Summer Reading Makes Us Smaaaht!

Summer is officially upon us, and although we are all excited to have an extended break, we also will miss our daily routine of working together, reading, writing, and arithmetic.

To keep the kids headed on the right direction, they have been provided with a reading website bookmark that has various resources and genres of books the students can access via any electronic device.  We have already checked out a graphic novel that was set up with an audio reading!  How much fun we can have with reading!

The link for the site is: www.tumblebookcloud.com
The username is: lowellmidhigh
The password is: login

I know you won't be disappointed with the books and how interactive some of them are!

Enjoy your summer, don't stop reading, and keep blogging!  I'll be checking it!

We Are Getting Our Read On!

This week we have another fantastic Scholastic book fair in our library!

Homeroom 1027 will be going on Thursday afternoon during our writing time fro 12:30-1:00.
Homeroom 1028 will be going on Friday morning during reading from 9:00-9:30.

If you would like to preview the book fair with your students, please feel free to come to the school library on Wednesday afternoon from 4:30-6:00!

The Mysterious Cave

Jeff and I have been walking through these woods for hours and still haven't found anything yet.  So we kept looking around in silence.  Just when I was about to lose hope, I found an entrance to a mysterious cave.  Jeff told me that the first person to find the treasure wins.  But then Is top him and grab the lighter for a second.  Then I light fire to a nearby torch, and the rest lit up automatically.

I told Jeff that there could be traps set in various places.  So we searched for anything unusual that we might run into.  Then we were 20 feet away from the treasure, I see a weird stone floor.  I push one with a symbol down and an arrow shoots out of the wall a the height of my head.  I carefully grab the treasure and leave.  This adventure isn't over yet.  It's just the beginning.

By GOLDENFIST45

FLASH Fiction

Some more brilliant writing from more brilliant students!

The Red Sweater
By Bubbles234

   "Just stop it already.  Please!" screamed Jenny, who had a group of girls taunting and teasing her at school daily. She was never one of those girls who wore fancy dresses and expensive jewelry.  It didn't help that she didn't have a mother to help her through these tough times.
   Jenny was one of those girls who had to live with her aunt and uncle her whole life because she had no parents.  Her aunt and uncle were also very poor and could not afford much for themselves and Jenny.  They couldn't afford much food, nor could they afford much clothing; they each had two pairs of paints, two shirts and one sweater.
   One day Jenny had had enough of the girls laughing at her.  As she was walking out of school, she started to think why the group of girls hated her so much.  She figured it was because of the way she looked and acted.  "But then again, why should I care what people think about me?  I am who I am and I can't help that."  She had been walking for a while when all of a sudden she had no clue where she was.  It was as if she walked into a completely other part of the dark and frightening woods.  She decided to wander around until she felt so worn out from all the walking and running.  She collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
   That night, when Jenny didn't return home after school, her aunt and uncle rushed to search for her in the town and the woods.  They kept walking and walking when all of a sudden, sitting right in front of them was Jenny's bright red sweater.  They didn't know if they should jump to conclusions, but what they did know was that Jenny was missing.
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Criminal
by Greek guy

I walk into the courtroom wearing an orange shirt and pants, handcuffs at my back, and two guards pushing me forward with their billy clubs.  I see in front of me, a man all high and mighty, the decider of my fate.  He looks at me like I'm not the same as everyone else, like I'm a disgusting cockroach, which most people think I am.

But now look who's talking!  With his scruffy mustache and the sunlight glaring off of his bald head.  It actually makes me smile because he looks like a cartoon character.  He keeps blabbering on about stuff that's boring, and I try to tune him out but some of the things he's saying are things I have to hear.  But what really gets me is that he tells me things that I already know like why I'm here.  Like he thinks I'm too dumb to remember.  And even though I just want to get out of my seat, climb up there and punch him in the face, I just can't do anything about it.

Even an hour after the hearing, I can still hear the banging of his mallet, telling me the jury's verdict.  "Guilty, guilty, guilty."  This is how it is when I sit on my metal bed while iron doors close around me.  And ever since my childhood, everyone has treated me as nothing else but... a criminal.

Fiction in a FLASH!

The kids have been working tirelessly on some amazing flash fiction pieces, that being fiction that takes place in one scene, with one or two characters, and is less than 500 words.

