Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog

National Geographic Live: Brian Skerry

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:28:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis and the other third grade students went on a field trip to see Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry. This program was sponsored in part by Ingrid Hanzer on behalf of National Geographic Live!

In reading and science, the class is learning about animal habitats.

The ocean is the world's largest habitat!

Students line up to board the bus to the Broad Theatre. Thank you, PFC, for sponsoring the travel expenses!

We were met by Dan Beaupre, director of Educational Partnerships for National Geographic Live!

Mrs. Yollis, Brian Skerry, Ingrid Hanzer (sponsor), Dan Beaupre

After the presentation, students ate lunch on the grass outside the theater.

Brian Skerry emailed Mrs. Yollis some photographs to use on the class blog! Remember, it is essential to have permission to use someone's work.

Here are some of Brian Skerry's wonderful photos!

Brian Skerry harp seal photograph used with permission.

Brian Skerry hermit crab photograph used with permission.

Brian Skerry manatee in fresh water spring photograph used with permission.

Brian Skerry yellow goby photograph used with permission.

Brian Skerry female leatherback turtle photograph used with permission.

Our time spent learning about the ocean with Brian Skerry was inspiring. Here are some watercolor paintings created by students after seeing Mr. Skerry's photographs of the ocean.

Ocean Watercolors! on PhotoPeach

What did you learn about the ocean from Brian Skerry?

What did you learn about photography?

Happy 50th Birthday, AA (Australian Parent)

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:22:00 +0000

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Today we are sending a special birthday song out to a wonderful Australian parent. This parent, named Alma or AA, has been a supportive person of this classroom blog for the past two year. Here is a post from 2010 when she and her daughter, Bianca, sent our class an Australian care package! This mother-daughter pairing has developed an online friendship between Mrs. Yollis and her mother!

AA's daughter, Bianca, is a former student of Mrs. Morris in Australia.Through our classroom blogs we have gotten to know one another. AA dedicates a lot of her time to support classroom blogging. She regularly leaves quality comments for students, and we certainly appreciate her support!

Thank you, Sarah, for the violin accompaniment!

A classroom blog is a fabulous project filled with wonderful friendships!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Click here to see a special birthday blog for Alma's birthday!

Mr. Yollis Shares About Kodiak Grizzly Bears!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:53:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis' class has been reading Badger Claws of Ojai, the story of a Chumash Indian boy. In the story, the Chumash boy encounters a grizzly bear named Old Silver Tip.

To complement the story, Mr. Yollis came in to share about his experiences with a sub-species of grizzly called Kodiak grizzly bears.

Even Beverly enjoyed learning about her relatives!

* * * * *

Kodiak Island is the largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, and it is the second largest island in the United States.

* * * * *

Here are some photo from Kodiak Island. The bears and Mr. Yollis were there to fish for salmon!

Notice the salmon trying to get up the falls to the lake where they can spawn.

Grizzly bears have a large hump above their shoulders. The males, called boars, can weigh up to 1400 pounds. Females, called sows, range in weight from 500-700 pounds.

Above is a photo of One Ear. She had three baby cubs.

Above is One Ear and two of her cubs. Her babies watch her and learn how to catch salmon.

Lots of flora and fauna can be found in Alaska! That's a fancy way of saying there are lots of plants and animals in Alaska.

Above Mr. Yollis tries to compete with bears to catch a tasty salmon dinner! Luckily, there was enough salmon for everyone!

* * * * *

Here are some videos Mr. Yollis took on his trip.

Enjoy and Learn!

Transportation to rural areas in Alaska is done by float plane. Watch the video to see a float plane land on the ocean!

Here is a video full of fun facts about grizzly bears!

Did you know that grizzly bears love water! Below is one looking under the water for salmon!

Here is a video clip of a grizzly fishing for salmon at the bottom of a waterfall.
Will he catch a salmon?

Below is a video clip of One Ear playing with her three cubs!

Would you enjoy a float plane ride to the wilderness?

What did you learn about grizzly bears?

Please leave a comment below!

CHALLENGE!

Try to write a sentence in your comment that starts with a dependent clause.

Dependent clauses start with special words:

After, Before, Since, While, When, If, During.

