Category Archives: Invention Convention

Congratulations 5KP

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Phew…had enough yet?

What a week it has been, the kids really deserve the holiday they are about to get, try and spoil them a little.

We have the Unit 9 math test to come today and the band and strings bonanza tomorrow so don’t forget your instruments and your black and white clothes ok?

I wasn’t able to snap all the kids due to camera issues but here are most of the class working on their Goldberg Machine. Well done to Byron’s team for winning the major prize!

ATTENTION STUDENTS HERE IS YOUR WORK FOR FRIDAY morning between 8 am and 10 am.

1. Read the last 4-6 posts on my blog here and leave at least one comment on one of my posts

2. Write your own post : the title is “Invention Convention Reflection”

I want a two or three paragraph post on the highlights of the invention convention for you.

What was your favorite invention and why?

What was the best part about your invention? The worst part?

What did you like/not like about the project?

Try and include a photo, take one of mine from my blog if you are able.

3. Complete a quiz of your own if you are able to, like the one on my blog or Keaton’s blog.

4. Go to Scholastic News. Read freely on the site and then write a post about something interesting you discovered.

5. Comment on your classmates and teacher’s blogs and enjoy the rest of the period.

Have a great Spring Break 5KP, you really deserve it!

Reminders for Next Week

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A note from Mrs Denton for the Band Students

Band Bonanza – Next Friday March 20th.

Concert – 2:15 PM in the MS Gym 

(Upstairs from the auditorium)

Parents are welcome to attend!

Students should wear black pants/skirt and a white shirt.

Wednesday is our Invention Convention Day, please join us in our Grade 5 Corridor if you are able from

8.30-10.30 am (invitation is on last post)

Thursday is our Goldberg Junkyard Wars Day, students can continue to bring in as many clean and useful recyclable goods for this fun event for the students; they are really looking forward to it.

Friday is our Band (Pudong) and Strings (Puxi) extravaganza. Please join us if you can.

All of these things are written about in more detail on recent posts.

We will be having our Unit 9 Math test next Thursday, the class should be revising each day over the subject matter they are being taught in class.

Skills covered on the unit nine test include:

*plot ordered pairs on a four-quadrant coordinate grid

*understand the concept of volume of a figure

*use a formula to find the volume of prisms

*plot quadrant pairs on a one-quadrant coordinate grid

*identify the base and height of triangles and parallelograms

*use a formula to find the area of triangles and parallelograms

*understand the concept of area of a figure

*use a formula to find the area of rectangles

In Language Arts we are having some fun for the last week of the quarter working on our debating skills; I told the class they are so good at arguing at this age that they should put their debating skills to good use!

Please complete the survey for me today if you are able; I appreciate the feedback and I also still have four parents who have not responded to my e mail about parent teacher conference times.

Have a great weekend.

Action Stations

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Consider yourself invited…

Invention Convention Invitation

What is going  on in 5KP?

Math

We have started on unit 9 this week which is focused on Coordinates, Area, Volume and Capacity. As it is a shorter unit we might get through it before spring break and hopefully get the assessment completed late next week. I am sending the Unit 8 test home today, please sign it and return it so we can continue to review it in class; the class average was 89% and everyone except two students improved on their last score and one of those students didn’t improve because they earned 100% on the last test AND this one!

Social Studies

The Invention Convention is fast approaching. The majority of students have met certain deadlines and are on track to complete the project on time. Students should have their log books completed by Friday morning. Many are working on their posters in class. Talk to your child and ask them how their project is going is going. Remember, we want to see you here at school for our Invention Convention on Wednesday 18 March, from 8:30 10:30am. (See the above invitation for details.)

Field Trip

The 5th grade are going on a field trip to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Please make sure you read the permission slips, sign them and return them back to ME asap. The forms are coming home today.

Goldberg Materials

Thanks to all of you who have really made an effort to bring in materials for our Goldberg Challenge. We can’t wait for the big day (March 19th). Keep bringing in those recyclables…there are some good prizes to be won.

Band Bonanza

The Band bonanza is on Friday 20 March. The combined 5th grade Pudong/Puxi Strings group will be at the Puxi campus and the combined 5th grade Band will be here on the Pudong Campus. Here are the bus details for the 5 Strings students; please check them and get back to me if there is a problem.

Bus details for Strings Students

Invention Convention and Buying Author books

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Are YOU freaking out? Feeling behind, starting to panic about the Invention Convention and your current LACK of ideas???

Well so you should be…you have fallen behind a little bit 5KP and it is time to get your act together, use some of your home time and get back on target!