At first, I thought this might be a difficult task, as many students love to tell their loooong stories, with laborious details.  But to my surprise, the students not only rose to the challenge, they blew me away!

Here is a sneak preview!  We will post more throughout the week!

The Da Vinci Secret
by PurplePanda

  "What does it mean?" she said.  Amy Da Vinci is in her mother's workshop, which was passed down to her after she died.  Amy lives in Juneau, Alaska and is stuck indoors with the blizzard outside.  She is sitting on the side table, studying her ancestor's notes and drinking coffee next to the fire while the T.V. is blaring breaking news.  "I wish mom could tell me what to look at, she would have known," Amy said with despair.
  Amy gest up to look through the other boxes while the wind whips and howls.  WHen she looks under a box,there's a pitch black safe.  She drags it to the center of the room.  "How do I open this?  Maybe mom's birthday is the password."  Amy tries but fails.  "What about... Aha!"  Amy turns the lock with such speed you couldn't even see the numbers.
  Then she hears a click and the door opens a crack.  Amy swings the door open and she can't believe her eyes.  She picks up this old leathery book; she gasps.  Her heart is beating out of her chest.  "This is what she was hiding."  She grabs the book and runs to the table, and reads.  Her eyes burn as if lava was poured on them.  But she doesn't stop.  She was half way through and she couldn't stop now.
  "And for the name of the woman I am painting is..." she reads.  Amy flips the page slowly.  She's breathing heavily, palms sweating, forehead dripping, and her mouth like a desert.  Her mind wanting to know who this mystery woman is.  She closes her eyes, then opens them after she finished flipping the page.
  "It's empty!" Amy says.  She skims the book with desperation.  "No, no, no, no, no, NO!!"  Amy yells.  She sees something that catches her eye.  There were pieces of torn paper behind the last page she read.  "Someone took the pages out.  But why?" Amy said.
  Her face turned bright red.  She skims through her thoughts.  "Who did this?  Who would do such a thing?"  Then she gasps and drops the book.  "Could it be?"  She turns her head and looks toward the picture at the end of the room.  "You."
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Dream Come True
By Giggles

  I wake up by the sound of the alarm ringing so loudly my ears could fall off.  I got up as quickly as I could without my legs breaking.  My friend still in bed, I go over to her and shake her so we don't get in trouble.  She gets up with her skeleton body and lips as she does her chores.  I help her every chance I can, but I only get beaten.  I know by everyone's face with them run down and tired, a few have said they would rather die than starve to death.
  At night I look up at the hole in the roof to see the moon still standing, thinking the moon takes so much, between storms and people destroying what God had created, and thinking if the moon can take so much destruction, then I can take what has come to me a while longer.
  I stay looking at the sky with wide eyes.  I see a shooting star.  Only I have heard of these in stories, but I believe that my wish will come true because without hope, I have nothing. "I wish my friend to be better and for things to be like they used to be."  I whisper with tears coming down my face.  I closed my eyes only to hear my thoughts when I drifted away into a deep sleep.
  I wake up to the same sound every morning, nothing was any different.  I look up to see my friend already looking better, but one thing is different about her.  She had gone to do her chores when she couldn't lift the barrel, her hands going through it; even if she had the strength she still couldn't lift it.
  I look at her and start to cry, not knowing how to cry about it as if it was a happy cry, sad cry or angry cry.  The star had given me my wish, but had to take her life to give it to me.  One day I had gotten the ending wish for things to be the way it was before I had followed my friend to a place with no misery.  Light filled the room, laughter shook the halls, and forever we will be together.
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LionHeart
by Mask of Truth

  "It's just where the shopkeeper said it would be."  LionHeart looks at the note and enters the cave.  "Will I find her here?" Many thoughts go through LionHeart's mind as she wanders deeper into the cave.  She sees a refreshing light at the end of the cave that brightens the sad darkness.
  She approaches the light and finds a fountain with golden waters and silver pillars.  LionHeart stands in fascination at the fountain, and suddenly her eyes turn to look at a girl standing in the center of the fountain.  She turns around and LionHeart knows that this is the person she was looking for... herself.

MCAS is Coming!

It comes as no surprise that we are in the midst of MCAS season, which means testing, and concentration, and lots of unnecessary stress for students, teachers and staff!  That's the bad news.

The good news is that our students seem very well-prepared for the next week, and we are certain that their work will come with high honors and accolades.