A dependent clause ends with a comma and cannot stand alone as a sentence. It must be followed by an independent clause,
which is a sentence that can stand alone!

Fun With Opacity!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

In science, we are learning about light. Today we learned that some kinds of matter block light. If an object blocks light it is opaque (oh PAYK).

We went outside and created animals using our opaque hands!

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4

Photo #5

Photo #6


Photo #7

Here are some other more difficult shadow puppets to create!

Click to Enlarge.

What do the numbered shadows look like to you?

Are there any opaque objects in your house?

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:44:00 +0000

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last year, Mr. B. accompanied the class as they honored Dr. King with a song.
Listen and enjoy!

Below are the words to sing along!

Once there was a man named King, Alleluia.

They called him Martin Luther King, Alleluia

King was wise and he was good, Alleluia.

He believed in brotherhood, Alleluia.

CHORUS:

Martin Luther King,

Freedom was his dream.

Martin Luther King,

Freedom was his dream.

Martin’s eyes were colorblind, Alleluia.

For he loved people of every kind, Alleluia.

He had a dream for you and me, Alleluia.

He knew that all men must be free, Alleluia.

CHORUS

Fun Facts:

American's celebrate his birth on the third Monday in January. MLK Day is a national holiday.

Martin was first named Michael, but his name was later changed to Martin, after his father. His father's name was Martin Luther King, Sr.

1948 was the year he graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1955, Mr. King received his doctorate degree from Boston University. His new title was Dr. King.

Dr. King used nonviolent acts to change the unfair laws of the U.S.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. King gave his "I have a Dream" speech in Washington, D. C. to over 200, 000 people. This important speech was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1963, MLK was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the civil rights movement.

* * * * *

Do you know any other interesting facts about Dr. King?

How did you like the song?

Link to the comment section is under

the

3 images below!

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Six Students Earn Their Own Blogs!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:36:00 +0000

In Mrs. Yollis' class, students who demonstrate responsible work habits and regularly participate in the class blog are eligible to earn their own blog. Maintaining a blog takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Today, six students are ready to take on that responsibility.

A big thank you goes out to the parents of our student bloggers.
Parents are the administrators of each student blog and have been learning right alongside their child. Well done parents!

Behold!

Click here to visit: Leila's Lounge

Click here to visit: The Kelly Connection

Click here to visit: Sasha's Sensational Scoop

Click here to visit: The Voice of Royce

Click here to visit: Come Somersault With Sarah!

Click here to visit: Mia's Marvelous Moments

Rather than leaving a comment here, please click on one of the student blogs above.

They would love to hear from you!

Link to the comment section is under

the
3 images below!

☟ ☟ ☟

Learn About Peru!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:56:00 +0000

On Friday, Alexandra's father came in and talked about the country of his birth, Peru!

First, we went down to the giant map to locate Peru.

Beverly got a chance to see the map for the first time.

As luck would have it, Alexandra's cousin was visiting during the same week that we had the giant traveling map! That's serendipity! (Serendipity is a fancy word for good luck.)

Alexandra's father shared a slide show. (Embedded below) with photos of Peru, including one of a surfing beach in Lima, Peru.

After his presentation, we all went outside to enjoy a special Peruvian treat!


Even Mrs. Yollis got one of the yummy desserts!

¡Muey delicioso!

Check out his fabulous slideshow! It includes images from his trip to Machu Pichu and the Nazca Lines.

About a dozen years ago, Mrs. Yollis traveled to Peru. She spent some time at Machu Pichu and thought it was a beautiful historic location.

Mrs. Yollis hiking up a portion of the Inca Trail.

The mountains were terraced or carved into steps.

When Mrs. Yollis was in Machu Pichu, there were llamas grazing on the terraced mountain.

What did you learn about Peru?

Would you like to visit Machu Pichu or the Nazca Lines?

Link to the comment section is under

these three photos.

☟ ☟ ☟

Comments From Argentina!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis' school has National Geographic's Giant Traveling Map of South America for the week. In past years, they've had Asia, North America, and Africa.

Mrs. Yollis contacted a friend of hers on Twitter who lives in South America. She asked her amiga (Spanish for female friend) to share a little about her native country of Argentina. This fabulous comment from Greta Sandler lead to lots of excitement and learning about Argentina.

