Word Girl

Telling eighteen boys that they are going to be involved in a Word Girl activity is a risky proposition at best, but with a little coaxing the students were willing to give it a try. From 1:00 to 1:30 today, we watched a worldwide webcast featuring Word Girl and a vocabulary competition. Four students competed in a studio somewhere far, far away, and the boys of 9-2 got to play along and see if they could answer the questions correctly. There were cheers throughout the Main Lab as each question was answered correctly. The competition was sponsored by Scholastic Books, and there is a summer program that a few boys expressed interest in that can be seen here.

Word Girl from Skip Howe on Vimeo.

Three....Two....One....Splat!!!

We had a great time conducting the egg drop this morning. The boys hooped and hollered as their eggs tumbled to the floor below. The anxiety mounted for each boy as he checked to see if his egg survived. We will now try to capture that joy and drama in our composition this week.

FREEZIE POPS!!!

For the past few years whenever it hits 80 degrees in the classroom we get to cool off with Freezie Pops. I knew it would be close today, so I was checking the thermometer every few minutes. Then at 1:50, it happened. We hit 80 degrees exactly. I barely had time to snap a few pictures before it sunk back down to 79.8, but with photographic evidence the Freezie Pop party was on.

Billy's Easter Eggstravaganza

Billy had quite an adventurous weekend. He started off by trying out his friend's egg drop box. Unfortunately it looks like the eggs were not comfortable to lie on, so he tossed them out of the box. Billy is amazing in Easter egg hunts and was rewarded with a whole lot of Peeps, all of which he ate!!! Talk about a stomach ache!!! After hanging out on the front steps for a while, Billy closed out the weekend doing a bit of surfing on the Internet. His favorite web page is not hard to guess.

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What is an ERB?

The ERB is the Educational Records Bureau that creates, distributes, and grades the CTP (Comprehensive Testing Program) tests. For more detailed information check out the these frequently asked questions.

Earth Day Gardening

As part of our Earth Day celebration we joined the students from many other classes to plant on what was formerly a barren, rocky hill between the Middle School and Castalia. The students did a phenomenal job. There were many parent volunteers present which helped the day go very smoothly.

The Garden at Castalia from Skip Howe on Vimeo.

Signs of Spring

Calvert's newest addition was spotted yesterday in the courtyard between the art room and the auditorium.

How Oysters Help the Bay

I showed this short clip to the boys as we were working on our oyster composition, and many asked if I would post it so that they could see it again. The need to increase the oyster population becomes as clear as the water they filter.

The Pearl From Under the Sea

In preparation for our composition about the history of oysters and pearls, we opened some oysters to see what was inside these special ones from Asia.

The Pearl From Under theSea from Skip Howe on Vimeo.

Billy Hangs Out With a New Friend

This past weekend Billy had a great time with a new friend. He took a drive, in which it appears he was at various points driving, on the roof, and hanging upside down from the sunroof. After that he tried out basketball and golf. While he played golf in the usual manner his grasp of the finer points of basketball needs a bit of work.

Exploring Maps and Globes

Today in technology class we looked at maps and globes at this site.

Living Classrooms Field Trip

The other Ninth Age teachers, Miss Gentry, Miss Strom, and Miss Preston also have blog posts about the field trip.

I am trying Vimeo to see whether I could get better video quality than through Blogger. I think it is a noticeable improvement.

Living Classrooms from Skip Howe on Vimeo.

Science Quizlet

One of the boys in Miss Gentry's class made a quizlet for the science test which the boys will be taking on Tuesday, April 19th. This should be a great asset as you study. Thanks RG!!

Billy's Latest Adventure

This past weekend Billy had a great time making a new friend. Check out the pictures below.

Cast off the Lines and hoist the Mainsail!!

We are so excited to be heading out to the Chesapeake Bay on Monday and Wednesday. You will definitely want to know what to bring and what we are going to be doing. We will be doing lots of learning stations which are fun and extremely educational. There are many other great things to explore on the Living Classrooms website. I can't wait to head out on the high seas

London Bridge is Falling Down!!

Weight was added to the bridge I built to see how much it could take before it was destroyed. The bridge, made of 32 popsicle sticks held together by wood glue, weighs 1.6 ounces and was able to hold 24 pounds for well over a minute. I was getting ready to add more weight when one of the boys noticed that the bridge was leaning to the side. I got my camera and took pictures as the bridge slowly leaned more and more until the final crash. I love the picture of the bridge in mid-air just after the crash began.

Give me an O !!!!!

Today the classroom and the whole Lower School were taken over by Orioles fever. Nurse Whitman could find no cure for this sudden outbreak.

Billy Heads Out of Town

Here is a great summary that was written by Billy's new best friend about all the fun activities that happened over the weekend while they were together:

Billy and I had a great time this weekend. We flew to Newport, RI to visit family. When we arrived in Newport, Billy and I were allowed to visit the pilot in the cockpit. Billy really loved playing with the controls. I had to explain to him this was a REAL airplane and that he had to be very careful!!! Once we got to Newport, we visited a mansion named Rosecliff. It was HUGE and very old!!! Billy thought it would be a fun idea to buy it for his second home but then quickly realized he only had 2 dollars in his sneetchy bank. I told him, "no problem, you are only short $49,999,998 dollars!" Our next visit was SUGAR heaven. My Aunt owns a bakery called It's My Party Bake Shop. We went to visit her and we were able to eat as many cookies and cupcakes as we wanted. Billy even helped ice a cake. Then my sister, cousins, Billy and I went for a swim in the indoor pool at the hotel. Billy was trying to get a tan poolside but realized there was a roof over him so instead he took a little nap. He was exhausted from our busy day. I am so glad that Billy and I got to visit Newport, RI this weekend!!!!!

An Anniversary Worth Celebrating

Check out the Google home page today to see the 119th anniversary of a recent composition topic. In case you do not get a chance to see it today, click here to see what it was.

A Few Fun Websites

In technology class last week the boys looked at a great website which illustrates very clearly how the seasons affect the amount of daylight a place on earth receives. Another great website shows the motion of the planets and their moons. I like that you can set the date to see the position of the planets. Finally, a class parent passed on this article which has some interesting facts about Saturn and how to see it at night.