Just to ensure our students' success, make sure they do the following before and on testing days:

1) Get a good night's sleep
2) Relax with a good book
3) Get some exercise
4) Eat a good breakfast!

Please make sure your student gets to school on time on both Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27.  We will be testing the morning.  Also, homework will not be given out on those days, so please allow your student to enjoy their afternoon.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

6-Word Essays

It's been a while since we've written on the blog, so I'm posting some 6-word essays I made up during our after-school meeting today!  I hope you all come up with some tonight and post them here!

Two cultures combined into one being.

Riding the waves through life's storms.

Ascending higher, caring less, finding more.

**Now it's your turn!!**

Theme Writing

The students have been working on different ways to approach theme in their novels, and tonight they are to use one of the methods we discussed and create 2-column notes based on their notes and book.

The link below is the video we used to break down theme, and is very helpful and does a nice job explaining it.  Use it if you get stuck on how to understand theme!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4qME64SkxM

Spirit Week!

Next week is Spirit Week!  Here are the daily festivities:

Monday: Support your favorite team by wearing a hat or team apparel

Tuesday: Mix and Match Day - Go nuts with patterns!

Wednesday: Nerd Day - Glasses, pocket protector, suspenders.

Thursday: Valentine's Day colors

Friday: Cougar Pride Day - wear your best blue and white!

Report Cards

Please remember to have your report cards signed and brought back by Friday, February 8th!

Just a friendly reminder!  

Reading Incentive

The Lowell Spinners are offering a Reading Incentive in conjunction with the Lowell Public Schools. The kick-off of the program is today. Any student in grades 2-6 that reads books between now and May 24th will earn varying levels of prizes. 15 books = 1 ticket, 25 books = 1 ticket & 1 slice of pizza, 35 books = 2 tickets & 2 slices of pizza, 40+ books = 2 tickets, 2 slices of pizza, and going on the field. The class that reads the most books at the Pyne will receive a Sal's Pizza, pizza party. Also, parents can enter to win Red Sox tickets or a Spinners Party. 

Any books that students read, have read to them, do in LLI, or Language!, or Guided reading, as well as homework…all count. So please help students remember to record their books if they are with you for reading or any subject area that finishes a book.

Project Save One Khmer

Our National Junior Honor Society has a new project they are sharing with our school, where we can all be involved!  Please read the details below:

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What is Project Save One Khmer?

http://www.uml.edu/News/stories/2011-12/SaveOneKhmer.aspx

Project Save One Khmer is an organization that builds homes for needy families in rural Cambodia.  It was started through UMASS's Peace & Conflict Studies program by Lowell High (2002) and UMASS Lowell graduate Tola Sok.  They built 6 traditional homes last summer and plan to build 10 more this August.  The cost is around $500 and each home can accommodate a family of seven.

How did NJHS get involved?

We met Tola through a professor at UMASS, and he came out and talked to NJHS and 5th graders in Dec. about his path through Lowell Public Schools and the Air Force to starting this organization.

How can we help?

The goal is to raise $500 as a school in change only – no cash! Two NJHS members will introduce the spare-change fundraiser in your class this Friday. Contributions are voluntary of course, and every little bit helps.  They will leave a collection jug in your room for two weeks and collect it on Friday Feb. 15th.

We have some incentives for the class that collects the most (free gym time or party hosted by NJHS) and we can work out a date / time with the winners.  We also have some other incentives in the works.

Our goal is to have a 'Pyne Arts House' in Cambodia, and Tola will send us pictures of the build and the family.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if a brief visit tomorrow will not work for you.

Poems, Poems, Poems, Everywhere

Finally at Rest

As I walk along the plains
Looking non-stop,
And traveling to the ends of the world,
I've come across a stream,
In possession of white angels,
And they bring me up into heaven.

I see a bed a bed of clouds amongst me,
And I've known this was coming,
I give up friends and family,
And I lay for eternity.

         -ChallengeAccepted and AnimalLover10
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Paul is Nothing

Have you ever been bored?
Nothing is stored
Ms. Grodberg is giving Paul ideas,
Still nothing.
Ms. Grodberg dances,
Paul is staring at the paper,
Making funny faces,
Calling my name:
Schylur, Schylur.

                    -Guy2
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Life

It's been rough,
Life's just a road of surprises,
Full of twists and turns,
You find people and lose them,
If you take a wrong turn,
Then you've lost it all.
But when it's over and you hit a bridge,
You either go up or down,
If you're going up, take the bridge.
If you're going down, go in the tunnel.
Life is just a road of surprises.