Mrs. Yollis contacted another friend who lived in Argentina, Silvia Tolisano. Here is a wonderful comment from Mrs. Tolisano, also known as Langwitches. She commented about what she liked about her South American country!

These comments prompted more learning about South America!

Yollis' Argentinians gather around the COUNTRY'S border. Colored arrows were placed on points of interests.
Green arrow ~ Buenos Aires, the city where Greta Sandler lives and teaches ELS students. Red arrow ~ Iguazu Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of South America! Blue arrow ~ Laguna del Carbon, lowest point in South America.

Here is the location of Iguazu Falls.It is located on the border of Argentina and Brazil.

We pointed to this special water feature on the giant map.

Mrs. Yollis found a beautiful video of this awesome waterfall in Argentina. Iguazu Falls is something to see!

Do you know any other facts about Argentina?

Research Iguazu Falls and share! What river is falling?

Do you have any questions for Ms. Sandler or Mrs. Tolisano?

Mrs. Yollis' Class Journeys to South America!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis is passionate about teaching geography to children.

She organizes the National Geographic Giant Traveling Maps for her district.

This year her district is going to South America!

Over the years, they've explored Asia, North America, and Africa.

Students took off their shoes and explored the continent of South America!

One student said her mother was born in URUGUAY. We noticed that all the countries were labeled using CAPITAL LETTERS. That was helpful!


Some students counted COUNTRIES, while others looked for capital cities. One student walked the Andes Mountain Range and another swam the length of the Amazon River!

One boy noticed that his shirt was the capital of GUYANA! He hadn't even visited Guyana!

After some free exploration, we used the COUNTRY cards to locate all the COUNTRIES in South America. How many countries were there?

We were surprised to find Los Angeles! Who remembers where this city is located? What COUNTRY?

BRAZIL was so large, we could all sit inside its borders!

Next, we decided to create a human ClustrMap! First, we examined our South American map.

We tried to identify the cities that went with the larger dots. Many of the cities were capital cities!

Everyone got their visitor dots ready!

Behold! Our Human ClustrMap of South America! Can you name any of the cities?


Mrs. Yollis pointed out Angel Falls in VENEZUELA. Does anyone know any fun facts about the famous waterfall?

Have you ever visited a country in South America? If so, tell us about it!

Research and share some interesting facts about South America. Remember, do not plagiarize!

(To plagiarize mean you copied someone else's work and are passing it off as your own.)

Family Blogging Month Winner: Sarah Plays Chopin!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:28:00 +0000

Sarah was one of the winners of Family Blogging Month! Each student won a free-choice post here on Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog. Please enjoy Sarah's post about Frederic Chopin!

Frederic Chopin composed music in the early Romantic Period (1820 to 1850). The Romantic Period began as a reaction to the more formal music of the Classical period. The music in the Romantic Period had more feelings and emotions to the music and Beethoven began to write such music in some of his later works even though he lived during the Classical Period.

Wikipedia

Chopin was born on 1810 in Poland, and died in 1849 when he was just 38 years old. Chopin mostly composed music for the piano. He gave his first concert when he was seven years old and was compared to Mozart and Beethoven. No other composer could play the pinao with as much feeling as Chopin. He was sick most of his life and died from tuberculosis.

The Waltz in A-flat major, also called "The Farewell Waltz," was written in 1835 as a farewell piece to Maria Wodzińska. Chopin was supposed to marry Maria but her parents didn't allow her to marry Chopin because he was very ill.

I really like this piece because I like how the rhythm changes. In some places it is faster and in other places it is slower. When I play, I feel the music and decide where to play faster and slower. The musical term for this is Rubato, which is expressive shaping of music. Chopin was famous for this. I also really love the melody of this waltz.

Have you ever listened to Chopin before? What is your favorite piece?

What do you think of his music?

Do you play an instrument?

Thank You 2KM, 2KJ, and B4!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:29:00 +0000

We got some fabulous Christmas presents from our blogging buddies! First, 2KM and 2KJ sent us this clever story called

Santa's Blogging Adventure.

Not only was the story well-written, but the hand drawn illustrations were incredible. The story includes Santa stops to the classrooms of Mr. Salsich, Mrs. Watson, Mrs. McKenzie, and Mr. Avery's. So entertaining! To hear the story, head on over to Mr. Avery's class. They did a great reading of the story!

