Ready for Space Travel

First and second grade students have been learning about space occupations, rockets, and constellations.  Here are our little astronauts!

Rube Goldberg Machine

I can't wait to see this Rube Goldberg Machine in action!  Great job with the sketch, Jessi and Morgan!

Mystery Skype

We've been enjoying Mystery Skype, a global guessing game, with classes all over the world!  Last week 5th and 6th grade students Skyped with students in Jacksonville, Alabama.  This week, 4th grade Skyped with Barcelona, Venezuela!

We are THINKING!

A student from Venezuela asks us a question.  

Students synergize to eliminate locations.

A student from Venezuela asks us a question.

Students eliminate locations as they ask clues.

Sixth grade students created some great questions to ask our Skype partners.

Students use Google Maps to help narrow down their mystery location.

Students keep track of clues on the board.  

Students from Venezuela ask us questions.

Students synergize to locate their mystery location.

They found their mystery city and school!

Sixth grade students talk with students from Jacksonville, Alabama.  

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We'll be holding our Parent/Teacher Conferences in an Open House format again this year.  It seemed to work out well last year.  Please stop by and visit me at your convenience during the times below:

Tuesday, Oct. 26 - 4:30pm - 7:30pm

Thursday, Oct. 30 - 3:30pm - 6:30pm

If I'm with someone, please wait outside our room until we are finished.  There will also be literature for you to view on a table outside our classroom.

Thank you, and I hope to see you then!

GAM - Action Alert

Write Governor Nixon October 18, 2014

GOVERNOR NIXON IS WITHHOLDING FUNDING FOR THE ACADEMIES!! GAM needs your action today, to urge Governor Nixon to release the funding ($750,000) for the 2015 Missouri Scholars Academy and Missouri Fine Arts Academy. The good news is that the Missouri General Assembly (with the leadership of Senator Kurt Schaefer) increased the funding for the Academies to our original funding level of $750,000.  The bad news is that Governor Nixon is not releasing the funding so we can move forward with planning the Academies for 2015.  Without the funding, the Academies will be forced to charge students tuition to attend, and not allow for quality programming/instructors. Here is a sample letter: The Honorable Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon Missouri Governor State Capitol Jefferson City, MO  65101 Dear Governor Nixon: Please release the full funding for the 2015 Missouri Scholars Academy and the Missouri Fine Arts Academy.  The Academy funding is one of the few state programs that help Missouri's gifted students.  Educating our potential high learners should be a priority for Missouri. Respectfully, YOUR NAME Or you can call his office at 573-751-3222 PLEASE TAKE ACTION AND FORWARD TO OTHER GIFTED ADVOCATES!!!

If you have questions, please contact kynaiman@earthlink.net            Kyna Iman Governmental Consultant Gifted Association of Missouri

Pen Pals in Kenya

The fifth grade class has been writing to students from Obwororo Academy in Kenya. My students have been learning how different our lives are from theirs. So far they have discussed, environment, war and conflict, poverty, and technology. This week they will be discussing education.  We look forward to learning more about them!

What's Your Favorite Pun?

^{This year's Family Trivia Night theme is "A Night of PUN." Some of my younger students have been asking, "What is a pun?"}  

^{The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pun as:}

a humorous way of using a word or phrase so that more than one meaning is suggested

Some examples of puns are:

1. The delicatessen is sandwiched, if you'll pardon the pun, between two stores.

1. She's a skillful pilot whose career has—no pun intended—really taken off.

There are many different ways to write puns. A pun can be of two types: Typographic and Visual. Therefore, yes, you can dress in a "Punny" costume for Family Trivia Night!

Typographic is further divided into five categories:

• Homophonic -They use homophones (similar sounding word pairs) which are not synonymous. Example: Why is it so wet in England? Because many kings and queens have reigned there.

• Homographic - These kinds of puns are where words are spelled the same (homographs) but have different meanings and sounds. Example: You can tune a guitar, but you can't tuna fish. 

• Homonymic -These words are both homographs and homophones.  Example: Bank (meaning embankment) and bank (where money is kept).

• Compound -That contains two or more puns in the same sentence. Example: Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants' fingers.

• Recursive -In this case, the second aspect of the pun relies on the understanding of the first. Example: Infinity is not in finity.

Visual Puns - They are those which use non-phonetic writing.
Example: In 'The Muppet Movie', Kermit and Fozzie are driving. Then Kermit looks at the map and says they need to turn at the fork in the road. At this point, he lowers the map at which point and sees a giant fork in the middle of the road.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR FAVORITE PUNS IN THE COMMENTS.  MAKE SURE THEY ARE SCHOOL APPROPRIATE!