Role Models?

Many athletes and celebrities fall into the category of role models, regardless if they choose to be or not and I find this to be an extremely interesting topic.  Watch the Lebron James commercial below and answer the following questions:

1. Do you think that celebrities/athletes make good role models?
2. Do you look up to any celebrities/athletes?  If so, tell me why.  If not, tell me why.  :-)
3. Do you think they should assume the responsibility of acting as a role model to young kids, regardless if they want to or not?

*cough..cough*  Don't forget to put the question in your answer! :-)

Once you have posted your response, read the responses posted by your peers and reply thoughtfully to at least two other students.  Compliment strong points, make connections, ask questions and build on ideas shared!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

- I am really looking forward to reading your responses and opinions on this one.

Welcome Back!

Hello my future grade 6/7s!  I can't wait to get the year started!  See you on September 6th!

Mr. Boettger :-)

We Made the Local News!

Front page no less!  How cool is that?!  Congratulations and great job everyone!

Check out the article below:

Midland Free Press - March 14, 2013

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Anti-bullying Video Complete!

Here is an anti-bullying video that the 2013 Grade 7 students made for our assembly.  We worked really hard on it and we hope the positive message comes across.  Thanks for watching!

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Here is a quick little review to help with the concept of adding and subtracting fractions.  Make sure you watch the video and then ask questions in class if you are still stuck. 

Hopefully this helps.

Mr. Boettger 

Making Learning Come to Life!

Watch the following video:

This dinosaur visit is a great way to get kids excited to learn about dinosaurs!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now answer the following questions (be creative, but keep it realistic please)

1.  What would make learning fun for you?
2.  Think about one of the subjects you are currently studying (Interactions within Ecosystems, New France, Math, and Language: Mystery/Suspense).  Brainstorm 3 different projects, classroom activities or special guests that would make school come alive for you.

Remember the rules for posting information to the web:

- NEVER post any personal information and use only first names please.
-  Put the question in your answer and always write using full sentences.
- Proofread your work (watch your spelling and grammar) before you post it.
- Keep it appropriate for school.
- Have fun and be creative!
I'm looking forward to reading your answers!

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Properties of Matter - Plastics

My Grade 5’s are studying “Properties of Matter” right now in science and a nice off-shoot of what we are studying is the use and misuse of plastics. The grade 5’s were shocked (and saddened) at some of the statistics. As a result, we went online and found a few very interesting infographics that help to explain “plastics” and the importance of recycling and using alternative methods.

The infographics are compliments of "The Plastiki".

The Majestic Plastic Bag is a mockumentary video produced by Heal the Bay. The video chronicles the journey of a plastic shopping bag from a store, through a park, and to the ocean. Watch the video below.

This lesson also lead to another interesting conversation about the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.

Compliments of the website “How Stuff Works”.

"In t­he broad expanse of the northern Pacific Ocean, there exists the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, a slowly moving, clockwise spiral of currents created by a high-pressure system of air currents. The area is an oceanic desert, filled with tiny phytoplankton but few big fish or mammals. Due to its lack of large fish and gentle breezes, fishermen and­ s­ailors rarely travel through the gyre. But the area is filled with something besides plankton: trash, millions of pounds of it, most of it plastic. It's the largest landfill in the world, and it floats in the middle of the ocean."

Watch the videos below for a little more information on the garbage patch.





Something to think about.

Mr. Boettger

New novel - Everest by Gordon Korman!

The new novel that we are reading in class is an excellent adventure story called “Everest” written by Gordon Korman.  Here are a few resources (compliments of Larry Ferlazzo) to learn about Everest.  Please check them out!

National Geographic has a nice introduction video to Mt. Everest (among several others).  Click here for the complete list. 

Here is a panorama taken from the summit.

Here’s a nice video that shows a typical climbing route and the importance of acclimatizing (going back and forth to get one’s body acclimated to the altitude):



If you find any more "cool" links. Let me know! I hope to add to this post as we read the books.

Mr. Boettger

It's time for some new goals!

Hello class!

Now that you have seen your Term #1 report cards, it is time to sit back and reflect on how well you did.  There are several questions that you should be asking yourself.  Are you happy with how the term went?  Did you work to your full potential?  Could you do better?  Do you want to do better?  Did you achieve this term's goals?  If not, what could you have done differently?  Hopefully, your response to most of these questions is a resounding "yes".   However, even if you did answer "yes", it doesn't mean that you can't improve in some capacity and that is where this week's question comes into play.

Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your future.  Not just for your future here in Grade 4 or 5, but in your entire school career as well as continuing onto your adult life.  It is an excellent habit/skill to try and master.  By setting goals you will be able to decide where you would like to go in life and have complete control on how to get there. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve, you will always know where you have to concentrate your efforts. You'll also quickly spot the distractions that would otherwise lure you from your course.  More than this, properly-set goals can be incredibly motivating, and as you get into the habit of setting and achieving goals, you'll find that your self-confidence builds fast and that is always a good thing!  :-)

So, your goal this week is to set a few goals.  You see what I did there?  :-)  Unlike in class, these goals do not have to be classroom related.  Your goal(s) can be classroom related, sports related, family related etc.  There are no set limits here except for one small tidbit.  You must be able to accomplish your goal by the end of December.

Remember:

In order for something to be a goal:

• It has to be important to you, personally.
• It has to be within your power to make it happen through your own actions.
• It has to be something you have a reasonable chance of achieving.
• It must be clearly defined and have a specific plan of action.

To summarize:

1.  Tell me here what your goal(s) for the next month and a half will be. (re-read the above list over again to make sure your goal is a good one!)

2.  Accomplish your goal by the end of December.

3.  Provide me with updates as you go or if you need help achieving it.

4.  Have fun and start over-achieving!  :-)

Mr. Boettger  :-)

Don't forget about the video I showed you at the beginning of the year.  Feel free to watch it again if you have forgotten!

Finish Strong

This week's bonus question is:  Who is the person credited with creating this wonderful piece of technology we call the "internet"?