Just as we were about to leave on vacation, we received another surprise parcel from Down Under! A holiday card and some Pineapple Lumps from Mrs. McKenzie and B4. No one had ever heard of Pineapple Lumps, but Mrs. McKenzie said they are very popular in New Zealand! They were delicious!

We want to thank our blogging buddies and wish them a very Merry Christmas! Here is a song we recorded for you!

What was your favorite part of Santa's Blogging Adventure?

Did you enjoy your Pineapple Lump?

Family Blogging Month Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:03:00 +0000

Family Blogging Month was a terrific success! Congratulations Leila, Sarah, and Sasha!

Each girl won a free meal at the Marmalade Cafe and an opportunity to publish a free-choice post on our classroom blog! Congratulations to our top bloggers!

♕ ♕ ♕

Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends for your participation!

This When I Was Young... post is an amazing demonstration of how important and fun it is to include family in our learning. Please take a moment to check that post out! You're invited to add your story!

We hope you will continue to participate in our learning community!

♕ ♕ ♕

What did you like most about Family Blogging Month?

Which family members left comments and how did that make you feel?

How did your family enjoy the month?

Holiday Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:38:00 +0000

The parents in Mrs. Yollis' room spent a lot of time and effort putting together a fabulous party!

Thank you parents!

Holiday Party ~ 2011 on PhotoPeach

What was your favorite part about the party?

Where did you hang you snowflake?

Thank You for the Edublog Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Yesterday, Mrs. Yollis' Classroom Blog won an Edublog Award for
Best Class Blog!
We want to thank all the people who nominated us and for the people who helped us win! We appreciate your support!

We were thrilled to see that our special blogging buddies Mr. Salsich’s Class Blog earned fourth place and 2KM and 2KJ (Australia) came in fifth! Go blogging buddies!

We were equally happy to learn that Mrs. Yollis' Learn How to Comment won for Most Influential Post! Mrs. Yollis is passionate about teaching students how to compose quality comments, so this award was very dear to her ♥.

Two former students, Miriam and Jaden, were shortlisted in the top five for Best Student Blog. Everyone was happy for Jaden! Plus, our good friend Jarrod from 2KM and 2KJ won third!

Our World, Our Stories was awarded Best Group Blog! The blog demonstrates the power and excitement of global collaboration. The teachers and their students each took a week to lead. Weekly themes included: local environment, food, recess activities, traditional songs, and stories.

One of the culminating activities for this blog was a group song. Here is the final video of the group members joining together in song!

While learning how to patch videos together in iMovie, Mrs. Yollis tried different advanced tools. She experimented with inserting a screen and created a fun music video with her class.

This special day seems like an appropriate time to publish the song. It is called Make New Friends, which is something we love to do. The video demonstrates how Mrs. Yollis and her students have fun learning and creating together.

We hope you like our song!

Were were also very excited for some other special friends!

Mr. Avery (Massachusetts) and his class placed third in the category called

Best Use of Audio/Video/Podcast.

Mrs. Hembree (Seattle) and her students placed second in the category Best Librarian/Library.

What do you like about blogging?

Have you ever left a quality comment?

What commenting tips do you have for new bloggers?

Vote For Us ~ Edublog Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:33:00 +0000

The Edublog Awards are here, and Mrs. Yollis and her students are thrilled to be nominated!

Voting is open until 11:59 PM US Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, December the 13th

RULES:

You can vote in as many categories as you want per day!
Please note only one vote per category per day will be counted per IP address.

There are many great nominations and we encourage everyone to look through all the categories before casting your daily vote. If you'd like to support us, here are the categories!

1. Best Class Blog

Mrs. Yollis' 3rd Grade Class Blog

2. Best Student Blog (These are former students!)

Choose: Miriam's or Jaden's

3. Most Influential Blog Post

Linda Yollis

4. Best Group Blog

Our World, Our Stories

5. Lifetime Achievement

Linda Yollis

You can cast your votes from a home computer, a work computer, an iPad, or a cell phone! Remember, you can vote daily!

Have you voted today?

