Hour of Code

In the next two weeks, kids at Skillin will be learning about coding and careers in the computer sciences through the Hour of Code celebration. Our class got the opportunity to begin coding today in library. The kids love it! If they have spare time, follow the links from Mrs. Stanbro's library page to explore more...

Making Butter

Today to celebrate our recent studies of life in the Thirteen Colonies we made butter! The kids enjoyed making the butter and tasting it too!

 

 
 

Colonial Slide Shows

In addition to the page in the Colonial Life book, students also worked together to create slide shows to share during their presentations. I am so impressed by their intuitive computer skills. I gave them very little explicit instruction, and they totally ran with it! I can't wait to see the presentations on Monday. Check out the slides shows...

              Clothing


          Food and Drink



        Health & Medicine


     Religion & Education


       Fun & Amusement


      Classes & Occupations


    Travel & Communication

Colonial Life Book

The kids did a fantastic job working to become experts on a certain aspect of Colonial Life. They worked in small groups to study 7 different topics and then created a highlights page for the rest of the class. Please enjoy!

Colonial Health & Medicine
by Emma, Lucas, and Henry

Colonial Food & Drink
by Jacob and Alex R.

Colonial Clothing 
by Anna, Elvis, and Emilie

Colonial Fun & Amusement
by Alex T., Jack, and Victor

Colonial Classes & Occupations
by Holly and Adian

Colonial Religion & Education
by Matthew, Ben, and Maysun

Colonial Travel & Communication
by Caleb, Lilly, and Micah

Stretch It! Spice It! Age It!

This week during LA Workshop I had the opportunity to work with small groups in writing.  I organized students into groups according to the following goals:

Spice It! - Adding spicy words and interesting details

Stretch It! - Expanding upon ideas and adding more details

Age It! - Adding words and vocabulary to match the style/tone of this particular old world piece

More Explorer Journals

"Today Louis checked our supplies. Luckily they are in ok shape. Baltasar checked our navigation and we are still on course. I miss my family too much. I just want to go back. I will explode if I hear another sailor song. My back is sore from months sleeping in a hammock. I can feel the splinters in my feet from the cracked deck." 
- Manual

"Tonight is particularly dark as the storm rolled in. I couldn't stay on my feet and if we didn't furl the sails, the vessel will capsize. A lot of the crew members were about to fall from the craft, but I am doing my best to help the sailors. Lucky for us, we have good commons sense. I heard thunder, yelling, and more. I felt the wind hitting my face. It stung like needles. " - Diego

 

"Oh no! The fishing has been poor this week, so our rations have been cut in half. We are so hungry. We are severely off course. Our biscuits are rock hard and have weevils crawling in them. I don't want to eat. The crew does not trust the captain. The morale is not good. Tensions are bad." - Eric 

"We have been sailing for the 3 weeks now and I'm getting used to the splashing waves and the sounds of the sea gulls. Sometimes it can be so silent out here, like when we hit the dead calm. But not today! When I woke up everything was soaking wet. I thought the boat was going to capsize. I got scared and I didn't know if everyone was ok. I don't remember a whole lot, but I do remember that it was a very bad storm and everyone was yelling and running around." - Daniela

 "I don't think I can spend a couple more months on this boat, but I know I have to. The thing is the sailors are singing songs called sea shanties, which is really getting annoying. It reeks on this voyage because our crew members haven't bathed for weeks. I am tired of watching cockroach fighting. It was funny and interesting in the beginning. I'm getting so tired of the food. Bleh! I want to go home and eat my delicious food and take a bath." - Eleanor

 "We were not prepared for the storm. We lost our mizzenmast. It fell and Eric, Audrey, and Estelle were trapped underneath. Our ship's surgeon was one that got hit, so we had no other medical expertise to fix everyone up. All I saw was a flash and then boom. Luckily our ship sustained no major damage. I think I'm going to join the rest of the crew. The captain cannot be trusted!" - Richard

 "Our crew is very angry. We tried our best to calm them down, but we failed. Laura is attacked by an angry crew member. My poor sister! But, because she is so strong, she was able to defend herself. The morale is getting lower. None of us are happy or excited anymore. We just wait. The tensions on the boat are really high." - Estelle

"Someone has been stealing from our supplies. I glare angrily at the convicts. The crew does not trust the captain, but we convinced them to trust just a little longer. My back hurts from sleeping in the hammock for so long. I have smelled things I never thought I would smell. It is horrible." - Simon

Explorer Journal Excerpts

This Explorer Simulation not only teaches the kids about life as an explorer in the 1400 and 1500s. It also is the source of some terrific writing by the kids. They have been challenged in keep a journal from the perspective of their various characters. We've been building a vocabulary wall with lots of interesting and explorer-specific vocabulary. Many students have done a terrific job incorporating many of these words into their writing. Please enjoy...

"I have very big fears about this voyage. Here are some of them. One is any of kind of storm, because the boat could capsize. We could get any kind of diseases. For example, scurvy is one. Scurvy is caused by a lack of Vitamin C. If you get scurvy, your teeth will start to fall out and your joints can hurt. It sometimes means death if it gets serious. The only known antidote is fresh citrus, like oranges, lemons, and limes. The trouble is it is hard to keep fresh lemons or oranges on a boat." - Alice Bailey

"My name is David Huntman. I'm 18 years old and I'm a poor hunter. I live with my brothers Rex and Cody, my mother Martha and my dad Allen. I became interested in sailing because I lived next to a shipyard. I will miss my family." - David Huntman

"I was walking on to the boat, as my mother and papa were waving goodbye from the dock. All of a sudden, the captain called "All Aboard!" I heard the sails crack and we left. As tears poured down my face, I could smell the salty air. Suddenly, I couldn't see my parents anymore, so I sat down and hoped that I would someday see them again." - Laura Page

"Growing up, I was tutored by someone named Mrs. Rogers. Boy did I hate being tutored, learning all that stuff about how to do things that bored me to death. I guess it will help me explore. I am sailing for curiosity. I want to know what else is out there in the world. I know that has to be more and I want to be the one to discover it." - Audrey Page