed. My mom started hugging me like a sloth hugs a tree! “We have been looking for you for hours!” she cried.
I reached up and hugged her back. I was so glad to see everyone. “I must have sat down and fallen asleep while I was out exploring,” I said to them. It had all seemed so real. “Wait a minute,” I said. “Who is that?” I asked pointing to the not so see through man. “Oh, this is William, the caretaker we told you about. He has been helping us look and he was the one who found you,” my mom explained. I thought that they probably found me by my screaming.
We got up and began walking back to the main house. It had all been a dream. Then I heard the same laughter that I had heard earlier. I looked back to see William laughing quietly, with a strange expression on his face. But I also saw Coconut running behind him. I think it had all been a dream, or was it?

Survival on the Island of the Rich Girl

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:45:15 -0500

SMLS5.com Visitor Statistics

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:54:48 -0400

While updating some of the website pages today I checked on our site visit statistics. I was quite pleased with what I saw. These figures represent our number of unique visitors. Some have visited more than once, giving us our 32,000 visits (and counting)!

20 Dec 2008 to 31 Oct 2009: 3,371 visits
Statistics updated 31 Oct 2009: 3,371 visits Total since 19 Dec 2007: 9,127
Previous 24hrs: 16

What’s even more interesting, other than the count, is the location of our visitors (graphic to the right).
We thank everyone who has visited our little classroom website. As always, we appreciate your visits and would love to hear from you.
Leave a voice message by clicking on this button. Google will call you and you can leave us a message. I believe this only works in the U.S. and, maybe, in Canada. Give it a try:

Science Chapter 8.2 Study Guide

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 06:00:49 -0400

Click on the title above. It leads to a study guide to help you prepare for this week’s science test on lesson 8.2.

Leave a voice message by clicking on this button. Google will call you and you can leave us a message:

Day 1 - 2009-2010

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:31:12 -0400

I captured a few seconds of our fifth graders as we began our school year together. Much, much more to come....

Writing on the Alphasmart Neo

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:23:45 -0400

“How can I help my child become a better writer?”

At Saint Michael, fifth graders are fortunate to have their own Alphasmart Neo word processor. This tool does more than word processing, including its ability to store and deliver tests and quizzes. We begin the year using this capability for science tests.

Beginning in August we use a built-in typing tutor to learn touch typing. All students will be touch typing by Christmas. After that, we will use the Neo to do all of our writing.

Renaissance Learning has made many resources, including the Neo, available to parents and teachers. Here are two “white papers” on writing and word processing and how it helps student writers. Both were written with the Neo in mind. Please take a few minutes to read these articles. Click below:

The Fifth Grade Team — Mrs. Rhinehart and Mr. Schwan
Saint Michael Lutheran School

Open Letter to Fourth Grade Families

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:06:22 -0400

“What can I do to help my child be prepared for fifth grade?”

We often get asked this question toward the end of a school year. This is an "open letter" to parents who would like some tips from the fifth grade team at Saint Michael Lutheran School. This letter was adapted from an email sent to a parent in May, 2009.

In fifth grade, ORGANIZATION is a big factor. Almost all children struggle with it at this age. Anything a parent can do to help their child get organized pays off in a big way for fifth grade and into middle and high school. Some fifth graders come to school “organized”; others need time to develop this ability.

At the beginning of a school year we help the children organize their binders. We give them a model of what they need and where everything should go; the general guideline is to have
"a place for everything and everything in it's place."

Summertime is a good time to "play" with organization. Simulate school year duties and requirements and make them fit the home requirements you have for your child.

For example:

• Make a list of chores or tasks your child must do each day, week, etc. over summer.
• Make a chart and/or calendar -- a place where tasks and chores are recorded, and have your child check them off when they’re done.
• Make some tasks multi-part to simulate multi-part projects we do in school.
• USE the system you put together.
• Have him organize tasks/chores so they are completed BEFORE DUE DATE instead of at the last minute. Allow time for mistakes, interruptions, etc.
• For multi-part projects, break them down into the individual steps or parts
• Create due dates for each part so the "whole" comes together before it's "due".
• When your child DOES each step or part, he should check it off the calendar or list.
• If you require your child to do “school things” over the summer — reading, for example — add these to the calendar or list along with all the "home" stuff.

Keep this going right through summer and into next school year if it's working! The point is, get your child thinking about and DOING some kind of system hands-on over the summer. Also, make a system where you both can visually track his progress and assign points for successes.

• Have a reward for so many points earned on a weekly basis.
• Make it so he loses points if he neglects to DO a task/chore or if he neglects to USE THE SYSTEM to track the item/chore from start to finish. Sort of a carrot and stick approach.
• Keep this chart updated and CELEBRATE little successes daily with verbal praise and weekly with a tangible reward — dinner out with family, special family outing, etc. — whatever motivates your child and fits your budget and/or schedule.
• Agree IN ADVANCE how many points it takes to earn the reward.
• Have "rollover “points”. If your child doesn't get enough points this week he can carry over his points to next week. This teaches delayed gratification for things that are more "expensive" and take longer to earn.
• Make all of this fit your parental schedules which may mean he has to wait until NEXT weekend if he doesn't get enough points by Friday of THIS week....

If your family does this, plus spends time reading — your child independently and aloud to you, plus YOU READ TO HIM — you'll be in very good shape when fifth grade begins in Fall.

We introduce a "new" thing in fifth grade at Saint Michael: touch typing. Students learn to touch type by Christmas vacation. This enables us to use our portable keyboards (every fifth grader gets to use one during the fifth grade year) from January to June for learning projects. For example, the Spring research paper rough draft is typed on the Neo.

The key is:

• Make sure your child uses correct fingering with "home row" keys
• that typing is done "by touch" (no looking at keyboard)
• Speed is NOT a priority; rather, accuracy and typing by touch.

There are plenty of books and software-based programs available for students who wish to start over the summer. We work at this steadily from August to December. Students who choose to take summer off from "school work" will still learn to touch type by Christmas. A student who chooses to begin touch typing lessons over the summer has a head start. (NOTE: you can read more about the Neo, and using the Neo for writing, here)

If you're reading this you have some interest in your child doing some schoolwork over the summer. Apart from reading and (optionally) learning to touch type, "getting organized" in a hands-on way is probably the best thing you can do to help your child prepare for fifth grade at Saint Michael or any school, for that matter.

Have a wonderful summer!

The Fifth Grade Team — Mrs. Rhinehart and Mr. Schwan
Saint Michael Lutheran School