Davo Devil Discovered!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:37:00 +0000

Today Mrs. Yollis' class read the Traveling with Mr. 'Davo' Devil blog and was quite concerned!

Miss W. had a News Alert! Davo the Tasmanian Devil was nowhere to be found! He had not been seen since he was in Los Angeles in Mrs. Yollis' class. The students quickly searched the room and discovered a new student!

Do you see Davo crouching behind our visitor count?


Look more carefully...there is that little Davo!

When the school principal found out that Davo had stayed behind, she had a little talk with him. She lectured him about always telling loved ones where you are.

Davo said he was sorry, but really wanted to do some more traveling in life. Because he was so polite, the principal told him he could stay and be a part of our school community.

Welcome, Davo!

Davo then lined up with the boys and will be joining our class for a little while.

Since he is now in Mrs. Yollis' class, she assigned him an AlphaSmart and he has started his typing lessons. Keep your paws on the homerow, Davo!

He even listened in as Mrs. Yollis read aloud to the students from The BFG!

Davo pointed to his old home in Australia and waved the national flag!

Davo will be out in the community having adventures with Mrs. Yollis' students.

What kinds of activities will he be doing?

Meet Miss W. and Davo!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:16:00 +0000

Recently, Mrs. Yollis' class was fortunate enough to have the world famous Edublogger, Sue Wyatt and her pal, Davo the Tasmanian Devil in their classroom!

Miss W. runs the Student Blogging Challenge and is good friends with Mrs. Yollis. Davo has his own blog called Traveling with Mr. Davo!

Everyone enjoyed meeting Miss W.!

Miss W. has traveled to many of the states in America. Some students named a state and then placed it in the U.S.A. puzzle if she'd visited. The ones to the right are states she has not visited. How many states has Miss W. visited? What do you notice about the missing states?

Mrs. Yollis' class gave Miss W. a special book about California and a card.

Davo enjoyed reading about the state bird, the California quail.

Miss W. talked about Australia, especially her home state of Tasmania. She talked about the cartoon character called Taz.

Do you remember any of the animals that are found in Australia? Do you remember any fun facts?

What is animal #1?

What is animal #2?

What is animal #3?

Too much information to guess!


What is animal #4?

Miss W. said that many people travel to Uluru and climb it.

Many stayed after school to talk with Miss W.

Thank you, Miss W., for the wonderful Tasmanian souvenirs!

Miss W. even brought a wonderful letter from one of Mrs. Yollis' blogging buddies in Kansas, Science Girl Em!

What did you learn from Miss W.?

What animal did you enjoy learning about?

Visitor Count Palindrome!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:43:00 +0000

This week we noticed that the Visitor Count number was a palindrome!

pal • in• drome (noun)

a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward, e.g., madam or nurses run.

Do you see any palindromes in your life?

Please share a palindrome or two in the comment section!

Remember, look to see if your palindrome has already been mentioned!

When do you think the blog will hit 100,000?

Bamboo: A Global Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:25:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis' class is part of a global project called
Our World, Our Stories.

One week was devoted to recess activities. Mrs. Yollis' class shared a video of a popular game called Bamboo:

Mrs. Watson's class, in Canada, liked the game and wanted to play. However, their bars were too tall. :-( That did not stop the Canadians! They adapted the game and renamed it Switch! Check it out!

A class at 2KM and 2KJ's school saw the video, realized they had the parallel bars at their school, and started playing. What is fabulous about this video is that the teacher, Mrs. deVries, joined in the fun! Way to go!

Bamboo 1 from Deb de Vries on Vimeo.

Inspired by Mrs. deVries, Mrs. Yollis took the bars for the first time! See how she did as she competes against one of her students! Sadly, Mrs. Yollis had to shout...Bamboo and the game was over.

Mrs. deVries will remain World Bamboo Champion
~ Teacher Division ~

Thank you, Alexandra, for being a great videographer. The video is very still and easy to watch!

Then the kids had fun playing.

Go!

Wait, who is that waiting her turn in line?

Go, Beverly, go!

Keep going, Beverly! You can win!

She tagged him! Beverly is victorious!

Do you play Bamboo?

Does your teacher?

Do you have any advice for new players, like Mrs. Yollis?