                    -Goldenfist45
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Empty

I used to be inspired,
My inspirations gone,
You were my inspiration
Why did you have to go?
It's like you stood up...
And just disappeared.
Why did you have to go?
You were my inspiration.

                    -Bubbles234

Perfectly Poetic

Metaphors + Free verse =

Cold-Hearted

I shivered looking at the window, 

Even as warm as I was,

Wondering why he is so cold,

Inside and out.

Now I know why they describe it as window pain;

His heart as dark as the night sky,

But not as harmless.

It starts to rain, but it doesn't stop.

The cold touch that stays inside,

It just brings me more pain.

I wish the pain would stop

For just a minute

But I know no one can take my pain away,

Not even me.

The heart has its own mind.

You won't forget,

Even if you beg,

It stays with you forever,

Even if you choose to let go.
                              -Giggles142

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Day After Day

They walk past me,

They don't even stop to say hello.

Some have arms full of bags,

Some dragging their crying children out of the shop.

A woman says "I love that coat"

I try to say "Thank you," but I can't.

My lips are sealed like cement

My arms stay in the same position 

Day after day.

My feet are strapped to shoes,

It is like the shoes are chains.

I can't walk freely,

I have no friends.

I stay day and night here,

I do not sleep,

I do not lay down,

I stay day after day 

In the same position.

They put new outfits on me every month,

Sometimes they make the women want to

buy it.

Day after day I do not rest,

I  model for them in the same position.

Day after day I do not rest,

Day after day they don't even say

hello.
                                -Purple Panda

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Ninja-Like

To be a ninja, is to be sneaky

To see what others don't

To hear what others don't

To eliminate those who appear as a threat

To hide in the shadows

That's how to be a ninja.
                               -Pika

Fine Poets

Poetry is in the air, and our 6th graders have some serious style!  We've worked on including figurative language such as metaphors and similes, to our writing over the past few days, and the results are nothing short of amazing!

Here are some of the productions we've generated today in class!

Water Bottle

I feel like a water bottle
Full and tall
But now and again
Someone comes along
And soon enough I am all gone
But someone kind
Comes and fills me back up
And soon enough
I am a water bottle
Full and tall
And I wait for someone
To come along
And stand by me
Full
That's all.

                 -Chocolate

Small Tragedy

Darkness in this quiet room

Sitting lonely in the gloom

A chain locked around my ankle

Sitting alone in this quiet room.

I have never felt like this

For my other home I do miss

The iron door locked so tight

The sound outside starts to hiss.

A bang echoes through the hall

Yes, my name I hear them call

The door is opening, softly but fast

As I am frightened, I begin to bawl.

Everything is a fuzzy blur

From her coat I see the fur

She takes me somewhere I do not know

My boiled blood begins to stir.

She speaks to me through the glass

As the time begins to pass

I see nothing, I hear nothing

Now my life is me, and only me

For all eternity.

               -Mask of Truth

The Kite

I don't know where to go

I blow and blow

No direction where to go

I'm trapped by a chain, it won't let me go

Can I be free?  Please let me go

I want to fly free

There's so many things to see

Just like a bird, I tweet and tweet

Not to call friends, but to weep

But I still wait till they let me free.

               -FSB123

Great News!!

Check the latest comment on the Kid's Corner!!!

Tests, Tests, and More Tests

This week our students are working hard as ever this week on the GRADE test, a literacy test that tests students' knowledge of vocabulary, sentence comprehension, passage comprehension, and listening comprehension.

Some of the students said that the test today seemed "easy", and that they really understood most of what they worked on today!  That was like music to my ears!

Next week we will be taking a mock MCAS math test, which will be a valuable tool in understanding where our students' strengths are, and where we need to improve.  Luckily our math MCAS are not until May!

Coooold 6-Word Essays

We were all a little chilly coming to school today, so to keep our fingers from freezing off, we wrote some 6-word essays about the chill in the air!

"Cold is my friend.  Just kidding."

-DyNASTY

"I love cold, it's so warm."

-DyNASTY

"It's 'freeze-your-face-off' day."

-SmartyPants

Warm Thoughts on a Cold Day

"Ain't no chance if you don't take it."
                              -Guy Clark