I am linking here to the Invention Convention booklet we have used in class. I am putting it here in two different formats so fingers crossed it will open whether or not you have the old or new version of word. This booklet has everything you need to know about the project and so if you need to copy, cut and paste then Go For It!

Stay focused on the calendar, print it off if you need to or write some of the deadlines in your diary.  But most of all, GET MOVING and stay focused!

On a more positive note, our visiting authors arrive next Tuesday. It has been great seeing the kids participating in Love of Reading Week this week, today was wear a word day or put a poem in your pocket and many students went to a lot of trouble, thanks parents for your support.

Here is a note from Mrs Boyer about buying author books, it is going home with your child today.

Letter sent home this week…Books go on sale starting next Monday, March 2nd

Process for Buying Books

·        Students return form with money in an envelope.

·        Students come to the library to choose book(s).  A receipt and change will be given to the student at the time of purchase.

·        Books will be kept in the library for the author(s) to sign.

·        Signed books will be brought to the classroom and given to the student as they are completed.

For those of you who have already purchased books and would like the authors to sign your books…

Please put your child’s name inside the front cover and bring to the library starting Monday, March 2nd.

·        Complete the form below and place inside book.

·        Books will be kept in the library for the authors to sign.

·        Signed books will be brought to the classroom and given to the student as they are completed.


Work for Friday

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Hello there, missing me yet???

Here is what you are to do now on your blog seeing as you have finished watching the Bill Nye video.

Task 1:

Scenario: You signed up for the latest reality television show where you are brought to an
unpopulated area to live for one year. A small house will be built for you to stay in for the
year, and you have a choice in some of the design. You have a list of common household
items that can go in your house, but you can ONLY select three. The items are a refrigerator,
an oven, a microwave, a dishwasher, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a television, and
an indoor toilet. Which items would you pick and why? Before you pick, consider these
things about your location:
· It is very hot and humid all year round
· You are alone without access to other people
· There is a portable toilet already set up a half-mile from the house
· Clothes, sheets, dishes, and food will be supplied
Write down the items you would choose and explain your reasons. Share your items with the
class.

Task 2:

List ten appliances and gadgets found in a home. Use the Internet or books to find out when
these items were invented. Create a time-line using these dates. Have any of these items been
invented since you were born? How many of these items were around when your parents or
grandparents were young?

When you have finished that these are the following tasks to complete in the morning and also after lunch in order of importance please, (therefore skip a task if you have done it already)…

1. Upload your invention convention speech to your blog from the portal (try again from a different computer IF you had trouble yesterday) and write a post ON THE SAME POST AS YOUR VIDEO SAYING HOW YOU THINK YOU WENT…at least 150 words please.

2. Continue and finish writing about this post and add a couple of pictures to your page.

3. Write a post about the black box experiment and how it is going so far, have a look on the internet and see if you can find some other information about black boxes and write about that.

4. Read this post and start googling some different invention conventions out there to see what yours might be like.

5. Free blogging time until it is time to pack up for reading buddies.

Enjoy your day, have a great weekend and make me proud.

Mrs P

Invention Convention Phase One Speeches

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Well done to most of the class who have now completed their speeches for Phase One of the Invention Convention, we look forward to hearing yours on your return this week Samantha. Most of the students have also posted their speech on their blog, or if they haven’t they will have a chance to do so before the end of the week. Here are some pictures of the kids presenting their speeches as well as just a few of them goofing around. What a great class!

Invention Convention Phase Two

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This is what I expect you to do for the Invention Convention Phase Two that begins when you return to school on February 4th. You may copy and paste this to your own blog, e mail or word document if you wish and refer back to it as a time-line whenever you need to.

The actual Invention Convention will be held here at school on Wednesday March 18th, more accurate venue and times to follow.

1. You will identify a problem in people’s lives today, and imagine an invention that could help solve this problem.

 2. You will develop a working prototype of the invention.

Due: Friday March 18, 2009

3. You will keep an Inventor’s Log on your blog tagged as ‘Inventor’s Log’ to record your progress as you are inventing.

o   Brainstorming and Diagrams on provided paper Due Friday, February 20, 2009

o   Make a Plan a Construction Log 1 Due Friday, February 28, 2009

o   Construction Log 2,3,4,5 and Test 1 Friday, March 7, 2009

o   Test 2, 3 and all recommendations in log book Friday, March 14, 2009

o   Poster, sales pitch and prototype Due Wednesday, March 18, 2009

4. You will create a brochure or poster which explains your invention, names it, and tries to encourage people to buy one. This will be completed at school.

Due in Wednesday March 18, 2009

5. You will be able to explain and talk fluently and clearly about your invention.  You will express the advantages of your invention and be able to market it at that convention.