My Edublog Nomination 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:41:00 +0000

The 2011 Edublog Awards are now open for nominations. It is very difficult to choose just one entry per category because there are so many inspirational people and quality projects to choose from. After much thought, here are my nominations:

Best class blog 2KM and2KJ

Best student blog Miriam’s Magical Moments

Best teacher blog Integrating Technology in the Primary Classroom by Kathleen Morris

Best new blog wwwatanabe by Mrs. Wantanabe

Best twitter hashtag #comments4kids by @wmchamberlain

Best individual blog Teaching Literacy in the Early Years by Kelly Jordan

Best librarian / library blog The Bulldog Readers Blog by Mrs. Hembree

Most influential blog post Top 10 Twitter Tips by Kathleen Morris

Best individual tweeter @ozge

Best free web tool Twitter

Best ed tech / resource sharing blog Langwitches Blog By Mrs. Tolisano

Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast Mr. Avery's Blog

Lifetime achievement Sue Wyatt

Who are you nominating for Edublog Awards?

Happy Thanksgiving ~ 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

For Thanksgiving, Mrs. Yollis' class baked delicious pumpkin bread!

Happy Thanksgiving - 2011 on PhotoPeach

In addition, Mrs. Yollis read the class a funny story about a slow-thinking turkey called Thomas T. Turkey.

In the story, Thomas was invited to not one, not two, but three Thanksgiving dinners. Benjamin Bobcat, Fanny Fox, and Henry Hawk all told him they wanted to have him for Thanksgiving dinner and that the day wouldn't be the same without him! In the end, Thomas T. Turkey decided he did not want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he declined all the invitations! He ended up staying home alone for Thanksgiving dinner.

We learned that it is better to eat alone than to be eaten!

After listening to the story, we created our own invitations for Thomas T. Turkey. He must have been overwhelmed by his sudden popularity this year!

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

What are you thankful for?

Family Blogging Month: When I Was Young...

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:55:00 +0000

Family Blogging Month has been a terrific success so far. Quality comments have been pouring in from parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even some pets!

One recent comment from Kelly's grandmother and great-aunt caught Mrs. Yollis' eye. These ladies composed a fabulous comment sharing about their life growing up in Louisiana.

Below is their wonderful comment!

(Click the comments to enlarge.)

Like a good blogger, Kelly, responded back.

Then Kelly's mom joined in the fun!

Many families will be traveling over the Thanksgiving vacation and spending time with special family members and friends.

Mrs. Yollis is hoping that other relatives and friends will share about their life.

What was life like for you growing up?

What sorts of chores did you have?

What did you do for fun?

Happy Birthday, Ross Mannell!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:28:00 +0000

Mr. Mannell is a retired teacher form New South Wales, Australia! He is a regular reader of Mrs. Yollis' blog and the class appreciates his support! He always leaves such interesting comments, and he is a teacher in our global classroom!

Happy Birthday, Ross Mannell!

Follow Mr. Mannell on Twitter! @RossMannell

What have you learned from Mr. Mannell?

Which comment was your favorite?

Learn to Write a Compound Sentences

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:30:00 +0000

Mrs. Yollis' students are always trying to improve their writing skills.

* * * * *

A compound sentence:

Combines two shorter sentences (so has TWO subjects)
Joins the two sentences with a conjunction (and, or, but, so)
The comma goes BEFORE the conjunction.

* * * * *

Here are some sample compound sentences, and they are all about Thanksgiving!

(Hey, that's a compound sentence!)

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, and many families gather for a traditional feast.

In 1620, the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, but they had really planned a trip to Virginia.

The Massachusetts winter was extremely cold and harsh, so everyone had to work together to survive.

The Wampanoag Indians helped the struggling Pilgrims, so they were able to harvest crops for their first feast.

Modern Americans dine on turkey and stuffing at home, or they make a reservation at a local restaurant.

Challenge!

In the comment section tell about your plans for Thanksgiving. Be sure to include at least two COMPOUND SENTENCES.

Thank You, Veterans!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. Yollis) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Today is Veterans Day in America. It is a national holiday and is the day we celebrate and honor the men and women who have served in one of the branches of the military.

Here is a video made by the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Here is a link to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Veterans Day.

Do you know any veterans?

Please contact them today and thank them for their service!

If you are a veteran, please share your story!